The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age

"A little to linear but overall a great game"

The Lord of The Rings is probably one of the most popular franchises in existence, so it's a no brainier a game would eventually be made for it. This game is not the first game actually, that title goes to the Two Towers. This game combines the ever popular battle system of FFX and the story of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy to bring out an amazing game.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay here is pretty much the same as FFX. This game is a turned based RPG, meaning you have an unlimited amount of time to make your decisions. Like other RPG's you have a variety of skills and attacks to use. You can have up to three people in your party, and also like FFX you are able to switch your different characters in and out of battle whenever you need them. When you travel through the land you will view your character from a 3rd Person view. .There are no towns or inns to rest, meaning you mainly get weapons from chests and enemies. You heal yourself by leveling up or by getting to a save point.

Story/Replay Value: 6/10

The games story spans all the way fr the Mines of Moria to the end of the trilogy, but skips some events. The game isn't all that difficult even on hard, but it does have a steep difficulty curve (like I said before, it still isn't hard). The enemies you face will continually show up in the game, but will be much tougher

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are pretty average. While the detail put in to the characters is incredible, the environments look very bland and repetitive. In some places like Moria or Pellinor Fields this is acceptable, but in Helms Deep or Minis Tirith it can be boring. All the armor and weapons shine beautifully and look great. The characters faces and animation look excellent. They're is a slight tint of Ragdoll physics in the characters hair and weapons too, which is a nice touch.

Sound: 9/10

The sound in the game is basically all the music of the movies. The voice over work is ok. The reason they aren't great is because they basically just re use the lines and audio from the film. While some real voice acting is present (Ian Mckellan, John Rhys Davis) the other ones sound average.

Final recommendation: If you really like RPGS or LOTR, this is a must have. If you're a casual gamer, rent it and decide.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/14/05