Wow, people still make and play Lord of the Rings games? I mean seriously, it’s been a while since the King returned it’s not like we’re magically going to be seeing prequels of it some 20 years in the future (OK, maybe the Hobbit). But what the hell, when EA has a franchise, they’re gonna make sure it’s milked clean.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is being developed by Pandemic Studios, the same guys behind Star Wars: Battlefront (they were acquired by EA not very long ago, you will remember). As you can probably guess, Conquest is the Lord of the Rings version of Battlefront (which in turn was a Star Wars version of the Battlefield series). Hmm.
In the epic struggle between good and evil, you get to pick your side. The game will get you up close and personal with Lord of the Rings’ mass scale battles. In the good campaign, you will be able to play as one of the many heroes of Middle-Earth: Gandalf battling Saruman, the battle of Isengard through the eyes of an Ent and such. The dark campaign, however, will take you to an alternate route, where Sauron managed to kill Frodo and secure the One Ring. Now he must battle across Helm’s Deep, the Shire, Weathertop and so on, ultimately in Rivendell.
Personally, the trailer doesn’t look too exciting. It reminds me of the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King game, which I had absolutely no interest in. The graphics don’t seem to be in with the times, and the art style wears me out a but. They remind me of the Age of Conan game that came out recently. Not interested.
But if you are, then this game is coming out later this year for the PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and the Nintendo DS.