Anyway, they're both on consoles so I don't know everyone's blind because PSO was god damn fantastic and PSU is still around on both the PS2 -and- 360.

All these higher-ups are so uninformed these days =/

 Reply

Most people dismiss PSO as a MMORPG given that it is a simplistic game limited to four players in-game, though the lobbies could accommodate about 20 or so people. Still

 Reply

Just PSU is missing then. I was thinking MMO's that exist on consoles at all, not just the 360.

 Reply

- Positive
RPG Dream: The game has got plenty to back up anyone wanting to truly be a roleplaying game, from the extensive lore already in LoTR to the ability to have "cosmetic outfits" that display one set of armor while getting the stats from another, to even being able to customize the color of your items.

Cosmetic Outfits: I know I mentioned it already, but it's a great system to have. You can have up to 3 outfits once you reach a certain level, and can each be set up using the same stats of one base armor. No cookie-cutter lookalikes at end-game like you do in WoW now! (yes I play WoW)

Unique Weapon Creation: In the expansion, you're able to create Legendary Items, which basically level up with you as you go (not unlike the BoA items in WoW a little). You can apply special runes to customize the weapon as well, and it gets stronger as you use the weapon. Oh yea, and you can name them too, how badass is that?

Neutral
Monster Play: PVP is limited to taking over a monster class in certain areas, so outside of duels you're not taking on anyone else playing the game unless you level up a different set of guys after you reach level 10 (the level to unlock this mode). If you're a PVP player, forget it.

Music: At level 5, everyone can learn to play certain instruments, and allows you to use macros & the abc notation system to create real music with other players. You'll find plenty of videos of people making songs and playing them in-game on YouTube no doubt. More of a novelty than anything.

Negative
Instanced Cities: I have always had a problem with games that do this after playing WoW, I hate cities where all the indoor areas are instanced and require loading screens! Sure it's not as bad as say, Age of Conan, but still a pain if you're following someone and you lose them.

Soloing: The game is focused on playing in parties, and for people who would prefer to go it alone, it'll be much harder to keep going unless you group up. I guess you could put this in a Neutral stance if you don't care, but I would like to get moving faster.

Professions: Unlike WoW where you can choose whatever crafting and gathering skills you want, in this game you have to choose vocations that restrict you to a set of Professions. You're basically forced to get into a Fellowship quick or start some alts.

*******

In the end, I'd say that this game is best if you want to RP with a good crowd, because you'll find the VERY best in this game, for reasons listed ablove. Everything else...wlell, you have to try it to figure out if you like it. I've always said that you can identify each game fantasy-wise out pretty quick as to what they're best at:

- WoW: PVE
-Warhammer: PVP
-LotRO: RP

 Reply

I've played a fair bit of LOTRO, but I'm not quite at the end-game. I just want to clarify a few things that Tenshigure said.

Instanced Cities: I'm not sure what you're talking about. It sounds like you're saying the cities like Bree and Rivendell are separated from the rest of the world, which isn't true. If you're JUST talking about the indoor areas and how they have to be loaded, that really is such a small thing to be negative about I don't understand the logic of even mentioning it. The loading is so quick I didn't even realized it happened until you pointed it out.

Solo play: You can solo the HELL out of this game. Don't listen to a word of what he says. You can solo a huge portion of this game without grinding. (ie. there are a ton of quests) The quests are fairly well designed as well.

If you're not soloing, there're are plenty of opportunities for joining fellowships, and doing those harder quests will get you better loot.

Also, you forgot to mention how beautiful this game is. It's one of the prettier ones. Going into Rivendell for the first time is a treat.

If you're a fan of LotR, then you would immediately love this game. Otherwise, it's a decent and enjoyable game, with a mature userbase and dedicated developers.

 Reply

And no, it's not the economy, it's not being able to work due to a broken leg.

 Reply

Solo Play: To clarify what I meant (like I said, should've put it at neutral) is there are some areas where the enemies respawn WAY too fast for their own good, which slows your ability to move ahead if you need to, for example, go into an enemy camp and back out the other way once you're done retrieving whatever you went for.

Yes, the graphics & design of the game should've been in my positive, but I was typing that up during a break at work, so couldn't get every little thing in. The best part is that you don't need a monster rig to see the shiny either.

I absolutely agree on the mature userbase too, as like I've said before a good chunk of WoW players who wanted more of an RP crowd jumped onto this sucker early and is a core base for the game's success in it's niche. You'll still run into the random kids who are completely 'Power Leveing', but you'll also find people who are willing to go out of their way to help if you're being overwhelmed pretty nicely as well.

For the price, it's a crime NOT to try if you're interested, and you can easily get to 10-15 in the 7-day trial. Another plus that, if you REALLY like the game, you can pay for a lifetime membership ($200-$300 the last time I checked) to eliminate the monthly fees. It was my wife's birthday present last year along with the Mines of Moria Pre-Order (she LOVES that game).

 Reply

Good luck convincing me they could fit the now 200+ songs I own on one disc.

 Reply