EA invites you to step into Middle-earth as agents of light ... or shadow.

Middle-earth welcomes new warriors to the eternal quest to defeat Sauron in this RPG adventure.

Features * Fight on the side of Sauron in Evil Mode * Storyline intersects with the classic tale, featuring scenes from the film trilogy * Upgrade your characters * Voiceover from the original actors from the trilogy

What's more epic and medieval than turn-based battles? As The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age shows, the two go together like an Orc and ugly.

You play as Berethor, a Gondor captain, and Idrial, an elf, as they journey through Middle-earth to stop the minions of Sauron. Broken up into nine chapters, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age pits your party against the dregs of Middle-earth in familiar settings. Defend the city of Osgiliath, track down the Balrog in the Mines of Moria and try to destroy Helm’s Deep. The Third Age does a great job of incorporating this mythical quest into the LOTR trilogy.

The Third Age boasts 109 sequences, complete with footage from the Peter Jackson trilogy, in which Gandalf narrates how your journey fits into the LOTR universe. LOTR fans will be in heaven with these sequences, but watching them is not vital if you just want to plow ahead. As exciting as the movie clips are, the graphics and artwork during gameplay are nothing short of amazing. From the architectural details on columns to the smallest leaf in the forest, EA Games went the extra mile to bring Middle-earth to life. RPG purists may scoff at The Third Age's linear storyline. The side-quests lack novelty, since they mostly involving searching for and destroying bands of enemies you'll find in the main game. The leveling-up, weapons and battle-system all qualify as standard RPG fare. One twist The Third Age adds to the genre is a skill-learning system. Every time a character you control successfully performs a special attack, he or she earns one point toward learning a new skill. Usually, you're given a choice as to which skill you'd like your character to learn first.

For LOTR fans, though, The Third Age is a terrific introduction to the RPG genre. Besides, you get to be evil. Evil!

Tired of beating up on the bad guys? Turn the tables and play as Sauron's troublemakers in Evil Mode. Once you clear a chapter by making nice, a section unlocks in Evil Mode. Evil Mode lets you re-enact the major battles from a chapter, this time taking the role of the bad guys. After you defeat the heroes in a battle, you move to the next battle to defeat the heroes again. If you clear each Evil Mode chapter, you're given a prize to use in your main quest. Killing your heroes to make them stronger on their quest? Man, that's harsh. But in Middle-earth, you take every advantage you can get.

Bottom Line

EA has developed a beautiful game that fans of the trilogy will go wild for. With its somewhat linear storyline it's a great introduction to the RPG category, but its high production values and depth offer enough to appeal even to hardcore RPGers.

Source:

www.nintendo.com

Return to Middle Earth in 2004 with the first-ever Lord of the Rings console roleplaying game (RPG). Travel in the wake of The Fellowship and intersect the main plot points of the films as you build your character from a lowly adventurer into a living legend.

Battle Orcs, Mumakil, and the mighty Balrog with a half a million possible weapon and armor combinations. Recruit allies to aid you in your quest and fight alongside your favorite heroes and villains from the films.

Venture deeper into the movies than ever before in the epic tale of betrayal and trust of The Lord of the Rings’: The Third Age’.

• Journey through Middle Earth: Embark on your adventure with six new playable characters from the movies.
• Customize your heroes: Utilize the in-depth new skill tree and choose from more than a half a million weapon, item, and armor combinations.
• Have more control: The all-new turn-based combat system gives you a new level of strategic control over combat encounters.
• Adventure with friends: Enjoy multiplayer gameplay with the new cooperative mode.
• Experience the films: Stunning special effects and voiceovers from the original actors bring the cinematic feel of the Lord of the Rings movies to life.
• Try the "beastly" mini-game: Wreak havoc as the Balrog, a minion of Sauron, or other enemies.

Source:

www.xbox.com (US)

ONE RPG TO RULE THEM ALL

Battle alongside members of The Fellowship in an adventure spanning all three films in The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.

• Journey through Middle-earth’ with six new playable characters from the movies.
• Customize your heroes with an in-depth skill tree and over a half million weapon, item, and armor combinations.
• All-new turn-based combat system gives you a new level of strategic control over combat encounters.
• Adventure with friends in cooperative multiplayer mode.
• Stunning special effects and voiceover from the original actors bring the cinematic feel of the films to life.
• Wreak havoc as the Balrog, a minion of Sauron, or other enemies in an expansive mini-game.

Source:

Back of Case - Xbox/GameCube (US)

Summary

While the likes of Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf were off saving Middle Earth from Sauron, there were other lives being played out, other evils threatening peace and other heroes being forged in the flames of battle. This is their story...

Details

While the ring bearer heads for Mount Doom, you must build a party of adventurers from the likes of elves, dwarves and men and take on a valiant quest across Middle Earth. Your perilous journey will intersect with the major events in the films, giving you a deeper insight into the battle against the forces of Mordor.

Taking its cue from the Final Fantasy series, the game allows you to explore the wondrous realms of Middle Earth in third person splendour. As you enter combat, the scene shifts to a turn-based fighting style, common in Japanese RPGs. Utilise each character's unique attacks, abilities and items as the forces of the Two Towers attempt to halt your progress.

The Lord of the Rings is but part of the tale...

Features

• Based on the blockbuster movie trilogy from Peter Jackson
• Go beyond the movies in an all-new adventure with all-new heroes
• Unique mix of exploration, puzzle solving and astounding, turn-based combat
• Learn what the heroes of the film were doing when not on screen
• From the makers of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King videogame

Source:

uk.playstation.com