The Lord of the Rings Online Reviews
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J.R.R. Tolkien's LOTR fiction obviously serves as the game's biggest draw -- and probably the biggest pain in developer Turbine's ass, given the tall task of satisfying a legion of nitpicky fans. The fidelity to the source material is such that you can literally navigate the world using those maps printed in your dog-eared paperback copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. Remember that brief mention Sam made in a bar about his cousin seeing a giant somewhere north of the Brandywood? Go poking around up there, and you'll probably get your ass crushed by a level 30 giant skulking around in the bushes. And when you meet Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, yes, you'll genuinely loathe the bitch.
The second is at Gamer's Hell with an overall score of 9.3/10:
Having played both closed and open betas, and now the retail release of the game, I am quite impressed with LOTRO. From the lush visuals and sound, to the solid, stable gameplay mechanics, to the way in which Tolkien's world was so faithfully and respectfully brought to the PC, this is a quality experience. I cannot speak to the high-level game, or large group raids, or indeed whether this game will hold my interest and monthly subscription fee for months or years to come, but nearly every aspect of my time in Middle Earth so far has been a positive one. The game's launch was smooth, the game itself is polished and stable, and there are small innovations and tweaks to the MMO formula that make playing LOTRO a pleasure.
And the third is at GameShark with an overall score of "B+":
With all its perks, not the least of which is the opportunity to play a small part in the quest to destroy the One Ring, Lord of the Rings Online overcomes any limitations inherent in the fact that it doesn't offer any gameplay mechanics that you haven't seen before. In fact, the only reason for an MMO fan to avoid LOTRO is if they're simply tired of the World of Warcraft formula and aren't interested in suiting up (and paying up) for more. For the rest, particularly fans of Tolkein's work, Lord of the Rings Online offers a grand MMO experience that shouldn't be overlooked.
