Gearflation2009-09-19 00:00:00though the
lure is growing. The good folks at Turbine were kind enough to send me an invite to the Lord of the Rings beta (random, not because of my position here at TTH). When I receive a beta invite I tend to "test" rather than play. It's a double-edged sword as it ruins my ability to review the game in the future, but does allow me a glimpse into the minds of the development team as I watch what aspects of their title receive attention during the pre-release final building phase. What a team is concerned about during this phase tells much about what direction a game will take post-release.
LotRO is already a more polished game than many titles are at release...