The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar First Look

Tolkien Fever struck the AT office this week, as we took a peek at yet another game inspired by the ever-popular tale of The Lord of the Rings. The MMORPG genre continues to expand at a great pace, and now it finally takes a huge bite out of the world's most popular fantasy franchise. This time, well-known publisher VU Games contracted Turbine Entertainment for creating a MMO game entitled, Middle-Earth Online. This deal is no coincidence, since Turbine is no stranger to the genre. Their previous experiences in the world of massively multiplayer online gaming include Asheron's Call, Asheron's Call: Dark Majesty, and Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings - on top of that, they were recently hired by Atari to develop Dungeons & Dragons Online (a MMORPG set in the popular D&D universe). The Asheron's Call series achieved critical acclaim, so it's safe to assume Middle-Earth Online has a decent chance of making a significant mark in the industry.

There are probably many of you out there who still haven't read Tolkien's books (Stop dillydallying! Read 'em! - Six). If you haven't, then that's why you're probably unaware of how huge and vastly detailed and populated Middle-Earth actually is. Basically, it's an ideal premise for a MMORPG... or any RPG for that matter.

It is the late Third Age and there's a massive war on the horizon. All Free folk now face the great threat of a shadow looming in the East. In the land of Mordor, evil is stirring and slowly spreading its darkness across the lands and realms of Middle-Earth. The Dark Lord Sauron has dispatched the Nazgul, Black Riders that desperately hunt the One Ring, striving to bring it back to its master. But, not all free-folk are corrupted and scared stiff. Recently, rumors began to surface about thousands of adventurers gathering to find their own place in this great conflict. Beginning the game as one of these adventurers, you will be able to support the Free Folk of Middle-earth, or you may fight alongside Sauron's forces.

In terms of races and character classes, players can look forward to a pretty decent range of choices. The basic premise of character classes revolves around the heritage and reputation of your favorite Tolkien heroes. You can choose to roam Middle-earth as a small, but quite cunning Hobbit, a stout and fearless Dwarf, mysterious Elf, or a valiant Human. After that you can choose your character's homeland. Each one of these races has its own language and unique way it reacts to the community. Believe it or not, languages play a significant role in the game. At some point, rookie players may run into ancient ruins that need to be deciphered. In order to progress, you must complete a quest and be rewarded with a rudimentary language skill. As an alternative, you may rely on the help of another player, who already mastered that particular skill. Either way, superior skills of a certain race remain a vital component of the gameplay. As much as it is important to master the many languages of Middle-earth, players will want to hone their battle skills, too. All races have a unique set of combat skills for example, so you have to think your choices through cautiously.

Most of you might be disappointed to know that the game won't allow you to play as a wizard. Well, a reasonable explanation was given for that. According to the books, wizards are considered extremely powerful and exceptionally rare, which is why the developers have decided not to include them as a playable class. But, on several occasions throughout the books, Tolkien also spoke of necromancers and sorcerers, so it's quit possible that players might get to harness the arcane world as one of those classes. You never know... Let's wait and see. It is certain, however, that the game will feature a variety of elemental-style magical skills - although, they're going to be very difficult to harness and manipulate.

Another interesting facet of the game is that, as you advance in experience, and complete quests, word of your exploits begins to spread, and your character can become a real hero. That doesn't mean you'll get to play as Aragorn, Boromir, or Frodo - I assume that all of you have already figured that one out, since this is a MMORPG and we can't have thousands of Frodos and Gandalfs running around the place. Instead the player creates a character, which then gets to travel to various lands, taking part in quests and enjoying your standard dose of MMORPG fare. Wait a sec... did I say "standard?" Scratch that. After all, this is the first time you'll finally be able to create your ideal avatar and explore the extensive realms of Middle-Earth. This won't be a usual MMO ride at all. The game has a unique choice of weapons and items that are going to be at your disposal; some of these will include rare relics, powerful scrolls, mountable trophies, exotic jewelry, helpful tools, precious gems, and so on. Another good point is that players can take the opportunity to craft their very own items by using some of the precious available metals, like gems and mithril. Later on, it will be possible to craft so-called "legendary items" that can match the power of Boromir's Horn of Gondor and Bilbo's magic sword Sting. This creates an excellent foundation for crafting unique items and it will surely be a crucial moment in the game. Additionally, players will have the option to purchase upgradeable dwellings, which will store all your items and valuables.

One of the coolest aspects of Middle-Earth Online is that players can form their own fellowships, to complete quests (which involve various tasks like rescuing your allies, seeking out secret locations, assembling items that open forgotten treasures, etc.). As you team up with other classes you'll be able to exchange items and combine skills in order to overcome your opponents. For instance, an elf might be able to decipher what "mellon" means.

Middle-Earth Online will be using the Turbine engine, which was used to good effect in Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings. The important thing to highlight here is that this engine was greatly improved since AC2. This was clear to us the moment we saw the E3 demonstration, which exhibited a prototype version of this improved engine. Some of the effects we've seen so far look quite promising; featuring impressive water surfaces, dynamic lighting, and shadow effects. The character models in Middle-Earth Online have been carefully animated and presented with exceptional detail. All of this, coupled with lush Tolkienesque scenery, seems more than enough for a MMORPG. You'll be venturing throughout the whole of Eriador - this is where you'll find The Grey Havens, Moria, the Shire, Bree, and Rivendell. These locations were prepared for the game's initial version - other places will be added further down the road (expect Mirkwood, Rohan, Gondor, and even Mount Doom to arrive with the game's subsequent expansion pack releases).

The game is scheduled for a late 2004 release, which means any beta testing and online sign-ups can be expected some time next year.

What still remains unsaid in this article, however, and what we're itching to find out is how Turbine is going to handle PvP or Realm vs. Realm combat (think Dark Age of Camelot). Obviously, the conflict between the Free folk and the forces of Sauron is the pivotal moment of both the book and the movie trilogy. Just running around and exchanging items naturally doesn't seem like an appealing concept for a MMORPG set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Let's hope that the developers realize that and put some extra thought into this matter. We honestly wouldn't like to see this game go down the same road as Star Wars Galaxies.