Lord of the Rings Online - Impressions @ GameSpy

Several members of the GameSpy team share their impressions of Lord of the Rings Online.  This from Allen Rausch, Associate PC Editor.

I'm really enjoying this game. I think the thing that bugs me most during my entire time playing it is the ignorant comments I hear that "It's nothing but World of Warcraft with Hobbits. I bow to no one in my love for WoW and I certainly understand where that's coming from. Much of the gameplay and interface does feel like it was er--"inspired" by that game. I don't see that as such a big deal, though. The MMO mechanics work and work well -- they have since EverQuest pioneered them years ago. I think what Turbine has done polished them up and thrown in their own unique twists to make it their own. The first time I realized that I was actually having fun grinding monsters (thanks to things like the Deed and Trait system) I realized that Turbine has created something pretty special here.