When DAoC came out, eq1 doesnt deserved a 10 anymore.
DAoC to me would have a very high rank. Now, LoTRO doesnt have much new competition,
so to me, it deserved a high ranking.
No game deserves a 10. There are bugs, glitches, exploits, imbalances, among other things in every game. Hell, even a 9 is pushing it. 10/10 means that the game is perfect. 9/10 would imply that the game only has some minor things wrong with it. Games have and will continue to recieve bloated scores.
Our era of mmorpg gaming is like the steroid era of baseball and all rating given for games nowadays should have an asterics next to it.
Very high score , but largely due to the fact that it is the only MMO really ready for release we seen in long time.
Actually we alltogether forgot what quality game looks like - and LOTRO brings this back.
LOTRO brings lot of micro innovations aswell, something not readily visible , and all in all it is beutiful and enjoyable game.
Something i really look forward to playing.
However all that said , we dont have nothing really special on our hands. And in my oppinion Lord of the Rings could have been much much more ... but that is wishfill thinking , and i am pleased with what we have now.
My score 8.5
"Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas
Very high score , but largely due to the fact that it is the only MMO really ready for release we seen in long time.
Actually we alltogether forgot what quality game looks like - and LOTRO brings this back.
LOTRO brings lot of micro innovations aswell, something not readily visible , and all in all it is beutiful and enjoyable game.
Something i really look forward to playing.
However all that said , we dont have nothing really special on our hands. And in my oppinion Lord of the Rings could have been much much more ... but that is wishfill thinking , and i am pleased with what we have now.
LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore - if you're any kind of fan, it would seem pretty much an essential purchase. LOTRO seems destined to become the next big MMORPG contender and we've no hesitation in saying prepare to make your move to Middle-earth - we'll see you there.
The game is pretty good, but what this guy wrote is gibberish. To me it doesn't feel like Middle-Earth at all. Between some frivolous treatment of the lore (even more so than in the movies) and lack of areas to explore (only Eriador), the game world feels like any standard (albeit pretty well made) one to me. Please don't tell me some changes of the lore are necessary to make an MMORPG, I know it. And I'm by no means saying the game is bad. But calling it an essential for any kind of fan is simply wrong. Hell, even movies which were obviously truer to the lore (granted, it was easier for them to follow the story of the book) weren't essential for fans. There's only one thing essential for fans - the books. Everything else depends on how much you can tolerate changes of the lore. Now, if Tolkien were alive and consulted them, THEN I would say it is essential since all the changes would be submitted to his approval.
I cannot explain the sadness That's fallen on my breast. An old, old fable haunts me, And will not let me rest.
3 years i've played ultima and last 2 years playing GW. Also tested most of other mmorpg a little.
Ultima online had a real living world, they realy created worlds.
Gw has awesome PvP . But people looking for rpg will be upset because its more close to a tactical pvp game mixed with counter strike >)
After testing lotro beta i find it a gimp clone of wow. Boring same missions, nothing new.
I think most of the players will be LOTR funs who r playing a mmorpg first time. They will think after reading the books and watching movies they know everything about LOTRO and mmorpg.
My opinion is experienced players will stick with their current game. We all get bored from collecting stupid animal legs, eyes missions. If nothing will be new, nobody wants to start from the beginning again. Sorry for my bad English
A 9.2 game, less than one mark away from 'perfection' should really be a game breaking or astonishing game. LOTRO is an 'OK' game with nothing really new to MMO's and much of what it does have is done better in other games as well.
The LOTRO setting itself is faithfully recreated, the storyline is well presented, characters and scenes from the movie are added in cleverly, the RP touches are nice and the actual world graphics are stunning which are all plus points.
On the downside, the combat system is not as good as DDO's, the UI is not as good as WoW's and doesn't offer it's cutomisation, the character models are much blander and more 'samey' than other MMO's, the quest system offers nothing not found elsewhere, the need for a tank and healer for almost any worthwhile quest past level 15 is also a pain and it did feel just a bit too linear... These are all quite big niggles in a game that has just scored 9.2 if you ask me!
That said, I think the fact that CVG was pretty much the official LOTRO magazine and was given more insider access than any others as well as distributing all the beta keys does make there 'impartial' review kind of suspect.
If I was to buy the game off the back of that 9.2 review, I would be expecting something pretty special and would be quite disappointed. A 7 or 8 out of 10 mark is much more reasonable.
Maybe I just expect a bit more innovation out of a game that's rated 9.2...you know, something that really surprises me ....
maybe such a game can't really exist anymore...but we'll see....
you know what I consider a surprise? A game that does not suck ass and is actually worth the 50 dollar box price. Want innovative there is Autop Assault, Saga of Ryzom, Neocron, Eve, Faces of Mankind, Roma Victor etc etc. Next big innovation I expect will be a holodeck
LoL, I couldn't agree more with you jack....how long has it been since an mmo worth the price of the box is shipped in was released, 2 years ago or more?
Its good to finally have a very well made MMO release. Sure its not the end all of things and many mmo purist are gonna belittle and berate the game (and I'm guilty of lashing out at fantasy level grinders myself) but maybe, just maybe the trend toward quality products is finally starting to take root in our disaster ridden genre and that alone deserves praise. Anyway, this is only one single review, we will see how it goes, especially once the big guns start chiming in.
And I agree again with the innovative. You want "innovative" you need to watch for and play innovative games. Its not like LotR was a surprise. Everyone knew what it was, they lifted the NDA a long time ago...personally I think they did an excellent job on all fronts which is absolutely amazing considering its those knot-heads at Turbine. They never promised "innovation". To many people here on this site are moaning about the lack of innovative games but do not support the ones that are out there. Yesterday some guy was saying how there were no innovative games and everything was the same but in his sig he had "playing: WoW".
There are innovative games out there that have evolved from games with "rough" launches to really good games. Ryzom is one of them. You want different and innovative, give this a try and stop giving the "innovative" buzz-word lip service, put some money were your mouth is and support a quality innovative game. The problem with "innovative" games and the MMO community is that they require you to actually think and immerse yourself in the gameworld. Lets face, most of this community isn't interested in that.
I will be playing LotR also, I have been since Aug.... I mean whats not to like about it? Its quest based, graphics are stunning, the stories actually have some meat on them, and its just so well made..... Sure its no "sandbox" open ended free for all PvP game but it never said it was going to be.
I expect even higher ratings when the game is released, because this game encapsulates the leading trend of mmorpg: casual gaming with little effort and draws non-mmorpgers to this genre which is always good for publicity of all sites and magazines reviewing it.
Most players have a very positiv first impression of this game and I'm happy to see that Turbine has produced finally something which will not flop like AC2 or DnD-online. This game will be at least a short-term success, it will depend how Turbine will handle future expansions if it will also be a long-time runner. Because already now I can hear in the European pre-order complaints from people in game that it becomes dull after a while.
Don't get to excited yet, I never even heard of these guys. Wait until some of the heavy weights put theirs out....
Gamespot, Gamespy, 1UP, PCGamer (among others) These are some of the reviewers that can make or break a game.
CVG are not small players, they are publishing PC Zone UK, which is the #2 PC mag in the UK (behind PC Gamer UK , so expect a similar score from PC Zone.
And I know PC Gamer UK reviews to be the most honest (not biased by publisher money) in the industry, so ones they push out a review it will be _really_ relevant. I expect them to put the bar between 85 and 90 (maybe even 90+).
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
The review sounded like an advertising rag not a review. I would expect them to list some of the down sides. Limited class selections. Poor combat animations . Questing for experaince. Typical loot found through questing completed. Character models need improvement.
If they are to be belived then listing some grinding as a con, is not enough of a gage to go by. Very glad we have some folks here and else where that can tell the difference....
I am more willing to give reviewer's credit when several cons are listed.
I could see an 8.75 now but I also want to see how turbine does on offical launch ......
LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore - if you're any kind of fan, it would seem pretty much an essential purchase. LOTRO seems destined to become the next big MMORPG contender and we've no hesitation in saying prepare to make your move to Middle-earth - we'll see you there.
Definitely deserved!
The game is beautiful, entertaining and in great shape! It's about time companies and games that are actually consumer-ready are being recognized.
_________________________________ JonMichael
Currently: AION, an MMO Beta under NDA Played: WAR, LOTRO, Hellgate: London, CoX, GW, SotNW, DAOC, EQ2, SWG, WoW, AO, Horizons, Second Life, There, TSO Beta'd: There, Second Life, EQ2, DAOC:LotM, LOTRO, Tabula Rasa, Gods and Heroes, Hellgate: London, Requiem:Bloodymare, AoC, WAR, DDO, Fallen Earth
oh man it seems like most of you havnt played the recent turbine disaster...in 1 montht he hardcore will be done the game, in 2 months the casual will be done. Turbine spends too much time on beginning levels and nothing on end content.
oh man it seems like most of you havnt played the recent turbine disaster...in 1 montht he hardcore will be done the game, in 2 months the casual will be done. Turbine spends too much time on beginning levels and nothing on end content.
Here's to hoping the hardcore do not stay around that long.
Reviews are never to be overestimated. Thay are almost always based on one persons ideas and thoughts, and this person rarely plays the game for long before making a review.
"I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said..Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?...No, but i served in a company of heroes" Sgt. Mike Ranney E-company 506PIR 101'st airborn
Don't get to excited yet, I never even heard of these guys. Wait until some of the heavy weights put theirs out....
Gamespot, Gamespy, 1UP, PCGamer (among others) These are some of the reviewers that can make or break a game.
CVG are not small players, they are publishing PC Zone UK, which is the #2 PC mag in the UK (behind PC Gamer UK , so expect a similar score from PC Zone.
And I know PC Gamer UK reviews to be the most honest (not biased by publisher money) in the industry, so ones they push out a review it will be _really_ relevant. I expect them to put the bar between 85 and 90 (maybe even 90+).
DB
I love PCGamer UK, they can be brutal if a game deserves it
Personally I think a 8.0 to 8.5 rating would be more appropriate as well. The game does have a couple, albeit not major, flaws. As well as close to zero innovation.
That is on a scale though, where 8.0 actually means "quite good". There's been an ongoing trend amoung the, uh, "less professional" gaming media to rate anything remotely playable 8.0+, resulting in games rated below 9.0 being average at best.
I don't know CVG, so I won't comment on the particular review.
I am not to sure the hardcore will be drawn in. Well powergamers anyways. I would assume by now they know the game is prolly not for them. Hardcore rp people will most likely be drawn in. 2 months for casuals? Nah they have a good 3-4 months worth of initial content. Most of its long term success will depend on how Turbine rolls out content. I dont think they can get away with waiting a year for expansions. I do agree there isnt by any means a years worth of stuff. The lack of unique classes will hurt when it comes to rolling alts. I played 4 of the classes to a decent level in closed beta and the differences between them were slim. In the end melee is melee just with different skill names. If Turbine can keep the content rolling then they will be fine for alot of years. And dont underestimate the percentage that will take a level 5 to the prancing pony and never leave it. So please dont cast doom on something which will obviously have a outstanding start.
I agree to what I believe is the spirit of this post. Turbine (at least as far as Asheron's Call was concerned) rolled out plenty of content ever 6 weeks or so. Eriador itself is about 1/5th of the total landmass that Turbine has access to with their license.
Theres alot of good stuff that they can still add. The game is deeper than what it seems at first glance and really shines in group settings versus soloing. Never did any raids outside of the ettenmoors (the pvp region) and was happy to not have to deal with grinding the same instances over and over again lol. I think that there is enough there for both the hardcore and the casual alike.
Now about what you mentioned concerning hte classes. You are right in some respects, for the first 20 levels or so of the game there isnt really alot of distinction. But in each increment of 10 levels the classes really start to differntiate themselves nicely. Whereas a champion can tank through the great barrows with some measure of success afterwards you dont want to rely on a dps warrior for your tank :P When you're doing the quest on the north barrows where you have to get something from the ancient chest and all the wights spawn you definately dont want a champ trying to tank. Just can't live long enough.
With that said though lotro takes some getting used to. It won't be a game for everyone, but what is? However, Turbine I think has really done a great job with building a solid stable and entertaining game experience. It has a good amount of depth to the game and it seriously grows on you as you see more of the game.
I completely agree with you in that Turbine has to keep the content rolling out and it has to be stable and solid like the core game in order for it to truly be a success beyond a few months from release.
LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore - if you're any kind of fan, it would seem pretty much an essential purchase. LOTRO seems destined to become the next big MMORPG contender and we've no hesitation in saying prepare to make your move to Middle-earth - we'll see you there.
meh...this game is a hybrid of WoW and DDO...and way too easy. Lets hope they half XP gain when it goes live.
i think the mmo communities judgement on a good mmo is cloudy as of late due to some really bad mmo's....so anything half decent will seem to be brilliant when compared to some recent releases, i played lotr beta and thought it was very poor and i cant understand all the good reviews of the game..i played a champion and i felt that the combat was very unrealistic and awkward and the lag was crippling, i lagged more on lotr than i did on vanguard....also the character models look like they were taken from daoc of camelot, they are so dated looking and very bland....all in all i didnt get a very lotr feeling when playing the game..but each to his/her own...i will wait for the gamespot and ign reviews as they are usually the ones i go by..i bet they wont give it a 9.2
do you work for turbine or do you now know you have something to troll with on other game forums like some lotr fanboi's seem to be doing alot....heck yee almost took over the vanguard forums..that games was dead yet you had to get your "lotr is the greatest" opinion in....i guess wow is your next conquest.
Comments
No game deserves a 10. There are bugs, glitches, exploits, imbalances, among other things in every game. Hell, even a 9 is pushing it. 10/10 means that the game is perfect. 9/10 would imply that the game only has some minor things wrong with it. Games have and will continue to recieve bloated scores.
Our era of mmorpg gaming is like the steroid era of baseball and all rating given for games nowadays should have an asterics next to it.
Actually we alltogether forgot what quality game looks like - and LOTRO brings this back.
LOTRO brings lot of micro innovations aswell, something not readily visible , and all in all it is beutiful and enjoyable game.
Something i really look forward to playing.
However all that said , we dont have nothing really special on our hands. And in my oppinion Lord of the Rings could have been much much more ... but that is wishfill thinking , and i am pleased with what we have now.
My score 8.5
"Before this battle is over all the world will know that few...stood against many." - King Leonidas
The game is pretty good, but what this guy wrote is gibberish. To me it doesn't feel like Middle-Earth at all. Between some frivolous treatment of the lore (even more so than in the movies) and lack of areas to explore (only Eriador), the game world feels like any standard (albeit pretty well made) one to me. Please don't tell me some changes of the lore are necessary to make an MMORPG, I know it. And I'm by no means saying the game is bad. But calling it an essential for any kind of fan is simply wrong. Hell, even movies which were obviously truer to the lore (granted, it was easier for them to follow the story of the book) weren't essential for fans. There's only one thing essential for fans - the books. Everything else depends on how much you can tolerate changes of the lore. Now, if Tolkien were alive and consulted them, THEN I would say it is essential since all the changes would be submitted to his approval.
I cannot explain the sadness
That's fallen on my breast.
An old, old fable haunts me,
And will not let me rest.
who me ?
Ultima online had a real living world, they realy created worlds.
Gw has awesome PvP . But people looking for rpg will be upset because its more close to a tactical pvp game mixed with counter strike >)
After testing lotro beta i find it a gimp clone of wow. Boring same missions, nothing new.
I think most of the players will be LOTR funs who r playing a mmorpg first time. They will think after reading the books and watching movies they know everything about LOTRO and mmorpg.
My opinion is experienced players will stick with their current game. We all get bored from collecting stupid animal legs, eyes missions. If nothing will be new, nobody wants to start from the beginning again. Sorry for my bad English
Game is 7/10
A 9.2 game, less than one mark away from 'perfection' should really be a game breaking or astonishing game. LOTRO is an 'OK' game with nothing really new to MMO's and much of what it does have is done better in other games as well.
The LOTRO setting itself is faithfully recreated, the storyline is well presented, characters and scenes from the movie are added in cleverly, the RP touches are nice and the actual world graphics are stunning which are all plus points.
On the downside, the combat system is not as good as DDO's, the UI is not as good as WoW's and doesn't offer it's cutomisation, the character models are much blander and more 'samey' than other MMO's, the quest system offers nothing not found elsewhere, the need for a tank and healer for almost any worthwhile quest past level 15 is also a pain and it did feel just a bit too linear... These are all quite big niggles in a game that has just scored 9.2 if you ask me!
That said, I think the fact that CVG was pretty much the official LOTRO magazine and was given more insider access than any others as well as distributing all the beta keys does make there 'impartial' review kind of suspect.
If I was to buy the game off the back of that 9.2 review, I would be expecting something pretty special and would be quite disappointed. A 7 or 8 out of 10 mark is much more reasonable.
CoH/CoV - D-Zol/Kinslayer
Auto Assault - Slayer
WoW, LOTRO, DDO - Kinsul
Matrix Online - Tempest
LoL, I couldn't agree more with you jack....how long has it been since an mmo worth the price of the box is shipped in was released, 2 years ago or more?
Its good to finally have a very well made MMO release. Sure its not the end all of things and many mmo purist are gonna belittle and berate the game (and I'm guilty of lashing out at fantasy level grinders myself) but maybe, just maybe the trend toward quality products is finally starting to take root in our disaster ridden genre and that alone deserves praise. Anyway, this is only one single review, we will see how it goes, especially once the big guns start chiming in.
And I agree again with the innovative. You want "innovative" you need to watch for and play innovative games. Its not like LotR was a surprise. Everyone knew what it was, they lifted the NDA a long time ago...personally I think they did an excellent job on all fronts which is absolutely amazing considering its those knot-heads at Turbine. They never promised "innovation". To many people here on this site are moaning about the lack of innovative games but do not support the ones that are out there. Yesterday some guy was saying how there were no innovative games and everything was the same but in his sig he had "playing: WoW".
There are innovative games out there that have evolved from games with "rough" launches to really good games. Ryzom is one of them. You want different and innovative, give this a try and stop giving the "innovative" buzz-word lip service, put some money were your mouth is and support a quality innovative game. The problem with "innovative" games and the MMO community is that they require you to actually think and immerse yourself in the gameworld. Lets face, most of this community isn't interested in that.
I will be playing LotR also, I have been since Aug.... I mean whats not to like about it? Its quest based, graphics are stunning, the stories actually have some meat on them, and its just so well made.....
Sure its no "sandbox" open ended free for all PvP game but it never said it was going to be.
199 are you outta you mind???
I can't get over the fact that Turbine made this.
who me ?
I expect even higher ratings when the game is released, because this game encapsulates the leading trend of mmorpg: casual gaming with little effort and draws non-mmorpgers to this genre which is always good for publicity of all sites and magazines reviewing it.
Most players have a very positiv first impression of this game and I'm happy to see that Turbine has produced finally something which will not flop like AC2 or DnD-online. This game will be at least a short-term success, it will depend how Turbine will handle future expansions if it will also be a long-time runner. Because already now I can hear in the European pre-order complaints from people in game that it becomes dull after a while.
Don't get to excited yet, I never even heard of these guys. Wait until some of the heavy weights put theirs out....
Gamespot, Gamespy, 1UP, PCGamer (among others) These are some of the reviewers that can make or break a game.
Don't get to excited yet, I never even heard of these guys. Wait until some of the heavy weights put theirs out....
Gamespot, Gamespy, 1UP, PCGamer (among others) These are some of the reviewers that can make or break a game.
CVG are not small players, they are publishing PC Zone UK, which is the #2 PC mag in the UK (behind PC Gamer UK
And I know PC Gamer UK reviews to be the most honest (not biased by publisher money) in the industry, so ones they push out a review it will be _really_ relevant. I expect them to put the bar between 85 and 90 (maybe even 90+).
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
If they are to be belived then listing some grinding as a con, is not enough of a gage to go by. Very glad we have some folks here and else where that can tell the difference....
I am more willing to give reviewer's credit when several cons are listed.
I could see an 8.75 now but I also want to see how turbine does on offical launch ......
Definitely deserved!
The game is beautiful, entertaining and in great shape! It's about time companies and games that are actually consumer-ready are being recognized.
_________________________________
JonMichael
Currently: AION, an MMO Beta under NDA
Played: WAR, LOTRO, Hellgate: London, CoX, GW, SotNW, DAOC, EQ2, SWG, WoW, AO, Horizons, Second Life, There, TSO
Beta'd: There, Second Life, EQ2, DAOC:LotM, LOTRO, Tabula Rasa, Gods and Heroes, Hellgate: London, Requiem:Bloodymare, AoC, WAR, DDO, Fallen Earth
Reviews are never to be overestimated. Thay are almost always based on one persons ideas and thoughts, and this person rarely plays the game for long before making a review.
"I cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when he said..Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?...No, but i served in a company of heroes"
Sgt. Mike Ranney E-company 506PIR 101'st airborn
Don't get to excited yet, I never even heard of these guys. Wait until some of the heavy weights put theirs out....
Gamespot, Gamespy, 1UP, PCGamer (among others) These are some of the reviewers that can make or break a game.
CVG are not small players, they are publishing PC Zone UK, which is the #2 PC mag in the UK (behind PC Gamer UK
And I know PC Gamer UK reviews to be the most honest (not biased by publisher money) in the industry, so ones they push out a review it will be _really_ relevant. I expect them to put the bar between 85 and 90 (maybe even 90+).
DB
I love PCGamer UK, they can be brutal if a game deserves it
Personally I think a 8.0 to 8.5 rating would be more appropriate as well. The game does have a couple, albeit not major, flaws. As well as close to zero innovation.
That is on a scale though, where 8.0 actually means "quite good". There's been an ongoing trend amoung the, uh, "less professional" gaming media to rate anything remotely playable 8.0+, resulting in games rated below 9.0 being average at best.
I don't know CVG, so I won't comment on the particular review.
Theres alot of good stuff that they can still add. The game is deeper than what it seems at first glance and really shines in group settings versus soloing. Never did any raids outside of the ettenmoors (the pvp region) and was happy to not have to deal with grinding the same instances over and over again lol. I think that there is enough there for both the hardcore and the casual alike.
Now about what you mentioned concerning hte classes. You are right in some respects, for the first 20 levels or so of the game there isnt really alot of distinction. But in each increment of 10 levels the classes really start to differntiate themselves nicely. Whereas a champion can tank through the great barrows with some measure of success afterwards you dont want to rely on a dps warrior for your tank :P When you're doing the quest on the north barrows where you have to get something from the ancient chest and all the wights spawn you definately dont want a champ trying to tank. Just can't live long enough.
With that said though lotro takes some getting used to. It won't be a game for everyone, but what is? However, Turbine I think has really done a great job with building a solid stable and entertaining game experience. It has a good amount of depth to the game and it seriously grows on you as you see more of the game.
I completely agree with you in that Turbine has to keep the content rolling out and it has to be stable and solid like the core game in order for it to truly be a success beyond a few months from release.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012