@Stormrider:

hehe i was thinking the exact same thing.

where the fuck does time go o.0

demonknightinuyasha

I never get tired of the Bilbo T. Baggins joke from Frisky Dingo.

I played this game fora couple months made it all the way up to level 43 before quitting. At the high level in this game it kind of just falls apart in that I didn't feel there was much direction or much to do after being tossed into 3 new zones at level 40.

NullsRevenge

The idea of dethroning WoW (or any game) really just needs to get thrown out the window. I mean really what purpose does that serve except base fanboyism?

There's really two things that matter: Whether or not a game is fun and whether or not it's profitable for the company.

Whether or not WoW has the highest subscription base has no bearing whether it's going to be a fun game or not for someone playing it. There's room in the market for multiple MMOs and even if they overlap in a lot of their content or mechanics they may vary enough to meet a particular group's desires out of a gaming experience. The big dog still satisfies a certain kind of player but there's a room and need for variety for the others.

From a company's perspective they just need to have enough subscribers and income to be profitable for it to be a "good" MMO.

Maluvin

@Shocky:

Hint: There never is end-game in a new release. If you rushed to the end-game you completely missed the point of the game.

That being said LotRO is still the best MMO out there.

SnakeCL

I liked it, there just wasn't any endgame, so I quit.

Shocky

ah, "Da Lord of Da Bling". man I never get tired of that one.

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

its a good game and a very faithful translation from the books. I only played the beta but I enjoyed it. As far as subscriptions its has been doing fine remember a MMO only needs like 50,000 people to be a success.

clintonskneecap

Man, has it already been a year? It doesn't seem like that long ago that this came out.

Stormrider

It's a fun game (played the beta), but really, a megaton hit just needs to come to dethrone WoW because no one cares about any other MMO's.

Itri

I just tried out the trial today. All I have to say is that the camera is terrible. Loading times are great, though. :D

DarkGildon

@Evdor:

Duh!

Jac21

LotRO died before it released

Neocorey

Sounds less like a celebration and more like a ploy to boost sagging subscriptions.

Evdor

@rubadub: 1/10

I'm sick of people trashing wow because its the popular thing to do. I don't think 9(10?) million people would keep playing the game if they didnt have fun playing it.

Cwolf267

WoWs lasting popularity is a testament to its ability to entertain retarded people. Seriously though, id rather wow stay popular to keep all those people out of the good games.

rubadub

I may take advantage of the lifetime though. This game was a lot of fun in beta. My PC can not run age of conan. Just Wow and this game. So I'll get my money's worth.

Figcoinc

@Captain Impulse: Oops, credit should go to Kerosene Climax.

Captain Impulse

@Cwolf267: As the very wise Okenny said in another article, "Haters and Fanboys, a game can never be called a true success till these two extreme factions exist and rear their ugly heads. Can't we all just get along?"

Captain Impulse

Lotro is a stonking game, i played it for 2 months maybe about this time last year (as some have said before a year??? already???) and had a great time on it only quit due to life circumstances. i may start playing it again if my laptop cant handle age of conan i guess ;/

EmeraldCockroach

@Cwolf267: Its true, retarded people have lots of fun playing WoW.

rubadub

@Cwolf267:

People do a lot of things they don't enjoy out of habit. I downright hated WoW going into my second year, I kept playing a third because I was used to it, and because the people in my guild relied on me.

My gf still plays, and she bitches about the game constantly. Non stop. To the point where I flat-out told her, "I know the game sucks. I don't want to hear it. Quit like I did."

And she replies: "But I can't, I need to help with Gruul's! Besides, they'll fix it."

The more I think about it, the more I realise WoW is in fact much like an abusive relationship.

Koztah

World of Warcraft needs a lifetime subscription option. I'd buy one.

I dont play enough, so I feel like Im wasting my money with monthly fees. But if I could pay a lump sum and never have to worry about it again, I'd probably happily keep it on my computer for years. Like minesweeper. Or Rome Total War.

Komrade_Kayce

Just re-upped my subscription a while ago. I love this game and the endgame is growing, although, slowly.

ghnvt

I bought the game for $10 but never subscribed, sucking the nectar from the first free month. It was enjoyable and I would recommend it to those who like Tolkien, but I think I chose not to subscribe because I realized that the grind of MMOs, once you get to higher levels, just wasn't my thing.

JibbyJam

played for a solid few months last year, the game does really suck you in. never got into WoW as much as this. It was the first thing to remind me of Everquest since i quit that, and i think thats why I stopped, i couldnt just play casually!

/recovering Eq addict mode

Cheddies

I've had a lifetime sub to LotRO since launch, and I wish more MMO developers would offer something like it. It's nice to be able to pay upfront and then bounce in and out of a game at will.

Lidane

LOTRO is a better game than WOW. By a mile. The lore is better, the levels are better, the world is both familiar and dangerous. It's too bad it didn't licence the movie rights but it's still a damned good representation of Tolkien's world.

Having said that it suffers just like WOW from grind and a lack of innovation. LOTRO, WOW and a raft of other MMOs are basically the same game reskinned - craft, kill, loot, quest, level, skills, exp, grind etc. They have their differences of course but fundamentally it's still the same old game as Everquest was in a prettier package. Why are the mainstream MMOs so utterly bereft of innovation?

DrXym

@DrXym: I couldn't agree more and it pains me to see the derivative ones making so much cash on the shoulders of giants that had little to no financial recognition.

Look at Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes, Anarchy Online. All immediately succeeding Everquest yet managing to do something very different, in various areas. None of them a complete package with a budget to do them justice. Meanwhile Blizzard cherry picks the innovation from each developer, siphons off the complexity to appeal to the lowest common denominator, puts it together and polishes it and overnight dooms players to years and years of more of the same. Publishers aren't going to risk anything that doesn't look and behave exactly like WoW for a long time now. We're screwed for quite a few years imo.

I still play WoW and enjoy it for what it's worth but I would freaking kill for a remake of DAOC with high production values.

Alith

LoTRO is currently my mmo of choice. I really enjoy it and find it to be far more fulfilling than WoW. Just my 2 cents :P

Sam Smith

This game was great until the devs underestimated the player base and our ability to level. This was actually the first MMO I maxed a character on, but once I got there there really wasn't much to do, since the idea of a huge raid over the course of 8 hours that might end with me not receiving anything isn't my style.

ElijahDProphet

I really wanted to enjoy LoTRO. But the animations are all so terrible; from jumping to hacknslashing.

rainofwalrus

@DrXym: You probably would choose cold, moldy brussel sprouts over a Five Guys hamburger too, wouldn't you.

Mohican

I've always wanted to have ONE MMO that:

a) wasn't free, but
b) didn't have to have me pay something every single month.

I currently don't really have the time for something like this, but the thought of a "lifetime" membership is alone enough for me to get this game.

Does the lifetime membership come with some disclaimer or fine print though that allows them to change it at any time?

Yeah, sorry, I have a lot of disposable income and I just can't bring myself to buy any new next-gen system while my PC (and Kotaku) still are fine.

Truvill

I actually really enjoyed LoTRO when I played it last year...I think I'm going to have to take advantage of the lifetime membership this time around...

ankylo

This game wasn't bad, just seemed a little generic if you're not a big Tolkien fan or familiar with all of the references and characters.

The thing that really turned me off was a ridiculously high enemy respawn rate. Trying to solo and clear out areas seemed impossible.

With all that said, I'm glad there's still a viable alternative to WoW.

Silverbackne

Avid WOW player...and love Lotro...great change of pace...looking forward to Age of Conan as well. For those that tried it during the beta...you should check it out again. Looks so good on a fast rig. I dont think Lotro is going anywhere any time soon...and for anyone that thinks they are lagging in supscriptions...not so. You are not going to knock WOW off of its money making war wagon...250,000 plus subscriptions is a hit for an MMO. Even if they had 100,000 people paying $10 a month...that is a nice amount of money...and its a lot more then that.

Shredshop

It is a great game, and I am loving it.

EnigmaNemesis

Anyone know if I buy this game stateside I can play it in Japan in August when I move there? I know that, with WoW, I'd just have to deal with ridiculous login times etc. for the overseas servers. But does LOTRO have Japan support at all? Would I have to buy the game over there, again?

svetlana