Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Vivendi's take on the Tolkien craze.
Despite the seemingly limitless success of the films, making a descent Lord of the Rings game seems to be proving a task more difficult than merely of the financial. Given the immense influence Tolkien has had upon many an RPG since the genre began, it would seem that an official game would be the ideal vehicle for fans to truly relish the unique world of the original novels.
Vivendi’s take on ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ is certainly a game that hardcore fans of the novels will enjoy, even if fans of RPG games may be more than a little disappointed. Not that the success of the movies should have had much to do with this game, the official licence being used coming from Tolkien Enterprises, based on the rights to the novels. EA have the official film rights, you see.
So The Fellowship of the Ring is a fairly faithful transition of the novels to an interactive medium, its just sadly not quite as good as it deserves to be. Does that make sense?
The fellowship of the Ring is played from a third-person perspective, with controls very similar to those of a standard PC first-person shooter, and in fact you can switch to this perspective to aim at enemies. Throughout the game, you can choose to play as one of three players – the hobbit Frodo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, or Aragorn. You’ll be aided on your dramatic quest by the likes of Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and Pippin Took.
All of these characters from the story will play a role in delivering the Ring to Mordor for its destruction. However, epic this experience is not – smacking of something reminiscent of an ‘RPG-lite’, which, whilst making the game pretty friendly to pick up and play does tend to result in rather linear and uninvolving game play.
One problem symptomatic of this simplistic game play is the speed of the game – the Quests are too easy, and basic, while the combat is made very difficult by slow and decidedly static characters, a constant barrage of baddies, and the occasionally irritating camera angles.
However, some puzzle-solving is included, as are magic spells and potions, which can heal or curse upon your whims. These are accessible through the useful inventory system, which pauses the game and allows you to cycle through an active character’s possessions.
Story-wise, fans of the Tolkien world should feel fairly at home with this reasonably faithful recreation. They may however be a tad disappointed with the length of the plot, which is all over fairly quickly aside from some average side Quests and diversions. Its all something of an anti-climax, though one which fans may still appreciate if only for the interactive recreations of the world, which at times is superb.
If nothing else, The Fellowship of the Ring is certainly an attractive game. The environments are vast, and beautifully realised, from lush green hills to the murky mines of Moria, the architecture of which is quite stunning at times.
However, all is not entirely perfect on the visual front either, the character models suffering from occasional clipping problems, and overall a little more time having been needed to correct the camera angle problems, which can at times leave your view more than a little obstructed.
Onto the game’s audio now, and surprisingly, the voice-acting is actually of a reasonable standard – despite the occasionally over-dramatic British accents (we’re not talking Olivier here, folks), all is generally fairly convincing. The soundtrack also does its job well, if not spectacularly, immersing the player into the game world, and changing to reflect the pace of on-screen action.
All in all, The Fellowship of the Ring just isn’t quite the jaw-dropping RPG masterpiece we hoped it might be. The story is over too quickly, and the game play isn’t as involving as it deserves to be. Whilst the production values are generally high, the camera problems are also an annoyance.
This said, however, fans of the novel will relish the opportunity and freedom of exploring the nicely realised worlds of Tolkien’s unique vision, and may even enjoy the adventuring of the characters - providing the missed opportunities and occasional flaws can be over-looked.
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Comments
I've heard a lot about both LOTR games. TO me, they seem a little too hyped-up, possibly one reason that FOTR is not so good is that it's difficult to make a good game of a book where the main character is a weakling. Just you wait fo STAR WARS: Attack of the Clones!
this game was bad, I have never fallen asleep during a video game before until I played this one!
Steer clear from this one! If your need a LotR game like I do, get LotR: The Two Towers!
Should've been named Lord of the System Crash. Haven't seen so much tweaking required since DOS days. Can't get out of Hobbiton due to the crashes, but the Hobbiton part seems pretty 3rd grade.
I'm trying to find the patch for the LOTR Fellowship of the Ring for a PC... it's supposed to be on this site but I don't see it anywhere (??)
Thanks.
When I got the new graghics card for my PC, the play screen went from being normal to having all sorts of different colors. I don't know whats going on but I think I might need 3-D glasses. If so how is it turned off? Otherwise it is a great game and I would recomend it to anyone!
Fantastic game, however, I've had a bit of trouble with running it on one of my PCs. One has an old Voodoo graphics card and I think the game doesn't like this so it won't run. Apart from that, one hell of a game. I like the fact that they stuck to most of the original story-line outside Hobbiton. Old Man Willow is especially well done. Unfortunately I havn;t got any further than that.
Its an awsome game, but it locks up alot
When I am on the game itself it just goes black but when you are on the Main Menu it works but when the game starts at Frodos house it is all BLACK the map comes up but the game won't work. We have downloaded a patch and every thing but it won't make it go to the game it just stays black.
In the PC game How do ya get Tom Bombadils attension after getting the lilies???
Yah it does Lock up
this game is rubbish it looks crap compared to xbox its slow, bad wepons, stupid characters and it doesnt have much of the real storey line. two towers is were it all comes together and makes it real.
muito bom vc vai adorar
i need cheat codes for the lord of the rings the felloship of the ring for the computer
I want to no how to creep away from the black knights on the horses.
sooooooooooo nergens kan je codes voor LORT fellowship of the ring vinden:-(
DO YOU HAVE ENY CHEATS
HOw do you get away form the black riders ;-) :-p
I can't get past the tree in the forest that puts you to sleep. Ant suggestions so I can go on with the game?
To get past Old Man Willow, you need to run to the side of him. he will try to smash you with his branch hands. When he does that, run up and whack him with your walking stick. He will pull his hands away in pain. Run to the other side of him and do it again. He usually can't get you if you are standing right next to him. Hit him about 15 times.
To escape from the Black Riders, sneak across the street from the Gamgee house. Hide and wait for the Black Rider to leave. Then, walk along the hill with the road on your right untill you get to the second house. Climb off of the hill and sneak on the road over to the mill. Hide behind the mill and throw rocks to distract the Black Rider, then go across the bridge.
the game iz to hard so find sum cheats
I don't know what is wrong with you, this game was really easy. . . well with some help from an online strategy guide. Do you have PC or console version?
dstghjgthjdgjnd
:-D
How do i get past old man willow in the fellowship of the ring
What? This isn't helpfull enough? To get past Old Man Willow, you need to run to the side of him. he will try to smash you with his branch hands. When he does that, run up and whack him with your walking stick. He will pull his hands away in pain. Run to the other side of him and do it again. He usually can't get you if you are standing right next to him. Hit him about 15 times.
how do you beat the tree where merry and pippin are held
Where do you find the barrow-wight?
Oh man... The barrow wight...That took me forever to find. I just ran around randomly, always trying to go up. There is this sorta hidden passageway that you don't always see right away.
OLD MAN WILLOW:
So, run up as close as you can to him. The trick is that he can swing fast but cannot rotate very quickly. If he swings far right, you run far left He must hit all spots, through the center, etc. to get far left. After he has swung and missed, run up and hit him on his HANDS. If you hit his side, you will kill Merry and Pippin. About 15 times is right.
How do I beat th old man's willow
How do I beat th old man's willow
How do I beat th old man's willow
How do I beat th old man's willow
How do I beat th old man's willow
Are you trying to piss us off. There are at least 2 explanations of how to beat old man willow. They work!
How to get cheats?
Why you need cheats?
can get past black riders, but wher the hell is farmer maggots farm?
What do you mean where is farmer maggots farm
Ok i got the felloship of the ring for GBA and do not know how to get Gimili's axe. Ijust keep starting over.
The game is good but when i get stuck on a point of the game i come to the computer and i can not find a single cheat to help me, i have only started the game so i have not got very far but i cant find sam in the old forest at all please help me!!!
i tryed the explanations on hjow to get past old man willow n i cnt du it!!!.........everytime i ht the side of his trunk it tells me to stop!?!?! plz plz plz help!!!!
Ok, first, to Emma Ford, the forest is annoying and the trees will actually move when you are not looking. When you see a spider, just keep running, you can outrun them. Try taking a left at every turn you see, that usually gets you somewhere. Where there are spiders, there are hobbits hiding (usually). If there appears to be a dead end that looks like it shouldn't be there, turn around and wait a bit, then turn 180 degrees again, the trees sometimes will move.
To Lauryn, don't hit Old Man Willow in the trunk, hit him on the hands.
Can Gandalf or Aragon jump?(to Sirius)
Heh, no, they can't jump
How do you find merry pippin and sam in the barrow downs?
You find Merry and Pippen and Same in the same place as the Barrow Wight. Where that is, I can't exactly tell you, you have to wander around and find it.
hwo do to sell the farm to sackville baggins its pissing me off
how to get all levils with a code
that explained alot NOT i thought this was a cheat site
How the Hell do u get past the Black rider on horses????!!!!!(To Sirius)
This game is better than any other so far but it needs cheat codes so you can be any character
Help! :-p All these dead ghost guys r trying to kill me in the barrow-downs and im just randomly running around ;S
Help us!!!! we are trying to get past this big tree thing (Old Man Willows??) and its trying to kill us! Please tell us how to get past it, we keep trying but nothing works! we keep dying! Please help! (to Sirius)
P.S Where is the pause menu???
WE DONE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello again. Now we r really stuck!! Barrow-wites!!! Help! They're everwere! Please help!
WE DUN IT AGAIN!!!! mY LIL BRO ROCKS!!!!
Help! We are at weathertop and we are being attacked by this big troll. We keep trying to kill it but we cant!!! Pleez HELP!!!!! (to sirius)
Hey dudes. We cant work out how to use gandalfs magic. We keep being killed by wolves coz we cant use it. Pleez explain!!
does anyone have or know where i can get cheats for FOTR. all i can find on the net are hints. ps. who knows sirius black's email. pps. please help i desperatly need some cheats.
Wow, I haven't played this game in so long. To kill the troll, use arrows and back away when he comes close to you. To kill those stupid wolves, it is better to use your sword. Just keep hacking at them. There is a ravine-ish area (if I am not mistaken) If you hide in there only one wolf can attack you at a time.
how do you defeat the balrog?
Sadly, I had to look at an online walkthrough to beat the Balrog. I remember it involves using lightening to stun him then attacking him with your sword. Search for LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring Walkthrough online
Can you give me a hint or something to look for in the barrowdowns. I'm looking for the passage, but I dont know exactly what it looks like.
dw
I´m really tired of hit in the Old man willows´s arms, I hit them almost 30 times but it doesn´t work!!! help me please...
I´m really tired of hit in the Old man willows´s arms, I hit them almost 30 times but it doesn´t work!!! help me please...
great, could'nt think of a better game!
Just one question....... how do u defeat the tree which has taken merry and pippin ????? I have no idea any hints would be much appreciated
hey. how r we supposed to defeat the ring wraith and fell beast from the top of amon hen?????wat r we supposed to do?? any hyelp would be xtremely appreciated!!! we really need help!
help!!!! we really need help with the nazgul!!
Im stuck on yhe 21ST tomb
Please im still stuck to escape the 21st hall !!!
Could any of you please help? The Old Man Willow and the Balrog hints worked (much abliged), but now I need help defeating the Nazgul when he's flying on the Fell Beast. I defeated him on the ground, but now I'm not sure how to corner him in the air. Please help!
How Do you defeat the Balrog He is so Hard!!!!
can you please help to complete the lord of the rings fellowship of the ring the withwindle path level.
How do u get past the Balrog? Aragorn keeps saying, "Here Gandalf, take this," but I don't know what he means. Do u just have to keep stunning and hitting the thing??????
Guys, Guys! Bother 2 look at all of the comments- there's a lot of answers dere!
thanks for writing the old man willows hint i tried it and it worked :-)
have any of you played the hobbit its a easy but hard type of game im stuck on the stone giant bit of the over hill and under hill level where the giants chuck boulders at you and you have got to get past them the vine bit is the part im stuck on. if any one has played the game can you give me a hint please on how to get past it
(the fellowship again) god now i am stuck on the bit where you have to kill that metel spirit with the westidnese blade in that cave place where sam merry and pippin are asleep how do you kill the creature
i need cheat codes for the lord of the rings the felloship of the ring for the computer
ok so im in the 2nd passage thing with frodo and gimli but when i try to push the rock onto the button that opens the door, the rock wont move.
Any one help (exspecialy sirus black) the nazgul on weathertop are killing frodo all the time I NEED HELP so pretty please help me i'm in a lot of trouble so pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaassssssssseeeee Heeeeeeeeelllllllllllllllppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I recall, on the Barrow Wight level, he pops out of the ground and breathes some nasty death breath at you, thengoes back in the ground. I ran away from him, then flanked him because he was slow to turn. Once he went back in the ground, look to where he comes back up because he is vulnerable at that time. I haven't played the game in so long, I'll see if I still have my saves.
Helllo! I am stuck in the 21 hall. have you found out how to solve it yet? I put this on hold for seven months. I trying to get out of the 21 hall. Please let me thanks!
can you kill the gosts in barrow downs any quicker than just hitting them?
how do u get out of the dwarfs castle the way is block dnt know how to get out
how do u get out of the dwarfs castle the way is block dnt know how to get out
how the hell do u beat the willow tree where merry and pippin are held?
Ive tried the things u sed nd he just keeps hitting me....i hit the tree like 30 times and it still doesnt work!!!
carn't offer you any help just sympathy. Must have hit him 30 time (with stones) and still no luck. Wheres Sirus black for more help
How do you hit willow with stick,my right mouse button doesn't do it, i can only block with ctrl, but i must be able to attack some how. Help me please
like most people i cant kill that stupid tree i am dying someone help me ive read the comments ikill the hand and it disapears i am so frustrated i could scream.
I have a xbox i am at the stupid tree part and i cannot beat it i hit the hand and it dyes but the tree lives i dont understand i am going 2 strangle Frodo.
I Beat the tree finally but no i have the lilys i just cant find Tom Balidal. im sorry those comments do work you just have 2 read them closely and for all people kill the tree whips first.
um... im at the rotating bridges and im at a dead end none of the bridges rotate i killed all the orcs and im stuck
yo how the helll do u get past them dark riders??????????? pleazzzzeeee
How the hell do you beat the goddam tree?????????
HOW!!!!!!!???????!!!!!
I no its not the hardest game in the world but im stuck how do you get passed the old willow in the forest? in the book bombadil came.
i cant get out of the old forest, how do i do this?