![]() Players with high end PCs will obviously get the most out of the game's visuals, but even those with ancient, cobweb-encrusted machines from December, 2006 will be pleasantly surprised at how well the engine scales. Wonderful vistas stretch for miles, with forests, mountains and lakes stretching out as far as the eye can see. The fact that the world is absolutely breathtaking doesn't hurt its instant appeal either. Looks like somebody's been smoking a little too much pipe-weed. It's just one reason that LOTRO is arguably the most accessible MMO I've played. Most of us have seen, and loved, the LOTR movies, so we've already got a preconception of what to expect. It's something that other MMOs have lacked - an instant sense of familiarity. The game is absolutely chock full of these moments - many of them you'll instantly recognise, while only the most ardent Tolkien fan will appreciate others. ![]() Entering the bustling environment of the Prancing Pony, complete with drinkers and bards, only to find Strider skulking away in a back room, is another moment where you'll be transported away from your dreary existence and into the quest to destroy the One Ring. ![]() Walking through Hobbiton for the very first time, spying a hobbit hole nestled in the side of a hill with its cute round door, you can't help but grin. From the first moment you enter the beginner's instances at the start of the game, you'll feel like you're visiting a very special place in Tolkien's imagination. The team at Turbine has obviously read and re-read all the books until they were a pulpy mess. It made for a rather tedious read, especially after the films, but it's a perfect design document for fleshing out a fully realised, highly-believable world. It seemed like eighty percent of the content waffled on about the geography of the land, and who belonged where with whom. Please forgive me, but as somebody who read the books after falling in love with the films, I have to say that I was a little bored by them. The water of Middle Earth is fine… not to mention oh-so-shiny.Ĭheck out our US video review of the game. However, if you've ever thought that immersing yourself in Tolkien's universe might be a relaxing distraction from the nine to five grind of real life, then dive right in. So if you're taking time off from levelling up your third level 70 Paladin to read this review, let me reiterate, this might not be the story for you. My LOTRO Man Hunter character (worst class/race combination name ever!) is a mere level 17, even though I've clocked close to thirty hours in the game. But I'm not the kind of player who pumps six hours every night of the week into a second virtual life - I like a wide variety of games, an hour here, an hour there. I've played a flute in Asheron's Call 2, ridden speeder-bikes in Star Wars Galaxies, mined ore in Eve Online and even levelled up to the mid-30s with my Night Elf Hunter in World of Warcraft. I’m holding out hope that other developers have taken note as well and future Lord of the Rings games can present a higher level of quality.I'm not what you'd call an absolute MMO fanatic. Sometimes it’s best to cut your losses and move onto better projects that can hopefully produce better results for both consumers and company executives. Personally, I think this is a smart move. In a statement to Polygon, Daedalic discussed that their primary focus will be shifted solely to publishing for the time being saying “ eight promising releases will be launching in this financial year alone.” In closing, the studio stated, “ Even though Lord of the Rings: Gollum did not live up to the expectations we had for the game, we are very grateful for the opportunity and the learning experience it brought us.” To further drive the nail into the coffin they also have officially discontinued development on their planned follow-up game set within the Lord of the Rings universe. However, this week the studio announced it will be abandoning those plans and moving their assets to other projects. Daedalic was forced to issue a public apology regarding the lackluster state of the game following this disastrous launch and seemed to double down on future content updates. Upon release, Lord of the Rings: Gollum was decimated by critics and fans alike with poor scores across the board. At most, the concept might have succeeded if the game had not been priced at 59.99 and included a few interesting gameplay features. It certainly came as a surprise when Daedalic Entertainment announced plans to develop a stealth game focusing on a brief background plotline following the iconic hobbit character of Gollum/Smeagol. The Middle Earth setting has no shortage of interesting events and moments to adapt to a game format. Now I’m a massive Lord of the Rings fan, but even I could see that the Lord of the Rings: Gollum was a bad idea from the start.
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