J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Volume 1

"I doubt the real middle earth was this big"

The little known and horribly underrated Lord of the Rings for the Super Nintendo is, in fact one of the best games for that system. Why anyone wouldn't like this game is beyond me.

Graphics 9/10
I generally don't care about the graphics of a game but rate them because most people do. This game has some great graphics for those of you who care. The detail is very good in the backgrounds (not so much for the characters, who have no faces) and you can tell for sure what you are looking at. The colors are very dark and depressing and capture the mood of a world in distress. hte problem here are the items, which all look like bags except for weapons that all look like swords and armor that looks like...well...I'm not sure what they are. Kind of like a crown.

Story: 6/10
Okay, put down your torches!! I'm not rating the Lord of the Rings with this, I'm rating the fact that the game adds a lot to the story (you have to find Gaffer Gamgee's glasses in a two-hour quest ion the beginning What he was doing in the cave you find them in and how he found his way out without his glasses is anyone's guess), but the basic structure of the story is left intact.

Gameplay 8/10
despite a few minor glitches this game plays very nicely. The main problem is (you've probably heard this before if you've read any other reviews) the control of your party. Now, the box boasts about how "each character has their own unique personality." no. The other characters are impossible to level up (they're on level 0 and you're on level 40. No exaggeration), and attack the air for no reason, but when you run into an enemy they will stand there or attack in the wrong direction. Then they die, and once they're dead, that's the end. You'll never see them again until you start from a password. A 48 letter password, no joke! They also love to wander, and will take off after some enemy on the other side of the area (which is about as big as some entire games) and never come back. But, what am I doing, this is a review of a GOOD game!! Okay. There are an endless number of quests, and most of the quests are based on finding something in a massive maze, and are very difficult, but give you a rewarding feeling when you find what you need. Another good (or bad) point of the game is that the world is ENORMOUS, and i mean to the point where you'll start to wonder how they fit this in less that seventeen cartridges.
It's a challenge for sure, but fun and worth playing.

Music/sound 11/10
Amazing. The music in this game is a medieval theme that always fits the mood of where you are, and sounds great. The caves and dungeons have a dark, spooky background theme, while the over world has a...well...yeah, that's pretty grim too but it fits the mood of the game.

control 3/10
Yes, it's easy to control Frodo. It's the rest of the people in his party who you cant control. The AI in this game (not really, the "I" stands for intelligence, which the computer characters have none of) is some of the absolute worst I have ever seen. The I.Q. of every companion you will have in this game combined ranks about 3. Sometimes the others will follow you, sometimes for no reason they'll wander off and get killed, sometimes they attack the air. Oh and they NEVER help you when you're getting killed. (not that they can, they just about always stay on level 0)

Final review: 9/10

Buy/rent/ignore?
I would have to say you should buy this game, though it is hard to find. If you see it, get it. You won't be disappointed!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/04, Updated 07/27/04