That is what you get With LOTRO. It is actually what you get with any game nowadays. EQ started the formula and every game since has just used the same formula with a different packaging. Some games do a great job disguising the formula, others not so much.
LOTRO starts off disguising it well. The early levels you are still wow'd by actually being in middle earth, seeing the prancing pony, growing longbottom weed and visiting weathertop, the shire etc.
However that is where the Grand Illusion needs to step it up and instead it fizzles out. It becomes very quickly apparent that you are just on a hamster wheel doing the same thing over and over for no particular pupose.
Now, there IS a ton of content. That is true, but there is not a lot of good content. What you have is a lot of rehashed content. How many people are going to make you kill pigs? A lot, you will kill a LOT of pigs, sometimes with good reason, othertimes because it appears to have just been the thing to do.
Deeds seem like a nice unique thing, but as others have said they have been done before. Also, while deeds seem like a nice auxillery content path to follow, it is just killing stuff over and over and over and over yaawwwwn.
OH, you can craft! You cannot craft anything of any real value (much like most games). The loot that drops in the world is more often than not better than anything being crafted. not to mention more plentiful, loot falls like rain! Instant gratification bonanza! If you don't like your sword - just fight for a little longer finish another quest or two you will get a better one.
DONT RACE TO 50! well, you don't have to race to 50. Leveling is SO easy it is pathetic, you can level without even trying half the time. That is okay becuase they planned for that right? wrong. Some day, someone out there will realize that you have to now a days have content at the level cap from the get go, right out of the box!
Storyline - Read the stories, they are all very similar to each other. The names change, the targets change but the stories don't change much.
Lets put it this wasy, this game is like WOW. It is MMORPG 101. It is PERFECT for the true casual gamer. It really is, and congrats to the casual gamers for having a game you can call home. For Veteran gamers, whatever you want to call them - hardcore, obsessed, whatever, this is another speed bump on the way to the next game - UNLESS turbine puts out new content QUICKLY that is...
For the casual gamer I would give this game high marks
For a game that will attract players of all kinds I would give this game high marks
For a long lasting game that will HOLD players for a long time - sadly, it doesn't look like it. I surely do hope they prove me wrong.
I am, however, incredibly glad I didn't shell out 200 bucks for a lifetime membership!
Slashdot Mirror
(How embarassing) Don't know where my formatting went, my sincere apologies /sigh
That is what you get With LOTRO. It is actually what you get with any game nowadays. EQ started the formula and every game since has just used the same formula with a different packaging. Some games do a great job disguising the formula, others not so much. LOTRO starts off disguising it well. The early levels you are still wow'd by actually being in middle earth, seeing the prancing pony, growing longbottom weed and visiting weathertop, the shire etc. However that is where the Grand Illusion needs to step it up and instead it fizzles out. It becomes very quickly apparent that you are just on a hamster wheel doing the same thing over and over for no particular pupose. Now, there IS a ton of content. That is true, but there is not a lot of good content. What you have is a lot of rehashed content. How many people are going to make you kill pigs? A lot, you will kill a LOT of pigs, sometimes with good reason, othertimes because it appears to have just been the thing to do. Deeds seem like a nice unique thing, but as others have said they have been done before. Also, while deeds seem like a nice auxillery content path to follow, it is just killing stuff over and over and over and over yaawwwwn. OH, you can craft! You cannot craft anything of any real value (much like most games). The loot that drops in the world is more often than not better than anything being crafted. not to mention more plentiful, loot falls like rain! Instant gratification bonanza! If you don't like your sword - just fight for a little longer finish another quest or two you will get a better one. DONT RACE TO 50! well, you don't have to race to 50. Leveling is SO easy it is pathetic, you can level without even trying half the time. That is okay becuase they planned for that right? wrong. Some day, someone out there will realize that you have to now a days have content at the level cap from the get go, right out of the box! Storyline - Read the stories, they are all very similar to each other. The names change, the targets change but the stories don't change much. Lets put it this wasy, this game is like WOW. It is MMORPG 101. It is PERFECT for the true casual gamer. It really is, and congrats to the casual gamers for having a game you can call home. For Veteran gamers, whatever you want to call them - hardcore, obsessed, whatever, this is another speed bump on the way to the next game - UNLESS turbine puts out new content QUICKLY that is... For the casual gamer I would give this game high marks For a game that will attract players of all kinds I would give this game high marks For a long lasting game that will HOLD players for a long time - sadly, it doesn't look like it. I surely do hope they prove me wrong. I am, however, incredibly glad I didn't shell out 200 bucks for a lifetime membership!