Personaly I think anything over a 90 or 9/10 should be mind blowing, industry altering game. Not that from what I've played LOTRO isn't a solid title with alot of upside, it just doesn't have many things that will change the industry.
If I go see a movie, eat out at a good restaurant or read a good book I don't ask for a mind blowing industry altering experience so why should we anymore from a game? As long as my steak is cooked perfectly and is tender and juicy, the book is well written and is a compelling read, and the acting is good and the story entertaining then I am happy. I think simply the fact that the game is fun and Turbine delivered a quality product is quite enough to deserve a high score thank you.
This is one of the highest rated games since W.o.W. and EVE . ? did you know back in the 80's W.o.W. meant "Women of Wrestling" .
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
it is surprising to me also. I figured the IP would be a albatross around their neck. Surprising to see what a good game they could make using only 4 races and 7 classes. Guess that just proves that more does not always equal better.
This is one of the highest rated games since W.o.W. and EVE . ? did you know back in the 80's W.o.W. meant "Women of Wrestling" .
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
it is surprising to me also. I figured the IP would be a albatross around their neck. Surprising to see what a good game they could make using only 4 races and 7 classes. Guess that just proves that more does not always equal better.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match.
This is one of the highest rated games since W.o.W. and EVE . ? did you know back in the 80's W.o.W. meant "Women of Wrestling" .
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
it is surprising to me also. I figured the IP would be a albatross around their neck. Surprising to see what a good game they could make using only 4 races and 7 classes. Guess that just proves that more does not always equal better.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match. Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself.
This is one of the highest rated games since W.o.W. and EVE . ? did you know back in the 80's W.o.W. meant "Women of Wrestling" .
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
it is surprising to me also. I figured the IP would be a albatross around their neck. Surprising to see what a good game they could make using only 4 races and 7 classes. Guess that just proves that more does not always equal better.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match. Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself. No, no no..that was quoted poorly. It was meant more that this game could garner such high ratings, nothing to do with the number of classes or races. The simple fact that our standards have gone down the toilet and we'll pretty much rave about anything- even when it's the exact same thing fed to us over and over again, with superficial differences and absolutely no innovation. Everything since the original SWG has been dull, uncreative, derivitive junk, and there is no reason to play any one over the other, because they're all the same game. I can't honestly see where anything released in this genre in the last 4 years deserves anything over about a 70%.
(Note: Founder, lifetime sub, just realized after a short time how boring and uninspired this game is)
This is one of the highest rated games since W.o.W. and EVE . ? did you know back in the 80's W.o.W. meant "Women of Wrestling" .
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
it is surprising to me also. I figured the IP would be a albatross around their neck. Surprising to see what a good game they could make using only 4 races and 7 classes. Guess that just proves that more does not always equal better.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match.Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself.No, no no..that was quoted poorly. It was meant more that this game could garner such high ratings, nothing to do with the number of classes or races. The simple fact that our standards have gone down the toilet and we'll pretty much rave about anything- even when it's the exact same thing fed to us over and over again, with superficial differences and absolutely no innovation. Everything since the original SWG has been dull, uncreative, derivitive junk, and there is no reason to play any one over the other, because they're all the same game. I can't honestly see where anything released in this genre in the last 4 years deserves anything over about a 70%.
(Note: Founder, lifetime sub, just realized after a short time how boring and uninspired this game is)
Are you serious? My standards have skyrocketed. I will no longer settle for the bullshit that was SWG -- bug-ridden, unbalanced classes, no content, empty world, grind-fest. Vanguard? Yep...far below my standards. LOTRO is the first MMO to meet my new higher standards.
You want innovation? Please tell me what innovative games you've played? What ones have you supported, because innovative games need your help. They really do. They exist, if you truly do wish for innovation. But you see, the problem with innovation is that these developers can't generate the financial investment that say a LOTRO can generate. Over the course of three years I've given close to 1000 dollars to games like WWII Online, Roma Victor, Second Life and a few other innovative games. But I'm also a realist. When I play these innovative games, I realize they will be buggy, less than advanced graphics, etc. Most people who advocate innovation also want a triple AAA title with a budget of 40 million. That is an unrealistic expectation, and a recipe for disaster.
_____________________________ Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
This is one of the highest rated games since W.o.W. and EVE . ? did you know back in the 80's W.o.W. meant "Women of Wrestling" .
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
it is surprising to me also. I figured the IP would be a albatross around their neck. Surprising to see what a good game they could make using only 4 races and 7 classes. Guess that just proves that more does not always equal better.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match. Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself. No, no no..that was quoted poorly. It was meant more that this game could garner such high ratings, nothing to do with the number of classes or races. The simple fact that our standards have gone down the toilet and we'll pretty much rave about anything- even when it's the exact same thing fed to us over and over again, with superficial differences and absolutely no innovation. Everything since the original SWG has been dull, uncreative, derivitive junk, and there is no reason to play any one over the other, because they're all the same game. I can't honestly see where anything released in this genre in the last 4 years deserves anything over about a 70%.
(Note: Founder, lifetime sub, just realized after a short time how boring and uninspired this game is) each to their own I suppose. While I appreciated what Raph tried to do with SWG, I myself found it to be horrible in it's implementation. Everything from the horrible bugs to the incomplete and unbalanced classes to the joke of the original Jedi system . I was in beta 2 of the game and stuck with it through December, but once the Jedi holo grind was official I tossed it into the trash and never looked back.
Offtopic from LoTRO but if you are a Koster fan you might want to check over at f13.net there is a article you may enjoy.
I just don't understand where all these 95% and above reviews are coming from. Am I playing a different game to everyone else?
LOTRO is a solid and fund but uninspiring MMO. It does what it sets out to do quite well but has no innovation about it and it certainly shouldn't be near the top 5% of games. Top 20-25% is much more reasonable.
If you look on that same site at what games like Everquest, DAoC and WoW go when they were released, games that really did add things that transformed MMO's, they all got 75-90% which is much more reasonable.
Out of all those reviews, the PC Gamer UK one where it calls it 'Middle Of The Road' instead of 'Middle Earth' was about the most honest one there. I remember when 95+ ratings were given to games that were truely awesome such as Street Fighter or Grand Theft Auto 3. You used to be able to get a game that had such a high score and know you were going to love it and get something special but that just doesn't seem to be the case nowadays with almost any game that isn't complete tripe getting such high scores.
What exactly was innovative about WoW? It wasn't a bad game for sure but it was hardly innovative either.
A wild guess here but maybe the game is getting good reviews because it is just plain old fun to play. I am not sure where the notion came about that something has to be innovative to be good. Maybe the concept if something meets its design criteria and serves the purpose it was intended for that is not enough for it to be good.
I can point out half a dozen games on the sidebar that were innovative as heck and still are lacking in subscriptions. Saga of Ryzom, The Matrix, Auto Assault, Neocron, and WWII online would all fit the bill nicely if innovation is all that it takes for a game to rate at 90% plus in your opinion.
We don't demand that every movie or every book be innovative to be good, why should we expect more from MMORPGs. Just the fact that it is a excellent product that serves it's purpose should be enough.
WoW made MMO's accessable to what, millions of none MMO players?
Something pretty inovative about that. I would call it, user friendly game play.
WoW was very inovative in it's mediocrety. No other MMO does so many things...ok.
While I don't really agree that its a 10/10 or 9/10, its still a good game. I'd rate it more between 75%-80%. Its just that the combat, especially the animations, is really weak. Theres also no real chance to play as a bad guy except during monster play which imo doesn't really count. Then again, many of the type of gamers that will play this LOTRO, combat isn't the be all and end all for them. I will give it credit for running fairly well without too many game stopping bugs and having a very smooth launch. Not too many mmo's can say that. Still, its just not my cup of tea and I have canceled.
Is a man not entitled to the herp of his derp?
Remember, I live in a world where juggalos and yugioh players are real things.
You know the game reviews really seem to be keeping sales up, I was over at EBGames www.ebgames.com/default.asp and LoTRO is still number one there. between the great reviews and postive word of mouth the game is getting quite a fiollowing.
For all the people who say the game is small, I ready some interesting tibits to the rumor that LoTRO will be the largest mmo ever made , once every expansion is release. It will dwarf any mmo with mass , as well as content. So keep in mind This initial release is just the solid foundation for major building blocks to come
The fact of the matter is this though: A player from the VN boards checked the player population across all servers late Friday night (10-11pm) and there were ~12k people playing. There is of course, a margin of error in this, but its suffice to say that this game certainly isn't all that the same 4 people on these boards would lead you to believe.
Edit: I see he updated it with numbers from Saturday at primetime, 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and there were ~17k people playing. Also, the game has already gone on sale at fry's for 29.99. Reality is an interesting thing.
The fact of the matter is this though: A player from the VN boards checked the player population across all servers late Friday night (10-11pm) and there were ~12k people playing. There is of course, a margin of error in this, but its suffice to say that this game certainly isn't all that the same 4 people on these boards would lead you to believe.
Edit: I see he updated it with numbers from Saturday at primetime, 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and there were ~17k people playing. Also, the game has already gone on sale at fry's for 29.99. Reality is an interesting thing.
And if I posted that on xyz.com boards a poster said that he did the same survey and found 5 million across the servers I suppose you believe that also? Would that make it true? Of course it would not.
In case you have not noticed Stan the game has a few posters with agendas who will post anything to try and make the game look bad whether it is true or not. I think I shall rely on the retailers sales figures and like I can prove it is #1 at EBGames as of today. Now thats a really interesting thing Stan.
Comments
I miss DAoC
I'm glad to see turbine pulling off an mmo with the hardest IP to develop for.
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money
I miss DAoC
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match.
Bite me, Turbine.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match. Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself.
I miss DAoC
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match. Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself. No, no no..that was quoted poorly. It was meant more that this game could garner such high ratings, nothing to do with the number of classes or races. The simple fact that our standards have gone down the toilet and we'll pretty much rave about anything- even when it's the exact same thing fed to us over and over again, with superficial differences and absolutely no innovation. Everything since the original SWG has been dull, uncreative, derivitive junk, and there is no reason to play any one over the other, because they're all the same game. I can't honestly see where anything released in this genre in the last 4 years deserves anything over about a 70%.
(Note: Founder, lifetime sub, just realized after a short time how boring and uninspired this game is)
Bite me, Turbine.
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match.Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself.No, no no..that was quoted poorly. It was meant more that this game could garner such high ratings, nothing to do with the number of classes or races. The simple fact that our standards have gone down the toilet and we'll pretty much rave about anything- even when it's the exact same thing fed to us over and over again, with superficial differences and absolutely no innovation. Everything since the original SWG has been dull, uncreative, derivitive junk, and there is no reason to play any one over the other, because they're all the same game. I can't honestly see where anything released in this genre in the last 4 years deserves anything over about a 70%.
(Note: Founder, lifetime sub, just realized after a short time how boring and uninspired this game is)
Are you serious? My standards have skyrocketed. I will no longer settle for the bullshit that was SWG -- bug-ridden, unbalanced classes, no content, empty world, grind-fest. Vanguard? Yep...far below my standards. LOTRO is the first MMO to meet my new higher standards.
You want innovation? Please tell me what innovative games you've played? What ones have you supported, because innovative games need your help. They really do. They exist, if you truly do wish for innovation. But you see, the problem with innovation is that these developers can't generate the financial investment that say a LOTRO can generate. Over the course of three years I've given close to 1000 dollars to games like WWII Online, Roma Victor, Second Life and a few other innovative games. But I'm also a realist. When I play these innovative games, I realize they will be buggy, less than advanced graphics, etc. Most people who advocate innovation also want a triple AAA title with a budget of 40 million. That is an unrealistic expectation, and a recipe for disaster.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
I think it's more an indication of how low the standards in the gaming industry have fallen. And just how badly our expectations have sunk to match. Really and why would you say that ? Would you rather have had them put different animals on peoples necks? Does playing Mr Potato head make for a good MMORPG? Perhaps have 2 dozen different classes is what you seek . Remember SWg at release and the fiasco it was? Plenty of classes all of which were unbalanced or incomplete at release, then they are constantly having flavor of the month like SWG was after release.
Quite frankly I prefer a smaller quantity of classes and races and have everything work and be balanced myself. No, no no..that was quoted poorly. It was meant more that this game could garner such high ratings, nothing to do with the number of classes or races. The simple fact that our standards have gone down the toilet and we'll pretty much rave about anything- even when it's the exact same thing fed to us over and over again, with superficial differences and absolutely no innovation. Everything since the original SWG has been dull, uncreative, derivitive junk, and there is no reason to play any one over the other, because they're all the same game. I can't honestly see where anything released in this genre in the last 4 years deserves anything over about a 70%.
(Note: Founder, lifetime sub, just realized after a short time how boring and uninspired this game is) each to their own I suppose. While I appreciated what Raph tried to do with SWG, I myself found it to be horrible in it's implementation. Everything from the horrible bugs to the incomplete and unbalanced classes to the joke of the original Jedi system . I was in beta 2 of the game and stuck with it through December, but once the Jedi holo grind was official I tossed it into the trash and never looked back.
Offtopic from LoTRO but if you are a Koster fan you might want to check over at f13.net there is a article you may enjoy.
www.f13.net/
I miss DAoC
A wild guess here but maybe the game is getting good reviews because it is just plain old fun to play. I am not sure where the notion came about that something has to be innovative to be good. Maybe the concept if something meets its design criteria and serves the purpose it was intended for that is not enough for it to be good.
I can point out half a dozen games on the sidebar that were innovative as heck and still are lacking in subscriptions. Saga of Ryzom, The Matrix, Auto Assault, Neocron, and WWII online would all fit the bill nicely if innovation is all that it takes for a game to rate at 90% plus in your opinion.
We don't demand that every movie or every book be innovative to be good, why should we expect more from MMORPGs. Just the fact that it is a excellent product that serves it's purpose should be enough.
WoW made MMO's accessable to what, millions of none MMO players?
Something pretty inovative about that. I would call it, user friendly game play.
WoW was very inovative in it's mediocrety. No other MMO does so many things...ok.
Wish Darkfall would release.
Is a man not entitled to the herp of his derp?
Remember, I live in a world where juggalos and yugioh players are real things.
I miss DAoC
For all the people who say the game is small, I ready some interesting tibits to the rumor that LoTRO will be the largest mmo ever made , once every expansion is release. It will dwarf any mmo with mass , as well as content. So keep in mind This initial release is just the solid foundation for major building blocks to come
Sony Online Entertainment Steals Customers Money
The fact of the matter is this though: A player from the VN boards checked the player population across all servers late Friday night (10-11pm) and there were ~12k people playing. There is of course, a margin of error in this, but its suffice to say that this game certainly isn't all that the same 4 people on these boards would lead you to believe.
Edit: I see he updated it with numbers from Saturday at primetime, 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and there were ~17k people playing. Also, the game has already gone on sale at fry's for 29.99. Reality is an interesting thing.
Equal opportunity troll.
In case you have not noticed Stan the game has a few posters with agendas who will post anything to try and make the game look bad whether it is true or not. I think I shall rely on the retailers sales figures and like I can prove it is #1 at EBGames as of today. Now thats a really interesting thing Stan.
I miss DAoC