Even though MMOs are a social game by nature, sometimes you just want to venture out on your own without any distractions. The Lord of the Rings Online team has created a guide to help solo players on their journey to level 20.

This guide seems to be targeted toward new players, which makes sense since the release of Mines of Moria coupled with the holiday season brought some new faces to the game.

Future articles will focus on soloing up to level 60. If you're a seasoned expert, this series of articles may not be required reading, but they could offer some handy tips. You can read the first one here or after the jump.

Now that 2008 has come to an end we thought it might be fun to do a recap on some of the major news and features that you may have missed. Overall, 2008 was a great year for the gaming industry as a whole, with some amazing advancements in the MMO space. So sit back, nurse that coffee and take one final look at Allakhazam in 2008.

January

• Allakhazam visited the Consumer Electronics Show. The fun began on Jan. 7 as Tovin reported on the first day of activities, which included Sony’s announcement that the PSP would support Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider Skype and new rigs from Voodoo PC and Alienware.

• At CES, EverQuest and World of Warcraft were honored with Emmy Awards and AutumnKiss talked to Curt Schilling of 38 Studios about their upcoming MMO code-named Copernicus, which includes names like R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane.

• Day two of the event was just as crazy, and AutumnKiss got a ton of information on a pirate's life in both Pirates of the Caribbean Online and Pirates of the Burning Sea. Of course, the team also focused on the then-upcoming Age of Conan and delved into Legends of Norrath. Tovin also got a glimpse of all the tech gadgets, such as a wallet-sized USB flash drive.

Happy New Year's Eve! With 2009 quickly approaching, you might be on the lookout for a new calendar. Well, the Lord of the Rings Online team is here to help.

If you go to the desktop wallpaper section of the official Web site, you'll find three calendars for your computer. They all cover January through March.

If you're a Lord of the Rings fan, why not get all three and randomize them? That way you can keep track of events both in-game and out while enjoying some nice screenshots.

Now that the holidays are over and all the presents have been unwrapped; we'd like to show you what you may have missed this week.

Allakhazam Features

Jim Lee's Universe, Part One : We sit down with Jim Lee, famed DC comic book artist, to talk about his Sony Online Entertainments upcoming MMO, DC Universe Online. In the interview we talk with Jim about his role on the project, his past, and of course the game itself.

Jim Lee's Universe, Part Two : Part Two of the interview with Jim Lee.

Jumpgate Evolution Media #4 : We give you our final look at Jumpgate Evolution in 2008 with four brand new exclusive screenshots.

In case you've missed them due to holiday celebrations both in-game and out, the Lord of the Rings Online team has been fleshing out the game's Middle-earth with a bunch of articles exploring various locations in the virtual world.

The two most recent exploration pieces focus on the Forges of Khazad-dûm and Nimrodel. These are fairly short pieces that make for a quick read, so check them out if you only have a few moments to spare.

If you have a little more time on your hands, then consider reading their newest hero's guide, which takes you through Zelem-melek, the western half of the heart of Khazad-dûm. It contains six pages of in-depth information, which can also be found after the jump.