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Why Robin Makes Batman Better Ever since World of Warcraft launched, subsequent MMOs usually (EVE aside) go a little something like this: they launch, they do OK, then numbers slide, then they disappear. Not so for Lord of the Rings Online.
Talk of Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online making the jump from PC to console has been swirling for a while now, but the buzz has picked up considerably following a recent marketing survey.
Turbine does amazing things to the elven realm Lothlórien, in the first free content update of The Lord of the Rings Online since the Mines of Moria expansion.
Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine confirmed that they are working on a new massively multiplayer online game that will sell in-game items for cash.
Turbine proudly announces the launch of the first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, Mines of Moria is now available across the U.S. and Europe, including my living room, where the collector’s edition sits next to the coal-dusted mining hat they sent me to commemorate the auspicious occasion, which left a lovely black line across my forehead. The new expansion of course opens up the infamous Mines of Moria, and from my time in the beta for the expansion I can tell you that they’ve done an amazing job of realizing Tolkien’s vision. Far from feeling like you are in a dungeon, the Mines truly feel like a massive, underground empire, filled with marvelous sights and a sense of scale I’ve rarely experienced in an MMO environment.
Here it is folks, the first teaser for Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, LOTR Online’s first expansion. Though not included in the video, Mines of Moria features two new character classes, ten additional levels and hundreds of new quests. What’s also notable here is that existing players can download the expansion or you can hit your local retailer to pick it up. Expect it this spring.
Turbine has just announced a distribution deal with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to get their upcoming Lord of the Rings Online expansion Mines of Moria into the hands of hungry fans, simultaneously dropping details on the various forms the expansion will take when it hits this fall. The game will come in three flavours: The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Complete Edition, which includes the game, the expansion, and all updates so far, The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Digital Expansion, which is of course a downloadable version of the expansion, and finally The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Collector’s Edition, filled with bells, whistles, and of course, rings.
Volume 1 of the Lord of the Rings Online Saga is coming to a close, but before Turbine plunges players into the Mines of Moria with the game’s first expansion, they’ve got some loose ends to tie up. To that end they’ve just released the last free content update of the first volume, Book 14: Ring-Forge of Eregion. Story is key with LotRO, and Book 14 will see a series of live events centering around epic battles with Amarthiel’s minions, with Turbine Game Masters stepping into the shoes of Amarthiel herself.
Along with the live events, Book 14 introduces a series of quest lines involving holding the forces of Angmar at bay, which when completed a certain number of times on each server unlock special server-wide content, similar to World of Warcraft’s AQ events. Prove your server is the best and be absolutely flooded by assholes who just want to see the new content they weren’t around to help unlock. I say thee woot. Hit the jump for full details.
What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than a relaxing stroll through Middle-Earth? Codemasters Online invites players to drag their fathers kicking and screaming into the MMO realm with a bit of Lord of the Rings Online. The game will feature a series of celebratory Father’s Day events this Sunday, June 15th, ranging from fathers and sons fishing (apparently daughters don’t fish, despite the screenshot), music, fireworks, and various challenges taking place throughout the day.
“What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than spend it with your loved ones in the greatest fantasy world ever created?” said David Solari Vice President of Codemasters Online. “We invite fathers to come and enjoy the festivities that will we be running all day to mark this special occasion.”
See? there’s a man who knows you can’t write about a special Father’s Day event without using the phrase “What better way“.
Players are encouraged to use the free trial at TryLotRO.com to get their dads online. Start downloading now so you can spend a lazy Sunday explaining the WASD keys to your father before giving up in frustration and taking him out to Chili’s. Mmmm, Chili’s.
