Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar recreates the magic of Tolkien's famous tales.
Having played at least 20 massively multiplayer online games in the past five years, I can finally say that I have found one – like the ring in the fabled J.R.R. Tolkien story – to rule them all. Anyone who has read the Lord of the Rings books or seen the movies will enjoy exploring Middle Earth themselves.
Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is set in the early part of the war of the rings, in and around Eriador, including Rohan, Bree, Rivendell and, of course, the Shire. In the game, the Witch King of Angmar has risen and is trying to conquer the land in the name of Sauron. While the main characters from the books are preparing to head to Mordor (you might see them), you are tasked with helping on the home front and thwarting the Witch King.
You can play a human, an elf, a hobbit or a dwarf, and the game features eight classes to choose from, including hunters, burglars, minstrels and champions.
Unlike most online games, the emphasis is not on grinding up levels by endless fights, though you can if you want. Instead, many characters you encounter will have quests for you. You might find yourself rushing to deliver pies in the Shire and avoiding hungry hobbits, hunting for a rumoured giant spider's nest or defending a lost traveler from a horde of brigands. As you go, you will earn such titles as defender of the halls, fur-cutter or brew master, depending on your chosen quests. You will also earn skills such as shield bashing to use in combat, and traits such as loyalty, which will boost your stats.
With such a vast world, the game is rich in content even after you get over the "Oh, my God, I am really in Middle Earth'' syndrome. But it's also extremely easy to play. In fact, I tested the game with two people who had never played online games, and both picked it up quickly.
Combat is straightforward, and there is no real penalty for dying. You have a morale score instead of hit points. When your morale reaches zero, you retreat from battle, which means defeat is no big deal. Even crafting is relatively simple; players can create magic jewellery, swords, armour and food that can be used or sold for in-game currency to other players in an eBay-like auction house.
The world looks beautiful and straddles the line between realistic and storybook in its style. It's full of details, including raging waterfalls, children listening to a storyteller and barefoot hobbits napping in the noonday sun. The sound is also top-notch, with each land and town having its own musical style. Players who reach the fifth level can even join in with their own playable musical instruments.
The game is clearly aimed at both the casual player and the hard-core fan. Somewhat limited character options and the lack of a true player-vs.-player interface may bore advanced gamers, but I doubt it. There is just so much to do and see here, you may find yourself missing a lot of sleep. And with expansion packs planned to provide new quests and lands, expect LOTR to rule massively multiplayer online games for a long time.
Rating: Teen
Platform: PC and Windows XP
REVIEWS
Surf's up
Rating: Everyone, 10 and up
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PlayStation 2
Although Tony Hawk has dominated the gaming landscape with his skateboarding games, surfing has never quite caught on in virtual form. Ubisoft, which tested the surfing waters in 2000 with Surf Riders on PlayStation, hangs 10 with the characters from the recent movie Surf's Up. Instead of developing a kids' platform game such as Shrek the Third, developers created Surf's Up as an arcade-style surfing game clearly aimed at a young mass-market audience.
It offers a fun diversion that should keep the young ones happy, but it's far too short to warrant a purchase. The two-player, split-screen multiplayer mode on PlayStation 2 and Wii and the four-player multiplayer option on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 provide limited replay with only two levels available, and online gameplay is sorely missing from all versions. Using the game's intuitive controls, players can pull off tricks with ease, and the waves look great on PS3 and Xbox 360.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Rating: Teen.
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 2
Last summer, there wasn't an officially licensed
console game for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This summer, Disney Interactive makes up for lost time in terms of story, squeezing the plots of both the second film and the new At World's End into one gaming experience that spans about 12 hours.
Although fans of all three films probably will get a kick out of the game, there's not a lot of depth in these waters. To be fair, At World's End is fun to play if only to step into the boots of Capt. Jack Sparrow, Will Turner or Elizabeth Swann.
The game features more than 150 characters. The three main leads didn't provide voice-overs for the game, but many of the other actors did. Thanks to spot-on sound-alikes, you won't be able to tell the difference. Jack has been the key to the trilogy's success, and the game gets everything from his likeness to his drunken swagger to his voice just about perfect. Veteran gamers will likely tire of the gameplay's repetitive nature, which relies on mindless button mashing. There's plenty of sword fighting, and although you can toss enemies and use firearms, it's easiest to just swashbuckle your way through the levels.
- John Gaudiosi/Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service
War Front: Turning Point
Rating: Teen
Platform: PC Windows XP
Alternative history is a great area of fiction. It's fun to speculate what would happen if small historical events were changed somehow. War Front: Turning Point starts out like a typical World War II real-time strategy title and then throws a small wrench into history.
In the War Front world, the two main differences from real history are that Germany's Operation Sea Lion was a success, resulting in the capture of London, and that Hitler defeated early in the war by his own people. With the Nazis out of the German government, the stage is set for the US, Britain and Germany to align against Stalin. The game then goes completely nuts, with Russia inventing freeze-weapon tanks, US producing combat helicopters and Germany fielding flying infantry.
War Front looks great, with realistic day and night cycles, lighting and explosions. It plays like most real-time strategy games; you must build an infrastructure that involves mining for resources and capturing banks and oil fields for income. It is a good World War II strategy game, though not one of the best.
- John Breeden/Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service
