Fun, maybe lacking some originality, great story of course
The gameplay can be repetitive...some quests are as simple as running back and forth between Hobbits in-love, others are incredibly difficult and can only be completed with the help of others. So there's some variability in that. Initially, this game does feel like a WoW copy-cat what with crafting and questing, but it does have a Deeds and Titles system that allows you to get special race-and-class pertinent traits that can upgrade your character. And these aren't just some random, overly general traits. They stick true to LOTR lore and literature and are highly specific according to the books. So in some areas it lacks originality, but for some reason i still find it more fun than WoW.
Combat is simple, accessible, and fun, though it lacks any real creativity since every class is pretty much stuck with the same meneuvers. Knowing that the ranger next to you has the same attacks you do kind of is annoying since there is no uniqueness between classes. Guildwars is a good example of high variety level even withina class type.
The Lone-Wolf player will have some fun for a bit exploring a geographically acurate Middle-Earth (more or less, and not to scale) and harvesting resources for their crafting proficiencies, but when push comes to shove and you gotta further the Epic Quest storyline, you're gonna be seeking aid.
It's chat feature needs some seriosu revamp, its a hassle having to click between channels and IMs and General Chat, but it makes up for that with simple VoIP functions.
Visuals are muuuuuuch better than that other MMORPG, though it does have its glitches here and there. The armor is very detailed, even for lower levels. The high-end 50 level armor is amazing, very movie-esque with reflecting metals/silvers and armor glow. By biggest beef is with the trees....they could use some work.
Sound doesn't have that LOTR punch i was expecting from, say, the movies, but the soundtrack is awesome, relatively changing from area to area and nailing the mood spot on.
This is definitley a great start for an awesome franchise, needs some improvements here and there, but with a story as rich as LOTR, expect alot ALOT more in terms of content in the future.