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Can't work, can't eat, can't sleep, MUST PLAY THIS GAME!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: November 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that I have rarely found any games based off a movie that are worthwhile. Every now and then you might find a game that is decent, but won't keep you from shirking any of your adult duties. Those games are few and far between such as, Knights of the Old Republic, All Neverwinter Nights and Baldur Gates, Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft I.

So when I picked up this little gem, I made sure that I kept my receipt and hurried on home. After about 3 hours of gameplay, I couldn't stop. After 7 hours, I couldn't stop. Finally after 16 hours, I finally had to put it down, as all my regular adult responsibilities were beyond the critical point as to their required completion dates. This game is simply amazing.

Graphics:
The graphics are very good. You can tell the developers spent a long time to make sure that there were no awkward clipping planes, and artifacting was at a minimal. What sets this game apart besides the very nice graphics, was the scenery of the game. There are points in this game that I feel like I have been transported to Middle Earth. There are times where I stop playing the game and just wander around to look at the scenery like a tourist on a field trip. The scenery and production are BREATHTAKING.

Sound:
Over the last couple of years, developers are finally starting to realize the importance that amazing sounds and sound effects bring to a game. This is one of the few titles that truly master the art of great surround sound implementation. I have yet to meet it's equal except for some early horror titles like Fatal Frame. It's not merely that it uses surround sound and you can hear it on all of your channels, it's the perfect implementation of the sound. It is very obvious that they hired a very professional team to mix each sound effect to THX standards to perfection. To help elaborate, there was one scene where I was standing deep in a cave where the end of it actually opened up to a cliff over a river. While I was standing on the edge of this remarkable geological structure, you could hear the coastal wind whistling by, while high over head a mysterious Middle Earth gull flew over head. This is just a small sample of the sounds that await you in Middle Earth!

Gameplay:
The game took a little while to get going. The controls were pretty standard, but the book that comes with the game is surprisingly inadequate. I think it's all of 10 pages with 3 pages of that being credits. I would recommend buying the Game Guide that goes along with this game as it has lots of great recommendations, without spoiling the game. It uses the turn based battle menu, just like Neverwinter nights. I enjoy this turn based style as much as I enjoy the fluid battle mode like Fable. The turn based style helps add to appeal of the game as battle strategy becomes more crucial as the game goes on. This game is not for those who are into the hack and slash method of fighting. You must use strategy, and this game will push you to your limits, especially if you are bold enough to use the Hard level. You don't buy or sell any items from shop vendors, but can only gain items from drops, chests, and things you create yourself. This I find kind of nice, as sometimes you can get bogged down with the economic aspect of games and can at times take away from overall gameplay.

Overall:
I will say I was very surprised about how much I liked this game. I NEVER like games that are so linear and restrict your movements so much, but I have to say that I really LOVE playing this game. I think that part of the reason that this game plays so well for me is that I have a really nice Audio/Video system which this game utilized fully. Every time I cast a spell it emerges me into that world. I can see why some people did not enjoy this game, and can't really blame them. As for me, I really enjoyed this game and think that it will strike a cord with some others out there who appreciate the aspects of this game that are really well done. Do not buy this game if you have any responsibilities in your life that need to get done in the next week or so. If you don't heed my warning, you might find yourself late at night mumbling to yourself while holding this game disc, while gently saying, "my precious, my precious." Oh, but it's so sweet.

Very Disappointing

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was very excited about this game, and I bought it the day it hit shelves. However, it didn't take me long to beat it, and by the end I was very sorry I wasted my money. So what bothered me about this game? Several things.

First of all, the gameplay is competely linear and repetitive ad nauseum. From start to finish, the entire experience of this game boils down to walking a few feet, killing some monsters, walking a few more feet, killing some more monsters, etc. Other than finding and opening chests, there is nothing else here. Some people may love this, and more power to 'em, but I found it very boring after a while.

Next, the game is short. I suppose in a sense that may be a blessing because it probably wouldn't have kept my attention much past the twenty or so hours it took me to beat it, but given its linearity, it seems like they could have at least stretched it out more. In particular, the ending was a complete letdown. One minute I'm fighting, the next minute the game is done and I'm contemplating how rushed the finale feels.

Finally and most notably, the game presents no original story or characters. There are hints of a storyline, but they are minor at best. At the very beginning the game suggests the main character - a Gondorian named Berethor - has been sent on a quest to find Boromir; yet when your group finally finds the Fellowship inside Moria, you don't even talk to him. The entire game seems to do this. There are hints of romance that create no connection to the characters, and even the most developed members of your party get no more than a handful of poorly written and disjointed cut-scenes. This fact is heightened by the use of over a hundred Ian McKellan narrated snippets of movie footage that guide you through what is happening. Due to this, there is virtually no reason for anybody in your party to interact; and for the most part they don't.

The movies worked because they managed to be epic while never failing to focus on the courage, loyalty, and sacrifices of the characters. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age fails on both counts. During the battles you will never see more than a handful of monsters on screen at a time. One may come running onto the screen to replace a baddie you've just vanquished, but this does more to heighten the repetitiveness than to create a sense of danger or excitement. At the same time, the almost total lack of focus on the characters left me with a sense that I was playing a game based on a group of extras from the movies.

Overall, I was disappointed with the game, and I'm going to trade it in as soon as I get a chance.

SECOND BEST TO LOTR TWO TOWERS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a cool game with great graphics and cool armor and weapons. This a cool RPG. This game has a cool plot and better graphics but two towers was a better game. The fighting style is good but it gets really stupid when ppeople keep coming and don't give up. But this is a great game.

Final Fantasy 7&10 Exact Clone

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: November 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Third Age is an amazing game if you got into the final fantasy series. Third Age plays exactly like final fantasy almost to the t.
The characters are pretty much the same too....thief(like reiku) Healer (like yuna) Warrior (like cloud) Bowman(like gun guy in ff7 and 10 (vincent))ect...i'm about 70% through the game after about 40 hours of game play and am looking forward to playing the game in evil mode. I would say buy this game if a:you love rpg's and final fantasy b:if you have ALOT of time on your hands...One really cool thing about this game is the 109 movies scenes you can unlock(actual movie with deleted scenes) one cheesy thing about the game is the redundant battle scenes with the same foes....does not have the same beastiary as ff7 or 10....You can also aquire characters from the movies for certain fight scenes...i've played gimli, aragorn, faramir, there is an elf similar to legolas, but haven't played as him yet....I would highly recommend this game to the die hard final fantasy fans and rpg fiends like me....Hope this helps

Quite Addicting...But To Linear

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 20, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is addicting, but not as good as the make it out to be on the game case. The Pros- Good graphics, good music, good storyline. Thats about it. The cons- WAY TO LINEAR. They tell you what to do...And you do it. No towns to explore, No way to get rid of your old items, and pretty much, I really think that they could of let you controll the fellowship, not some little clan that follows right behind the fellowship but never seems to catch up. And the Evil Mode...Dont even get me started. You get to take controll of evil characters IN BATTLES! You dont get walk through Middle earth, crushing everything in your way with the Balrog, like I though you would. All in all, its worth its price... But not mch more.

RPG must play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought LOTR third age and after popping it in and starting off thought 'oh,no, what have I just bought' BUT after the first 30-45 minutes of suckiness after getting into Moria I am hooked completely! A tad too many cut scenes(you can opt out of them but would recommend not as they add to the ambiance of the game) I now cannot stop playing it- very fun game!

Great Game - Just too Linear.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just got this game the other day and I was actually not expecting much at all (it was on sale) but after playing it I really got into it.

I've been playing RPG's since FFI on the NES. This game has the best battle sequences of any RPG I've ever played. Graphics are amazing and the turn based battle is perfect.

The major problem with this game is (as others have noted) the linear story. You can only go one way. I enjoy games like Daggerfall and Morrowind where you can go anywhere and do anything. This game doesn't have ANY of that...

I'm going to compare this to KOTOR (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic) to show the differences in the games and give you a better idea of what to expect.

Graphics - KOTOR(7) LOTR(10)
Story - KOTOR(10) LOTR(5)
Fight Sequences - KOTOR(6) LOTR(10)
Replay Value - KOTOR(10) LOTR(1)

If you appreciate unbelievable graphics, beautiful music,and awesome battle sequences... I would buy this game.

If you hate linear games with a so-so story, you'll probably be disappointed.

If only 0 stars was an option

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: December 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I agree with many of the other reviewers. Good idea for a game but not satisfying in the least. Not much Role playing to it. You're railroaded into each quest and the only decisions you as a player get to make are what skills to learn and where to put your attribute points (you level up after nearly EVERY battle). The "special moves" you learn through building your skills aren't distinguished very much graphically and certainly don't make the game any more or less exciting. The turn based thing does the game no justice. When you think of the movie, you think fast-paced action, enemies everywhere you turn, danger lurking around every corner, and the fate of the world is dependent on a small chance that this small person can pass the test. The game is totally anti-climatic. I run down a path (the only path) and eventually I'm forced into an encounter. During the encounter, my company suddenly appears and fights with me (btw, co-op is bunk this is really only a one-player game). I'm facing three orcs and when its my "turn" I run forward three steps and swing at him. I make a critical hit! but it looks like any other hit, and I turn around and take three steps back. All the while the other orcs just stand there and watch their friend take a beating. Then its the orcs turn. He draws his bow and fires at me. Even though I have a large shield and would obviously anticipate this shot, he somehow gets the shot off and the arrow goes thru me. Yes, the arrow is poking through my back and sticking out my front. Ridiculously, I somehow shrug that off and press on swinging away at the other orcs.

This is the worst game I've played in a long time. I don't know what the designers were thinking. But I guess, the marketing people are happy. The Ads and hype got me to buy it. I've learned my lesson though. Rent before you buy. ANd a note to the people at EA: Stick to sports. Fantasy RPG is not your forte.

Shadow returns to Middle-Earth

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is EA's latest attempt at a LOTR console game. It is fun, but tedious. The graphics are great, as are the locations (This game still has the best looking Helm's Deep I've ever seen!). But the overall gameplay is very repetitive. To level up in this game, you must use your powers to gain skill points. Once you have a certain number of skill points, you gain a new power. However, you often end up casting the same power over and over and over again just to level up. Thus, I would only recommend this game for a real Lord of the Rings fan. If you like to play RPG's but don't care about LOTR, buy STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC. If you like LOTR but don't care about RPG's, buy LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. If you like LOTR and RPG's, wait a year till EA release LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WHITE COUNCIL (On Xbox 360, PS3, etc).

Fantastic-addictive-fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: November 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game reminds me of the old Bard's Tale series from the commodore 64 days. Same type of gameplay, but with better graphics and the 3-d world.

If you don't like turn-based rpg games, this is not for you.

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