Eh in the group play numbers, and even that weirdly written description for both games, I'd give'em both a 5 since it practically is an identical system. If instancing is what brought WoW's numbers down, then why didn't it LotRo? Seems daft.
Maybe because in WoW you can't group with people unless you have the class/character build exactly how they want it. In LoTRO that is not the case (atleast it wasn't for me the time I played it)
HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED BOTH? WoW has a little and awful world, like a kids playeground. LotrO has one of the biggest and most beatiful world.
5 for WoW, 10 for LOTRO.
I guess you never played Warcraft. I think most people were thrilled when they could adventure thru many places of Warcraft world. When I first played Lotro everything looked like in postcard, but it also felt like I was inside postcard. Yes it's beatiful but also very static, also why hell in all Turbine games I feel like I'm ice skating.
Also Lotro like many non-game based franchise suffer from lore. You can't make world very diverse without going against lore. WoW creators went mad and made silly world full of jokes and other fun, and they could do it unlike Turbine.
I think you have misunderstood: the reason I deducted points from WoW is because the whole click a button for an instant group ruins immersion. Waiting around spamming lfg is not perfect but where does Blizzard convience end? Improvements are fine but there comes a point when the whole essence of the MMORPG expierence is lost. If that makes sense...
The dungeon tool is just an option. If it breaks immersion for you, don't use it. Plenty of people spam LFG in chat channels, but that really isn't immersive either.
I think you have misunderstood: the reason I deducted points from WoW is because the whole click a button for an instant group ruins immersion. Waiting around spamming lfg is not perfect but where does Blizzard convience end? Improvements are fine but there comes a point when the whole essence of the MMORPG expierence is lost. If that makes sense...
The dungeon tool is just an option. If it breaks immersion for you, don't use it. Plenty of people spam LFG in chat channels, but that really isn't immersive either.
Chat channels and vent are the most immersive breaking features in any game.
Overall, I think it is a fairly reasonable assessment. I played WoW for many years, and am currently playing through LoTRO. A couple of points / disagreements from my perspective:
New Player Experience: WoW 7/10, LoTRO 9/10. LoTRO is much more helpful at the beginning. Not that WoW is bad, but LoTRO definitely shines more brightly in this regard.
Solo Play: WoW 8/10, LoTRO 8/10. I find each game to be relatively equal. There aren't any characters in WoW or LoTRO that you can't level to cap solo.
PvP: WoW 7/10, LoTRO 4/10. WoW PvP has enough balance and gear issues that it doesn't quite deserve the rating in this article. LoTRO indeed has a weaker model for PvP, but it does have it's charms when there are enough creeps and freeps duking it out.
While the game world is certainly more varied in WoW (unfortunately to cartoonish levels), it is still a drastically smaller world than LoTRO. Ignoring the colors of the landscape, each zone in WoW comes down to walking a few steps and either fight a mob, or try sneaking around...transitions between subzones are typically very jarring. LoTRO zones tends to have more logical transitions that end up being much more immersive as a result...and since LoTRO has such a substantially larger world, you find areas with few (if any) mobs so it doesn't feel like a constant battle getting from point a to point b.
While both games have made earlier content easier (LoTRO - some group quests are now soloable; WoW - a number of elites were put down to normal mobs), WoW went overly far with end-game content to the point of making it trivial. Additionally, class types (dps, tank, healer) are so similar that the specific class has become largely irrelevant (all tanks can AoE tank, all healers have comparable HoTs, etc), and, as a result, crowd control capabilities have become useless unless you solo.
An interesting aspect of LoTRO are the fellowship (group) abilities which add an interesting (and refreshing) flavor of working together.
Overall, I think the games are pretty close in comparison. However, I think the nod should clearly go to LoTRO.
While I agree that PVP in LOTRO leaves a lot to be desired, it seems that when ever I look at new game announcements it seems that people say:"yes, there is PVP but it's in Arenas" or whatever. If the LOTRO version of this is so bad-then why are games copying it?
I have to stick with LOTRO. I like the way it includes a players immersion into the original story without becoming overly focused on it. I still have trouble with this whole wow to Lotro comparison with both games being so different. WoW is over 6 years old now while LOTRO is quite a bit younger and I feel that trying to compare scope and size is nearly unfair. LOTRO is also very limited by its development licensing and has fairly strict guidelines to follow. At the same time, they add very original content to an already well written story. Finally, I like the less cartoonish graphics of LOTRO and that the character builds are more believable. No thong armor here my friend and the equipment is more properly propotioned in size along with utility.
The most important aspect of an MMO was left out of the review. Content
I currently play both games but I've always thought of lord of the rings as "WoW light" as far as content goes.
Another aspect of MMOs that wasnt mentioned is "Roleplay". Where WoW trounces lord of the rings in the content aspect, lord of the rings really shines for roleplayers. Theres countless gear appearance options, emotes, players can combine their own personally played music instruments and play songs together and theres also player decorated housing.
I suppose a review must keep its limits, but I think these 2 aspects of MMO gaming should have been addressed.
I pretty much agreed with the post and thought it was a pretty good look until I saw WoW got a 9/10 for pvp. It just isn't a well balanced system at all, and lacks any real feel of balance between classes. At least Lord of the Rings knows that pvp isn't balanced so they created a system in which they could tweak the pvp without effecting the pve side of it. Unfortunately WoW has killed off a lot of great and flavorful pve abilities because they were to powerful in pvp. I would rank WoW very low for its pvp for the sheer fact it has such a high impact on pve than it ever should.
Edit: I don't think you can give WoW 9/10 for end game content either when it is rarely ever updated. We are currently sitting at 9 months of the exact same end game raid instance. That isn't fun, and it shows that the company is lazy and uninterested in that aspect of the game. They have gone into maintain and conserve on their raids and without anything interesting released for end game content for what may end up being an entire year it is a pretty sad day to give reward to that.
The most important aspect of an MMO was left out of the review. Content
I currently play both games but I've always thought of lord of the rings as "WoW light" as far as content goes.
Another aspect of MMOs that wasnt mentioned is "Roleplay". Where WoW trounces lord of the rings in the content aspect, lord of the rings really shines for roleplayers. Theres countless gear appearance options, emotes, players can combine their own personally played music instruments and play songs together and theres also player decorated housing.
I suppose a review must keep its limits, but I think these 2 aspects of MMO gaming should have been addressed.
Well, a content rating would have been a bit unfair, especially since WoW is about 3 years older than LotRO, and, thus, had far more time to release content.
I'd like to join this little discussion, just let me grab my torch and pitchfork...
"Rhubarb! Rhubarb! Rhubarb!!!"
Only joking, well considering some of the responses you have gotten so far, mostly joking at least.
A very excellent article, Mr Tingle. Though I'm sure there will be much controversy over your scoring choices, you made an excellent point that both are very different games, and excel at what they do for very different reasons.
Personally I prefer Vanilla Wow over LOTRO, but I prefer current LOTRO to WOTLK Wow.
If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, riddle 'em with bullets
What it comes down to is that I've played both, but only enjoyed WoW. I've tried LotRO twice, and I couldn't for the life of me stick with it. I just hit 51 on my troll warrior in WoW. There's something that is just more playable about WoW for me.
I've played WOW for years. But since a few months I found a new home in Middle Earth. I can't say what game is the best. I've seen wow grow from vanilla, when having tier 1 gear was just EPIC until what the game is now today. I had great times in wow but for now I'm done. But LOTRO is my place And I'll stay there for a long time to come. The article says it all.
------------------------------------------------------------------- waiting for ... nothing..
Me and millions of more people would say "alot better in almost every way"
LOL, yeah, same opinion, found the entire article ludicrous. You can fit LOTRO, all of it, on 3 WoW servers and still have 290 other servers of Wow. "Better" is such a ridiculous word to use, too. That's like saying "Which is better, blondes or brunettes?"
If you're looking for which MMO is "better" in the most subjective manner possible, then scorewise WoW = 99 and LOTRO = 1, because that's how the populations pan out, with WoW having a paying population and LOTRO screwing what few paying customers they have by going free and stabing their lifers in the back.
Every other measurement is subjective and opinion and certainly couldn't be "scored" in any meaningful manner. I enjoyed both games, played both for years, "enjoyed" WoW more than I did LOTRO, but that was because of the people I played with, not anything Blizzard gave me. If I'd've found the same folks in LOTRO instead, I probably would have enjoyed that as well.
I don't play either any more, because they're both boring repetitions of the same content, over and over, to do the same things, over and over.
What an interesting comparison, since these are two games that I have played extensively. Here is how the two games pan out as I see them, emphasizing the positives of each one.
WoW wins: Better pets and pet control (pets suck in LotRO) Bigger, more diverse world Better dungeon design More interesting and varied classes Better combat systems Better grouping and chat mechanisms Better travel systems (travel sucks in LotRO, imo) Better PvP by a country mile
LotRO wins: Better story/immersion/realism Prettier world Solo story instances (nice!) Skirmishes (also nice) Better crafting Better community (VASTLY better community) Greater realism/cooler armors (plus the wardrobe options are much better) More solo friendly than WoW generally
I like both of these games, although I think LotRO greatly deteriorates once you hit Moria and beyond, whereas WoW gets better and better the higher level you go. Sadly, LotRO does just the opposite.
However, I suspect GW2 and/or SWTOR are going to blow both WoW and LotRO off my radar entirely.
I have always failed to understand why MMO games do not put more effort into mounts. Letting them carry stuff for you is one option that hasn't been explored at all. No need to run to the bank all the time. Bioware are going to work this "mount" into their spaceships. Sounds awsome.
I didn't try the mounts yet so I dunno if they can pack stuff but in The Saga of Ryzom you can buy pack animals dedicated to help you carry your stuff around.
To address some things in this thread, a significant portion of LOTRO is solable now, but it used to NOT be. You could easily hit cap solo. I took a break and came back and was shocked to find you can solo about 10 X more quests than you used to be able to, as well as the books. This was by design and a change they made in an update. I suspect some of you have not leveled a character recently. I had last maxed a character a year ago.
I went back after a break, and had a level 65 main. I made an alt and soloed to level 53 or so. I grouped up a few times on instances as it is still a must for some content. Still, you can very easily max out without ever doing the group instances and many of them now scale to your level. You can do ALL of the books in Shadows of Angmar solo. You get a buff if you're alone and a 2 year-old could do it with their eyes closed. Seriously, it was so easy doing some instances that used to require a well rounded group that it was kind of pathetic.
I tried playing WOW a few times, it is just not my thing...but if you enjoy it, more power to you.
Have a winner and don't go on a game over! Does your avatar make you powerful in real life? Check out the Mystical Enders gaming community. www.mysticalenders.com
To address some things in this thread, a significant portion of LOTRO is solable now, but it used to NOT be. You could easily hit cap solo. I took a break and came back and was shocked to find you can solo about 10 X more quests than you used to be able to, as well as the books. This was by design and a change they made in an update. I suspect some of you have not leveled a character recently. I had last maxed a character a year ago.
I went back after a break, and had a level 65 main. I made an alt and soloed to level 53 or so. I grouped up a few times on instances as it is still a must for some content. Still, you can very easily max out without ever doing the group instances and many of them now scale to your level. You can do ALL of the books in Shadows of Angmar solo. You get a buff if you're alone and a 2 year-old could do it with their eyes closed. Seriously, it was so easy doing some instances that used to require a well rounded group that it was kind of pathetic.
I tried playing WOW a few times, it is just not my thing...but if you enjoy it, more power to you.
Most mmorpg make the lower areas easier after an expansion or two so people can get to higher levels faster and join the rest of the players.
New era begins those tiny mmos will get buried in 2011 .
Ive got allmost 4 years wow play behind me and not as a casual player tryed Lotro a bit but the classes sucks no fun for me there its for every person something else ..
As i said before i got alot fo time playing wow but its only cos WoW was the first Mmo i started to play and fell in love today when i think back what kind a else mmos been there waiting for me like Lineage 2 i could scream.
But as mentioned before it doesnt matter cos now are comming new babys and they will takes us further as mmos and WoW or Lotro will be forgotten very fast
I am the punishment of God... If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you Genghis Khan
In all honesty LOTRO wins story because it was crafted by the masterful Tolkien, WoW's lore is lost upon the players because everyone skips the quest dialog and complete the tedious grind, gather or group quests. WoW raiding is by far better, but end game is starting to become, more robotic than static. I play a fury warrior and all I am is a armor pen, crit junkie, its what seperates me from retidans and dk's, but come cataclysm I'm afraid the mastery system is just gonna make a "Melee plate dps" and not a warrior anymore. I like LOTRO story and I like the battle system and stat sytem. The one thing I remove from this bout is the community scale, I believe communities are ignorable and everything can be kept withing the guild, but thats just me.
"The ends justifies the means" - Nikolai Machiavelli
I thought it was a rather fair article. I agree with most of the scores. About the only differences I would like is frankly gving LotR PvP even a 4/10 is being nice. The game is just so lacking in this area and they haven't done much to even try and expand on it.
However, I also would have liked to seen a separate ranking for story/lore which frankly I would give to LotR well and above over WoW. Turbine just does a much better job in this area than Blizzard although to be fair Blizzard has made improvements.
Still, overall, well done article and I agree with what some others said that more of these types of articles in the future would great.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
A couple of years ago I'd be going camp WoW but not anymore. I think LOTRO is better now. I get nostogic for WoW every now and again but I'm way more likely to fire up LOTRO than WoW anymore.
To me it feels like WoW's run it's course. I'm not sure I'll be buying Cat but I know I'd buy the next LOTRO expansion.
Journeying throughout Middle-Earth without a companion is entirely possible but difficult at times. Lord of the Rings Online is a game that thrives within group culture and certain quests throughout zones cannot be attempted without aid. These quests can lead to frustration and when nobody is about, a lengthy grind of assorted beasts as you try to navigate this obstacle. Good but not entirely solo-friendly, Turbines game doesn’t quite hit the mark but then again, why would you want to play an MMORPG alone? 7/10
Really? that's a complete lie.... you can totally solo if you choose the rigth zones ofcourse you can't solo elite group quest's same as wow... peace
Depends on your class too. I was soloing a LM for a little while, it's possible, but very...very frustrating and slow at times.
Comments
Maybe because in WoW you can't group with people unless you have the class/character build exactly how they want it. In LoTRO that is not the case (atleast it wasn't for me the time I played it)
One thing I would disagree with is the world. I found LoTRO a lot more immersive than I ever did in WoW.
I guess you never played Warcraft. I think most people were thrilled when they could adventure thru many places of Warcraft world. When I first played Lotro everything looked like in postcard, but it also felt like I was inside postcard. Yes it's beatiful but also very static, also why hell in all Turbine games I feel like I'm ice skating.
Also Lotro like many non-game based franchise suffer from lore. You can't make world very diverse without going against lore. WoW creators went mad and made silly world full of jokes and other fun, and they could do it unlike Turbine.
The dungeon tool is just an option. If it breaks immersion for you, don't use it. Plenty of people spam LFG in chat channels, but that really isn't immersive either.
Chat channels and vent are the most immersive breaking features in any game.
Overall, I think it is a fairly reasonable assessment. I played WoW for many years, and am currently playing through LoTRO. A couple of points / disagreements from my perspective:
New Player Experience: WoW 7/10, LoTRO 9/10. LoTRO is much more helpful at the beginning. Not that WoW is bad, but LoTRO definitely shines more brightly in this regard.
Solo Play: WoW 8/10, LoTRO 8/10. I find each game to be relatively equal. There aren't any characters in WoW or LoTRO that you can't level to cap solo.
PvP: WoW 7/10, LoTRO 4/10. WoW PvP has enough balance and gear issues that it doesn't quite deserve the rating in this article. LoTRO indeed has a weaker model for PvP, but it does have it's charms when there are enough creeps and freeps duking it out.
While the game world is certainly more varied in WoW (unfortunately to cartoonish levels), it is still a drastically smaller world than LoTRO. Ignoring the colors of the landscape, each zone in WoW comes down to walking a few steps and either fight a mob, or try sneaking around...transitions between subzones are typically very jarring. LoTRO zones tends to have more logical transitions that end up being much more immersive as a result...and since LoTRO has such a substantially larger world, you find areas with few (if any) mobs so it doesn't feel like a constant battle getting from point a to point b.
While both games have made earlier content easier (LoTRO - some group quests are now soloable; WoW - a number of elites were put down to normal mobs), WoW went overly far with end-game content to the point of making it trivial. Additionally, class types (dps, tank, healer) are so similar that the specific class has become largely irrelevant (all tanks can AoE tank, all healers have comparable HoTs, etc), and, as a result, crowd control capabilities have become useless unless you solo.
An interesting aspect of LoTRO are the fellowship (group) abilities which add an interesting (and refreshing) flavor of working together.
Overall, I think the games are pretty close in comparison. However, I think the nod should clearly go to LoTRO.
While I agree that PVP in LOTRO leaves a lot to be desired, it seems that when ever I look at new game announcements it seems that people say:"yes, there is PVP but it's in Arenas" or whatever. If the LOTRO version of this is so bad-then why are games copying it?
I have to stick with LOTRO. I like the way it includes a players immersion into the original story without becoming overly focused on it. I still have trouble with this whole wow to Lotro comparison with both games being so different. WoW is over 6 years old now while LOTRO is quite a bit younger and I feel that trying to compare scope and size is nearly unfair. LOTRO is also very limited by its development licensing and has fairly strict guidelines to follow. At the same time, they add very original content to an already well written story. Finally, I like the less cartoonish graphics of LOTRO and that the character builds are more believable. No thong armor here my friend and the equipment is more properly propotioned in size along with utility.
The most important aspect of an MMO was left out of the review. Content
I currently play both games but I've always thought of lord of the rings as "WoW light" as far as content goes.
Another aspect of MMOs that wasnt mentioned is "Roleplay". Where WoW trounces lord of the rings in the content aspect, lord of the rings really shines for roleplayers. Theres countless gear appearance options, emotes, players can combine their own personally played music instruments and play songs together and theres also player decorated housing.
I suppose a review must keep its limits, but I think these 2 aspects of MMO gaming should have been addressed.
I pretty much agreed with the post and thought it was a pretty good look until I saw WoW got a 9/10 for pvp. It just isn't a well balanced system at all, and lacks any real feel of balance between classes. At least Lord of the Rings knows that pvp isn't balanced so they created a system in which they could tweak the pvp without effecting the pve side of it. Unfortunately WoW has killed off a lot of great and flavorful pve abilities because they were to powerful in pvp. I would rank WoW very low for its pvp for the sheer fact it has such a high impact on pve than it ever should.
Edit: I don't think you can give WoW 9/10 for end game content either when it is rarely ever updated. We are currently sitting at 9 months of the exact same end game raid instance. That isn't fun, and it shows that the company is lazy and uninterested in that aspect of the game. They have gone into maintain and conserve on their raids and without anything interesting released for end game content for what may end up being an entire year it is a pretty sad day to give reward to that.
Well, a content rating would have been a bit unfair, especially since WoW is about 3 years older than LotRO, and, thus, had far more time to release content.
I'd like to join this little discussion, just let me grab my torch and pitchfork...
"Rhubarb! Rhubarb! Rhubarb!!!"
Only joking, well considering some of the responses you have gotten so far, mostly joking at least.
A very excellent article, Mr Tingle. Though I'm sure there will be much controversy over your scoring choices, you made an excellent point that both are very different games, and excel at what they do for very different reasons.
Personally I prefer Vanilla Wow over LOTRO, but I prefer current LOTRO to WOTLK Wow.
If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, riddle 'em with bullets
What it comes down to is that I've played both, but only enjoyed WoW. I've tried LotRO twice, and I couldn't for the life of me stick with it. I just hit 51 on my troll warrior in WoW. There's something that is just more playable about WoW for me.
I've played WOW for years. But since a few months I found a new home in Middle Earth. I can't say what game is the best. I've seen wow grow from vanilla, when having tier 1 gear was just EPIC until what the game is now today. I had great times in wow but for now I'm done. But LOTRO is my place
And I'll stay there for a long time to come. The article says it all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
waiting for ... nothing..
LOL, yeah, same opinion, found the entire article ludicrous. You can fit LOTRO, all of it, on 3 WoW servers and still have 290 other servers of Wow. "Better" is such a ridiculous word to use, too. That's like saying "Which is better, blondes or brunettes?"
If you're looking for which MMO is "better" in the most subjective manner possible, then scorewise WoW = 99 and LOTRO = 1, because that's how the populations pan out, with WoW having a paying population and LOTRO screwing what few paying customers they have by going free and stabing their lifers in the back.
Every other measurement is subjective and opinion and certainly couldn't be "scored" in any meaningful manner. I enjoyed both games, played both for years, "enjoyed" WoW more than I did LOTRO, but that was because of the people I played with, not anything Blizzard gave me. If I'd've found the same folks in LOTRO instead, I probably would have enjoyed that as well.
I don't play either any more, because they're both boring repetitions of the same content, over and over, to do the same things, over and over.
What an interesting comparison, since these are two games that I have played extensively. Here is how the two games pan out as I see them, emphasizing the positives of each one.
WoW wins:
Better pets and pet control (pets suck in LotRO)
Bigger, more diverse world
Better dungeon design
More interesting and varied classes
Better combat systems
Better grouping and chat mechanisms
Better travel systems (travel sucks in LotRO, imo)
Better PvP by a country mile
LotRO wins:
Better story/immersion/realism
Prettier world
Solo story instances (nice!)
Skirmishes (also nice)
Better crafting
Better community (VASTLY better community)
Greater realism/cooler armors (plus the wardrobe options are much better)
More solo friendly than WoW generally
I like both of these games, although I think LotRO greatly deteriorates once you hit Moria and beyond, whereas WoW gets better and better the higher level you go. Sadly, LotRO does just the opposite.
However, I suspect GW2 and/or SWTOR are going to blow both WoW and LotRO off my radar entirely.
I didn't try the mounts yet so I dunno if they can pack stuff but in The Saga of Ryzom you can buy pack animals dedicated to help you carry your stuff around.
LOTRO till GW2. I tried WoW and found it too cartoonish for my liking.
To address some things in this thread, a significant portion of LOTRO is solable now, but it used to NOT be. You could easily hit cap solo. I took a break and came back and was shocked to find you can solo about 10 X more quests than you used to be able to, as well as the books. This was by design and a change they made in an update. I suspect some of you have not leveled a character recently. I had last maxed a character a year ago.
I went back after a break, and had a level 65 main. I made an alt and soloed to level 53 or so. I grouped up a few times on instances as it is still a must for some content. Still, you can very easily max out without ever doing the group instances and many of them now scale to your level. You can do ALL of the books in Shadows of Angmar solo. You get a buff if you're alone and a 2 year-old could do it with their eyes closed. Seriously, it was so easy doing some instances that used to require a well rounded group that it was kind of pathetic.
I tried playing WOW a few times, it is just not my thing...but if you enjoy it, more power to you.
Have a winner and don't go on a game over! Does your avatar make you powerful in real life? Check out the Mystical Enders gaming community. www.mysticalenders.com
Most mmorpg make the lower areas easier after an expansion or two so people can get to higher levels faster and join the rest of the players.
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
[mod edit]
New era begins those tiny mmos will get buried in 2011 .
Ive got allmost 4 years wow play behind me and not as a casual player tryed Lotro a bit but the classes sucks no fun for me there its for every person something else ..
As i said before i got alot fo time playing wow but its only cos WoW was the first Mmo i started to play and fell in love today when i think back what kind a else mmos been there waiting for me like Lineage 2 i could scream.
But as mentioned before it doesnt matter cos now are comming new babys and they will takes us further as mmos and WoW or Lotro will be forgotten very fast
I am the punishment of God...
If you had not committed great sins,
God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you
Genghis Khan
In all honesty LOTRO wins story because it was crafted by the masterful Tolkien, WoW's lore is lost upon the players because everyone skips the quest dialog and complete the tedious grind, gather or group quests. WoW raiding is by far better, but end game is starting to become, more robotic than static. I play a fury warrior and all I am is a armor pen, crit junkie, its what seperates me from retidans and dk's, but come cataclysm I'm afraid the mastery system is just gonna make a "Melee plate dps" and not a warrior anymore. I like LOTRO story and I like the battle system and stat sytem. The one thing I remove from this bout is the community scale, I believe communities are ignorable and everything can be kept withing the guild, but thats just me.
"The ends justifies the means" - Nikolai Machiavelli
I thought it was a rather fair article. I agree with most of the scores. About the only differences I would like is frankly gving LotR PvP even a 4/10 is being nice. The game is just so lacking in this area and they haven't done much to even try and expand on it.
However, I also would have liked to seen a separate ranking for story/lore which frankly I would give to LotR well and above over WoW. Turbine just does a much better job in this area than Blizzard although to be fair Blizzard has made improvements.
Still, overall, well done article and I agree with what some others said that more of these types of articles in the future would great.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
What an awesome article! More like these please!!
A couple of years ago I'd be going camp WoW but not anymore. I think LOTRO is better now. I get nostogic for WoW every now and again but I'm way more likely to fire up LOTRO than WoW anymore.
To me it feels like WoW's run it's course. I'm not sure I'll be buying Cat but I know I'd buy the next LOTRO expansion.
Depends on your class too. I was soloing a LM for a little while, it's possible, but very...very frustrating and slow at times.