The Lord of the Rings Online

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–PUBLISHER: Daybreak | DEVELOPER: Standing Stone Games –GENRE: MMORPG | THEME: Fantasy –PLATFORM: Download | STATUS: Final

The Lord of the Rings saga stretches out to the imagination of millions and millions of players, first thanks to the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, but mostly due to the big screen adaptation directed by Peter Jackson. Now, anyone can play an active part in the Middle-Earth story and enter the War of the Ring. This is the game that every fan of the fiction was expecting, bringing to life some details of the Tolkien work that weren’t really explored in the movies. Interact with famous faces such as Gandalf and Elrond, but also meet other less known characters and travel to places that are still somewhat mysterious to those who didn’t read the book.

The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) was first launched as a commercial title by Codemasters, but is now free to play to everyone. Although you don’t have to pay anything to play, not even a subscription, a VIP pass is required to access all content available in this MMORPG.

The player starts The Lord of the Rings Online by choosing his character among the four available races. The race of Man is renowed for their bravery and their resourcefulness; Hobbits are simple and easy-going, but also very clever and sturdy; Elves are fierce warriors; as for Dwarves, they are determined, excellent warriors, but also succumb to greed.

As far as gameplay goes, The Lord of the Rings Online is pretty much standard fare, with missions and classes that are not unlike many other MMORPGs. The game mechanics are competent but nothing new, but this isn’t a negative point in itself; it’s easy for players to immerse themselves in this amazing world and start adventuring.

The unique atmosphere is what makes The Lord of the Rings Online truly special and one of the most highly regarded free MMO games, alongside Dungeons and Dragons: Eberron Unlimited.