The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

"Be dropped in Middle-Earth"

If you like adventure games and you really like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Did you know there is another game other than EA's big cinematic hit? Been wondering what to do with that extra $20 in your pocket. Go ahead and buy or rent this game. You will not be disappointed.

Graphics: 8 Decent. The graphics do the game justice. I can't compare to the PS2 version, but the X-Box version look good, but it could have been much better polished if it had more Enclave like textures and sheen. Still the graphics do, do the job well, and you KNOW you're walking around in Middle-Earth hoping the Nazgul don't see you, hoping you find Merry lost in the streets, trying to find the exit in Moria... It's all here, and yes even Bombadil and the Barrow-wright! If you look close enough some details are pretty amazing, especially close-ups of the characters. Took off a point for some loading time. This has been mentioned before where you're waiting for the inside to load after you've opened the door.

Story: 10 Need we say more, you're playing the BOOK, not the movie. Either way you cannot go wrong, but this game is hard. It's not impossible neither, but it'll keep you playing until you end it.

Replayability: 8 Which brings me to the playability factor. It's actually pretty high. Did you find ALL the secret passages with Frodo using the Ring? Did you complete All the missions with everyone in Bag End? Did you go over every nook and cranny in Moria? Did you complete the rock puzzle near Bombadil's area?(which is optional) This is a big game. Know this isn't the place, but the best advice I can give to any new player to the game, you have unlimited rocks... take your time killing wolves, and you'll live!

Control: 7 The control takes some getting used to. I wish the buttons were more responsive. It seems like the action take a few seconds for the game to process after you press the magic/attack/block button. You can only scroll through you items in one direction, yuck. But about 4 buttons on the controller can change your items which a little plus. Using the targeting icon effectively takes a while to get used to, sometimes you want it to be on the monster generator right in front of you, not the enemy coming up from your left side. The targeting system is pretty good, if you have time to target anything. The button layout seems pretty logical. No problems there.

Overall/music and voice acting: 8 The music is different from the movie soundtrack used in EA's game, but it's really good! Very subdued, but it really helps immerse you into the game like a glove. The voice acting is a bit rough, but seems to get better as the game goes along. Everyone's voices really fits the characters nicely enough. ''Nobody's home...pity''. That was the funniest line Frodo say in the entire game! The voice acting could be a lot worse..... Murakumo anyone? I must admit I'm reviewing a game I've yet to complete. I think I'm almost out of the Mines of Moria. You can only play 3 characters as the game progresses, which keeps the variety up pretty well. You can keep up with the entire Fellowship throughout the game and make sure you keep tabs on Frodo's corruption meter! It could have a bit more polished, but nonetheless, this is a game worth owning in my book. You'll enact many scenes not seen in the movie, which ties the more important events together. If you HAVEN'T read the books, shame on you!, play this game (for really cheap now-a-days) and you'll understand what the movie is really about! Mr. Underhill... now we need that sequel soon...just don't fall mainstream! (too much)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/03, Updated 07/09/03