One Shots: Middle-earth cowboys

The recent Riders of Rohan expansion in Lord of the Rings Online has brought out the cowboy and cowgirl in a lot of us. Must be the emphasis on horseback riding over scenic plains while savage attacks are waged on settlements. It's here that we begin our journey through snapshots in MMO life this week.

Reader Binklewyst sets the scene for our first One Shots: "Riding over a low hill on the plains of Rohan, I stopped my warhorse to admire a view of the Faldham fortification. In the distance to the right is the evil Nink-hai warcamp."

Saddle up, pard'ners. The frontier awaits us after the jump!

Reader Brad has fightin' words for anyone who disses his preferred game: "I hear talk now and then that TERA is not very good. While I can't say it is the most awesome action combat MMO out there, it can definitely be fun. If you are looking for a deep story line, quests you want to read, or great voice acting, then TERA sucks. But the combat is fun, the art is pretty, and the gameplay and BAMs are great. Now that it is free, I would 100% recommend people to try it out to at least level 30. This would be Cynders, my Lancer. So much fun!"

You haven't sold me, Brad, but I appreciate your enthusiasm! Let's hope that the company decides not to pull your "TERA sucks" line out of context for a back of the box quote.

When you think of classic Star Wars locales, a dinosaur museum is perhaps not the first image that comes to mind. It's just one of the many under-appreciated details that Star Wars: The Old Republic included in its release.

Reader Cim is in awe of this sight: "The war with the Empire has engulfed all of Corellia. Making a desperate bid to turn the tide of the war, Cimaira found the Republic base in the strangest of places, the Corellian Museum of Science. Perhaps the war will be won amongst the bones of the giants towering above?"

Small ships and big ships -- Guild Wars 2 has them both. "I happened to be walking around Lake Bounty in Kryta," Reader Prantik sent in, "when I saw this enormous pirate ship in the distance."

I do love it when giant objects in the far distance are rendered as a silhouette. It evokes imagination and wonder -- and makes you want to run up and see it all close-like.

For next week, I'd love to do a post devoted to "old-school" MMOs. If you have a screenshot that was taken prior to 2004 or is of a game from an earlier era, please send it in! Now! Don't wait! This offer expires soon!

Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!