The Hobbit

"How can a game company design a game THIS bad?"

Graphics 10/10
Graphics are VERY good, I believe as good as any modern game on GBA should be. In fact this is what enticed me into buying the game. So, no complains here. Everything did look very pretty indeed.

Controls 7/10
Typical isometric action-adventure controls really, and that’s what gives this category a 7. Your main staples are the eight directions you can move in, and an attack button (used 95+ percents of the game). What I can’t stand, however, are when developers expanding the set of controls just to make the game look less simple-minded. For example, there’s a missile button. Considering how the game works, you REALLY don’t want to use the missile button at all unless the game forces you to, in certain circumstances. It is a worthless attack that’s just there so that the designer can write in the instruction booklet ''You’ll be using missiles. Doesn’t that sound like fun kids?” I despise that. It’s a false promise of fun. The utilization of the controls available in the game is poor.

Sound 3/10
Don’t you just hate repetitive theme song in the background? Do you remember back in those days when Nintendo first came out and there were all these cheap side scrolling action game with the same semi happy semi action music playing for every stage? Everytime you press attack you hear a high pitched sound indicating your attack? This is what I am reminded of playing this game.

Gameplay 0/10
The gameplay makes me sick. You will only do 3 things in the game 99.99% of the time: you’re going to move around, you’re going to spam on the attack button, and you’re going to enter the inventory menu to use your health restoring item.

Other items in the game are worthless and not used until you are forced to. In a good game, there’s always a time and place where a player would want to use items. In this one, screw the items. They’ll just delay you.

Granted, all there is to a GBA is a directional pad and 4 other buttons. When you think about it, there is only so much you can do as far as action games are concerned (B shoots, A jump, L choose weapon etc). And yet somehow there are so many wonderful games that make the simple controls like these come to life, like Megaman, Smb series and such.

This game, on the other hand, will bore you so much you will actually be MADE aware of the fact that the basic of this game is nothing but a combination of moving in eight directions, moving out of harm’s way and then press B to attack. It takes a horrible, HORRIBLE game to remind you of the limitations of an action game.

Replay value 0/10
There is no replay value.

Overall score: 1/10. If the gameplay gets no score, then nothing else matters. What good are graphics if you are not going to enjoy the game?

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/04