The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

 Xbox
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 23
  3. Negative: 4 out of 23
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  1. Cincinnati Enquirer
    70
    The game suffers from some repetitive missions with a lot of "fetch this and find that," plus many of the camera angles are finicky.
  2. Electric Playground
    70
    The game is also pretty short--somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-12 hours to finish, and your desire to replay it will likely be minimal. All of which doesn't sound good, but I enjoyed myself playing through this familiar story.
  3. Official Xbox Magazine
    70
    LOTR's slow-paced gameplay and mission-based structure seems more suited to an action RPG, but as an action adventure it doesn't quite measure up. [Dec 2002, p.137]
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  5. Media and Games Online Network
    70
    All of the pieces were in place, the story, the setting, the characters. All of that potential was wasted though because of lack of detail and poor control and A.I.
  6. TeamXbox
    68
    The die-hard Tolkien will get a kick out of slugging and spell-casting their way through the first book of the Rings trilogy, but the casual gamer will only be disappointed by an otherwise generic action / adventure title.
  7. IGN
    67
    The game's lack of focus, sub-par AI, and unbalanced gameplay make the game mediocre at best.
  8. Gamers' Temple
    65
    Adequate but lackluster.
  9. Game Over Online
    60
    There is an initial rush and glimpse of Tolkien's novel in the early going. The ensuing action lacks punch and never arcs to a point to make any of the combat substantial.
  10. GamePro
    60
    Fails to delivery compelling gameplay.
  11. G4 TV
    60
    There is a feeling of respect for the source material present in the Xbox Fellowship that is lacking in the PS2 version. Still, the heavily flawed combat drags this title down to a great degree, effectively making about half the game into more a chore than anything else.
  12. GameNow
    58
    With a long-winded (yet basic) story and frustrating combat, the game just tends to drag on a little too much. [Dec 2002, p.63]
    All this publication's reviews
  13. Cinescape
    58
    A big problem I’ve had with the game is load times. You can walk across large plots of land with no slowdown whatsoever. But enter a house, and be prepared to sit for a while waiting for the game to load.
  14. GameSpot
    57
    Ultimately an average game at its best and a frustrating and boring one at its worst. It's also exceedingly short.
  15. netjak
    57
    The AI and combat was the first street to the road to nowhere. The second biggest flaw was the straight-edged linear gameplay.
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  16. Armchair Empire
    51
    This game is so bug-filled, I can’t believe they had the audacity to retail this game in its present state of disarray.
  17. Yahoo!
    50
    What's disappointing is that Lord of the Rings is not really that great at getting you into the action.

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2002
15
#15 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2002

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 4 out of 16
  1. Steyraus
    Mar 29, 2021
    0
    Trash, pure trash.. What an embaresment to ruin one of the most beloved IPs ever.. Controls are rubish, pacing and balancing none existant,Trash, pure trash.. What an embaresment to ruin one of the most beloved IPs ever.. Controls are rubish, pacing and balancing none existant, grapic a terible, the camera clips into faces in cut scenes, thats how little effort was put into this...One of the worst games ive ever played..… Full Review »
  2. MattyH.
    Aug 13, 2003
    3
    The greatest moment of this game was the first 2 minutes of gameplay. Then it just felt like a chore too play. Actualy, that is most of the The greatest moment of this game was the first 2 minutes of gameplay. Then it just felt like a chore too play. Actualy, that is most of the gameplay. e.g. go and find 11 lillies, run around this maze, collect all 5 piglets... and you do it all by yourself! Its supposed to be the fellowship of the ring. And the worst part when you go to first person you can only look around without moving. Not good for evading attacks. Its like doing the dishes for your Mum.… Full Review »
  3. CallumO.
    Dec 21, 2002
    8
    This game is good for the people who want to have easy levels.
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