The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age Hands-On
We delve into the lands of Middle-earth for a new look at this Tolkien-inspired RPG.
The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age occupies a unique spot among the groundswell of entertainment properties based on Peter Jackson's popular film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world. The game follows the adventures of an original ensemble of characters (not the famous Fellowship of the Ring). This game serves as a side story of sorts, letting you experience the events of the books (and films) from another perspective, aiding the Fellowship and fighting to save Middle-earth. We recently had the opportunity to play through the first chapter of the GameCube version of this role-playing game to see how the new band of warriors comes together, and to battle our way through the lands of the elves to the crumbled gates of the mines of Moria.
Events open with a man named Berethor, a captain of the guard from the land of Gondor, riding through a forest. He has the misfortune to encounter a pair of ringwraiths on the road, and he cannot stand against them. Fortunately, help soon arrives in the guise of an elf maiden. She summons water spirits in the form of horses to sweep away the danger, and then she introduces herself as Idrial, a servant of the elfin Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien. They proceed to a way station to heal the battered captain and to gather supplies, and there they encounter another group of elves, who intimate that Idrial was actually seeking Berethor for some mysterious purpose. As the pair continues through a mountain pass, slaying orcs and packs of wild men, they come across a man sprawled on the ground, apparently injured. An advancing group of wargs (giant, horrible-looking dog creatures) begins to attack, but the man jumps to his feet and slays them skillfully. He is Elegost, one of the Dunedain rangers (Aragorn is also one of these rangers). It seems that this particular ranger has fallen on a bit of hard luck. He has lost his dwarf companion and a handy map that was created by the elf lord Elrond in the heat of battle a little farther along the pass.
Despite the fellow's impertinent attitude, there's really nothing to do but help a ranger out, so the group wends their way across the countryside on the way to Moria. They eventually come upon tracks and, ultimately, a scrappy little dwarf named Hadhod who is unsuccessfully fighting a massive cave troll all by himself. This dwarf is Elegost's lost companion, and so the group teams up to dispatch the troll before continuing up the trail. As they approach the gate of Moria--through which the Fellowship has traveled not too long ago--there's a sudden attack from the nearby lake that is occupied by the many-tentacled beast known only as "the watcher in the water." After the resulting scuffle, the creature lashes violently with its arms and tears open the rockfall from the entrance to the dwarven mines, allowing the company to enter.
The gameplay here revolves around two modes: adventure mode, where you're running around various locations in Middle-earth to seek out treasure and various objectives; and battle mode, where you get to dispatch enemies in the flashy The Lord of the Rings fashion. Triggering fights in adventure mode doesn't seem entirely haphazard--that is, you're not continually running into random invisible packs of orcs. Battles mostly seem to initiate near the treasure chests, which you'll collect along your way. At times, an onscreen indicator lets you know how close you are to a fight. The indicator either takes the form of a blue palantir (a scrying stone, like the one the wizard Saruman possesses) or the fiery eye of Sauron (and seeing the distinct orb of flame, it's a little disconcerting to know that the Big Guy has his eye on you). Locating treasure chests is an important part of progression, as they'll contain both helpful items as well as key treasures that you'll need to complete various quests as you go. Completing these quests will net you experience points as well as valuable items, so it's worth it to spend the time to seek out all the chests you can find. Completing quests will also unlock various Middle-earth scenes, which are live-action story sequences composed of scenes from the films, narrated by Ian McKellen. You can also gain these from locating key areas, like an old campsite used by the Fellowship on their journey. The scenes mostly serve to give you an overall context for what you're doing, let you know what's going on in the fast-paced world of high-fantasy warfare, and clue you in on what the Fellowship has done recently.
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- GameSpot Score7.7good
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The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age Video Review
Will The Lord of The Rings, The Third Age be the one LOTR game to rule them all? Find out as Bethany gives us an eye-opening look into what happens when you mix a console RPG with the Tolkien universe.
- Nov 8, 2004
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- EA Games
- Role-Playing
- Release: Nov 2, 2004 »
- ESRB: Teen
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