The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

"Not fit for release"

Story: 10
We know the story. It is a fine one. Unfortunately in this game the story is very much abbreviated. Of course this is to be expected on the GBA. Although if you aren't familiar with the story you may well find yourself lost by the end.

Graphics: 7
Really a mixed bag here. The environments look great but the characters and their animations leave something to be desired. The lighting is often horrible as is the case with most games on the system which the GBA itself must take some of the blame. However knowing this, the developer should have touched up a little especially in the Mines of Moria. I walked around for an hour and a half before I found the exit to the level which I had passed about 5 times. Also some of the indoor hallways are not easily seen and you can miss them altogether.

Sound: 4
Nothing impressive here at all. A few spots where the music adds to the mood nicely but for the most part it sounds awful. The ''Wraith's'' music is just laughable. Sound effects are even worse. The sound effects in this game are: whoosh, boom, clank, and ahhh! That is about it.

Gameplay: 1
Here's the kicker. 3 times I made it atleast to Rivendel and had to start over. Yes there's the Moria glitch which is well documented. However I often found my self walking around the outside of the map, especially on indoor areas, unable to get back on. Sometimes I would go through a door only to walk into blackness. I spent too much time fighting against the programming and walking in the ''void'' Battles are also incredibly boring and way too slow and long. You'll find yourself wasting 10 good minutes fighting a couple of wolves or something. And when you meet up with all the fellowship you'll be excited to fight with a party of 9. Then you start to notice that battle after battle you watch all 4 hobbits miss, miss, miss, miss. They are useless. Sure they should be useless in a fight but it does not make for fun of any kind. After a while you will simply avoid confrontations by walking way around enemies.

Overall: 2
This is Lord of the Rings. That is the only redeeming quality of this title. I am a big fan of the book sure but this game is just horrible. I don't see how others could have scored it higher unless they are blinded by their love for all things ''Middle Earth'' The bugs alone warrant this game a dud. Releasing a game in this condition should be criminal, especially with many retailers moving to a no return on software policy. Now I'm stuck with what I consider to be a broken product, only if I exchange it, I get another broken product. Do not but this game at any cost, and here's hoping you don't get it for the holidays because trust me, you'd rather have the coal.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 10/21/02, Updated 10/21/02