In 1937 J.R.R Tolkien delivered The Hobbit and, after the publication of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Middle-Earth was born. More than seventy years later, Middle-Earth has been reinterpreted in every media type imaginable. From early PC releases (there was a version done in 1990 by Interplay), to the Super Nintendo, and to the next-generation console; its history has varied. Early games focused on the first book of the LotR trilogy, Fellowship of the ring. Since Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy; however, there is more focus on the entire story. Early games utilized the RPG arch-type but more recent adaptations have exposed us to several RTS and action/adventure games. This leads us to the newest member of the LotR video game family: Lord of the Rings: Conquest.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest was developed by Pandemic Studios of Battlefront fame. It is a strategy/action/adventure that offers two single player or multiplayer campaigns and an online multiplayer. Set up like the Battlefront games (complete with the colon), LotR: Conquest lets you assume the role of a soldier or, occasionally, a hero. At the beginning of each map, campaign or multiplayer, you select from one of four classes. The warrior specializes in melee combat. He has more health than the other classes and his ranged attack can knock over foes. The archer is a ranged class that functions like a third-person shooter. He has special arrows that knock over foes, poison enemies, or hit multiple enemies at once. The scout is a melee combatant that can turn invisible. He can backstab enemies, heroes included, for one hit kills. His ranged attack is an explosive. The mage is a ranged combatant that can charge up lightning to hit multiple foes. He has special attacks that knock enemies back, set up fire walls, and can heal allies. Whenever he blocks he forms an orb that deflects all projectiles. Each class is diverse and a team cannot win the day with just one class. However, their diversity is lost in the shoddy combat.
Hit detection with melee combats is abysmal. Swinging swords will catch you out of nowhere and once a combo has been initiated, if the player or bot follows through, you cannot get away from it. You spend your entire energy bar to knock the foe back, but this leaves you without any specials to fight back with. There were instances when I would be knocked down by a combo and, while I was on the ground, another combo was put to use on my backside, resulting in my death. This occurs so frequently that playing feels masochistic. To further complicate everything, the camera is placed far too close to the character. Enemies will shoot and slash you without ever being visible on your screen. They give you radar but the chaotic nature of the combat makes it more ornamental than useful. You can also play as trolls and ents which act as vehicles of destruction. They are extremely powerful characters than can kill all but the warrior in one attack. They do exhibit weaknesses. Melee characters can climb on their backs and remove half their life via a quick time event. Archers deal extra damage with headshots while aiming and each class can set ents ablaze with their fire attacks. They make for a change in the pace during the campaigns and a strong arm in multiplayer.
The campaign is divided into two portions. The good campaign is available at the beginning with the evil version available after completing the good. Both campaigns use footage of Peter Jackson’s films between battles with the good campaign following the story and the evil campaign setting up a “what if Frodo didn’t destroy the ring” scenario. In this campaign you reclaim the one ring and the armies of Sauron destroy Middle-Earth. Incorporated scenarios that never happened (they only discussed attacking Minas Morgul) in the novels lengthen the playing experience, but, with only a six hour length (combined) and only a one hour buffer before the gameplay becomes repetitive, the campaigns are throw away. The biggest issue I had with the campaign was the use of an outdated lives system. The lives system forces the player to think about his actions on the battlefield. Thanks to the combat system and the terrible ally AI, you will die, a lot. There were multiple times that I would have to capture a point and battle 20 foes while the ally AI played scrabble. On top of this, each map has a terrible narrator that demands you capture point A, destroy point B, protect hero C, or remind you that you only have one reinforcement left after failing to do all three. If you lose that life, you have to start the whole battle over again. Each battle only takes about 20-30 minutes, but losing that last life to a rogue archer, or water you thought you could swim in, is frustrating. Actually, I was frustrated most of the time I played LotR: Conquest. The only pull resides in the title, Lord of the Rings. Defending Minas Tirith as Gandalf is always going to be exciting even if it’s released on the Commodore 64 and plays like Missile Command.
I would view the campaigns as forgivable distractions if the online multiplayer was entertaining (I did for Halo 3). After taking its multiple game modes for a spin, I was thoroughly disappointed. Online multiplayer has both unranked and ranked matches that use Battlefront 2’s modes: capture the territories (Conquest), capture the flag (capture the ring), deathmatch, and hero deathmatch. Each game has eight players on each side with small to medium sized maps. Multiplayer is where each class finally get to do what it does best. In the campaign, you are a one man army. Choosing a class becomes purely aesthetic. In multiplayer, if they are using a lot of archers, a mage can deflect their arrows. If they are using too many mages, charge in with a warrior to wreak some havoc. There are gleams of strategy throughout the multiplayer but they are doused by the chaotic and faulty combat. Instead of bots killing you with one combo, a player does. The different modes offer nothing new. I don’t know how many different versions of a flag I have captured. I personally enjoyed the hero deathmatches because strategy wasn’t involved and I got to run around as Frodo and take out Nazgul. While there is room for sixteen players, it’s too many. This may sound crazy but less is better. It’s difficult for a gamer to gather eight people at the same time online to allow for strategy. Six on six with slightly smaller maps would give players a little room to get friends together and make pick up groups easier. Pandemic’s attempt to create a large scale experience through the eyes of the average soldier crippled its multiplayer. As many problems as the online has, it is the premiere experience.
Middle-Earth is a lush and beautiful world and LotR: Conquest doesn’t do it justice. The graphics look like a refined version of Star Wars: Battlefront II. The toned down graphics were probably the result of getting the best image out of the most models on screen at once. The characters have few facial expressions and their bodies are blocky. It is a poor representation of what the consoles can do visually. Pandemic also cut corners in the music department. The game’s soundtrack is a song for song rip of Howard Shore’s movie soundtrack. LotR: Conquest may be disappointing but it’s not a complete failure. It passes out achievements like their cheap candy and there is a certain charm when playing as your favorite characters. It also draws heavily from the movies and, like it did to me, might reignite your desire to watch them. Yet, none of these traits make for great gameplay. With short campaigns, frustrating combat, and chaotic multiplayer LotR: Conquest feels like a $60 reminder that Peter Jackson makes awesome movies.
