My wife played in the beta and decided the game wasn't worth purchasing. I have never played it, just a few glimpses over her shoulder.
She has played several MMOs over the years. Everquest II, Star Wars: Galaxies, World of Warcraft, City of Heroes / Villains, Saga of Ryzom. She also hangs out in Second Life and plays MUSHes regularly. She can also bounce among games as well but Lord of the Rings didn't merit a purchase.
I'm personally really digging the game so far Wayne but I loved the original EQ and dedicated about 5 years of my life to it and this game feels similar (I also played all the games you mentioned above )