The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

 PC
  • Publisher: Midway
  • Release Date: Apr 24, 2007
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 308 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 223 out of 308
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 308
  3. Negative: 28 out of 308
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. gracjanski
    Feb 26, 2016
    7
    The beginning of the game is very good: You have a lot of story and I was surprised by the good graphics, it is like in Guild Wars. There are some good new ideas in the game, for example you can change your character strategically by certain elements. They created a great world of Tolkien, so normaly this game should be one of the best, but...

    You will be annoyed with the shop and    The beginning of the game is very good: You have a lot of story and I was surprised by the good graphics, it is like in Guild Wars. There are some good new ideas in the game, for example you can change your character strategically by certain elements. They created a great world of Tolkien, so normaly this game should be one of the best, but...

    You will be annoyed with the shop and buying stuff already in the beginning. You cant even choose 2 classes without buying them. Even if you re subscried and pay some money every month, there are still a lot of stuff you need to pay extra and you have a lot of restrictions. This is the biggest fun killer in the game. In addition you get +100% XP by subscription and you cant turn it off. Yes, the game is too easy too. Like all the other MMOs LotRO needs a lot of time and have content, that is boring (killing quests)    … Expand
  2. Thradar
    May 2, 2011
    6
    2007-2009 this game was a solid 8-9 rating. Great RPG, great story telling, really good Middle Earth lore, frequent updates and expansion. Then they converted the game to a free to play model. Sure they may be making more money but...very little content since Siege of Mirkwood. No expansion for 2 years. Every activity in the game now funnels you in to their micro transaction store.2007-2009 this game was a solid 8-9 rating. Great RPG, great story telling, really good Middle Earth lore, frequent updates and expansion. Then they converted the game to a free to play model. Sure they may be making more money but...very little content since Siege of Mirkwood. No expansion for 2 years. Every activity in the game now funnels you in to their micro transaction store. This mmo WAS a great gamers game, not it's a cash cow for Turbine and is no longer a gamers game (if that makes any sense to you gamers out there).… Expand
  3. hfffoman
    Aug 17, 2012
    6
    Extreme good and bad points. Very good graphics, very good gameplay, very unimaginative quests making the game tedious, very annoying intrusive way of trying to get you to spend real money all the time to speed up progress which is very slow. It reminds me of Guild Wars but somehow doesn't give quite the same feeling of really being there, it's more of a grind and less emotionally engaging.
  4. InspectorJ
    Jul 18, 2012
    6
    A generally average game overall. Through years 2007-2009 the game saw expert expansions and care for the player base. When the game went free-to-play and were acquired by Warner Brothers, Turbine began to care less about the player base. It is now a free game, but if you want to really play this game easily without spending any money, it will take a very long time.
  5. EasterlingB.
    May 4, 2007
    5
    Boring. Go here, get this, fight that, come back...level up...wash and repeat. The fighting was built for people that find tic-tac-toe too fast and twitchy. Here's a strategy for ya all: click on the special moves repeatedly until the other creature is dead, don't fight more than two things at a time, and don't fight anything too powerful. There ya go, you've won the Boring. Go here, get this, fight that, come back...level up...wash and repeat. The fighting was built for people that find tic-tac-toe too fast and twitchy. Here's a strategy for ya all: click on the special moves repeatedly until the other creature is dead, don't fight more than two things at a time, and don't fight anything too powerful. There ya go, you've won the game and can be a level 4000 hobbit! This is Tolkien's mythic world in all its glory? Tolkien would probably be aghast at all the people throwing precious hours of their lives away clicking repeatedly on a mouse like an enslaved orc pushing the water wheel. Just so they can do make a number go up...this game needs more adventure, inspiration and stimulation. I see a lot of Deer Hunter and Bejeweled people liking the pace of this game.… Expand
  6. AllenJ.
    May 3, 2007
    5
    I was in the beta for this I like turbine I think they are some decent folks that have been kicked in the teeth several times for trying to innovate. So they learned there lesson this time and just copied the Ultima Online/Everquest/World of Warcraft grindtastic MMOs. That makes me sad. It's not a bad game in fact it is very good for what it is but it's not at all original or I was in the beta for this I like turbine I think they are some decent folks that have been kicked in the teeth several times for trying to innovate. So they learned there lesson this time and just copied the Ultima Online/Everquest/World of Warcraft grindtastic MMOs. That makes me sad. It's not a bad game in fact it is very good for what it is but it's not at all original or jump for joy fun it's just another boring grind. (job posing as game)Play it if you are a power gaming stats whore in need another graphical MUD grind fix. If you want fun look elsewhere.… Expand
  7. PipeweedR.
    Apr 27, 2007
    6
    As always I'm amazed how easily 10's are posted on this board. Pluses: Exploring is a blast because of the nice graphics-not revolutionary-but nice enough to allow immersion into the game. Solid bug free game play. The Tokien feel comes through (to a point). The people playing are mainly behaving as adults. There is a lot to do and fight. Love the quest rings over NPCs. Minuses: As always I'm amazed how easily 10's are posted on this board. Pluses: Exploring is a blast because of the nice graphics-not revolutionary-but nice enough to allow immersion into the game. Solid bug free game play. The Tokien feel comes through (to a point). The people playing are mainly behaving as adults. There is a lot to do and fight. Love the quest rings over NPCs. Minuses: Tedious at times. Character creation is uninspired-not bad-just familiar. Combat is a snoozefest at times, there is little threat of dying, not much strategy except click-wait-click. The feeling that you are in a Tolkien world disappears at times as there seems to be an emptyness between you and the NPCs, monsters, and other players...it just comes off as stale and stiff. The books to me were about brutal fights, camaraderie and wonder, that isn't always there. I'm not sure what the "hype" is about the introductory learning to play adventure...once you've done it-you've done it, the game seems to lack that pacing afterwards. DDO players will find it slower, ex-WOW may find it too similar, but people that like a slower pace and can only play under 10 hours a week might find it perfect. It doesn't hold my interest for more than hour before I yearn for a pint at my real world Green Dragon.… Expand
  8. DaveR.
    May 22, 2007
    5
    Incredibly boring snorfest. The battle system sorely needed to take after the Oblivion model. This is not groundbreaking in any sense of the word. It simply emulates the many already successful MMO's on the market. In my opinion, Oblivion blows this game away.
  9. SuRathanil
    Jun 12, 2012
    6
    The game was fun at launch, many years ago. Now its outdated and I just don't feel like grinding for 200 hours to max level. This is one of the worse MMOs for grinding out quests to gain levels. I love middle earth as much as the next guy but turbine didn't do middle earth or the lore of the rings series complete justice with this game. It lacks solid PVP, it lacks end game, its just aThe game was fun at launch, many years ago. Now its outdated and I just don't feel like grinding for 200 hours to max level. This is one of the worse MMOs for grinding out quests to gain levels. I love middle earth as much as the next guy but turbine didn't do middle earth or the lore of the rings series complete justice with this game. It lacks solid PVP, it lacks end game, its just a game dedicated for those few that love middle earth, and those that love grinding out quests in groups.… Expand
  10. WhiteTalpa
    Jul 27, 2014
    6
    LOTRO is at its core a WoW clone. However, unlike Rift it does not copy and perfect but instead just createa a cheap copy that doesn't feel as good. This doesn't mean its a bad game however, and it does show real promise.

    PvP PvP in LOTRO is very basic, one big map, one game mode... that's it. Despite this simplicity however the PvP experience is a fairly solid one and one which    LOTRO is at its core a WoW clone. However, unlike Rift it does not copy and perfect but instead just createa a cheap copy that doesn't feel as good. This doesn't mean its a bad game however, and it does show real promise.

    PvP

    PvP in LOTRO is very basic, one big map, one game mode... that's it. Despite this simplicity however the PvP experience is a fairly solid one and one which keeps people coming back.

    PvE

    I found the PvE really enjoyable. It has a good balance and therefore doesn't feel too easy, a problem which a lot of MMOs are effected with. This balance helps too make questing a lot more fun.

    Quests

    The quests are overall disappointing, they're no where near as good has they should have been. A lot of quests will tell you to go somewhere and complete an objective, you get back after doing the task and it will tell you to go back and complete another objective in the same place, it leaves me thinking why didn't you just give me both quests at the same time, it is this bad quest design which really holds with game back. Another problem with quest is the large amount of group quests, these occur normally at the end of a story line, now there are a number of problems with this, 1. Not everyone has friends to play with all the time and not all zones have enough people playing to group up with someone else, 2. Due to the fact you can't complete the quest you're missing out on the end of the quest line and therefore the story, 3. these quests are also meant to take players to new quest hubs but because you can't complete them it leaves player lost wondering what to do next.

    Lore/ world design

    This is Tolkien's world and this is Tolkien's lore, and Turbine have done a good good at recreating it within an MMO.

    Combat

    Combat is a bit clucky but overall it is fairly descent just not as good as some other MMOs.

    Crafting

    The crafting system is below par for me, it's dull and just overall boring to engage with.

    Optimization

    It's very good considering the look of the game, this is one of the games strongest points.

    Graphics

    The landscapes are very good, the art style is nice however, the human architecture is just awful and you can also tell that the Turbine team were sticking to a budget.    … Expand
  11. ShawnW.
    May 1, 2007
    5
    The game has great graphics, but felt way too slow for my taste.
  12. JacobS.
    Jun 10, 2007
    5
    Lacks the UI flexibility of more mature games. The starting zones are very polished but does the game have the longevity of a real MMOrpg? The game would perhaps gain more users if trail accounts where available.
  13. GhastMaster
    Apr 21, 2007
    5
    I played the open beta. It seemed just like WoW. I've never played WOW. I don't like monsters with circles around them. Nor do I like pushing one button to attack and not having to push it again until the next monster comes up. mmorpg's really need to get better soon.
  14. CarlK.
    Jun 25, 2007
    5
    While its is a wonderful looking game and more quests to do than you can shake a stick at it lacks the multiplayer interface that many more games of equal graphics provide. Dont think it will make the long run with huge numbers. Though some people like to just quest and craft 24/7 then this one is for u!
  15. Flash_Over
    Sep 21, 2011
    6
    Really fun and great game for it's time, but later during development it seems like the game developers are more focused on adding new content then fixing the existing problems. But, at least its free to play now.
  16. I_Am_Turok
    Aug 3, 2012
    7
    On initial play, I gave this a 9/10 (having bought the Steam starter pack, which includes a horse and 3 quest packs). For $15 (on sale then), it was such great value for money. Loads of fun time played, hours and hours in fact, and made it to about level 40+ easy enough. At this stage, I've no problem with the need to buy new quest packs, nothing is entirely free, but it is also at thisOn initial play, I gave this a 9/10 (having bought the Steam starter pack, which includes a horse and 3 quest packs). For $15 (on sale then), it was such great value for money. Loads of fun time played, hours and hours in fact, and made it to about level 40+ easy enough. At this stage, I've no problem with the need to buy new quest packs, nothing is entirely free, but it is also at this stage I begin to pull pack from the high rating. First, the pros, some areas are really great (Evendim especially, and I hear Lothlorien is but not been there yet), lovely music, lovely storyline, helpful community, and if you get into a good kin, that's very good. But cons do appear later on, some areas are not interesting at all but you need to play them to level up (-1), there gets a stage where it really turns into a grind (repetitive tasks) to level up so as to continue the story (-1), and Turbine could be more generous with swift-travel (instant A-to-B travel), without which you're less inclined to try new areas(-1). This is the only MMO I've played, so I cannot compare, but for me, so far worth the money, but will probably only ever be a casual game (10 hours a month play), and will probably buy quest packs to continue on in that casual sense. I'd recommend it for those also looking for the more casual, friendly, and storyline MMO's, not to be taken too seriously, but definitely fun. (as an aside, it would be interesting in seeing a single-player game that lives in the same world, can run through epic quests directly one after the other, can chat with others but no fellowships required, and is pure storyline based. I say this because at times I do really like spending time inside the world, but having to wait to get fellowship help from kins or friends can be annoying when playing at off/quiet server times).… Expand
  17. Simon8000
    Jun 18, 2012
    5
    This game is 50% there. The good parts come first. Lets start with the gameplay. The items are okay, the armor looks really nice. Its nice to meet up with aragorn and a few other characters. I started to have second thoughts about this after a few long quests. Its fun, but pretty boring. A real RPG nerd would love this though. Bad parts are the fact that they act like they need 1,0000000This game is 50% there. The good parts come first. Lets start with the gameplay. The items are okay, the armor looks really nice. Its nice to meet up with aragorn and a few other characters. I started to have second thoughts about this after a few long quests. Its fun, but pretty boring. A real RPG nerd would love this though. Bad parts are the fact that they act like they need 1,0000000 dollars a year so everywhere, there is ads for their items. You get ads by turbine on all loading screens, every time you go to a shop and pretty much everywhere else. The shop has everything and about 500 expansions that cost real money. They have 100 dollar booster packs that have expansions and about everything else. The expansions do look fun, and I may add to this review if I ever buy one.… Expand
  18. AscensionWill
    Nov 19, 2012
    6
    Lord of the Rings Online is a basically a World of Warcraft clone. I'm sorry to say this, It makes my tongue dripping with bile, but I can only draw this conclusion. Unless you have a job and can purchase the other 90% and more of the actual gaming content, you won't have a great time. To be honest, this game doesn't have much different from other MMOs. The only thing that stands out isLord of the Rings Online is a basically a World of Warcraft clone. I'm sorry to say this, It makes my tongue dripping with bile, but I can only draw this conclusion. Unless you have a job and can purchase the other 90% and more of the actual gaming content, you won't have a great time. To be honest, this game doesn't have much different from other MMOs. The only thing that stands out is that it takes place in Middle-Earth. If you're a Lord of the Rings Nerd like me, you would keep playing because the game will give you several nerdgasms and force you to geek all over the floor. This is probably why the game is still healthy. Most of the player-base are huge Lord of the Rings fans since the 20th century and are adults by now. Meaning they enjoy this game, because they can support the content.
    For a casual gamer who has never heard of Lord of the Rings. This is going to be a waste of time or a nice trip that takes up a month of your time in the F2P zone, depending on how you interpret it. The highest I got to is my level 32 Human Captain. Afterwards, I was just bored because sure you can do the main storyline quests. However, I keep dying because my Captain is under-leveled and sometimes the LOTR community is a bunch of elitist **** who hate younger players. So after level 30 or so, it's just a bother to continue playing.
    I'd like to give this game an seven because of how beautiful the game's story is laid out. However, what matters is the gameplay. Did I have fun? Kind of. Will the majority of the gamers have fun? Probably not. So take this if you have random spasms of nostalgia, if not, probably should get into Lord of the Rings first.    … Expand
  19. DemiGoth
    Nov 23, 2013
    7
    I would have given Lord of the Rings online an 8 or 9 back in 2007 at launch or up to 2 years after it. But time has changed as did Lord of the Rings online, so I will comment on how the game is now.

    Lord of the Rings online is almost a MUST PLAY for every Tolkien fan. The developer always works close with the Middle-Earth Enterprise (the license holder of Tolkiens legacy) to make sure    I would have given Lord of the Rings online an 8 or 9 back in 2007 at launch or up to 2 years after it. But time has changed as did Lord of the Rings online, so I will comment on how the game is now.

    Lord of the Rings online is almost a MUST PLAY for every Tolkien fan. The developer always works close with the Middle-Earth Enterprise (the license holder of Tolkiens legacy) to make sure that the game is very close to the lore. A lore that's one of the most richest ones in the whole Fantasy genre.

    The game world is very well done and gives you a very good feeling of how Tolkien meant Middle-Earth to be. Weather you visit Bree to take a drink at the Prancing Pony, take a stroll across Rivendell or walk through the Mines of Moria, the world feels quite real.

    One of the best features of Lord of the Rings online is the epic story. At the start of the game your character is about 3 months behind the Fellowship. While playing through the 'original' game (the one that was released in 2007), you'll stay behind the Fellowship, only to catch up with them in Rivendell at some time.
    The epic story does not tell the story of the Fellowship or your character though. Instead it tells a story of what's happening all around Middle-Earth and reveals things that are not written in the book.

    Game play though is an other thing (and why I'm giving it a 7 now). For a MMORPG there's very little player interaction in the lower levels. Mainly the last 2 expansions (Riders of Rohan and Helm's Deep as of this writing) are the places where you need to party to get your progress in the epic story. In the 'older' expansions the game has been modified so that you can actually play the old party content all alone, which I think is a sad thing.

    In all, I think Lord of the Rings online is still a very good MMORPG for it's age and I hope that Turbine will be able to extend it's license (about to expire in 2014 and no word about it so far) so that we can play the game for an other 5 years.    … Expand
  20. wolfaust
    Jul 14, 2021
    7
    When I was playing Warhammer Online, there was a rumour that would hurt us very much. Warhammer Online servers would be shut down. Unfortunately, this happened in 2013. I started playing Warhammer Online in 2009, but that same year I got another highly praised MMORPG. Tolkien's world, one of the most admired and beloved fantasy writers, was packed into an MMORPG. It also offered aWhen I was playing Warhammer Online, there was a rumour that would hurt us very much. Warhammer Online servers would be shut down. Unfortunately, this happened in 2013. I started playing Warhammer Online in 2009, but that same year I got another highly praised MMORPG. Tolkien's world, one of the most admired and beloved fantasy writers, was packed into an MMORPG. It also offered a tremendous experience, with hundreds of side missions and epic missions. While playing Warhammer Online, I wanted to play LOTRO at the same time.

    I got the game and joined the world. What I saw gave me goosebumps, not because of fear, but excitement. There were dozens of places I could visit, hundreds of missions I could complete, and dozens of events I could experience. It was a great experience!

    Honestly, what I want to talk about is its game economy, although there is a lot I can say about the game.

    Warhammer Online, unfortunately, when they shut down their servers in 2013, I gave all my intensity to LOTRO. Did I do it good or bad? I'm still undecided. However, while one part of me is good that I have spent so much time on this game, on the other hand, I feel sorry for the economy of this game that I play from time to time. Free Player, Premium Player and VIP Player. I guess you understand what I mean.

    We are living in 2021 of the 21st century, but they still keep an annoying style in the economic system, which I cannot even call old-fashioned. I am not saying old-fashioned, because even old-fashioned games would do this terrible thing! For example, Ultima Online or Dark Age of Camelot. These two games are some of the best examples that can still survive. There is also WoW. What a good example of WoW, I'll leave it to you. I think WoW's economy looks good too.

    Now, I said the economy. Because the LOTRO economy now has an incredibly absurd structure. To get a mount for your hero, you first need to obtain a Riding Skill. So where does this get from? The right guess is from the LOTRO Store! Riding Skill is a Skill that you can buy with LOTRO Point. When you become a VIP member, you can get this Skill for free. You just need to find the NPC. Apart from that, many items are locked in the game, but you can obtain them with LOTRO Point. You can get LOTRO Point by completing Deed. However, this happens to drop by drop. For example, a Deed gives 5 LOTRO Points.

    The same economic model is in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This system is not working. You have to accept this now.

    While LOTRO is a nice game to spend time with, some of its items might bother you. So try not to think of these while playing the game. If you want to keep playing, you can pay $14.99 a month if your economic situation is good, or in whatever country you are in, in the currency shown to you. I do not prefer it. I play the game just for the sake of Middle-earth.    … Expand
  21. DinoBeam
    Mar 22, 2021
    5
    so much reading, then a small burst of ok combat, then back to reading. And i'm not usually one to complain about graphics, I still think Ocarina of Time looks fantastic, but this game just bugs my eyes.
  22. Paramono
    Jan 14, 2015
    5
    Si si un juego estupendo, me gusta mucho en muchos sentidos para empezar sobre todo que esta ambientado en el mundo de el Señor de los Anillos, la jugabilidad es aceptable y hay buena variedad de clases pero... NO ESTÁ EN ESPAÑOL y con esto en algunas partes sobre todo en la historia, el juego se va a la puta mierda y termina convirtiéndose en un chiste donde solo importa darle clicks aSi si un juego estupendo, me gusta mucho en muchos sentidos para empezar sobre todo que esta ambientado en el mundo de el Señor de los Anillos, la jugabilidad es aceptable y hay buena variedad de clases pero... NO ESTÁ EN ESPAÑOL y con esto en algunas partes sobre todo en la historia, el juego se va a la puta mierda y termina convirtiéndose en un chiste donde solo importa darle clicks a bichitos hasta que la barra de vida se les agota. Por favor traduzcan al español ya este juegazo por favor que ya va siendo hora.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PC Game of 2007
15
#15 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
18
#18 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Computer and Video Games
    92
    With Turbine's long-standing MMORPG expertise powering proceedings and one of the most welcoming communities in gaming, LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore - if you're any kind of fan, it would seem pretty much an essential purchase.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer
    90
    It's absolutely no exaggeration to say that this is far and away the best game for anyone who hasn't played an MMOG before to cut their teeth on. Even more than the familiar universe, the excellent interface and gameplay design Turbine have crafted turn this into an experience which those who have previously avoided the lure of MMOs will find tough to resist.
    Read full review
  3. GamingTrend
    84
    There's a lot of quests in the game. A lot. In the first ten to fifteen levels alone, you're likely to do 50-100 quests, if not much more. While the game seems to have only a small number of areas available at launch, each area is quite large, and there's a fair amount to do in each area as you progress to level 50.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »