From the interview:

Aside from the traits and conjunction attacks, the other feature that really makes this game stand out is the story, and not just because it's The Lord of the Rings. Of course you want to run quests for Strider. Of course you want to talk to Radagast the Brown. They're all here, Gandalf and Frodo too, as well as many other characters like Old Man Willow, the Sackville-Bagginses, Farmer Maggot, and on and on. The simple fact about most MMOs is that their storylines stink, and generally the storytelling mechanics are even worse. Here you get dynamic quests full of NPC interaction and narrative revelations during the course of the quest, making trudging through the story instances much more engaging than simply clicking to assist the main tank every time. You're actually there to find out what happens, not just get an end reward or hope for loot drops.

 

 And more comments...

Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar doesn't breathe new life into the MMORPG genre, but it does deliver an easily accessible, refined, and thoroughly enjoyable experience. It's packed with content, though still a little light on end-game instances, offers some entertaining character classes and plenty of ways to customize traits to differing play styles. Powerful story elements, fellowship conjunction attacks, and superb audio-visual elements are merged with numerous small-scale interface enhancements that make it nearly impossible to dislike this one. This version of Middle-earth is as good a place as any for those curious about MMOs to start, and provides enough depth for genre veterans to enjoy themselves. Though we'll have to keep waiting for a truly new kind of MMO, we're glad this game arrived to keep us occupied in the meantime.

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