by Vivendi Universal
| Average Rating: |
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| Sales Rank: | 4700 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $2.00 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | |
| Release Date: | 2004-07-22 |
| Label: | Vivendi Universal |
| UPC: | 020626720014 |
| Binding: | Video Game |
| Published By: | Vivendi Universal |
| ASIN: | B00008XPJH |
| Category: | Video Games |
The Hobbit Features
- Explore a 3D world filled with expansive environments
- Play massive levels in recognizable areas such as Rivendell, Mirkwood, Laketown and Lonely Mountain
- Jump, ledge grab, shimmy, climb ropes and ladders
- Play through 11 massive levels in recognizable areas such as Rivendell, Mirkwood, Laketown and Lonely Mountain.
Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions
Product Description
Set in the mythical world of Middle-Earth, The Hobbit(tm) is an action adventure game based upon J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary tale. The player will control Bilbo from his peaceful Hobbit hole in Hobbiton into the dark and harrowing Mirkwood forest and finally to the Lonely Mountain, in which lies Smaug the dragon.
Customer Reviews
Very Underrated Game - Reviewed on 2006-05-29
6 customers found this review helpful.
This game has been overlooked, or criticized, by a lot of people who (1) expect it to be the same type of game as EA's LOTR games; or (2) expect it to be a faithful "re-enactment" of Tolkien's book. Well, (1) while it is much more "cartoony" and childish than the LOTR games --so is the book much more written for children than the LOTR books were. And (2) would you REALLY want a literal re-playing of the book in a video game? Think about it. What do Bilbo and the dwarves actually DO in the book? Mostly walk, and grumble, and look for something to eat. Then when they finally get to the Lonely Mountain, they spend several more days just sitting around grumbling. Obviously the book is so much more than that, but it does not, let's face it, translate well into video game format. So of course Vivendi & co. had to make up a bunch of random, not-by-the-book "sidequests" just to give Bilbo something interesting to do while helping the dwarves get from one place to another. And it's clear that at least some of the game-makers are Tolkien fans, as evidenced by some of the peripheral things like, for example, the architecture, the runes, names of NPCs (for example, Sam Gamgee's eventual parents make an appearance as hobbit-children in the first chapter) and the fact that they made sure that Gollum has only six teeth!
As for the gameplay, I was glad to read in some of these reviews that some other adults, and even their children, found this game to be a little more difficult than they expected. This was my first ever game of the "platform-jumper" variety but even so I was distressed at times to find myself stuck at certain points, helpless to figure out a puzzle or secret or sequence of moves, or the proper camera angle at which to view a room (which can make a huge difference at times), and just dying over and over and over. I did finish it eventually, but it was a harder slog than some Teen-rated games I have played.
Which brings me to my one major problem. The ending is pretty anticlimactic. Of course, if you've read the book you know that there is a huge battle at the end, but that Bilbo has pretty much nothing to do with it. The video game creators could not, obviously, suddenly turn Bilbo Baggins into a great warrior, so for the climax of this game they basically assign Bilbo an extended timed obstacle course, which is fairly easy to finish. Actually once you get Bilbo past the giant spiders in Mirkwood, it's pretty much guaranteed that you will not be killed in battle for the rest of the game. Your major threats are drowning (Bilbo, naturally for a hobbit, cannot swim), falling from high places, getting stuck trying to figure out a puzzle and not being able to proceed further, or being spotted by Smaug (instant death). The game is still quite a challenge, and well worth finishing, but there is definitely an adrenaline letdown after the Flies and Spiders chapter which is a NIGHTMARE of giant spiders, deadly plants and wraith warriors as well as puzzles, obstacle courses and poisoned booby traps. That's pretty much the peak of the action, and after that there are 5 more chapters to go. . .
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Book Subjects
- Video Games
- Playstation 2
- (PS2)