High-profile licensing is no guarantee of widespread success for MMOs, as Star Wars Galaxies proved. Being faithful to the source can restrict the evolutionary freedom a virtual world needs; on the other hand, a fully-developed franchise can provide a well of detail that's invaluable in quenching these games' ceaseless thirst for content.
In this respect, LOTR Online producer Jeffrey Steefel is confident he's sitting on a goldmine. "I could spend all the money in the world to find the best
This latest stab at recreating the hallowed lands of Middle-earth doesn't mess around: from the very start you're dabbling in and around the much loved and extraordinarily well-known Fellowship storyline, spanning the lovingly recreated lands of Eriador. Be it clearing the path for Frodo and Sam with Boromir, or bumping into much-loved tree-hugger Tom Bombadil, you'll be thrust into your own personal story within the events of Middle-earth, without necessarily infringing on the adventures of
We could tell you about how you can play as a breakfast-loving hobbit or a Legolas-like ranger in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. We could gush over the games crisp graphics that makes World of Warcraft look like Diablo II. But even though immersing ourselves in a beautifully crafted world with Nazgûl and knights fills us with glee, thats not what grabbed our attention when we sat down with Jeff Anderson, President & CEO of developer, Turbine.
Sure, LOTR Online has
By
Edge_
posted August 14, 2006
Monday 14 August 2006
High-profile licensing is no guarantee of widespread success for MMOs, as Star Wars Galaxies proved. Being faithful to the source can restrict the evolutionary freedom a virtual world needs; on the other hand, a fully-developed franchise can provide a well of detail that's invaluable in quenching these games' ceaseless thirst for content.
In this respect, LOTR Online producer Jeffrey Steefel is confident he's sitting on a goldmine. "I could spend all the money in the
In the wrong hands, the richly-woven veins of lore and adventure that define J.R.R. Tolkien's books could've proved bridling, and possibly insulting - after all, it has in plenty of previous games based upon The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. But a few dozen hours in the closed beta of The Lord of the Rings Online gives the opposite impression: one of freedom and excitement in a familiar world that's nevertheless brimming with untapped potential, whether you enter it as Human, Elf, Dwarf or
Your memory isn’t what it once was after you pass the age of, ooh, 17. We can’t even remember what we had for breakfast this morning (or, for that matter, what ‘breakfast’ actually is) let alone stuff that happened years ago. So please forgive an elderly Samwise Gamgee if the way he re-tells the story of King Aragorn to his children is a bit, ahem, ‘factually challenged’.
As the first non-EA Lord of the Rings title in quite some time, Aragorn’s Quest is, fittingly, quite different from what we’ve come to expect from the post-movie Tolkien series. It’s the adventure of heroic Aragorn as told by Samwise Gamgee, so while you play as the main man, it’s viewed through Sam’s warped perception – which is a handy way of explaining the stylised look.
Deep breath: Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a dream game; the answer to a fundamental question. Wouldn’t it be cool if...? Wouldn’t it be cool if you could play through every battle seen in the Lord of the Rings films?
The Lord of the Rings seems tailor made to the real-time strategy genre. The franchise is brimming with diverse races, distinct settings and detailed weaponry that beg to be brought to life and put at a player's command. The Battle for Middle-earth series offers just this kind of magical experience and now console owners will get their first taste of it when the second installment hits Xbox 360 next week. We've been covering the addictive multiplayer extensively - see here and here - but how's
Lord of the Rings may have exited stage left from theaters, but itll be playing on PC screens for as long as Electronic Arts can wield the license. The second installment of the Battle for Middle Earth strategy series promises more violent slaughter and more flexibility ... and a lot more to sink your axe into.
Gamers can rejoice in a variety of new playable races, including dwarves, elves, and goblins, the latter have a perverse love of riding giant spiders and scorpions. The battlefield
