News Editor Garrett Fulelr pens this first look preview of Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

Any time a game company deals with a major IP it can be a rocky road. Turbine has two major IPs in the fantasy genre, Dungeons & Dragons Online and, more importantly, Lord of the Rings Online. While many people feel that these worlds can transfer into the MMO medium very easily, they forget the expectations that fans have from such high profile worlds.

Lord of the Rings has a rich history in our culture. Written back in the 1950s, the books became very popular in the 1960s and 70s. Not only were they hailed as the beginning of our modern outlook on Fantasy, but they won over critics with their nature vs. industry themes and the triumph of ordinary people (or hobbits) thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Needless to say, in the last eight years, the movies gave the series an enormous boost back into the public eye. With the resurface of fantasy as a viable genre to tell stories in, Lord of the Rings was back on the map as the leader in fantasy storytelling. So how does this translate into an MMO world where you can become part of the story?

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