The Lord of the Rings Online Preview

Eurogamer has whipped up a two-page preview of Turbine’s The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, after receiving a demonstration of the MMORPG from executive producer Jeff Steefel. A snippet:

Four races (Human, Elf, Hobbit and Dwarf) are available in seven classes (Loremaster, Hunter, Guardian, Champion, Captain, Minstrel and Burglar), and Steefel’s playing an elf. The group would normally be a lot larger for this particular instance, says Steefel. A ranger hobbles up, injured, asks for an escort to the summit which has been overrun by orcs. The first taste of combat arrives in a scuffle with a goblin Conscript. A coloured, rune-ridden ring around the green monster’s feet denotes the target and aside from Lord of the Rings styling it looks like an immediately familiar encounter to anyone with an MMO habit.

Steefel uses the words “straightforward MMO combat” as we’re scanning the screen. One thing’s for certain: it looks fantastic. As he moves on to a larger encounter with multiple enemies, the goblins’ armour and weapons show painful detail up close. Orc Archers, Warriors and Reavers appear and the pace picks up. Steefel’s hot bar is a plain-looking affair with 12 (ish) skill slots and he’s playing using hotkeys in time-honoured fashion. All standard stuff.