LOTR computer games... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

The Sixth Wizard · 02-17-2007, 02:06 PM

Perhaps this will sound childish, as you are probably not all teenage computer nerds like me

, but has anyone played any Tolkien-style computer games? I have managed to rack up a total of 3 games based in or around Tolkien's world. Cool eh?

#1. The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King:

Vulgar annoying game. I got it in a pack with Command and Conquer Generals and both are rubbish. All you do is go around the ROTK movie doing all the fighting bits. Oh whoopee-doo, I get to slay the Mouth of Sauron.

And the darn sound always stuffs up on my computer. Grrrr.

#2. The Hobbit. (Sierra):

The best one. It isn't random violence like the last game and is much closer to the book. Basically you are Bilbo and you have to beat all the levels (chapters) in 'The Hobbit'. Sneaking past Smaug is very fun and so is rushing towards the Green Dragon Inn, only to find the bridge is out. Sound is great, the Shire sounds like the Shire. Aaaaah...

#3. The Lord of the Rings, The Battle For Middle Earth:

This is like Age of Empires, but Lord of the Rings themed. You build a base, create units (Gondor Soldiers, Isengard Uruk-Hai etc) and go do glorious battle with the enemy. Annoyingly, at this time the game designers didn't have permission to recreate the books, only the movie, so you can't play as Dale or Mirkwood etc. But still fun.

So Now is the Time to find out, is a Tolkien enthusiast also a gamer

? Has anyone else got any LOTR games?

The 1,000 Reader · 02-17-2007, 07:46 PM

I played the ROTK console one and had fun (Pelenor Fields was my favorite level, especially when I didn't have any super-powerful guys.)

Battle for Middle-Earth was also pretty fun, though the outpost plots was somewhat annoying. Witch-King cost way too much and each patch shifted the balance horribly.

Battle for Middle-Earth II was much more fun, and the campaign was much more involving. From assaulting Dol Guldur to doing a super pre-empetive attack on Lothlorien, I was impressed, and the balance seemed more solid.

Rise of the Witch-King just increased the fun. The Angmar campaign made you feel like a real general more than anything, the Witch-King finally had his own voice-acting (I hope the patch gives the Mordor Witch-King the voicework as well,) Angmar was thought out pretty well, Turning the captain of Cardolan into a wraith was a good moment, and Glorfindel being the narrator was a good touch. I don't get why we couldn't have a second campaign instead of an epilogue though. It was still good though.

Laitoste · 02-18-2007, 01:24 PM

I play the Hobbit on Xbox all the time--it's basically my favorite game! And my little cousins love it too.

I have the RotK game, but I haven't finished it yet. My brother has, but I don't think he liked it very much.

I also played a movie-based RPG, the title of which I have forgotten. I stopped playing because it got too boring.

I also have a Fellowship of the Ring (by Black Label Games) game that is book-based, that I really enjoy, although it seriously (and strangely) deviates at the very end. I really liked trying to beat off Old Man Willow.

02-18-2007, 04:53 PM

I found BFME 1 excellent, as it was just like the films. The battle at Helm's Deep was fantastic. BFME 2 wasn't in my opinion as fun to play, as all the battles fro the previous game had already been done, so the latter version just seemed to be added on & wasn't based on any story & seemed pointless. The Rise of the Witch-King was much more like BFME 1, as it was based on something.

The Might · 02-18-2007, 05:03 PM

I played the War of the Ring, but I thought it was boring after a while.
The problem is you only have two sides, and not several kingdoms, and also sometimes units can only be used in certain missions...that's a pity.
There also are a lot of things different from the book - summoned balrogs or ents, strange dwarf units are just a few examples.
But...it was ok.

High King Fingolfin · 02-22-2007, 09:00 PM

I have quite a few LotR games. For PC I have Return of the King, which I am extremely bad at and can make no judgements on, BFME 1, which I enjoyed a lot, and BFME 2, which is an excellent game and one of the best RTS's I've ever played. I don't have Rise of the Witch-King, but I hope to get it sometime. For Gamecube I have Two Towers, which I like, and The Third Age, a movie based RPG that I like, but has far too many elements of canon breakage to even mention.

02-18-2007, 04:53 PM	#4
Mansun Guest Posts: n/a	Bfme I found BFME 1 excellent, as it was just like the films. The battle at Helm's Deep was fantastic. BFME 2 wasn't in my opinion as fun to play, as all the battles fro the previous game had already been done, so the latter version just seemed to be added on & wasn't based on any story & seemed pointless. The Rise of the Witch-King was much more like BFME 1, as it was based on something.

02-18-2007, 05:03 PM	#5
The Might Guard of the Citadel Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Oxon Posts: 2,205	I played the War of the Ring, but I thought it was boring after a while. The problem is you only have two sides, and not several kingdoms, and also sometimes units can only be used in certain missions...that's a pity. There also are a lot of things different from the book - summoned balrogs or ents, strange dwarf units are just a few examples. But...it was ok. __________________ “The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.” Delos B. McKown

02-22-2007, 09:00 PM	#6
High King Fingolfin Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Where the Wargs thrive, a.k.a. Madison, WI Posts: 437	I have quite a few LotR games. For PC I have Return of the King, which I am extremely bad at and can make no judgements on, BFME 1, which I enjoyed a lot, and BFME 2, which is an excellent game and one of the best RTS's I've ever played. I don't have Rise of the Witch-King, but I hope to get it sometime. For Gamecube I have Two Towers, which I like, and The Third Age, a movie based RPG that I like, but has far too many elements of canon breakage to even mention. __________________ "Outside of a Warg, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a Warg, it's too dark to read." - Wargo Marx

02-17-2007, 02:06 PM	#1
The Sixth Wizard Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stuck under a rock in Valinor with Ar-Pharazon. Posts: 480	LOTR computer games... Perhaps this will sound childish, as you are probably not all teenage computer nerds like me , but has anyone played any Tolkien-style computer games? I have managed to rack up a total of 3 games based in or around Tolkien's world. Cool eh? #1. The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King: Vulgar annoying game. I got it in a pack with Command and Conquer Generals and both are rubbish. All you do is go around the ROTK movie doing all the fighting bits. Oh whoopee-doo, I get to slay the Mouth of Sauron. And the darn sound always stuffs up on my computer. Grrrr. #2. The Hobbit. (Sierra): The best one. It isn't random violence like the last game and is much closer to the book. Basically you are Bilbo and you have to beat all the levels (chapters) in 'The Hobbit'. Sneaking past Smaug is very fun and so is rushing towards the Green Dragon Inn, only to find the bridge is out. Sound is great, the Shire sounds like the Shire. Aaaaah... #3. The Lord of the Rings, The Battle For Middle Earth: This is like Age of Empires, but Lord of the Rings themed. You build a base, create units (Gondor Soldiers, Isengard Uruk-Hai etc) and go do glorious battle with the enemy. Annoyingly, at this time the game designers didn't have permission to recreate the books, only the movie, so you can't play as Dale or Mirkwood etc. But still fun. So Now is the Time to find out, is a Tolkien enthusiast also a gamer ? Has anyone else got any LOTR games?

02-17-2007, 07:46 PM	#2
The 1,000 Reader Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: I don't know. Eastern ME doesn't have maps. Posts: 527	I played the ROTK console one and had fun (Pelenor Fields was my favorite level, especially when I didn't have any super-powerful guys.) Battle for Middle-Earth was also pretty fun, though the outpost plots was somewhat annoying. Witch-King cost way too much and each patch shifted the balance horribly. Battle for Middle-Earth II was much more fun, and the campaign was much more involving. From assaulting Dol Guldur to doing a super pre-empetive attack on Lothlorien, I was impressed, and the balance seemed more solid. Rise of the Witch-King just increased the fun. The Angmar campaign made you feel like a real general more than anything, the Witch-King finally had his own voice-acting (I hope the patch gives the Mordor Witch-King the voicework as well,) Angmar was thought out pretty well, Turning the captain of Cardolan into a wraith was a good moment, and Glorfindel being the narrator was a good touch. I don't get why we couldn't have a second campaign instead of an epilogue though. It was still good though. __________________ "And forth went Morgoth, and he was halted by the elves. Then went Sauron, who was stopped by a dog and then aged men. Finally, there came the Witch-King, who destroyed Arnor, but nobody seems to remember that." -A History of Villains

02-18-2007, 01:24 PM	#3
Laitoste Wight Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Behind the hills Posts: 164	I play the Hobbit on Xbox all the time--it's basically my favorite game! And my little cousins love it too. I have the RotK game, but I haven't finished it yet. My brother has, but I don't think he liked it very much. I also played a movie-based RPG, the title of which I have forgotten. I stopped playing because it got too boring. I also have a Fellowship of the Ring (by Black Label Games) game that is book-based, that I really enjoy, although it seriously (and strangely) deviates at the very end. I really liked trying to beat off Old Man Willow. __________________ "If we're still alive in the morning, we'll know that we're not dead."~South Park