The Lord Of The Rings Online sells itself on one thing: J.R.R. Tolkien. LOTRO nails the conventions of massively multiplayer online games; it's solid, social, and fun for newcomers and lifers alike. But the gameplay is almost identical to that of MMOG leader World Of Warcraft, which means the wallet-opening differences are measured in the appeal of Tolkien's world. And for the most part, the world defines itself by its limits. For example, magic is rare: The closest thing to a playable magic-user is a character who can light fires and throw them at people. And where WOW transports players across its world via enchanted flying creatures, LOTRO just lends you a horse.
Players follow an epic storyline that gives structure and momentum to the experience. But as the Colonial Williamsburg to Warcraft's Disneyland, LOTRO isn't lush, and sometimes it even seems flat. The grand Elvish architecture and rolling Shire hills feel small, when they should envelop players. And LOTRO doesn't upend its competitors' grind/grab/grow routine, though it tries a few tricks (like a virtual music system) to break players out of the habits they've learned. It remains to be seen whether people will just chew through it all like any other game, or the alluring nuances of Middle Earth will give people reasons to linger.