The Lord Of The Rings Online Is The Best Tolkien Adaptation To Date

thegamer.com:

The Lord of the Rings has been adapted countless times. There are the famous movies made by Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens. There were cartoons before them. In the coming years we’ll get The Rings of Power and War of the Rohirrim. There are graphic novels, there is fanfiction, there is the adaptation we make in our heads every time we read a passage, and there are games. Plenty of games.

When you think of Lord of the Rings games, you might think of Shadow of War or Battle for Middle-earth 2. The former is a fun jaunt - it’s basically Assassin’s Creed Mordor - if you ignore its mutilation of Tolkien’s precious lore, and the latter is still one of my favourite strategy games 15 years after its release.

Related: If You’re Going To Be Mad About The Rings Of Power, At Least Get Your Quotes Right

Then there are the movie tie-ins and LEGO versions, card games and mobile games, text adventures and more. I’ve played most for at least a couple of hours, but one seemed impenetrable: The Lord of the Rings Online. Despite its simple title, the prospect of entering an MMO - a genre I haven’t delved into since the OG Runescape - and being surrounded by overleveled players who know what they’re doing was daunting.

The Lord Of The Rings Online Is The Best Tolkien Adaptation To Date

I took the plunge this month, because I’ve heard great things about how it adapts Tolkien’s texts and recreates his world. It’s not like I’ve got enough live-service games on my plate with serious Apex Legends and FIFA Ultimate Team commitments to juggle as well, but I wanted to at least dip my toes into the biggest blind spot in my Tolkien gaming catalogue. I was also motivated by the discussion of The Rings of Power not being ‘true to Tolkien,’ largely due to