Metareview: The Lord of the Rings Tactics
by Alan Rose 
{ Nov 18th 2005 at 9:30AM }
EA's recent licensing of the Lord of the Rings literary works is sure to extend their video game franchise beyond Peter Jackson's visionary films. In fact, next year's The Battle for Middle-earth II will incorporate a good chunk of new content from Tolkien's novels. However, tending to this new source material and crafting a solid portable adventure may have been too much for PSP owners to hope for in LOTR: Tactics.
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IGN (77/100) applauds EA%uFFFDs efforts to merge the movie and book content, but seems unimpressed with the appearance: %uFFFDWhere LOTR Tactics doesn%uFFFDt get it quite right is in the presentation%uFFFDit fails to capitalize on the persistently-cool Lord of the Rings license.%uFFFD
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GameSpot (65/100) faulted the game%uFFFDs cumbersome interface and slow pacing: %uFFFDTactics doesn%uFFFDt execute on its design particularly well. The whole game has a sluggish, clunky feel to it%uFFFDit takes a very tolerant Lord of the Rings fan to appreciate this game.%uFFFD
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GameSpy (60/100) favors the multiplayer skirmish over the solo campaign due to the lack of diversity in the game%uFFFDs units: %uFFFDSpecial skills are actually few and far between, making some of the more powerful characters (especially Sauron and the Balrog) out to be real disappointments. They just seem like everyone else.%uFFFD
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Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (1UP) (60/100) was disappointed in Tactics%uFFFD short length and recycled character models from earlier LOTR offerings: %uFFFDIt%uFFFDs a game that seems like it was designed via checklist and so it%uFFFDs thorough, with the requisite team management, fun attacks, loads of spells and varied missions. Serviceable, but uninspired.%uFFFD
What we%uFFFDre left with is a half-hearted attempt to extend the classic franchise, now two years removed from the groundbreaking films. PSP owners who need their portable Rings fix might enjoy the game%uFFFDs unique battle mechanics, but without a buddy to leverage the multiplayer component, this latest sojourn to Middle-earth will be short and unfulfilling.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kamalot @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM
It is from EA.
Is it any shock that the game is a clunky cash-in?
Boycott Electronic Arts!
zazzawazza @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM
Well I hate to say that I'm not surprised, dissapointed maybe but not surprised.
As an RPG and SRPG fan there havn't been a lot of titles to hold my interest on PSP, most of the PSP's titles have received mediocre reviews and I now refuse to get excited by the announcement of potentially enjoyable titles in development.
This one has been the last straw, come on Nippon Ichi, what happened to Makai Wars!!!
BobaFett @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM
Worst LOTR game eva...... it is purely horrid. Basically EA took their lame Third Age game and crushed it into the PSP. For an strategy/rpg title the presentation is dreadfully subpar......
I haven't played a good EA title in years.
InfoMofo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM
This looks pretty lame... I think my favorite RPG for PSP so far has actually been X-Men (which is more of an Action RPG). I would kill for a tactics RPG though...
dragonchasers @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM
Meh, I have it. It isn't so bad...but I am a LOTR fanboy.
My biggest gripe is that the difficulty is really low. But otoh my girlfriend likes that since she can play through it and have fun.
I think the presentation is pretty good. Music and video from the movies are intertwined with the gameplay. If for some reason you find the going gets tough, you can replay earlier missions and build up your characters.
Certainly not game of the year, but worth a rental, I think.