The Hobbit

The Good
Well, the controls are pretty simple, as this is your standard adventure, jumping etc. game. There certainly is some nice treasure hunting (which will add health points and allow you to buy items). The voice acting is pretty good and the running length is decent.

The Bad
Well, the graphics are annoyingly cartoony. It's really a shame the graphics weren't more like the Lord of the Rings games. The battles lack the kind of epic scale that was in the books (would you call an army of goblins 30?) and the enemy AI borders on pathetic sometimes. Stand in a particular spot that is slightly elevated above the other terrain and the screaming hordes (ok, maybe 2 or 3 guys usually) will either run around or just walk away and ignore you. Some of the stealth is terrible also. Enemies that don't get alerted when you hit them in the head with a rock? All the added material that the game puts in the levels is pretty annoying. Remember when in the goblin caves, Bilbo had to get these gears to activate these lifts so he could get the wart stone to bribe the goblin guard so he would let him through? No, I sure don't. Too much of the game feels like a chore. Go across great chasm to get crystal door knob, go back to activate the golden doo-hickey, then you can travel to search for the platinum whats-it. Then you activate the purple lift blah blah blah. Oh, and most of the enemies look like something you'd get out of a McDonalds Happy Meal.

The Bottom Line
This game is unfortunately another casualty of game developers rushing a game in time for an event be it Christmas, or the opening of a movie. If you're a big Tolkien fan, then renting this game should be sufficient.