"There and Back Again on the Gamecube is amazing!"

A Review for The Hobbit - A Prelude to the Lord of the Rings.

The Hobbit is a book by J.R.R. Tolkien and was first published in 1937. It tells a tale of a quiet little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who would never dream of taking an adventure, until the wizard Gandalf shows up for an Unexpected Party.

Gameplay - 10/10
The gameplay in this game is absolutely fun and amazing. The battle system reminds me of Zelda games because of the targeting and hack and slash idea. This game is so much fun to play due to the puzzle solving and strategic routes to get to checkpoints. The controls are also easy to pick up I found, and you should learn them fairly quickly. There is also a list of the quests that you have completed and still need to complete(I found this especially useful because I have a horrible memory)

Story - 10/10
To those of you who've read the Hobbit (or There and Back Again) the story is nothing new to you. As I began in the introduction, Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who is not one for adventures. Gandalf the wizard brings a company of dwarves to Bilbo's hobbit-hole in order to get him to come on an adventure with them. An adventure to reclaim the dwarves treasure haven, now captive by the dragon Smaug. And for those who have read some of Tolkien's work you will find tid bits of people talking about the Witch King and what not.

Graphics/Sound - 10/10
The graphics are great, very colourful and rich. No complaints there. The sound is also amazing. I really love the music, it gives the game a better feel(and I hardly ever notice game music but I noticed this one right away!) The voice acting is also great, Gandalf and Bilbo especially. After hearing them speak, you wouldn't want it any other way. At one point you her the wood elves talking and they talk about different things, if you have a chance you should sit and listen, their conversations are quite interesting. The sound effects are also nice and very realistic.

Play Time/Replayability - 7/10
I'm giving this a seven because well, it didn't take me an incredibly long time to beat it. The only real replay value it has is if you want to beat it through again and get it absolutely perfect.

Rent or Buy? - Buy
You should definitely buy this especially if you read the book or are a fan of Zelda like adventure games. If you haven't read the book and aren't sure if you'll like it, I would rent it first to be sure. But in my opinion, this is definately a buy!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/29/03