LOTRO or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love MMORPGs

OK maybe not love. I'll just start from the beginning.

So at PAX they were giving out full copies of Lord of the Rings Online with the Mines of Moria expansion. I find it impressive that a company other than Blizzard is making enough money from subscriptions that they can just hand out full copies of AAA games. But then, maybe they should all be doing that. My biggest problem with MMOs is that you have to pay to keep playing a game you have already paid for... forever (unless you pay hundreds of dollars for a lifetime subscription). So really why charge for the game at all? I'm not certain but I think Blizzard gives away the base version of Wow, and has for some time. I can't help but think of a pusher on the street corner going "hey man, want to get your game on. Have a little taste, first one's on me!" Well actually the second taste is on them too because they give you a 30 day free trail, which in the case of LOTRO I am now using.

My second biggest problem with MMOs is that they never end. There is no discrete limit to the game. Potentially you could keep playing it forever and they could keep adding little bits of new content to entice you. What this means is that playing an MMO is a huge time investment. Or more like time sink hole. I already spend way more time than I should on the hobby. If I tried to play an MMO something terrible would happen: I'd have less time to play other games! There's just to many great games coming out all the time and an endless library of older games. I couldn't in good conscience dedicate myself to just one.

Anyway, lets talk about the game. Its cool I guess...

Yeah that's pretty much it. I like the story elements and the visuals for the setting. It feels like Middle Earth, which is exciting. The game play is actually kind of boring but again, this isn't my usual cup 'o tea . You click on a monster and your character starts trading blows. I imagine that as the game progresses the battles become more intense, requiring you to use your abilities in a tactical manner. I got to the point in the game where you pick a profession and can start making stuff. This is the part of the game I find most appealing. I have yet to discover how deep the crafting system goes but from the little I've done it seems like I could get pretty into it. I chose the Tinker job which involves cooking. I was very stoked to learn that I could brew beer. Beer and video games have always been a match made in heaven and now you're telling me I can drink beer while playing a game in which I'm drinking beer? You sir are a champion of men! ...not sure who I'm talking to there...

So I've got a month to play for free and I'll probably spend a few more sessions with it. My friend has an account so I'm going to try to play with him at least once in order to enjoy the MM aspect of my MMORPG... or maybe just the M... the second one... yeah. I'll let you know how it goes.