Lord of the Rings: The Third Age – Review

I recall being recommended The Hobbit to read back when I was around 4 in English class so I diligently went along to the library and borrowed it out. I got around a third of the way through and realized I wasn’t enjoying it in the slightest. There was something about Tolkien that I just didn’t ‘get’ so I tossed it aside and resigned myself to being one of the uncultured masses who hadn’t read any of his work all the way through.

When the big screen version of The Lord Of The Rings was being touted as the best thing since sliced bread, I groaned and sighed that I’d probably need to go along to see it with my partner who is far more educated in the way of the elves than I. I still recall being completely stunned that I absolutely adored the movie and couldn’t wait for the next installments. Being an avid gamer I decided to have a little look at The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Rings and was pretty disappointed. I found it bland and dull and quickly tired of it. I was so unimpressed with it that I skipped the releases of The Two Towers and The Return Of The King. When the lovely EA released The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, you can imagine I was a little hesitant as to what it could possibly offer me after numerous movie tie in games have fallen flat of their hype. I was very pleasantly surprised, this game is really good, seriously, it is.

One the first things you’ll notice about this RPG is that the graphics kick ass, they are so good. The settings and the characters are fantastic and yes I’m sad enough to admit that a few times I thought it was still the cut scene but it was actually me moving the characters. It looks smooth and polished and it really does the movie proud. The backgrounds are lush and representative of the movie and the characters, although they’re not actual Fellowship members, are very cool and interesting in their own right. The splendor of Middle Earth really does come to life in this title and when you progress further in the game, the fantastic spell effects and various enemies are magnificently detailed. You’ll also earn movie clips as you continue on your quest and these will be available to view throughout the game and can add more incentive to your goals as you watch the glory of the movie scenes and want to replicate them yourself.

Anyone who is familiar with the Final Fantasy series of games is going to instantly recognize the type of gameplay contained in The Third Age. The RPG background is partnered with turn based combat and strategy which is something I normally detest however it seems to work really well in this title. You start off as Berethor and it is him who forms the main member of your party for a little while. His skills are varied but primarily his strength and leadership abilities are important. He is gradually joined by other party members such as Idrial the fantastic elven female, Hadhod the Dwarf and Elegost the Ranger. The beautiful part is that you’re able to switch who you want in your party at particular times so you can adjust combat strategy to best deal with your enemies. Each characters skills are constantly being improved throughout the quests and you’ll find yourself leveling up fairly often. My personal favorite was Idrial who has a really cool array of spirit powers available to her and these are often capable of outstanding hit point damage without her even moving from the spot in which she stands. You’ll soon adapt to each characters strengths and weaknesses and learn to spend your experience points wisely. Hadhod for example is pretty handy with an axe so you can improve various axe craft techniques as special moves. Eloquest is a master bow user so improve his ranged attacks so he can protect your party from far off nasties, Although all your characters have basic attacks which will do enough damage eventually, it’s really far more fulfilling to learn their new skills and crafts. You can do this easily and the game mechanics of this area are spot on. You’ll also have the opportunity to implement ‘Perfect Mode’ at certain times and there’s nothing quite as fun as watching an entire sky of arrows descend onto your enemy. Brilliant.

The combat system works really well in this game because not only does it do what it’s meant to, but it isn’t overly complicated. The turn based mode gives you time to think and prepare and of course you can use it to heal yourself or others in your party should the need arise. This won’t happen too often in fairness, particularly if you’re playing in easy mode. The games difficulty settings are very kind and even on normal difficulty you’ll find yourself progressing fairly far without too much trouble. To help you along the way you’ll encounter numerous treasure chests which can be opened to provide you with handy tools such as armour upgrades, action points, health and so on. This replaces the usual need to find shops etc and buy upgrades and I actually preferred it. The handy little map that you have on screen at all times will keep you heading in the right direction also and you’ll find it pretty difficult to get lost.

Another brilliant aspect of this game is that the sound is fantastic. If you have a good sound system set up, you will find that all the little noises that go on in the background really add to the authenticity of the game and make it far more atmospheric. The battle sequences are well made and the voices and music suits it beautifully. There is new narration by Sir Ian McKellen and the voices all sound very authentic. There is also the option to have the subtitles on screen throughout the game should you wish to, a brilliant addition for any deaf gamers. I actually played it through with the subtitles on to see if it held up with the voice acting and it was very consistent and did indeed replicate the speech in the game.

For female gamers it’s a great title because one of the best characters you’ll encounter is Idrial the Elf. She is a truly cool kick ass babe and she isn’t at all hindered by being a woman. You can build up her strength and so on if you want her to be on a par with the men however it is far better to build up her spirit and spell energy as she really excels in this area. It could have been very easy to simply not add a female character to this title but EA have thankfully added one that totally rocks.

Overall I really enjoyed this title and I think it’s definitely worth a look. I love the look of the game and I enjoyed how it played. It isn’t too difficult or complicated and allows you to actually get into the feel of the game without worrying too much that you’ll die constantly. The addition of save points throughout the game is spot on also as you always know you don’t have to go too far back should you happen to die. The characters really add to the game even though they’re not original Fellowship members, there is no doubt at all that this represents a Lord Of The Rings title. The combat system works well and the addition of Co-Op mode where you and a friend can venture out together to complete tasks is great. There is also the opportunity to play in Evil Mode where you can join Sarumans army and battle against the good guys. This gives you evil weapons and so on and it is a nice touch to an already packed game. The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age is definitely a good title and worth buying. You’ll find yourself hooked within minutes and most likely you’ll want to see your adventure through to its conclusion.

Review by Tracy

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