- Publisher: EA Games
- Release Date: Nov 2, 2004
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With a familiar world to explore and many ways to do so, you play The Third Age over and over.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Game InformerFilled with amazing battles and worthy strategy, and anchored by strong gameplay. [Dec 2004, p.166]
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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.
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AceGamezA 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.
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It's involving, very, very slick, and you really do feel part of an ongoing quest. Oh yeah, and there's no hobbits either.
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GMR MagazineFrustrating but not impossible, The Third Age brings genuine LOTR authenticity and a believable RPG together - a fellowship that works. [Jan 2005, p.112]
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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.
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A lightweight, easy but solid RPG that has no famous faces, little chance to make choices and hardly any fresh ideas. [GamesMaster]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Character and story are two vital parts of RPGs. The Third Age fails in both departments.
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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.
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It takes more than formulaic adventuring and dusty turn-based combat to craft a role-playing title worthy of the LOTR name.
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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.
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PSM MagazineThis is too much like going to see a tribute band instead of the real thing. [Holiday 2004, p.73]
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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]
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TotalGames.netThere'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.
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Play MagazineBetter suited for those who want to play an impressive companion piece to the movies rather than play a compelling RPG. [Dec 2004, p.62]
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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]
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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]
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BoomtownThere is tactical depth, but it’s more busywork than anything else, given that despite your choices, the game is still relatively easy.
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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.
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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.
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While the battle system is solid, the battles themselves are dreadfully boring.
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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.
Awards & Rankings
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92
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50
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#50 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2004
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29
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#29 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2004
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 59 out of 89
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Mixed: 25 out of 89
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Negative: 5 out of 89
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Jun 14, 2012
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GeoA.Jan 5, 2005I liked it a lot because it was so realistic it felt as though you were living the trilogy.
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JohnJan 2, 2005The best RPG to date.