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LOTR - The Third Age Takes Tolkien Toward RPG?

Posted by simoniker on from the silly-marillion dept.

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."

40 comments

  1. Players on the side of Sauron? by Michael+Belrose · · Score: 0, Insightful

    I can feel Tolkien turning in his grave right now.

    1. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He turned in his grave looooong ago, with a ghostly whisper of the name "Jackson" escaping his lips...

    2. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by wcbarksdale · · Score: 1, Informative

      This is hardly the first LOTR game to give players that option.

    3. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by Michael+Belrose · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Whether this is the first game to do this or not is irrelevant. My point is that it runs counter to the entire spirit of the original works (the books).

    4. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by dancingmad · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I doubt it. If you ever hear the tapes of Tolkien reading from LOTR, he relishes playing Golem, he has fun with the voice.

      Plus as someone who writes, I'm sure Tolkien understands that the bad guys are necessary to a story. They have to be presented.

      Plus, most of Tolkien's baddies started off good or neutral. The whole theme of LOTR is about choice - what makes a person a Gandalf or a Saruman? A Golem or a Bilbo? An Aragorn or Sauron? The game furthers that theme, it seems, by giving you as the player the same choice.

      --
      "There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
    5. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by wynterx · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      WARNING: Spelling Nazi attack follows

      I agree, playing the baddies can be fun, but am I missing something? Where was the Golem in LOTR?

    6. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by obeythefist · · Score: 1

      I can imagine him spinning away at the mention of "LOTR" "Console" and "RPG" in the same sentence.

      That's like offering Shakespeare to the Dale Earnheardt mourning crowd. Wrong target audience, anyone?

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
    7. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by obeythefist · · Score: 1

      I don't believe there were any earth-made automatons like golems in LOTR. There were trolls, made of stone by Melkor in the second age, and dwarves, made by Aule I think in the first age (also made of earth), but no golems.

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
    8. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by Negatyfus · · Score: 1

      They made a books out of the movies?

    9. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because someone is a redneck doesn't mean they are unable to appreciate Shakespeare.

    10. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by American+AC+in+Paris · · Score: 1
      If you ever hear the tapes of Tolkien reading from LOTR, he relishes playing Golem

      "Oy, you call this a body? I've seen better bodies crafted out of day-old bagels!"

      --

      Obliteracy: Words with explosions

    11. Re:Players on the side of Sauron? by demi · · Score: 1

      No, and remeber Shakespeare was writing for popular audiences: he wanted to pack them in; and his plays were entirely different from the snooty entertainments of the time. They were violent, lusty, and appealed to commoners (in which category I'd assume you'd put Dale Earnhardt fans).

      --
      demi
  2. One of the worst games in history returns! by XellDx · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Remember the last one?

    Granted, this is going to be completely different. It's made by EA! There's no chance it hell it could be a lacklust piece of crap spun out at the last minute to capitalize on the success of a franchize.

    2-7 odds that it coincides with the release of the DVD's this christmas.

    --
    X
    1. Re:One of the worst games in history returns! by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      Remember the last one?

      If it was anything like the PC version, it not only was in a computer-RPG style, but it was also pretty good.

      Rob

    2. Re:One of the worst games in history returns! by Matrix272 · · Score: 1

      2-7 odds that it coincides with the release of the DVD's this christmas.

      I'll take that bet, especially since the DVDs are coming out in May and August... a full 4 months before Christmas. I'd provide a link to the announcement of an early Extended Edition release, but I can't find it at the moment. I'm fairly sure it was IGN, but am having trouble locating it.

      --
      "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
    3. Re:One of the worst games in history returns! by XellDx · · Score: 1

      Ah, yes. Computer RPG style on the super nintendo in the early 90's. That was just a no brainer when the ported it.

      That said, I'm sure that the PC counterpart didn't suffer from terrible AI, lousy control or unclear goals either. It probably didn't laugh at you when you died too, but that could have been me.

      --
      X
    4. Re:One of the worst games in history returns! by XellDx · · Score: 1

      I was refering more to the Extended Edition DVD's. Also, Amazon and other's don't have a release date yet, so the joke was mearly a shot in the dark.

      Also, I was kind of being sarcastic. But hey. It's hard to tell in context.

      --
      X
  3. GNAA announced capture of Frodo Baggins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll
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    Insertion of the GNAA collecting penis into Frodo's mangina came right between the consideration of King Aragorn to buy out the entire franchise, and will most likely positively affect the decision. By adding all the gay niggers working for Aragorn with the gay niggers developing Mac OS X kernel source, GNAA will be all-powerful and will begin plotting our next plans to penetrate "backdoors" into the next favorite fantasy idolJar Jar Binks.

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  4. Three Words: by dancingmad · · Score: 1

    Oh. God. Yes.

    Seriously, there are plenty of ways for these guys to screw up, but I'm hoping this game will be as (surprisingly) good as Knights of the Old Republic was. I'm seriously excited and have to figure out way to stretch my budget to include this beauty. A Final Fantasy style LOTR game with character creation...that's the sound of me wetting myself. I know I sound giddy, but this is...huge.

    Perhaps this game can reestablish my faith in American gaming?

    --
    "There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
    1. Re:Three Words: by obeythefist · · Score: 1

      We know for a fact that it won't use the D20 system, so there goes your KOTOR wet dream right now. It won't have any of the sophisticated nuances of PC roleplaying.

      Given that KOTOR is one of those PC+Console projects it had to include a more intellectual system for the RPG side for the sake of making sales on the more upmarket PC platform. This game (thankfully) isn't going to be released on PC (unless they get some work experience students to port the game like some other godawful ports I've seen), in which case it won't sell much anyway (despite the obvious free sales due to licensing).

      But yes, the pantswetting is definately a strong indication of console ownership. You should look at getting yourself a PC if you like roleplaying. Baldurs Gate and NWN are something you really shouldn't miss, and nothing compares to KOTOR at 1600x1200x32.

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
    2. Re:Three Words: by dancingmad · · Score: 1

      You assume both that I want a KOTOR style game (which I don't - I just hoped Third Age would be as surprisingly good as KOTOR) and that I have some interesting in PC RPGs (again a no - I have little interest in D&D rulesets).

      I much prefer the older Final Fantasy to PC RPGs (VI all around, VII for its junction system). Even more complicated are console Tactical RPGs, which are my most preferred style of game - I promise Disgaea is every bit as complex as KOTOR. I might agree with you that if you don't play Japanese RPGs, than yes, it seems console RPGs are becoming overly simplistic (FFX, for example), but games like Disgaea, Phantom Brave, and other RPGs are "keeping it real" on the console side of things.

      --
      "There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
  5. Did you hear they're not changing the story? by guard952 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But which story aren't they changing?

    I was very disappointed when I saw LOTR: ROTK, and there was no Battle of Hobbiton. I was really hoping to see this scene, and it just wasn't there.
    Then there is also Tom Bombadil. Where'd he go?

    If they stick to the story in the movie, then they're missing out some really cool stuff they Tolkin (and many devout fans) would (and did) sorely miss.
    And if they do follow the book, then all the wanna be fans won't have a clue where all the extra bits come from (or why they're important to the story).

    1. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Vaevictis666 · · Score: 3, Informative
      Something to keep in mind, with all the LOTR games coming out (or are already out) there are two franchises here - one company has rights to profit off of the movie situations and events, another one gets the materials in the books. If you want, have a look at which publisher has done what LOTR game releases in the past two years. I believe EA has had all the console action titles based off of the movies, which means they have no tom bombadil or hobbion end-game to use in the game. If I'm bass ackwards and they have the rights to the book versions, then it's all perfectly good and we can have a full game out of it.

      Not that Tom is hugely relevant to a darkside RPG with the scope of the novels, but what the hey.

    2. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by obeythefist · · Score: 4, Interesting

      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.
    3. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Bios_Hakr · · Score: 1

      The books are not about the Ring, they are about Hobbits.

      --
      I'd rather you do it wrong, than for me to have to do it at all.
    4. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tom Bombadil was a dick

    5. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Mechanik · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was very disappointed when I saw LOTR: ROTK, and there was no Battle of Hobbiton. I was really hoping to see this scene, and it just wasn't there. [...] Then there is also Tom Bombadil. Where'd he go?

      Batte of Hobbiton I will concede, but c'mon, how many of us really wanted to see an hour of film devoted to Tom and his love of talking in rhymes and whatnot? Even as a fan I find those parts of the books annoying... how can you expect Joe Sixpack to sit through that let alone enjoy it?

      IMHO, I think including Bombadil would have done a lot to wreck the generally serious and epic feel of the films. People already had enough complaints about the comic relief of Gimli and Pippen ruining the atmosphere for them. Personally I thought those were fine, but put in Bombadil and you would have whole different movie. When I think of the LOTR movies as is, I think "epic" the way I think of say, Ben Hur, or Spartacus, not funny and silly like the animated Disney movie Hercules.


      Mechanik

    6. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      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.

    7. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Matrix272 · · Score: 1

      I believe that EA has the rights to all games made from the material in the movies, while Sierra has the rights to the books. If I'm completely full of shit, let me know... but that seemsright.

      --
      "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
    8. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by Matrix272 · · Score: 1

      I believe that EA has the rights to all games made from the material in the movies, while Sierra has the rights to the books. If I'm completely full of shit, let me know... but that seems right.

      Sorry for the double-post... one of my tags wasn't closed.

      --
      "It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
    9. Re:Did you hear they're not changing the story? by obeythefist · · Score: 1

      Actually, no. The earlier and latter sections of the books deal with hobbits as a topical matter, and four of the 9 or 10 main characters are hobbits, however they hobbits are merely storytellers.

      The real story deals with the journey of the Ring, the return of the heir to Isildur to Gondor and his actions redeeming the sins of Isildur (this is possibly intended to allow the readers to see that Aragorn has the right to return his line to the throne), and of course the destruction of Sauron, the last of the great servants of Melkor.

      To say that Lord of the Rings was about hobbits is much like saying that Fight Club was a movie about Edward Norton.

      --
      I am government man, come from the government. The government has sent me. -- G.I.R.
  6. OT: About the movies by orthancstone · · Score: 1

    It was known that Bombadil and the Scouring were never filmed. Sorry to see you didn't know that :(.

  7. Not a troll (mod me down if you like) by lightspawn · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I just don't understand this way of reporting news by asking a question. A meaningless question, even.

    Does an RPG product based on the works of Tolkien take Tolkien towards RPG? That really depends on how you read the question. It does not raise any technical, legal, moral or ethical question of any kind.

    Posting this article takes slashdot toward news ending with question marks?

  8. Comment by the Legion of Trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    The Legion of Trolls is concerned thaat this RPG might continue the loathsome tradition of racist characterizations of trolls. While in Norse mythology and other forms, the troll was a magical and important creature with special skills, and are so accepted to this day in Norway, in LotR they are portrayed as simple crude thugs with cannibalistic habits. An aspect of troll mythology that seemingly arises from LotR is the idea that trolls are bred from ents, living trees, somehow "in mockery" of them. Trolls in fact love trees and are not portrayed as ever even so much as cutting them down even in LotR - that job is left to orcs.

    The idea of trolls "turning to stone" at first light seems to be a reference to the legendary sexual prowess of trolls. Very likely, jealousy of this prowess led to the racist portrayal of trolls in LotR and other overly-English works. The Legion of Trolls is one response to this ongoing racism.

  9. Comment by the Legion of Trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    The Legion of Trolls is concerned that this RPG might continue the loathsome tradition of racist characterizations of trolls. While in Norse mythology and other forms, the troll was a magical and important creature with special skills, and are so accepted to this day in Norway, in LotR they are portrayed as simple crude thugs with cannibalistic habits. An aspect of troll mythology that seemingly arises from LotR is the idea that trolls are bred from ents, living trees, somehow "in mockery" of them. Trolls in fact love trees and are not portrayed as ever even so much as cutting them down even in LotR - that job is left to orcs.

    The idea of trolls "turning to stone" at first light seems to be a reference to the legendary sexual prowess of trolls, which is widely reported by insatiable elf-maidens. Very likely, jealousy of this prowess led to the racist portrayal of trolls in LotR and other overly-English works. The Legion of Trolls seeks to undo this racist characterization and the demonization of all trolls.

  10. It sounds a bit like MUME by Danny+Rathjens · · Score: 4, Interesting
    MUME is a free multiplayer roleplaying game based upon J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth that has been continuously enhanced since fall '91. In MUME players can explore and live in this meticulously crafted world during its late Third Age, and possibly join the epic War between the forces of the Dark Lord and the armies of the West.

    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.

  11. Takes Tolkien Towards RPG? by Xian97 · · Score: 1

    Tolkien was already made into RPGs years ago.

    I remember playing the Interplay version of Lord of the Rings Volume 1 in 1990 on the Amiga. The Two Towers was released a year later on the PC but the Amiga version was cancelled.

    http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,2/gameId,387 0/
    http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,2/gameId,148 0/

    If you liked the old style Ultima games both were very similar - top down perspective and similar gameplay.

  12. obligatory Dork Tower reference... by spyrral · · Score: 2, Funny

    "I kill Gandolf"

  13. Wot, no link to MEO? by Rupert · · Score: 1

    Middle Earth Online

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    E_NOSIG
  14. Parent is not OT. by Rupert · · Score: 1

    Crack-addled moderators strike again.

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    E_NOSIG