Lord of the Rings Online - Preview @ MMORPG.com

MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller offers some first impressions of Lord of the Rings Online.

Right from the beginning players are thrust into the storyline of Middle Earth. As a Hobbit, I ran into a Nazgul very early on and realized it was part of a small story that was playing out. I was part of the story and came face to face with Gildor and his elves. This was a good start toward helping players feel as though they are part of the epic saga that is Lord of the Rings. These types of story arcs, or Dramatic Sequences as they are called, come up while you are leveling your character. It adds to the feel of being part of Middle Earth and fighting against the forces of Mordor and Isengard. In the dwarf zone, I was able to meet Gandalf the Grey and run some quests for him. These story lines spice up the grind that many MMOs offer as content. Written with the player in mind, it adds to the experience Turbine is trying to give players in Middle Earth.