New info on LOTR The Third Age RPG

[Guest]

[MakTheYak]

I think that Nintendo have the highest quality of franchise games like Zelda, Mario and Metroid. Sony for some reason has easily the largest installed base of machines but they own no major games franchise. They simply leave it to all the publishers to make the games for the most part. This is why PS2 has such a large library but the percentage of good games is quite low.

Now Nintendo own some of the best, most popular and most respected titles in the industry but people have shyed away from their latest machine. The general concensus is that it is for kids and all the games available for it are "Kiddy". With the latest version of the Zelda franchise being released in Cel Shaded cartoon format then you can sort of see why, but with other exclusives such as Resident Evil which are definitely aimed at adult players you start to wonder why again. The controller is bright and colourful with big buttons, yes I guess the machine looks a bit dumbed down but let me tell you a more comfortable controller I have never used - it fits into hands of all sizes unlike the original X Box controller for which you needed Hagrid sized hands to play.

On the subject of X Box, Microsoft have done quite well, in America at least. They have shifted a large number of machines, although in Europe they haven't done nearly so well. But at what cost? Microsoft's Games Division are millions (possibly billions) of dollars in the red because of the amount of money they lost on each machine sold. They hoped to make it up in software sales but it's a bit crazy when the only decent games available that you can't get on other machines are Halo and Halo 2! I haven't played either of them but they are the only games that even make me THINK about buying an X Box.

Microsoft make a lot of simulations for the PC which are pretty successful I believe especially the fight sims (not sure how well the train sim did - sounds deathly boring to me!) They also back plenty of studios and fund them to develop exclusive games for the 'Box but when it comes to sheer muscle, EA (Electronic Arts) are king. They have to be the biggest games developer and they have several titles out each month! They make games spanning all genres and the most surprising thing is that they are generally of an average to high quality. They are constantly buying up smaller companies and at the rate it's going I can see there ending up just a few main publishers developing for the few main systems.

Not that I agree with their working practises (and their annoying little "Challenege EVERYTHING" catchphrase) as they have very recently been involved in a lot of contrversy about their working conditions - apparently people are made to work 8am-10pm with only Sundays off, and when the game reaches "Crunch time" (apparently about 20% in to the development) they don't even get Sundays off! Howa re you suppposed to work like that? Then after the game is finished instead of a well earned break they could just as easily get transferred into another project which just entered crunch time. And they didn't even pay overtime! That's illegal and I think we are going to see them land in a lot of trouble. But that is yet to come.

Anyway, what was my original point? Oh yes, Microsoft has a long way to go and while they continue to dominate the operating system market they have a lot to learn about the games market and let's hope they continue getting some healthy competition from the likes of Nintendo and Sony. We shall see what they have learned with the release of X Box 2....

[MakTheYak]

And just to prove my point, I just read this cartoon as soon as I finished writing!


If the strip is not showing, check out http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20041116 and click refresh

[Goofyjas]

Oh.. you mean
X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X X B O X

whats wrong with that?

Nintendo has the better games because what system was out when you were younger? Nintendo so all the clasics are cool. which I think has some spark and brings in people our age. My brother has a Gamecube, there really arent many games I would ever buy or play on it, besides like mario, zelda, metriod ect.

I think the GC controller is ok, but the buttons are just places all wrong. atleast for me, the XBrick ( big controller) isnt that bad, I dont have huge hands and have no problems

I mean I think al the systems have the ups and downs. I have access to all 3, I play all 3. it doesnt bother me which but i do prefer X B O X because of the controller ( fits ME best) Never got along with the PS2 controller
everyone thinks different though. I do agree that Microsoft has a better jump, I mean if you look at PS1, PS2 then PSx what did they change? Look at X box and XBrick2 see the difference? and I dont even know what nintendo is going besides handheld which seems they have the market on that all locked up.

anyway everyone loves a different system, or companies, I just go with what works for me best, oh and what I can hack so I never have to buy a game

[MakTheYak]

Nintendo has the better games because what system was out when you were younger? Nintendo so all the clasics are cool. which I think has some spark and brings in people our age. My brother has a Gamecube, there really arent many games I would ever buy or play on it, besides like mario, zelda, metriod ect.

Yeah, that's true. There are no exclusive games for the 'cube that you would probably buy but most of the good non-exclusive games are available so the choice is still massive. The point, I have told myself that I'll buy Nintendo consoles in the future and not bother buying any games apart from Nintendo's games, unless there is something exceptional. Why? It's simple - Nintendo's games are so good and so fun that you don't NEED any other games to play. And for me, time is an issue and so I probably wouldn't ever have time to play any other games even if I did buy them.

[savage727]

Very interesting conversations especially the likes and dislikes of various consoles and why.  I agree Mark that EA is a powerhouse but I had no idea of what sounds like slave labor working conditions programming for EA.  They must either pay well or get young studs and hold onto to them until they smarten up and leave for another compay after they get some experience under their belt.    

I have had a Nintendo, PS1 and now PS2.  I started with the PS1 and had a blast with the variety of games available.  The fell in love with the James Bond Shooter for Nintendo and the graphics and that is why I purchased that console.  Had fun playing Doom 2 and a few other shooters on this one.  Went to the PS2 for more power and better graphics when it came out and have got my moneys worth out of this system with some great games played.  I have no interest in the XBrick as the difference in capabilities is not great enough to make me buy it and as Mark says - for what - 2 games, Halo and Halo2.  I don't think so.

I invested big bucks into a state of the art Dell computer to play games and that is where I am going to stay for now.

[Goofyjas]

DUDE!!!!!!!!!
You wasted your money on a dell!

I hate dell more then anything on this planet!
Well it maybe second

oh I shiver in the thought of a dell computer

Why did you choose dell if I can ask

Oh update on the LOTR, kicked gothmogs arse! but then I run through and fight little fights like in the movie in osgilath, 3-5 here 3-5 there and every once in a while the WK shows up and fellbeast is a meany! beat him a few times but he got me at a bad time. tonight I SLAY HIM! it, whatever!

But i am liking the game alot o n my B R I C K ! ( and i even put that in on my own for ya mark

I do have to coment on PS2 VS X box though, if you look at PS1 compared to PS2, then compare to PSx is what it is called right? PS3? and then X box and X box 2..I just dont see what sony is thinking when the PS3 isnt better then the current system out X box..but people buy them becuase of games and likes for the previous.

I dont hate people who have what they like, i do think it is weird everyones opinion though

[savage727]

Hi Jason:

I like the tie in to the Dell "Dude" commercials!!    I picked Dell because a good number of my friends have them and they were very happy with the choice.  Also the company I worked for had an employee discount with Dell as they provide quite a bit of equipment to the financial services company I worked for.

Keep up the good job with the LOTR's game!  

I honestly have not kept up with what Sony is doing with the next generation console system or Microsoft with the X2 so I can't comment there.  My reasoning in also purchasing the Dell was to move away from console gaming and more into the type of gaming I am interested in - flight sims and battle/strategy games.  

[Goofyjas]

Beat the game last night, Sauron killed me once but after i tried something he was like a normal orc

So game over was worth the 25 hours played

[savage727]

Great job Jason!!  Is there replay value to this game or do you assume one character and follow through the whole game as that person?

[Goofyjas]

Well when you start out with one char, then pic up a second, then 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, but you can only use 3 at a time. though you can swap them out on there turns you only get 3 people on the battle line at once.

So you pick 3 and fight and bring in the others as needed, well I did.
There is some replay Becuase as you go on in the game you unlock the Evil mode and I played that. When I played evil mode the computer ( who was good now) had all the upgrades that even I couldnt get throughout the game some very good, and I still won eveil mode in a couple hours, was pretty cool being the WK, gothmog ect and killing the good guys I liked the evil mode though I wish there was more, fight after fight after fight alot faster pase then the other mode so was sorta cool, and when you kill the good guys you earn items for your own good guys was neat though I killed them all very easy.

I mean when the computer got 3 turns in a row they attacked different people, I would attack the healer, kill her off then pick one and kill them one at a time. was pretty easy so I guess Me > X box, lotr 3rd age AI

Good game, I woul say try it if you liked the lord series or RPGs

whats next though

( oh i couldnt be sauron, if i was i would expect 3-4 turns i would win )

[Goofyjas]

oh one more thing. I played on hard mode, difficult and if i couldnt get something ( died 10+ times) I tried normal and moved it back

I did beat sauron in diff though it was sorta cheap how easy he really was
though he was about 2 feet wide on my TV

[savage727]

Hi Jason:

Thanks for all the info on this interesting game.  I have it on my list of things to buy!  

[rns91294]

I personally am a huge PS2 fan.  I can not wait for the PS3 to come out, but it will still a while for that to happen.  I was torn between this game and Prince of Persia 2 for a gift for my husband, and just went out and bought PoP2 instead of this.  He has only played ROTK and liked it, but I know he loved PoP1.  Would you recommend this gmae for him as a b-day gift?  Maybe I can get a nice used one on eBay for a good price by May.

[MakTheYak]

Ah another Taurus, huh? What day is his birthday on? I've heard that the 19th is the coolest day in May to have a birthday

[savage727]

WOW - what a shameless plug for the Head Yak's own Birthday!!  

[rns91294]

Ah another Taurus, huh? What day is his birthday on? I've heard that the 19th is the coolest day in May to have a birthday

Sorry to dissapoint you, but he is a Gemini, born May 30.  However, I myself, born April 27, am a Taurus!!