Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The

Game Chronicles

With a familiar world to explore and many ways to do so, you play The Third Age over and over.

Warcry

This game does have a truly compelling story though. I found myself playing till I could not look at the screen any longer. The addition of the movie footage with Ian McKellen narrating a completely different story was genius.

GameZone

While the game is a little bit on the simple side with its RPG elements, The Third Age offers up a compelling blend of great gameplay, fantastic graphics and sound, and a faithful representation of the Lord of the Rings universe.

PGNx Media

The Third Age, the company’s entry into the traditional RPG genre, takes some liberties with the Lord of the Rings story but matches it with conventional RPG gameplay to produce a compelling RPG.

GameBiz

It’s not quite the free-range RPG that we’ve been hoping for where we can prance along the fields on horses playing as Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli permanently, but its close enough to make for a great game.

3DAvenue

With a pinch of a few extended scenes from the upcoming ROTK Extended Edition, an exorbitant amount of film footage with narration by Sir Ian Mckellen and Sir Christopher Lee, the game is packed with lots to watch and places to explore. It comes highly recommended.

Game Informer

Filled with amazing battles and worthy strategy, and anchored by strong gameplay. [Dec 2004, p.166]

IGN

This combat heavy RPG delivers the goods, although some die hard RPG fans may be put off by its overly streamlined approach. The action is fast, with no lulls in gameplay from beginning to end.

GMR Magazine

Frustrating but not impossible, The Third Age brings genuine LOTR authenticity and a believable RPG together - a fellowship that works. [Jan 2005, p.112]

Gamer.tv

It's involving, very, very slick, and you really do feel part of an ongoing quest. Oh yeah, and there's no hobbits either.

Yahoo! Games

The game lacks the complicated character advancement common in the genre, but it's fast-paced, looks and sounds great, and will keep casual RPG and Lord of the Rings fans happy.

AceGamez

A stylish RPG that authentically represents Middle Earth from the book and the film trilogy. Whilst the gameplay is both enjoyable and addictive, it is also very traditional in style and does nothing at all to further the genre.

BonusStage

You have a fun combat system, great character customization, gorgeous graphics, and enthralling audio. But on the other hand, the pathetic story, unbalanced difficulty, repetitive second half of the game, short game length, and unforgivable bugs and glitches really drag down what is largely an enjoyable game to play.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

A lightweight, easy but solid RPG that has no famous faces, little chance to make choices and hardly any fresh ideas. [GamesMaster]

GameSpot

The Third Age molds Middle-earth into a traditional turn-based frame, and while the results aren't all that great, the game carries some pretty good features and should appeal to fans of the source material.

Gaming Age

You will not find much of a challenge, or even a particularly long adventure as far as RPGs are concerned. What you will find is a game that will make you lose track of time, as you will be too engulfed in the experience.

Detroit Free Press

Unfortunately, the switch to turn-based play also means a severe reduction in how much fun it is to play cooperatively with friends. Basically each person trades off controlling one of the characters you're fighting with, which sounds like more fun than it is.

Just RPG

While the game does a nice job of allowing the player to view Middle-Earth, it just doesn't seem to work well in other areas.

PSM Magazine

This is too much like going to see a tribute band instead of the real thing. [Holiday 2004, p.73]

games(TM)

Sadly, the adventure itself is far too linear; there’s little in the way of side-quests, and you have no freedom over where you go or what you do. If you can overlook this, though, The Third Age does mix a neat battle system with a great franchise to provide a surprisingly enjoyable adventure. [Dec 2004, p.107]

Worth Playing

Does exactly what it sets out to do and no more by laying down a passable combat engine and little else. In a way it's almost refreshingly straightforward.

GamePro

It takes more than formulaic adventuring and dusty turn-based combat to craft a role-playing title worthy of the LOTR name.

GameSpy

Character and story are two vital parts of RPGs. The Third Age fails in both departments.

Gamestyle

As for size, the game suffers because it lacks the depth of its competitors, but it still manages to offer more playable hours than the previous three EA Lord of the Rings releases.

PSX Nation

The cakewalk difficulty, absence of key characters from the book/movie and uneven control schemes (turn-based battles geared toward melee combat) overwhelm one’s gaming senses more than the detailed visuals (character animations are off though) and stellar audio.

Total Video Games

This is not the best RPG title to be released this year by a long shot, but for those who wish to get into the world of Middle-Earth, The Third Age will satisfy some of the desire to become immersed in the story to a deeper level than the previous LOTR titles allowed.

TotalGames.net

There's no denying the snippets shine with sheen, but while Frodo et al are off saving the world, your party feel like impostors - the real adventure is elsewhere. And it is - in a legion of other superior RPGs.

Play Magazine

Better suited for those who want to play an impressive companion piece to the movies rather than play a compelling RPG. [Dec 2004, p.62]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

An RPG that deftly copies "Final Fantasy X" but is burdened with a story that plays more like a "deleted scenes" bonus DVD than anything coherent. [Holiday 2004, p.104]

Boomtown

There is tactical depth, but it’s more busywork than anything else, given that despite your choices, the game is still relatively easy.

Computer and Video Games

A game that feels vaguely like chewing an endless pile of cream crackers. The cream crackers of vaguely interesting turn-based combat, interspersed with the odd sultana of story and the out-of-date marshmallow of film footage. [PSW]

Game Revolution

As promising as a role-playing game based on The Lord of the Rings mythos sounds, The Third Age’s reality is one of strict linearity, wacky plot foibles, and generic turn-based action.

TotalPlayStation

An utterly average RPG gets an average score. Fantastic visuals and killer sound effects can't hide the fact that this is a marathon most gamers won't be able to finish.

G4 TV

The characters and the trials they face simply aren’t cut out for the game they inhabit, and the game feels shallow and incomplete as a result.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

While the battle system is solid, the battles themselves are dreadfully boring.