GameCube

The Hobbit

The Hobbit is an expansive game that will have you spending hours upon hours traveling the lands of Middle Earth. Whether you are interested battling hordes of goblins, freeing people from elf prisons, or sneaking past dragons, The Hobbit has you covered.

The Hobbit is a perfect example of a storybook coming to life right before your eyes. I was captivated from the opening movie to the climatic finish. The story does justice to the original book it was based on and any liberties that were taken are small and only for the sake of better gameplay. There is a perfect mix of action, adventure, and platform gameplay that makes The Hobbit one of those rare hybrid games that will appeal to several types of gamers of all age groups. You might want to hold off on a purchase until the price drops, but anyone who loves the works of Tolkien or just looking for a family-friendly game will definitely want to play The Hobbit.

This game is a typical platform game, with nothing innovative or new, but one that is designed competently and with skill. The exploration, combat, puzzles, quests and item collecting are standard fare in most games of this type, but there's nothing wrong with doing things done before, as long as they're fun, which in this case, they are.

Mich persönlich störte lediglich die Gewöhnungsbedürftige, manchmal etwas zickige Kameraführung. Dennoch sollten jüngere Jump & Run-Fans unbedingt einen Blick auf dieses knuffige Erlebnis werfen.

The Hobbit is a well-made adventure game that will absolutely provide a good amount of entertainment and satisfaction for those seeking it. But at the same time the title falls a little short thanks to a general lack of polish and overall difficulty.

Finalement, ceux qui devinaient dans Bilbo Le Hobbit un jeu sans grande prétention avaient vu juste. Non seulement le soft souffre de grosses lacunes de gameplay mais en plus il ne restitue pas assez fidèlement l'atmosphère du roman original. A voir uniquement si vous ne voulez pas passer à côté de tout ce qui a trait à l'oeuvre de Tolkien.

With the current glut of Tolkien-inspired games focusing directly on the brutal, tragic stories of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit offers up a story that's less dire and more of an enjoyable romp. The story still stands up, but the game that has been wrapped around it simply cannot keep up its end of the bargain. The experience it offers just isn't as engaging or inventive as its source material.

Bilbo's adventure borrows quite a bit from The Legend of Zelda, and so the comparisons come fast and easy. Let's be honest: Zelda is the real deal. The Hobbit is comparatively linear and visually ordinary. It does, though, have different goals. In attempting to translate a famed fantasy novel into the open-ended world of gaming, Sierra has produced an adventure that allows for enough puzzling, sidetracking, and combat for both gamers that love the book, and gamers who only love a fun game. The younger crowds and Tolkien fanatics will find a lot to like here, but veteran gamers may feel as if they're in all too familiar territory.

It's not that The Hobbit's action is executed poorly. At its best, the game's a solid little romp, with tricky puzzles and some truly exciting sequences (the encounter with Smaug in the end, for example, which almost makes the 10 or so hours' worth of gameplay seem worth it). These small sparks of inspiration are too infrequent, however, and they get buried in the seen-it-all-before platform gameplay that occupies most of your play time. The audiovisuals don't do much to carry The Hobbit, either -- the game's cutesy-poo Jim Henson's Hobbit Babies look will turn off much of its potential audience before they even have a chance to become hooked on this platform romp.

Tolkien’ s work has inspired heaps of amazing art, music, film, animation, and at least one good video game (hint: its not this one). But this revisionist take on The Hobbit is aimed squarely at making a quick buck by riding Peter Jackson’s coattails.

Finally (because I almost forgot about them) there is the matter of The Hobbit's puzzles. Most of these involve treasure chests with timing-based mini-games instead of locks. Screw up and you might get burned or poisoned (and reeeally frustrated). There are also some wonderful puzzles where you have to find all the gears and bolts needed to repair a gate. I think at one point there are three of these in a row, and they’re identical. Sweeet.