Middle Earth Ranger Forum

For any who aren't gamers but are interested in taking a look: a composite "movie" from the game has been posted to youTube.

There's a LOT the Tolkien purist might dislike, of course (the Ithilian Rangers can make gunpowder? Really? ugh).
And of course the constant fight scenes are interminable - though that's to be expected, given the different medium.

BUT..

The flashbacks to Eregion of the Second Age were really REALLY well realized I thought. Seeing "pretty" Sauron / Annatar brought to the screen was especially well done: the blend of grace and malice was chilling.

For those who don't want to scrub through 2.5 hours of video game footage, I think most of the good bits have been repurposed by a fan in the "LOTRTales" youTube channel (perhaps without sound/dialog?) - but watched from either source, they're worth a look I think.

This modern age.. when the last bit of gold can be refined from the derivative muck in the raw ore - is full of fun surprises.



(and as an aside, seeing a Ranger (not Aragorn) fight with a broken sword (not Narsil) was also a nice bit of fan service, I must say)

I know that I am a bit late to this thread, but this game has my full endorsement. I've sunk many hours into it and played it to absolute completion. There are many things to criticize about the main story if inclined, but it is how the thing exists as a game that is most captivating. The combat is really fluid once you get the hang of it, and it really gives the feeling a ranger might get enveloped in a horde of orcs. At some points, you feel infinitesimal, one against many, and at others, you feel like something great and terrible that orcs should fear. And they do.

I spent most of the game shunning the main plot to create my own adventures, as I often do in RPGs (read: Skyrim). When you are killed by an orc, he gets promoted and becomes more powerful, and when you meet again, he will be sure to throw it in your face. Those rivalries give you that Thorin-Azog hatred and it gives you ambition for revenge - and that revenge can take many forms.

The lore may be bent here and there, but I am always a fan of a new medium that takes us away from Frodo's quest (and the Peter Jackson depictions of the characters). Middle-Earth is vast and deep, and there are plenty points in its history to explore other stories (or in this case, create new ones). I, personally, loved the flashback treatment of Celebrimbor and the creation of the rings. Sauron without the armor and mace is much more captivating.

Bit of a ramble, but that is my two shillings worth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeioYUIlAqI

^
Behind the Scenes.

I'd seen it before I came here