Underplayed Gems

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004)

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age cover
Developer
EA Redwood Shores
Publisher
Electronic Arts, Electronic Arts
Platforms
Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2
Genres
Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical
Rating
3.6 of 5, 56 player ratings

How it feels

A stately, turn-based journey through Middle-earth that feels like following in the Fellowship's shadow, watching iconic movie moments unfold while guiding your own band of heroes through familiar battles at a measured, deliberate pace.

epicmethodicalfantasyaccessiblecinematicstructuredslow-pacedfamiliar

About

The Lord of the Rings:The Third Age introduces entirely new characters which aren't mentioned in the books or movies. The game does relate to the movies by including scenes from all three movies, with new background speech by Ian McKellen (Gandalf). There are seven playable characters in the game which have been created specifically for it, as well a small appearances by characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Eowyn, Faramir, and Gothmog. The game covers events in all three movies/books, mostly with references to major events shown through cut scenes, or the scenes from the movies with Ian McKellan's narration. A classic RPG game, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age has gameplay elements similar to Final Fantasy, where you have a party of characters, each with a different set of skills and attributes, who gain levels, making them stronger as the game progresses. Battles are turn-based, and let the gamer make different decisions on what they want to do to change the outcome of the battle. The game travels through many areas throughout Tolkien's Middle Earth, including The Pelennor Fields and Moria.

Trailer

Screenshots

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age screenshot 1The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age screenshot 2The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age screenshot 3The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age screenshot 4The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age screenshot 5

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