Arrows have been nocked, swords have been drawn, and Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar has gone live. As I type this hundreds of new Hobbits are being created, along with thousands of elves with names like Llegolass, Regorass, Orlando, et cetera. Expect a handful of dwarves. People who play dwarves have issues.

Computer and Video Games over in the UK gave the game a 9.2 in their exclusive review back on the 12th. Of course there is no real way to review an MMO prior to launch, and their website is now festooned with LoTRo ads, but that's probably just a coincidence.

I celebrated the launch in my own personal way last night, getting my undead mage in World of Warcraft to level 69. As a whopping five Gamestop stores across the country opened at Midnight to accommodate starving Tolkien fans, I was in Nagrand unlocking the Thrall quest line.

I'd actually love to see how the community shapes up in LoTRO as fans file in, but I've neither the time nor the money to support a third MMO at this point. On top of that, there is something sacred about Tolkien's works that I don't want ruined by having to quest with Elfdood. Michael Fahey

LoTRo Home Page [Midway]

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