Over the past few days I have looked into some of the video games based upon Tolkien's work. The first games, developed in the eighties, were text-based. Today, we have games for Nintendo systems, a LEGO video game (and many physical sets), and even an MMORPG. Over the last several days, I have been playing both the LEGO game and the MMO. Unfortunately, I do not have any gaming system consoles like Nintendo, so I was unable to test those games made for them. Below I have included a short review and Let's Play video from Youtube of each game (I couldn't get the video I made to upload to Blogger), as well as a video for the latest console game. I also learned of a very interesting Tolkien Middle Earth project in Minecraft and have provided a video of the server and a link to their website.
LOTRO: Lord of the Rings Online
This seemed like a pretty typical MMORPG, with a Lord of the Rings theme, of course. I didn't get very far, just to about level eight. Since my review is somewhat biased toward that smaller range, I have also included a link to a full review below. A typical ability bar and interface are located at the bottom of the screen, with a minimap in the upper right corner and a list of quests below, as well as a character profile in the upper left corner. Movement is the usual AWSD keys. I tried both the loremaster class as an elf and the hunter class as a human. I mildly enjoyed my gameplay and am sure that later zones are much more interesting (as per my experience). The music was a little dull but typically ambient, and the graphics were moderately good. Character animations were slightly lacking but movement was fine. I did find that though the game is free to play, much of the game came in microtransactions with the game's maker; things from quests to more characters to abilities to "emotes" were available -- dare I say necessary -- to purchase. I do think this is an entertaining game and a relatively good MMO, but I did not find it as interesting to play as others.
Review: http://www.pcgamer.com/review/lord-of-the-rings-online-review/
LOTRO: Lord of the Rings Online
This seemed like a pretty typical MMORPG, with a Lord of the Rings theme, of course. I didn't get very far, just to about level eight. Since my review is somewhat biased toward that smaller range, I have also included a link to a full review below. A typical ability bar and interface are located at the bottom of the screen, with a minimap in the upper right corner and a list of quests below, as well as a character profile in the upper left corner. Movement is the usual AWSD keys. I tried both the loremaster class as an elf and the hunter class as a human. I mildly enjoyed my gameplay and am sure that later zones are much more interesting (as per my experience). The music was a little dull but typically ambient, and the graphics were moderately good. Character animations were slightly lacking but movement was fine. I did find that though the game is free to play, much of the game came in microtransactions with the game's maker; things from quests to more characters to abilities to "emotes" were available -- dare I say necessary -- to purchase. I do think this is an entertaining game and a relatively good MMO, but I did not find it as interesting to play as others.
Review: http://www.pcgamer.com/review/lord-of-the-rings-online-review/
LEGO Lord of the Rings
I thought this was a great game, especially for LEGO. The graphics are very good (if somewhat LEGO-fied), the music is the same as the film's (which is amazing), and the gameplay is overall good. I have played the other LEGO games in the past (Star Wars and Indiana Jones) and found this to be superior to the versions of both. The player begins in the Shire and follows the story through the general storyline of the Ring. It adds interesting mechanics and simple puzzles that help make it interesting, features excellent character animations, and adds extra content beyond the levels in Middle Earth, with mini quests, forging of special items, and characters to unlock. One can play as any of the Fellowship or almost any other character, good or evil. My favorite are the Lothlórien elf soldier and Saruman, and it is even possible to play as Sauron's original corporeal form. The game's makers give a particular salute to the original literary story by adding characters such as Tom Bombadil and Gil-galad to the array. The game is available on the App Store for Mac computers or in disc copy, as well as for most gaming consoles.
Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest
MineCraftMiddleEarth
This is so very cool you just have to look at it.
I plan to post on the last chapter of the book this Saturday, the 27th of July, as I am traveling for an extended period of time after that.
Thanks for reading,
C
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