| | |  | Computer Gaming | Home » » The Lord of the Rings The Third Age | | | | | | | Description: | | Lord Of The Rings: Third Age allows fans to explore the world of Middle-Earth from an entirelynew perspective. Players get a chance to fight alongside or against key characters from The Lord of the Rings, like Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Eowyn, even the Balrog. Travel in the wake of the Fellowship, exploring your own path while intersecting with major characters and events from the films. Choose to align yourself with the people of Middle-Earth or undertake missions on behalf of Sauron. See the action from any angle, with the user-controlled cameras. Uncover various side quests as you discover hidden characters, secret weapons, and powerful items Voiceovers from the original actors and footage from all three The Lord of the Rings films | | | Features: | |
• In-depth skill system lets players upgrade and customize their hero or villain
• Relive exciting moments from the film trilogy -- from fighting the Balrog in the Mines Of Moria to fighting the Battle Of Helm's Deep
• Play as all-new characters from the Middle-Earth saga, interacting with the classic heroes and villains of the film
• Innovative turn-based combat system as you ride horses or Wargs through massive armies
• Free-roaming adventure as you explore a beautiful and realistic game world
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 7.5 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.25 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.5 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.2 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.2 pounds | | Release Date:
| June 15, 2006 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 43 reviews |
| | | Game Information: | | | Platform:
| Xbox | | Media:
| Video Game | | Item Quantity:
| 1 |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 43 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 47 found the following review helpful:
 Fun, but very mass marketNov 16, 2004
By Rocco
Sincerely, it is difficult to rate this game.
It has all it needs to be considered a good game, but also has some issues:
Graphics 9/10: Simply great and beautiful. The landscape looks as if it comes directly out of the movie.
Story 7/10: this is where I think hardcore LOTR fans will be divided from Mass Market customers. The story is a bit of a slap in the face for anybody who read or loves Tolkien. Your party is basically always 5 minutes behind the company of the ring. Especially at the beginning of the game... a bit too much for somebody but very appealing for those who would like to feel as if they were in some way part of the trilogy story line.
Sound 10/10: how could it be better?
Gameplay 5/10: Weird things go on in 3rd age.
*Monsters appear from nowhere while you go around on the 3D world map.
*You can only use three members of your party as you work through fights. Since your characters will become stronger as they use their abilities, the fourth guy you leave out will soon be so behind the other ones he will almost be useless.
*You can't cast healing spells while not in combat. At least I didn't manage to. So either you use items or your wait for a fight.
*Each character has a skill set. For example, the elf has healing powers. Everytime you use one of those powers, her "spirit skill" will go up by a point. Once you achieve enough points you unlock the next skill. Since you use skills in combat it becomes paramount to use the most possible everytime.
*No game economy. No shops. No buying and selling stuff. No random NPC encounters. Low feeling of being part of an "alive" world.
Overall the game is fun but it really is not an RPG. It seems that RPGs have gone down to define every game where your character grows during the game and you can personalize her. Not true. Role playing is about playing a role, and you really don't get this in 3rd Age.
Plus the fact you have no possibility of roaming freely the land, you don't buy and sell stuff, and every treasure you find is in a nice chest. Yes, chests everywhere: in Moria, in the Mountains, in Fangorn...always chests.
Bottom line
Buy this game if:
1) you are a LOTR fan, liked the movies and like simple RPGs.
2) you are LOTR fan and will own anything with LOTR written on it.
3) you mildy like the LOTR and you like fantasy.
4) you like "simple RPGs."
Don't buy this game if you were hurt by all the differences the LOTR movies had from the book. This game would kill you.
HINT/SPOILER: to gain "specialization points" have the Gondorian learn "Company Grace." This will give you a boost in AP (action points) every round. You need these to use your skills. Go through a fight and once you have only one foe alive, use the dwarf to cast "stone shield" on the Gondorian. This will grant him physical immunity for a while. Then use the Gondorian and "taunt" the last foe. Your enemy will only attack the fighter from Gondor. At that point just start using skills. Your enemy will wast attacks and you will gain a specialization point every round. Remember to have "company grace" always active and to recast "stone shield" once it expires.
20 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 Rules Them All (If you like Japanese-style RPGs)Nov 17, 2004
By Joshua Davis
I'm surprised to see as many negative reviews as I have for this game. I think the problem is that a lot of people are used to American style RPGs and don't understand that this is supposed to be a Japanese-style RPG.
In a nutshell, American style RPGs tend to let you create your character at the outset and focus on exploration and decision-making that affects the course of the game. You could call it a D&D approach. Japanese-style RPGS, on the other hand, tend to give you a predetermined character which you use to progress through a long, mostly linear storyline. They usually use anime style graphics and feature lengthy cutscenes.
In my opinion, this game is an excellent execution of the Japanese-style RPG. The graphics are beautiful, the audio is perfect, the storyline is excellent, the cutscenes are literally feature-film quality, and the turn-based battles are modeled on the outstanding combat system used in Final Fantasy X. If any of that sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend picking this one up.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
A fun game, but some misleading info on the box/siteNov 30, 2004
By Megan Kruljac
Like other reviewers have mentioned, this game is turn-based style so those who enjoy Final Fantasy set-ups and the like will enjoy combat. Certain character customization is fun. Note though: you do not create your character, you simply have the ability to select what skills or attributes they attain as they level up or gain experience in a certain field, and these are typically limited to two choices. Of course, you do have lots of choices with armor/weapon/etc combos.
Some misleading info on the box/site:
- Evil mode. You do NOT replay the game as (I thought) the box suggested. (It says an "expansive mini-game"... nothing "expansive" about it.) Rather, as you complete a chapter the evil mode is unlocked and you replay 2-3 combat scenes as evil chars. For example, once your party completes Moria, you replay three battles: one as a group of goblins, one as two trolls, and one as the balrog. Once completed you attain a few items you can then give to your "good party" who will continue on with their adventure. Evil mode "mini-games" last less than ten minutes a piece.
- Side quests/free play. You very rarely have the opportunity to talk to others and have no control over your player response. Most of the side quests are required to get through the chapter, and if you don't complete the unrequired ones you only hurt your party (so far as XP) and they will be weaker once they progress.
Other cons with this game:
- You cannot buy/sell items.
- 2 of the 6 chars feel superfluous - they don't contribute much and feel like a waste of time and XP that could go to the stronger bunch.
- The guide inside tells you almost nothing about how to play, spells involved, etc. This becomes irritating as you face stronger foes who cast spells that you have no idea what they do (until after you finish the chapter and replay as them), and this can really hurt your party during combat since you won't know how to repond.
- There is a very corny love story. (Not a "con" per se, but the video cut-outs about it I find annoying and lame.)
Pros about this game:
- Oddly addicting, despite its repetitiveness.
- Gandalf narrates your own story as you move through the game.
- Awesome graphics.
- Awesome music from the movie.
- Very fun to use certain characters from the movie in the occasional battle scene (i.e. you get to control Gandalf along with three of your party members when facing the Balrog)
- You have some control over choosing what spells, abilities, etc. your char learns next
- Interesting battles in places not focussed on to heavily in the movie, like Osgiliath
- Multiplayer option you can start and end at any time without having to create a separate 2-player game
Overall, I really enjoyed this game once I got over my disappoint from what I felt was misleading info on the box and site.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Not as bad as people say...Aug 10, 2005
By J. Bailey
"baileyrh"
I have to disagree with most reviews on this site. I find this game to be a great deal of fun--but I like RPG's and level building and I like the gameplay because it reminds me of some of my favorites--like Final Fantasy.
For people who aren't retarded (defined by those who blow through a game in 10 hours designed to be done in 40 hours), this game is a blast. There MOST DEFINITELY ARE areas to level build, and it can be quite rewarding. I have some of the higher level spells for Hadhod and am quite pleased.
The difficulty is easily adjusted for all skill levels and the gameplay is addicting.
There are several faults, however: it is true that the game is too linear. The graphics are also terrible--except for the stationary stuff like the scenery, which makes for a beautiful Middle Earth. There are hardly ever multiple paths to explore, and there are never secrets to be found. Also, you have to ignore the plot of the Tolkien world to appreciate this game at all--not that this plot is terrible (its bad, but not terrible), it just doesn't fit with the Lord of the Rings.
Despite those things, it is just too much fun to fight through the Mines of Moria, or take on hordes of Orcs, or fight the Balrog with Gandalf on your team. I can't get enough. It's great fun level building, as there are a great number of skills to be learned with each character, and most are unique. Some are quite awe-inspiring.
I'd recommend this game--especially at these reduced prices.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 What a STINKER!Jul 21, 2005
By Eric N. Reifert
"Old Gamer"
It sounds like a great idea at first. The "Lord of the Rings" books are about a group of heroes that save Middle Earth. But they could not do it single-handed. So let's make a game that follows a group of lesser known heroes through the adventure behind the adventure. Sure, SOUNDS like a good idea.
It Isn't.
At least it isn't in this disappointment of a game. Don't get me wrong, the graphics and sound are superb, what you would expect from an epic game with such a famous name. But the substance is pathetic. You play a Gondorian who is following Boromir to Rivendale and gets entangled in a parallel adventure to the Fellowship. But it perverts the tale. You wind up fighting the Balrog next to Gandalf, you end up fighting next to every hero at Helm's deep. You destroy all 9 of the Ring Wraiths, single-handed! Come on! To make it even worse, they could not secure all of the actors to lend their voices to the game, so they just used lines from the movie! And the lines are not even used in the same context. A 10 year old with a dual tape deck could come up with better executed dialogue.
The not-so-apparent love story will take you by surprise. You will say "Hey, when did they take the time to fall in love?".
And to top it all off, you wind up fighting the "Eye of Sauron", magically appearing on top of the black tower en-masse to do battle with a flaming apparition! So much for Frodo's menial task!
To sum up, don't waste your time. Spend the money on the books and read them under a shady tree. It's a much more worthwhile task.
See all 43 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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