Publisher Codemasters Online Gaming seems pleased with the news that tens of thousands have taken advantage of their pre-order offer for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

Marketed as “the one MMO to rule them all,” Lord of the Rings Online hopes to lure adventurers to Middle Earth with breakfast-loving hobbits and sultry elves. The bait: a pre-order package offering 30 days of free play, a making of DVD, the game’s soundtrack, and an exclusive in-game item, The Glass of Aglarel.

These extras seem pretty standard, but those who have pre-ordered the game will also be rewarded with a 10-day head-start on those who wait for the game’s April 24 launch.

In addition, the pre-order pack lets players become a Founder of The Lord of the Rings Online. Founders can take advantage of two different subscription schemes - a whopping $199.99 for a lifetime subscription or $9.99 per month.

"We are ecstatic with the pre-order frenzy surrounding The Lord of the Rings Online. We are excited with the unprecedented demand for the game and are looking forward to launching what is set to be one of the most successful PC games in recent years!" said Ed Relf, director of marketing at Codemasters Online Gaming.

We’re excited too. But Lord of the Rings Online will need more than tens of thousands of paying players if it wants a decent slice of the MMORPG pie. The opportunity to secure a lifetime subscription for the princely sum of $199.99 only makes sense if you’re willing to commit to playing the game for over a year. While we can’t speak for the tens of thousands who pre-ordered their package, we prefer the more reasonable $9.99 per month plan and will hold off on going all out as a lifetime Founder for now.

April 12, 2007