Grumpy Old Nerds

Are you like me and miss the Lord of the Rings games from the early 2000s? Let's not just mention the wonderful games made after Two Towers and Return of the King (that were wonderful hack and slashers) let's also talk a game you SHOULD have played but probably never did. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. No, kiddies, this isn't a nostalgia review, but it's hard not to mention this great game when you move forward, and chastise the lot of you for not playing it like you should have.

A wonderful RPG that played out during the events of the Trilogy with new characters that were tracking the main fellowship, and had the old-style turn based combat that Final Fantasy pioneered so long ago. This game presented you with new heroes, a new story, and a different look of the world around you based on a relatively insignificant Guard of the Citadel sent to retrieve Boromir at the orders of his father to come home and be the shining example of humanity he was thought to be. Instead you got a wild ride down the rabbit hole as you tried to first catch up with Boromir, and then to ensure that the the Fellowship succeeded.

I remember this game fondly because I absolutely loved the writing. There were no Bioware-age choices to make, but the story was so well crafted you didn't mind fighting Orcs by the score and leveling up super human powers ranging from a rallying cry from the Guardsman to a massive volcano attack from your dwarf warrior. Sure it was over the top, but that only made it more Tolkien-like. Today I bring you the next round of Tolkien inspired games to take place since the Hobbit is beginning it's buzz. Lord of the Rings: War in the North.



The game begins like any attempt by a property to invest you in something not tied exactly into the movies, and fans of the trilogy will instantly hear that the well known voices of Gandalf aren't present in the cast. However if you ignore this you might be surprised at how well they're trying to arrange the game. This game isn't meant to stand up to the movies, and it doesn't try which is a welcome change of pace to late-coming tie ins.

Instead you can choose a human Dunedain ranger, a dwarf warrior or an Elvish mage, though all three will be there at all times, you choose which you want to play as. The good dwarf's voice actor is... not great. I can't lie about it. However the other two are wonderfully done. Which is a good thing because while this may only loosely be called an RPG, you still get to talk with people in Bree (your starting area) just before Frodo shows up. You accomplish a few quests in town, and even have little places where you can give that character's opinion of the area. So this may not be a Mass Effect or Fable-level of choice and decision making, but it at least gives you an invested feel that you don't get a lot of in some games.

Your characters have a starting, static, look. However all you have to do is visit a mirror to change it. The options aren't large, but they're enough to give you some individuality to the person you're playing. Enough to make you at least enjoy the level of detail the game has put into it's engine. From the way water runs down a character in the rain, to the subtle sounds, to the detail on even simple cloth clothing, this game doesn't miss the small stuff much. And it's enjoyable to see how things work even when you're out of combat.

However there is always a down side. With three characters running around trying to vanquish Orcs and Goblins, you cannot switch between characters outside of save points. The ability to flip on the fly to control the battle field would have, I admit, made this game's credits soar through the ceiling. You also cannot change the appearance of, or level your companions. This isn't to say they remain in starting clothes with no abilities, they do it on their own. And if you go to a save and take over you can choose how to level them from scratch. Yet you will be disappointed to see your work on the other characters is overridden. Taking away from the planning and strategy part of an RPG.

Still playing the game is rewarding and bloody (if I say so). This game supports an M rating for good reasoning. The dwarf does drop the F-Bomb, the enemies you fight can be cleaved in two, beheaded, and have limbs sliced off. So this isn't exactly a game for kids. The combo system isn't anything REALLY rewarding, but it's nice to see it doesn't have to be complicated for the sake of being complicated. The enemies get recycled a lot, but it's Lord of the Rings. Ten thousand Orcs tend to be impressive even if they all look somewhat similar. And stringing together attacks multipliers and executions without taking a hit can lead to XP and damage bonuses you may be familiar with from other games.

The story isn't something outside the usual fair, but it offers something you don't get a lot of. They're not trying to save the world. They're trying to buy Aragorn and the Hobbits time. Their soul purpose from the onset is simply to occupy one of Sauron's lieutenants and keep his eyes from the Fellowship. The characters have nice tie ins to places, people you run into, and there's more than a few areas you fight through that inspire awe at how well they were rendered, but you rarely care about the characters. And perhaps you're not suppose to. They're soldiers, and character development (though a good theme in LOTR) doesn't have a place here.

All in all a few fixes like being able to switch in combat, fixing a few gearing bugs when you DO switch characters, and a few more small bells and whistles would make this game solid enough to recommend it to anyone. However in it's current state you suffer from repetitiveness, a competent but lack-luster AI companion set up, and some hit-or-miss story telling that while it is good overall, at times leaves you shaking your head at certain times.

With Skyrum coming out soon this game will get passed up by and large, but it shouldn't be. Give it it's due, play it, and by all means invite your friends to co-op. I haven't tried it yet, but being able to hack and slash your way through Middle Earth together is definitely a pretty cool idea on how to spend a lazy afternoon.



The Breakdown:

The Good:

* The overall story is good, and it doesn't try to reach too far for what it is. Which in this day and age is a welcome addition to tie-in games.
* Combat may be repetitive, but it's rewarding. Stringing together attacks for XP bonuses ala Batman with swords makes it interesting enough to keep playing on and on.
* It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Even if they drop the ball in places you will sometimes find yourself just looking at how well they've crafted areas, armor, weapons and even the cozy fires in town. Not to mention the moving oil paintings in the loading screens which I find really cool.
* The sounds and the soundtrack are well done. You never realize how important those things are until they're done right. And this game gets it right in spades.
* Co-op can give you hours of run with friends as you plow your way through Middle Earth on a bloody rampage, and challenge maps give you something to do outside the main story. This game can still go the distance for entertainment value.

The Bad:

* Voice acting is so hit or miss that sometimes you just want someone to shut up even if they're handing you story on a platter.
* Without the ability to level your companions you're not in control of how battle really progresses. Instead you find yourself sometimes spending points to compliment the AI so you'll survive longer.
* Repetitive enemies. Still great looking and invest you to the fight, but a little more variety would have been welcome.
* Companion AI is lack-luster. They pass the test, but they don't excel at anything other than just getting along. With other games pioneering companions who can school you if you're slacking, this felt wishy-washy to me.
* Bugs. Simply put this game was shoved out before Elder Scrolls and you know it. A few patch fixes are coming, but don't worry too much. They're not game breaking, just annoying from time to time.

Papa Mimic's Score: 7.5/10