Summary
In the world of Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), fantasy is easily the most popular genre, outstripping sci-fi and even the Star Wars universe as the setting of choice to while away virtual lifetimes in the pursuit of gold, magical items and the sweet drip-feed of experience points that makes MMORPGs so difficult to put down.
And in the world of fantasy, nothing comes close to Lord of the Rings; the franchise that started it all. That the Tolkien estate would eventually make a foray into MMORPG has always been a racing certainty. And now it’s almost here.
"In the world of fantasy, nothing comes close to Lord of the Rings."
Currently in the last stages of beta testing, signs are already very positive, and not because this is simply a branded World of Warcraft-like – quite the opposite, Lord of the Rings promises a very different and potentially friendlier play experience than its established competitor.
Firstly, everyone’s on the side of light, fighting the forces of Mordor and making Sauron’s life even more bitter and unpleasant than it presumably already is. The immediate effect of this is that, at least to begin with, this is all about "player versus environment".
Screens here enjoy
