Slashdot Mirror
LOTR - The Third Age Takes Tolkien Toward RPG?
Thanks to 1UP for its article discussing the announcement of Electronic Arts' Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age, "a new console RPG based on Peter Jackson's movie trilogy [and J.R.R. Tolkien's books]", and due out later in 2004. A GameSpot interview with producer Steve Gray has more information, as he notes that "the combat is turn-based... if you have played Final Fantasy it will feel familiar to you", and says of the game structure: "You travel on a sort of 'S' curve that weaves in and out of the path of the Fellowship through the story of the trilogy. At times you'll be behind or 'next to' them; at other times you'll be in the same time and place as members of the Fellowship." He also teases the game's bad side: "The main focus of the game is the quest on the side of good, but you can also unlock evil encounters, and we think players will really enjoy playing on the side of Sauron in addition to playing as good guys."
Amusingly enough, Tolkien was interviewed once on whether they should make movies about his books, and he thought it was a fair enough idea. But he thought they would have to cut a lot of material out. He suggesting cutting out Helms Deep, because that little side-tack had very little to do with the Ring, Sauron, or Gondor. Probably the lighting of the beacons would have been enough of an explanation for Rohan to show up in the nick of time.
I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
I haven't played in many mango seasons, but according to the stats on that page it certainly is going strong after 12 years!
The ongoing war between the players of Trolls, Orcs, and Black Numenoreans versus Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Hobbits was one of the best aspects of the game, but it had many other cool aspects too. Such as the world being absolutely huge; wow, I see they had 19465 opened rooms in 193 zones. Also all sorts of nifty little features like the ability to learn types of herblore and collect the ingredients to make potions, and fishing, and if someone is speaking a language you don't know the text you see is mangled based on how well you know the language. Also, truly difficult computer controlled opponents that took teamwork and cleverness to defeat and plenty of fascinating quests as well.
The movies were great but the fact Tom Bombadil wouldn't fit in them properly is proof that something essential to the books was missing from the movies - every scene. Jackson came closest to it in that *weird* overtone when Galadriel refused the ring. That was the only time I really got the sense that, despite the seeming familiarity of the situation (heroic adventurers engaged in a just war, advanced city-states with pseudo-feudal organization, etc. etc.) this elf woman is supposed to be 4,000 years old and there's stuff going on qualitatively among the main actors that the protagonists just cannot be expected to get their heads around.
Granted, most readers choke on the Tom Bombadil scenes primarily because they equate rhymed doggerel with comedy. To the casual reader he's not One Of The Creators Of The World In Disguise acting from a value system beyond comprehension, he's just This Goofy Guy Who Speaks In Rhyme For No Apparent Reason.
Since I thought of this as the one legitimate technical flaw anywhere in the trilogy (i.e. not realizing the unintended effect on the casual reader) I was looking forward to it as maybe the only place in which the movies could improve on the books. Tom Bombadil could have presented himself as goofy to the hobbits in order to reassure them, and spoken in rhyme, but still not been "comic relief". This was a tremendous opportunity to reveal just how deep and strange the back story went, and throw the moral choices of the hobbits, given the unavoidable limitations of their understanding, into even greater sharpness.