Sightseeing

Does LOTRO have good graphics?  It depends what you're looking at.

The landscapes are famously good.  No other game I know does natural vistas quite like LOTRO.  The individual pieces that comprise the scenery may not be up to modern standards but the composition more than makes up for that.  LOTRO's landscapes are often breathtaking.

Buildings are less consistent.  I like the ruins and the dwarven architecture, and the Shire is really nicely done, but I don't think the elven architecture works as well, with both the exteriors and interiors often feeling flat and overlit.

Then there's the character models.  They're not bad exactly, and they've certainly improved over time, but they're not the best, and it's there and in some of the animation where the game most shows its age.

Still, it's the world of Middle Earth that is LOTRO's biggest selling point, and in its rendering of that world the game does not disappoint.