I’m just in the newbie zone at the moment, but I like the graphics and the interface seems pretty good.  I’m not a total LOTR geek, but the references to the Tolkein world do make the game more interesting and give it more heft, unlike WoW in which the lore is complete goobledy-gook and the rational behind the quests can be kind of silly (what?  the Argent Dawn needs more scourgestones?  Sign me up! …actually, I did like some parts about the Argent Dawn quests and Anti-scourge story line.  And SM was a fun instance for the level).

Lord of the Rings Online does what it sets out to do very well. It wants to be a solid PvE game that portrays Middle Earth in a more-or-less “accurate” fashion. It’s adult in the sense that there are no Paris Hilton jokes or silliness like that. There’s humor, but it doesn’t seem out of place with the rest of the world. The art style is far more refined than that found in WoW, and particle effects on weapons are rare and subtle when they do occur. There are no cows walking around with twigs sticking out of their heads.  In total, it makes a world that requires much less suspension of disbelief than Azeroth.

It’s interesting how this can actually add to the game experience. Many of the areas in WoW, especially places like Sunwell Isle and Netherstorm seemed really over-realized. While being distinct is important, after a while it can stop being interesting and start to grate on your senses. LotRO has some very beautiful areas, but they’re always grounded in reality.

The classes are also more interesting. The burglar class, my main, is alot like a rogue in WoW, and many of the rogue skills, like Vanish or Cold Blood, have burglar equivalents. It’s not a DPS machine, though. They’re better than some classes, but they make up for not putting out damage by specializing in debuffing and crowd control.  They’re not a button-mashing class, and people who just want a DPS monster can roll a champion or a hunter. (LotRO has huntards, too)

Overall this is a game that has really filled-out since release. Many aspects, like the end-game, the PvP, and class skills, have been tweaked in good ways. It’s not perfect, and burglars are a little less powerful after the new expansion, but for now this game is providing a very enjoyable MMO experience, and I anticipate it doing so for a while to come.