The Fellowship of the Ring
Xbox to receive Vivendi's first 'Lord of the Rings' licensed game...
One Ring to rule them all, one Ring to find them, one Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
You may have read the books, seen the film, got the t-shirts, got the mug, got the trading cards, played the board game and collected the figures but now, just to top it all off, Universal Interactive is set to release a game later this year, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece. Universal, in collaboration with Vivendi, are developing titles promising to have unprecedented richness and fidelity; you will be able to submerge yourself into the War of the Ring for the first time ever. Nice.
Tolkien; Professor of Classics (or something similarly academic) at Oxford University spent years creating a coherent world – based in pre-history, and his story centred around Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits and Mortal Men all fighting for their freedom against the Dark Lord “Sauron”, who has unleashed his forces of darkness against “Middle-Earth”, the name for this forgotten realm. Imagine the potential then, of an RPG-influenced title based around the very premise and world that invented the fantasy genre as a whole – be it books, films, or indeed games. It’s quite staggering, really.
Due to be released in October 2002, for the Xbox, is “The Fellowship of the Ring” (at the moment only only available for Xbox, which seems strange). Controlling Frodo, Aragorn or Gandalf you will play through eight different realms in Middle-Earth, solving quests on your journey from the Shire all the way to the Misty Mountains. It sounds rather like a linear RPG, if you will, which offers good scope for fans to indulge, as well as non-fans to pick up and enjoy the experience. If such folk exist. What’s more a number of key scenes from the novel (the first novel that is, “The Fellowship of the Ring”)will be included…
Comments
Wow. The potential for this game is awe-inspiring... I really hope they make a good RPG of it. Shame it's not curently scheduled for release on PC though...
Prune away the clogging deadwood from this preview, and what is left? Nothing. Reading this preview only brought me ennui. Louise clearly isn't a Tolkienite, or a gamesplayer: she is a self-proclaimed Pottermaniac - more's the pity! This is a masculine game based on a masculine epic. "Hardcore" fans shouldn't have to read this nonsense.
Your comments about the lack of info in the preview are valid, as there is so little info available; however, I think it does serve as an intro to the game - and just to inform folks that it is in production. It isn't meant to inform 'Tolkienites' who probably know all about the game already; rather it is written for those that no nothing of it. If you catch my drift...
All I can say is that I hope they do a better job with it than was done with the Ramond Feist Riftwar games.
I just picked up the old LOTR for the SNES a few weeks ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm excited to see what another developer's vision will offer for me, a female gaming and LOTR fanatic, to sink my teeth into.
Sorry, but the shots seem sooo awful...
sounds like a quick buck, play one char only, why not make a real LOR's game in the format of dungeon seige or balder's gate 2, so players can
experience the real adventure of LOR, AND NOT SOME QUICK BUCK DRIBBLE, XBOX DESERVES BETTER THAN what your offfering, ala nintendo style.
You clearly have quite a limited understanding of Middle-earth if you believe Galadriel is the most powerful being after Sauron. The Maiar "spirits" (Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, Sauron, the Balrog etc) are far more powerful than any elf. Gandalf, especially, has seemingly limitless power: he autoreincarnates after the fight with the Balrog, coming back even stronger. Gandalf, however, was forbidden to meddle too much in the affairs of mortals (elves are immortal, but not indestructable - if Galadriel died, she wouldn't autoreincarnate): he is basically a guardian angel for the Fellowship. Galadriel has great power, but nothing like the Maiar. The feminine in Middle-earth reside in the subconscious of the story (when they're not complete non-entities). The masculine and the world itself reside in the conscious realm.
I just got my NP magazine in today....it says there will be a LOTR game for the Nintendo
Game Cube (not just for the XBox anymore). I also read that a version of the game will
be availabe for all the 3rd generation consoles. EA games will make the Gamecube version
for sure...but I don't know about details of a PS2 version yet. Just thought I'd let
ya know.
JB out
Wheetbeer, this is a bit useless moaning about masculinity... read the intro, Tolkien was a professor of classics at oxford with a particular interest in anglo-saxon languages, and the whole trilogy was a huge experiment in literature and the creation of a historical extremity which resulted in the creation of a literary genre, not just some lame science-fiction novel with an interesting sub-text based on gender issues.</p>
Enjoyed the article, look forward to some info on the upcoming EA games on the same topic!
If I can find some better reviews on this game I may buy an Xbox the very day the game comes out (being that I don't have on yet) as far as the review not being good enough for us big Middle Earth fans, what is good enough? I think we require a little more care and knolage then other people. We can't blame this reviewer of this game for not being a big fan like some.
Dont make a lord of the rings game. Make a middle Earth game more like. Kinda like an Everquest style game.. but hopefully not so crappy.
I think that the first look at LOTR should have had more screen shots and at least told a little bit about the game play, battle, ext... I think LOTR should be a game for X-Box but the game for Middle Earth should be for P.C but your right it should not be as crappy.
Why hasn't the video gaming community mentioned a Middle-Earth MMORPG? I think that an on-line RPG has great potential with the Middle-Earth concept.
It just seems that to tell the story again might make it a bit much. Don't get me wrong, the books are fantastic, and the movie was really good. But through how many mediums do we want to tell the same story?
I think that The Lord Of The Rings is really good and much better than Harry Potter though that is good as well. The game looks as though it has good potential and if it is true to the story, it should be good. It should be fun, but they should invent a virual reality game where everything is full size! You ahve to dream though!