Amazon.co.uk Review
Believe it or not, there are some Tolkien fans that don't like the Peter Jackson movies, and for them in particular this GBA version of
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is perfect, since it's based on the book alone. Much like its home console brethren, the game covers the first book in Tolkien's trilogy, starting with Bilbo's leaving party and then centring on his nephew Frodo as he attempts to take the One Ring to Mount Doom where it can be destroyed-–although, as with the book, the story ends on the banks of the river Anduin. Of particular interest is the fact that the game includes the various sections from the book that the movie left out, including fan favourite characters such as Tom Bombadil.
The game itself is a role-playing game viewed from an isometric perspective. Although you start off controlling Frodo you can eventually add all nine members of the fellowship to your party and switch between controlling any one of them at any time. Combat is, in the Japanese style, turn-based, which does at least allow all of your characters to fight onscreen at the same time.
Although it manages to simulate the world of Middle Earth fairly well, this game is not without its faults. There are numerous bugs, the animation of the characters makes combat sometimes painfully slow, and too much of the book's dialogue is unnecessarily truncated. Still, if you're a Tolkien fan and you've finished reading the books on the bus to work, you could do worse than try the game instead. --David Jenkins
Product Description
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a single player lite-RPG where the player follows the storyline of the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's saga. Throughout the game, the player will have control over the Fellowship members, at times controlling up to nine characters at once. This title is considered a lite-RPG since it will streamline the usual number-crunching found in most RPGs and simplify it to a more action-oriented, quick-paced format. Combat is turn-based, like most RPGs, but will provide a default AI that will control character actions if the player so chooses.
Gameplay will take place across a vast area based on the Middle-earth locations from Tolkien's books. Backgrounds will be beautifully realistic and faithful to Tolkien's descriptions, created from 3D models with rendered shadows. A semi-linear structure will allow the player to explore and experiment while still experiencing the narrative events of the books, allowing the game to be open to greater possibilities while still remaining faithful to the story.
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