I played way back in 08 for a bit, but got carried away by other MMO's namely WoW, like most other people. Coming back to it now, it's a really well polished, older style MMO, i wouldn't call it "old school" in the traditional EverQuest sense, but it definitely has that vibe going for it, with the obvious WoW mechanics.

It reminds me of EverQuest Online Adventures, a little known console MMO from 03. It's almost like someone took that concept, even very similar spell names and icons, and made it much better. It's not without it's faults, but we'll get into that in a moment. Anyone who wants to check out an older style MMO, and kind of what they were about, this is the game i recommend.

I don't recommend EQ, because the UI and many other things are so very non user friendly, which is a shame because it's good for people to see the roots of 3D MMO's. So if you're into that, skip EQ, play this, it offers the best of what EQ (WAS) doing before it got all messed up with EQII. Even quirky little things like opening doors to go into instances reminds me of that old EQ charm, only without all the rearranging of UI, resizing, etc, etc.

While this game does have SOME of that, it's vastly more streamlined. The story is great, the classes are fun, although some classes need attention, center stage for me is the world. It's vast, it's detailed, especially for a much older game, and it's genuinely a JOY to explore. It's LOTR man! Go explore it! All of it is there!

Now for the negatives. Well the cash shop. It's an absolute greasy horror show! Some devs just don't get it, publishers, stock holders, whatever... they don't get it! Give people a fun, wide open experience, add in great cosmetics and a few perks for subbing, and VIOLA. People will be lining up to throw money at you.

I can't speak for everyone, but i know when i play a really good, F2P title, and it's not hitting me up for my money constantly, putting roadblocks in my way, making things grindy... i'm so grateful to that game, and i become so invested in that game... guess what i do!? Yep... i throw money at that game... lot's of it.

You have to not only hook the players, but you have to RESPECT THEIR TIME, and intelligence!

This is a fantastic, old style MMO, with a WONDERFUL world, and setting. Being bogged down by a horrible cash shop, and some questionable design decisions and man... that sucks! But i still recommend it. Because it's THE best way to experience Middle Earth. Period. All these years later. That's saying something. You'll get at least some joy out of it, despite spending money or not. Just go in knowing that your wallet will be tugged on from the jump. You can grind points for the cash shop, but i mean, that's more like a job and less like a game after a while.

I played way back in 08 for a bit, but got carried away by other MMO's namely WoW, like most other people. Coming back to it now, it's a really well polished, older style MMO, i wouldn't call it "old school" in the traditional EverQuest sense, but it definitely has that vibe going for it, with the obvious WoW mechanics. It reminds me of EverQuest Online Adventures, a little known console MMO from 03. It's almost like someone took that concept, even very similar spell names and icons, and made it much better. It's not without it's faults, but we'll get into that in a moment. Anyone who wants to check out an older style MMO, and kind of what they were about, this is the game i recommend. I don't recommend EQ, because the UI and many other things are so very non user friendly, which is a shame because it's good for people to see the roots of 3D MMO's. So if you're into that, skip EQ, play this, it offers the best of what EQ (WAS) doing before it got all messed up with EQII. Even quirky little things like opening doors to go into instances reminds me of that old EQ charm, only without all the rearranging of UI, resizing, etc, etc. While this game does have SOME of that, it's vastly more streamlined. The story is great, the classes are fun, although some classes need attention, center stage for me is the world. It's vast, it's detailed, especially for a much older game, and it's genuinely a JOY to explore. It's LOTR man! Go explore it! All of it is there! Now for the negatives. Well the cash shop. It's an absolute greasy horror show! Some devs just don't get it, publishers, stock holders, whatever... they don't get it! Give people a fun, wide open experience, add in great cosmetics and a few perks for subbing, and VIOLA. People will be lining up to throw money at you. I can't speak for everyone, but i know when i play a really good, F2P title, and it's not hitting me up for my money constantly, putting roadblocks in my way, making things grindy... i'm so grateful to that game, and i become so invested in that game... guess what i do!? Yep... i throw money at that game... lot's of it. You have to not only hook the players, but you have to RESPECT THEIR TIME, and intelligence! This is a fantastic, old style MMO, with a WONDERFUL world, and setting. Being bogged down by a horrible cash shop, and some questionable design decisions and man... that sucks! But i still recommend it. Because it's THE best way to experience Middle Earth. Period. All these years later. That's saying something. You'll get at least some joy out of it, despite spending money or not. Just go in knowing that your wallet will be tugged on from the jump. You can grind points for the cash shop, but i mean, that's more like a job and less like a game after a while.