The Hobbit: The Prelude to LOTR Review
The Hobbit: The Prelude to The Lord of The Rings has one of the longest game titles ever released. Why isn’t it just 'The Hobbit'?
The Hobbit is the prelude to the Lord of the Rings series, and as such, features all of the characters from Tolkien’s much-loved novel. In terms of the Xbox game, that’s as far as the similarities go.
The previous Lord of the Rings series of games is full of cutscenes and outtakes mirroring the on screen action. The Hobbit is a big step in the opposite direction, with larger-than-life cartoon graphics, bright colours and platform-style gameplay. For this reason, the game will appeal to a younger audience, but it also means freedom for the gameplay to allow a very loose translation of the Hobbit storyline and delve into another intriguing but less gory version of Middle Earth.
As Bilbo, you are given the task of ultimately retrieving the ring from Smaug, the fearsome dragon. Along the way you must complete a multitude of tasks for different NPC’s, in reward for which you receive crystals and silver coins. The crystals add to your life meter and cumulatively add up to increase your overall health bubbles. The silver coins can be traded at the end of each level for increased carrying capacity, projectiles, renewed health and antidote potions.
The tasks are generally linear. Each must be completed in turn before moving to the next one. This forces the player into complying with the set task and not deviating to explore the landscape. The gameplay is based on a series of running, jumping, fighting and collecting that is repetitive but quite fun.
Most XLANSA members will bypass this game for its better-known Lord of the Rings cousins, but if you have a younger sibling this may be just the thing for a long weekend.
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