LOTR-Ness
Continued from page 1Where The Third Age succeeds is that it does a good job of making you feel like you are indeed in Middle Earth. All of the key locations have been recreated very faithfully and it is a thrill to trek through all of the memorable locales. Also, all of the weapons and armor are very appropriate and are just like what was in the movies. The enemies, from orcs and goblins on up to trolls (and even worse) are very detailed and are just like what you would expect. No other game makes you feel like you are in Middle Earth as well as The Third Age.
Sadly, though, there are a lot of things that serve to break that illusion. One annoyance in the game is the liberties the game takes with the Fellowship story in order to make its own story work. For example, in Moria you see Gandalf fighting the Balrog and then run in to help and a big boss battle happens. Funny, I don't remember Gandalf's "B" team rushing in to help him in the book or the movie. Little things like this angry up the blood and make the game a lot less enjoyable.
Evil Mode
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, The Third Age looks really great. The characters and enemies are really detailed and look awesome. The clothing and armor moves and flows just like it should and looks just like it should. The animation is pretty good, but you see the same attacks over and over and over again and it gets pretty repetitive by the end of the game.The sound is also very well done. All of the music has been ripped straight from the movies, so if you enjoyed the music there you'll like it just as much here. The sound effects of battle are very clear and loud and the clang of swords and grunts and growls of orcs sound really great. There is also a lot of voice acting in the game, and all of it is very well done. The voices of the new characters are very appropriate and well acted. Sir Ian McKellan recorded a ton of new dialogue for Gandalf and it sounds absolutely perfect. This game looks and sounds great.
The Bottom Line
Overall, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is a fairly average RPG that could have been so much more with just a few tweaks. The biggest problem is that the storyline is just too stupid and there isn't enough character interaction for you to care about any of it. I don't see the point in seeing and doing all of the exact same things as the Fellowship but not actually being in control of them. The gameplay also suffers from simply being way too easy for its own good and RPG fans should be able to beat it without breaking a sweat. It is hard to recommend this for a purchase unless you are a huge Lord of the Rings fan, but it is worth a rental just to experience the LOTR-ness of it. Give it a rent or wait for a price drop.
