Post by Bytor on Jul 3, 2009 13:19:19 GMT -5
-Visuals- 7.7/10
The graphics are hit and miss at best. The hits are wonderful, the spells are awesome long, the special amours and weapons the characters are armed with are also very, very well designed. I'd even say the majority of the backgrounds are also well done although like many games up close the textures are very obvious. Now for the miss, and it unfortunately is a big one. The characters are at best jerky looking in their actions. It almost looks as if EA designed them to look good standing still and then realized on the final day before release that they had to actually move, and it just doesn't work, even the backgrounds look choppier and less appealing the minute the characters move.
-Sound- 8.9/10
Gandalf (Ian McKellen) does the narration, what more could you ask for!?! The battle sounds are wonderful and the music certainly conveys the feel of the movies very well, which obviously helps the game tremendously. The voice acting is also done very, very well, with the exception of the story probably the strong point of the game.
-Gameplay- 7.7/10
A very recognizable formula here with no real surprises. Fans of turn based RPG's will have no problems playing the game at all. The biggest drawback here is the simplicity of the battles, for the vast majority of the battles I finished with no difficulties in a matter of minutes. If you raise your allies levels on a constant basis killing everything becomes a joke. I actually killed Sauron in a matter of minutes to end the game.
-Story- 9.5/10
I'd imagine if you decided to play this game you are at least familiar with the story, and it simply doesn't get any better than Tolkien's master piece. I do question slightly the decision to use unknown characters as the main focus of the game. The characters you know from the books/movies are only in the game peripherally at best (although Gandalf makes a strong appearance). I can't decide totally whether I like this or not. It is does add a different element to the story but I might have rather have been able to play as Gimili or Legolas as opposed to someone never even mentioned in the original storyline.
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-Overall- 8.3/10
Being a huge fan of the books and the movies I really wanted to love this game, and I don't. I liked it, I liked it a lot but it's faults simply make it a very good game, albeit one that is way too short and way too simple. Fans of the series will I imagine, have fun but you will be left wanting, and wondering, wow, is it really over, more. More story, better gameplay and better graphics. It almost seems as if EA figured it'd sale because of what it represented as opposed to what is was.