Decent LOTR games?

[Mount Suribachi]

It occured to me whilst watching the showing of the LOTR films on Ch5 the last few weeks how much I'd really, *really* enjoy a proper LOTR RPG by the likes of Bioware with all the good stuff that goes with it. Or a Morrowind style one where you can go anywhere in ME, explore to your hearts content....

Or an *official* LOTR: Total War game from CA - how cool would that be?

Now, I know there were a load of games came out when the films where originally released, but they were all kiddified action/adventure or RTS-lite

I'm old enough to remember The Hobbit (the adventure game) on the ZX Spectrum way back when - is this still the best LOTR themed game?

[econ21]

Battle for Middle Earth would have been a decent game, IMO, if they had added a "slow" setting. It has very nice graphics/sound/production values and fair RPS combat, but it is all too frenetic and fast for me - pretty much a standard RTS. It is worth playing just for the Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields battles in the Good campaign, which are very well done.

IMO, the best strategic LOTR game is the Middle Earth (Allies) scenario a player made for Heroes of Might and Magic III. Not only is it very evocative of LOTR, I also find it the best Homm3 map I have played (I admit an enormous LOTR tilt here). It only takes up a (long) evening to play, but is worth checking out if you have Homm3.

But the most substantial good LOTR game, IMO, is the Last Days mod for Mount and Blade. It is absolutely stunning. It has all the great combat and levelling fun of Mount and Blade. Plus it also has a passable strategic layer, as you raise a warband across Middle Earth and then rout the Great Hosts of your enemies (while protecting your own). Graphically, it is gorgeous too.

[Stig]

That MMORPG is quite good. I played it for 3 days using a special code I got somewhere once ... but I won't buy it for the simple fact you have to pay per month.

[Slyspy]

I further the suggestion of The Last Days for Mount and Blade.

[Crazed Rabbit]

I'm going to third the suggestion of The Last Days mod for Mount and Blade.

It is a gorgeous mod, lots of nice skins and textures. It also has the great gameplay of M&B enhanced through many diverse units and massive battles. It also has a war system; how well you fight for your faction directly effects the outcome of the war. At the zenith of .808 Mount & Blade gameplay.

http://mbx.streetofeyes.com/index.php/board,20.0.html

Screenshots:

The gameplay is as good as the graphics. And when the version for .89x comes out...oh my.

CR

[Mount Suribachi]

It occured to me whilst watching the showing of the LOTR films on Ch5 the last few weeks how much I'd really, *really* enjoy a proper LOTR RPG by the likes of Bioware with all the good stuff that goes with it. Or a Morrowind style one where you can go anywhere in ME, explore to your hearts content....

Or an *official* LOTR: Total War game from CA - how cool would that be?

Now, I know there were a load of games came out when the films where originally released, but they were all kiddified action/adventure or RTS-lite

I'm old enough to remember The Hobbit (the adventure game) on the ZX Spectrum way back when - is this still the best LOTR themed game?

Well, we don't have an official LOTR TW game, but the release of the epic Third Age: Total War mod is about as near as we'll get for the moment. HIGHLY recommended

[Warluster]

But the most substantial good LOTR game, IMO, is the Last Days mod for Mount and Blade. It is absolutely stunning. It has all the great combat and levelling fun of Mount and Blade. Plus it also has a passable strategic layer, as you raise a warband across Middle Earth and then rout the Great Hosts of your enemies (while protecting your own). Graphically, it is gorgeous too.

The best part is that they're porting it to 1.011. Not only will this include the hundreds of changes since .808 (Such as true, proper Kingdoms and cities, etc) but the graphics will be even better (Not that it matters much but still a good bonus to a amazing mod!) due to the Graphics Enhancement mod.

Well, we don't have an official LOTR TW game, but the release of the epic Third Age: Total War mod is about as near as we'll get for the moment. HIGHLY recommended.

If I dare say, perhaps King Kong and his team have done a better job then CA could've?

[Veho Nex]

DONT BUY LOTR CONQUEST!!!

That is all, I recomend all others...

[Mailman653]

Love TLD! I think it would be the only reason for me to go back to MB. Unfortunetly no one really knows when if ever will a new version be released.

[rajpoot]

Unfortunetly no one really knows when if ever will a new version be released.

A new version is going to be released and soon. I've read about it somewhere I can't remember. Within the next 6-7 months I think.

[Warluster]

The best part is that they're porting it to 1.011. Not only will this include the hundreds of changes since .808 (Such as true, proper Kingdoms and cities, etc) but the graphics will be even better (Not that it matters much but still a good bonus to a amazing mod!) due to the Graphics Enhancement mod.

TLD thread at Taleworlds with preview of new version:
http://forums.taleworlds.net/index.p...tml#msg1497410

[Mailman653]

I hope they fix the Elven factions, I enjoyed playing with them a lot but they had some disadvantages.

[Centurion1]

Whoever said it earlier i second. DO NOT buy LOTR conquest. Dont even rent it (which i thank to god did). It was a terrible game. There is no immersion and i think iactually yawned about halfway through. There is no challenge whatsoever. Hell there isn't even any advantage between the factions. Imagine Stars Wars battlefront, now add swords and other archaic weapons, storyline characters that each have carbon copies on the other side, no special advantages between the two sides, a boring camapign, and no replay value. Oh and also take whatever image of it you have and halve that by two.

As to other games i personally believe that the LOTR total war mod is probably better than any game the CA would make (no offense CA there just aint anything like a game made by lovers of whatever its about)

[pevergreen]

Battlefront wasn't bad! You could play as a Battle Droid.


A Battle Droid.

Faints in pleasure.

[lars573]

For an RPG The third age for Xbox is a good one. More FF style than I'd usually go for. The story though at first seemingly lack luster (you play a Gondorian, elf woman, a dwarf, and a ranger 12 hours behind the fellowship of the ring) does get better as you go on.

Battle for middle earth 2, much better than the first one. Almost soley by ditching build points and returning to peon builder units. And being able to use all the characters from the books helps. This nets the game some nicely diverse Elf, Dwarf, Goblin, and with the expansion, Agmar factions. But it is a traditional build base collect resources type game. Although the way resources are collected is unique. You build a resource generating building (farm, slaughterhouse, mine, mallorn tree, mill) and it pump out resources per so many seconds. The amount based on how much control area it has. There is also a hero creator tool. Which I really like. You can make heroes for all the factions. Captains of Gondor/Rohan and Sheild maidens for Men of the west. Elf archers (man or woman) for the Elves, Dwarven taskmaster or lore keepers, Sevants of Sauron (evil men or Orcs), Wizards (they can be good or bad), and Trolls. Wizards and Trolls are the most fun to make. Especially if you give the wizard Gandalfs level 10 (heroes level up in combat getting new abilities) word of power ability. Each also has faction specific abilities. If you played EALA RTS games made after this, CnC3 or Red Alert 3, you know what I mean. Being able to summon the army of the dead as Men, or the Balrog as Mordor is a very good reason to climb to the top of the ability tree. Also if you buy the collectors edition you get characters from "The third age" (minus the ranger) I mentioned above as bonus heroes.

[Centurion1]

No pever you misunderstand me. I loved star wars battlefront i own both and still play occaisonally. What im saying is that lotr conquest is like the exact same thing except not done very well. Battlefront i enjoyed, conquest not s much

[Meneldil]

Lord of the Ring Online is the only decent commercial game based on LoTR. It offers a pretty much huge world, lots of things to do, and is pretty much casual-friendly.

Battle for Middle-Earth (1&2) were huge failures, the hack n' slash games based on the movies are somewhat entertaining, but they're quite short and offer no replayability.

If you're not looking for commercial games, then the mod the Third Age for M2TW is pretty good, though the quality varies. It also lacks flavor: a LotR TW would have deserved much more traits, ancillaries, and other stuffs. Then again, it has been released quite recently and will probably improve with time.

The LotR maps for HoMM3, HoMM5 and Warcraft 3 (yes) were also quite good and entertaining.

[Veho Nex]

Whoever said it earlier

Hmpf.....

[Centurion1]

My apologies i meant to say VEHO NEX, who in his infinite wisdom realized the folly of buying lotr conquest (bows to the mighty nex)

[Veho Nex]

My apologies i meant to say VEHO NEX, who in his infinite wisdom realized the folly of buying lotr conquest (bows to the mighty nex)

lol, I never bought it or rented it, I uhhh.... obtained a copy.... somehow.... errr... I FOUND IT ON THE STREET CORNER!! Anyways, I never could get past the mines of moria level due to some invisible wall glitch... was boring .