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Now I haven’t ventured into this fair land of the forums for a while, better write a post.
I am not just a gaming fan, all aspects of the media interest me, Music, videos and in particular books. I particularly enjoy the early 20th century literary pieces and my favourite author is J.R.R Tolkien. I’m not going to lie to you; I haven’t been a well-established fan of the books for years, I only read The Hobbit and the following sequels (including the lesser known book ‘The Silmarillion’) due to the hype surrounding the recent Hollywood films. But might I add that they are some of the greatest pieces of fantasy literature I have ever read. And so after enjoying the film (despite annoying the fellow cinema goers with “this never happened” and “they missed out this!”) and anticipating its sequel I look to my favourite media form, computer games, and look at what is on offer in this department and whether my ickle old Gamecube can hold up Tolkien wise against its 2 giant competitors. A dark cloud is massing over console gaming, 2 developers making the same game, which console will offer the best? Which one console will be the one console to rule them all?
Crap puns aside it would seem that poor old me would really have to do without anything major from my console regarding Tolkien games. Which is a shame as there are two games being released by two different developers. Confused? Well EA ran around boasting how they have secured the licence to the Lord of the Rings film only to have much of their thunder removed when rival Sierra announced that they have bought the licence to the books. Oh dear I smell elves… I mean err war… and even from the start it was looking good for Sierra. The license they had acquired means they had much more freedom, they could design it as they see fit and stick in those cool sections that were sadly absent from the film, such as the wolves attack and the journey through the wood. EA also tried to keep with the films, cashing in with the hype around it, and so they started with the Two Towers (the game did feature sections from the fellowship of the ring though) as opposed to the first book and so it was looking good for Sierra in that prospective too. Another point is that games based on films often turn out to be very poor and so EA have to shake that frustrating stereotype as well. EA though have done a lot to change that image as their recent movie licenses, although nothing spectacular, have been solid games. And no truer is that with The Two Towers, it is a stunning game and easily beats Sierra’s rushed efforts.
But this post isn’t really about whether game A is better than game B, this post begs the question… which console is ideal for the Tolkien nut? It really has to be the PS2 or Nintendo’s hand held wonder the GBA. Although the X-box does have a version of Sierra’s Fellowship of the Ring it is currently missing the decent Two Towers game from EA that is only available on the PS2 and GBA at the moment. So the home console of choice for Tolkien nuts should be without question Sony’s older but no less dominant system. But what about me, I’m a Tolkien nut and a Gamecube nut, why is it Nintendo are the only system who have nothing Tolkien based on their system? Well ignoring the rhetorical questions I can only reassure myself is that, as a Tolkien fan, the Gamecube has promise for the future… but I am fed up of it! Why is it Nintendo are obsessed with promise? When the Gamecube was released a hardcore fan like me bought it simply because it ‘promised’ decent titles come September (Resident Evil, Mario, Eternal Darkness) and now with Christmas on the horizon what are Nintendo using to sell the system? No not a triple A masterpiece, nope not a price cut either… but the ‘promise’ that next year the best games will be coming out. Nintendo’s new Christmas advert advertises Zelda, Metroid and Final Fantasy… games that are coming in spring, March and Christmas 2003 respectively.
And I really would like to see more now! Is Microsoft relying on future titles? NO! I don’t truly understand why anyone would want to, yet Nintendo seem adamant that they will. But in fear of wondering from the point I will return to Tolkien… what does the Gamecube offer? Well EA’s Two Towers WILL be coming to the X-box and Gamecube before the year is out taking a lot away from Sony. The X-box now houses the same number of games and the Gamecube at least has the best one… who needs Sierra’s disappointing efforts? Well apparently Nintendo do… What the Gamecube has to offer Tolkien fans above all else is the most promising looking title of them all, Sierra’s adaptation of ‘The Hobbit’. This game not only looks good but unlike the Fellowship of the Ring it isn’t being rushed to cash in with some movie… time and effort is being spent over the game and more to the point it is EXCLUSIVE to Nintendo Gamecube. So if you’re a Tolkien fan looking for your gaming fix immediately then the PS2 with its purpose built games is the console to go for. But if you don’t mind waiting or putting up with ever so slightly below par conversions… then maybe you should wait a bit, because that is what I will certainly be doing:
PS2 – Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
GBA - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
X-box - Fellowship of the Ring: Available now! The Two Towers: December 2002
Gamecube- The Two Towers – December 2002 The Hobbit – Spring 2003
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
I am not just a gaming fan, all aspects of the media interest me, Music, videos and in particular books. I particularly enjoy the early 20th century literary pieces and my favourite author is J.R.R Tolkien. I’m not going to lie to you; I haven’t been a well-established fan of the books for years, I only read The Hobbit and the following sequels (including the lesser known book ‘The Silmarillion’) due to the hype surrounding the recent Hollywood films. But might I add that they are some of the greatest pieces of fantasy literature I have ever read. And so after enjoying the film (despite annoying the fellow cinema goers with “this never happened” and “they missed out this!”) and anticipating its sequel I look to my favourite media form, computer games, and look at what is on offer in this department and whether my ickle old Gamecube can hold up Tolkien wise against its 2 giant competitors. A dark cloud is massing over console gaming, 2 developers making the same game, which console will offer the best? Which one console will be the one console to rule them all?
Crap puns aside it would seem that poor old me would really have to do without anything major from my console regarding Tolkien games. Which is a shame as there are two games being released by two different developers. Confused? Well EA ran around boasting how they have secured the licence to the Lord of the Rings film only to have much of their thunder removed when rival Sierra announced that they have bought the licence to the books. Oh dear I smell elves… I mean err war… and even from the start it was looking good for Sierra. The license they had acquired means they had much more freedom, they could design it as they see fit and stick in those cool sections that were sadly absent from the film, such as the wolves attack and the journey through the wood. EA also tried to keep with the films, cashing in with the hype around it, and so they started with the Two Towers (the game did feature sections from the fellowship of the ring though) as opposed to the first book and so it was looking good for Sierra in that prospective too. Another point is that games based on films often turn out to be very poor and so EA have to shake that frustrating stereotype as well. EA though have done a lot to change that image as their recent movie licenses, although nothing spectacular, have been solid games. And no truer is that with The Two Towers, it is a stunning game and easily beats Sierra’s rushed efforts.
But this post isn’t really about whether game A is better than game B, this post begs the question… which console is ideal for the Tolkien nut? It really has to be the PS2 or Nintendo’s hand held wonder the GBA. Although the X-box does have a version of Sierra’s Fellowship of the Ring it is currently missing the decent Two Towers game from EA that is only available on the PS2 and GBA at the moment. So the home console of choice for Tolkien nuts should be without question Sony’s older but no less dominant system. But what about me, I’m a Tolkien nut and a Gamecube nut, why is it Nintendo are the only system who have nothing Tolkien based on their system? Well ignoring the rhetorical questions I can only reassure myself is that, as a Tolkien fan, the Gamecube has promise for the future… but I am fed up of it! Why is it Nintendo are obsessed with promise? When the Gamecube was released a hardcore fan like me bought it simply because it ‘promised’ decent titles come September (Resident Evil, Mario, Eternal Darkness) and now with Christmas on the horizon what are Nintendo using to sell the system? No not a triple A masterpiece, nope not a price cut either… but the ‘promise’ that next year the best games will be coming out. Nintendo’s new Christmas advert advertises Zelda, Metroid and Final Fantasy… games that are coming in spring, March and Christmas 2003 respectively.
And I really would like to see more now! Is Microsoft relying on future titles? NO! I don’t truly understand why anyone would want to, yet Nintendo seem adamant that they will. But in fear of wondering from the point I will return to Tolkien… what does the Gamecube offer? Well EA’s Two Towers WILL be coming to the X-box and Gamecube before the year is out taking a lot away from Sony. The X-box now houses the same number of games and the Gamecube at least has the best one… who needs Sierra’s disappointing efforts? Well apparently Nintendo do… What the Gamecube has to offer Tolkien fans above all else is the most promising looking title of them all, Sierra’s adaptation of ‘The Hobbit’. This game not only looks good but unlike the Fellowship of the Ring it isn’t being rushed to cash in with some movie… time and effort is being spent over the game and more to the point it is EXCLUSIVE to Nintendo Gamecube. So if you’re a Tolkien fan looking for your gaming fix immediately then the PS2 with its purpose built games is the console to go for. But if you don’t mind waiting or putting up with ever so slightly below par conversions… then maybe you should wait a bit, because that is what I will certainly be doing:
PS2 – Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
GBA - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
X-box - Fellowship of the Ring: Available now! The Two Towers: December 2002
Gamecube- The Two Towers – December 2002 The Hobbit – Spring 2003
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
If you're a Tolkien nut then turn your consoles off and pick up the books again.
All of the games are crap. Utter crap.
All of the games are crap. Utter crap.
I'd like to see Universal's The Fellowship of the Ring appear on Gamecube.
The sad thing I find is that most book-to-games or films-to-games are normally all cash-ins, making money from the name and not the game.
I really would like to see a company like a Rare or Nintendo to get their hands on another film license (who can forget Goldeneye?) and show EA and their bunch of money thriving developers how to make a game, instead of Fifa-like cash ins that use footballers names to get sales.
Nice post Dringo, nice to see you back in Prime ;-)
I really would like to see a company like a Rare or Nintendo to get their hands on another film license (who can forget Goldeneye?) and show EA and their bunch of money thriving developers how to make a game, instead of Fifa-like cash ins that use footballers names to get sales.
Nice post Dringo, nice to see you back in Prime ;-)
I stupidly failed to mention that 'The Hobbit' will also be avalible on the Gameboy Advance... cheers for pointing that one out SR.
Fellowship looks too simplistic and has bad fighting and interaction, Two Towers has good fighting and good graphics but not much else. It's a shame you couldn't blend the two together(plus obvious improvements) and have a game that lets you explore Middle Earth, then kick the crap out of the bad guys.
Both games seem to lack debth and both seem to be rushed because the developers knew that people would buy them anyway. We may well see improvements with the Hobbit game, but it would be much nicer to have a top quality game right now.
In relation to the other part of the post, Nintendo has many more titles, some of them AAA ones, including multi-platform releases. Timesplitters 2 on the Cube is my favorite version, Mario Sunshine is amazing and Star Wars Jedi Knight 2 is great.
I can see as many Cube games on the shelf at the moment as Xbox ones, and personally I prefer the cube ones I can see, hence having many more cube games in my collection than Xbox ones. But, yes, Nintendo are noted for their slowness in UK releases and continue to do this even now.
Both games seem to lack debth and both seem to be rushed because the developers knew that people would buy them anyway. We may well see improvements with the Hobbit game, but it would be much nicer to have a top quality game right now.
In relation to the other part of the post, Nintendo has many more titles, some of them AAA ones, including multi-platform releases. Timesplitters 2 on the Cube is my favorite version, Mario Sunshine is amazing and Star Wars Jedi Knight 2 is great.
I can see as many Cube games on the shelf at the moment as Xbox ones, and personally I prefer the cube ones I can see, hence having many more cube games in my collection than Xbox ones. But, yes, Nintendo are noted for their slowness in UK releases and continue to do this even now.
I'm sure both titles are appearing on GC sometime............sometime...................... although OPS2 (Shudders) mag says Fellowship is lame.
Turbo misses old times.
He's even gone as far to start claiming that the PS2 technically beats it's competition! :-D
He's even gone as far to start claiming that the PS2 technically beats it's competition! :-D
Which console?
Techincally, the PS2.
Realistcally, either PS2 or GameCube. The Xbox doesn't have the right audience for a successful Tolkien epic. GameCube does most, however lacks penetration, especially into the high-disposable income market. It does however have the kiddiwinks, and younger teenagers, who I'd say are the target audience.
Come on Dringo, let's have some more Ninty-hugging next time. I feel like slating something.
Techincally, the PS2.
Realistcally, either PS2 or GameCube. The Xbox doesn't have the right audience for a successful Tolkien epic. GameCube does most, however lacks penetration, especially into the high-disposable income market. It does however have the kiddiwinks, and younger teenagers, who I'd say are the target audience.
Come on Dringo, let's have some more Ninty-hugging next time. I feel like slating something.
Now I haven’t ventured into this fair land of the forums for a while, better write a post.
I am not just a gaming fan, all aspects of the media interest me, Music, videos and in particular books. I particularly enjoy the early 20th century literary pieces and my favourite author is J.R.R Tolkien. I’m not going to lie to you; I haven’t been a well-established fan of the books for years, I only read The Hobbit and the following sequels (including the lesser known book ‘The Silmarillion’) due to the hype surrounding the recent Hollywood films. But might I add that they are some of the greatest pieces of fantasy literature I have ever read. And so after enjoying the film (despite annoying the fellow cinema goers with “this never happened” and “they missed out this!”) and anticipating its sequel I look to my favourite media form, computer games, and look at what is on offer in this department and whether my ickle old Gamecube can hold up Tolkien wise against its 2 giant competitors. A dark cloud is massing over console gaming, 2 developers making the same game, which console will offer the best? Which one console will be the one console to rule them all?
Crap puns aside it would seem that poor old me would really have to do without anything major from my console regarding Tolkien games. Which is a shame as there are two games being released by two different developers. Confused? Well EA ran around boasting how they have secured the licence to the Lord of the Rings film only to have much of their thunder removed when rival Sierra announced that they have bought the licence to the books. Oh dear I smell elves… I mean err war… and even from the start it was looking good for Sierra. The license they had acquired means they had much more freedom, they could design it as they see fit and stick in those cool sections that were sadly absent from the film, such as the wolves attack and the journey through the wood. EA also tried to keep with the films, cashing in with the hype around it, and so they started with the Two Towers (the game did feature sections from the fellowship of the ring though) as opposed to the first book and so it was looking good for Sierra in that prospective too. Another point is that games based on films often turn out to be very poor and so EA have to shake that frustrating stereotype as well. EA though have done a lot to change that image as their recent movie licenses, although nothing spectacular, have been solid games. And no truer is that with The Two Towers, it is a stunning game and easily beats Sierra’s rushed efforts.
But this post isn’t really about whether game A is better than game B, this post begs the question… which console is ideal for the Tolkien nut? It really has to be the PS2 or Nintendo’s hand held wonder the GBA. Although the X-box does have a version of Sierra’s Fellowship of the Ring it is currently missing the decent Two Towers game from EA that is only available on the PS2 and GBA at the moment. So the home console of choice for Tolkien nuts should be without question Sony’s older but no less dominant system. But what about me, I’m a Tolkien nut and a Gamecube nut, why is it Nintendo are the only system who have nothing Tolkien based on their system? Well ignoring the rhetorical questions I can only reassure myself is that, as a Tolkien fan, the Gamecube has promise for the future… but I am fed up of it! Why is it Nintendo are obsessed with promise? When the Gamecube was released a hardcore fan like me bought it simply because it ‘promised’ decent titles come September (Resident Evil, Mario, Eternal Darkness) and now with Christmas on the horizon what are Nintendo using to sell the system? No not a triple A masterpiece, nope not a price cut either… but the ‘promise’ that next year the best games will be coming out. Nintendo’s new Christmas advert advertises Zelda, Metroid and Final Fantasy… games that are coming in spring, March and Christmas 2003 respectively.
And I really would like to see more now! Is Microsoft relying on future titles? NO! I don’t truly understand why anyone would want to, yet Nintendo seem adamant that they will. But in fear of wondering from the point I will return to Tolkien… what does the Gamecube offer? Well EA’s Two Towers WILL be coming to the X-box and Gamecube before the year is out taking a lot away from Sony. The X-box now houses the same number of games and the Gamecube at least has the best one… who needs Sierra’s disappointing efforts? Well apparently Nintendo do… What the Gamecube has to offer Tolkien fans above all else is the most promising looking title of them all, Sierra’s adaptation of ‘The Hobbit’. This game not only looks good but unlike the Fellowship of the Ring it isn’t being rushed to cash in with some movie… time and effort is being spent over the game and more to the point it is EXCLUSIVE to Nintendo Gamecube. So if you’re a Tolkien fan looking for your gaming fix immediately then the PS2 with its purpose built games is the console to go for. But if you don’t mind waiting or putting up with ever so slightly below par conversions… then maybe you should wait a bit, because that is what I will certainly be doing:
PS2 – Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
GBA - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
X-box - Fellowship of the Ring: Available now! The Two Towers: December 2002
Gamecube- The Two Towers – December 2002 The Hobbit – Spring 2003
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
I am not just a gaming fan, all aspects of the media interest me, Music, videos and in particular books. I particularly enjoy the early 20th century literary pieces and my favourite author is J.R.R Tolkien. I’m not going to lie to you; I haven’t been a well-established fan of the books for years, I only read The Hobbit and the following sequels (including the lesser known book ‘The Silmarillion’) due to the hype surrounding the recent Hollywood films. But might I add that they are some of the greatest pieces of fantasy literature I have ever read. And so after enjoying the film (despite annoying the fellow cinema goers with “this never happened” and “they missed out this!”) and anticipating its sequel I look to my favourite media form, computer games, and look at what is on offer in this department and whether my ickle old Gamecube can hold up Tolkien wise against its 2 giant competitors. A dark cloud is massing over console gaming, 2 developers making the same game, which console will offer the best? Which one console will be the one console to rule them all?
Crap puns aside it would seem that poor old me would really have to do without anything major from my console regarding Tolkien games. Which is a shame as there are two games being released by two different developers. Confused? Well EA ran around boasting how they have secured the licence to the Lord of the Rings film only to have much of their thunder removed when rival Sierra announced that they have bought the licence to the books. Oh dear I smell elves… I mean err war… and even from the start it was looking good for Sierra. The license they had acquired means they had much more freedom, they could design it as they see fit and stick in those cool sections that were sadly absent from the film, such as the wolves attack and the journey through the wood. EA also tried to keep with the films, cashing in with the hype around it, and so they started with the Two Towers (the game did feature sections from the fellowship of the ring though) as opposed to the first book and so it was looking good for Sierra in that prospective too. Another point is that games based on films often turn out to be very poor and so EA have to shake that frustrating stereotype as well. EA though have done a lot to change that image as their recent movie licenses, although nothing spectacular, have been solid games. And no truer is that with The Two Towers, it is a stunning game and easily beats Sierra’s rushed efforts.
But this post isn’t really about whether game A is better than game B, this post begs the question… which console is ideal for the Tolkien nut? It really has to be the PS2 or Nintendo’s hand held wonder the GBA. Although the X-box does have a version of Sierra’s Fellowship of the Ring it is currently missing the decent Two Towers game from EA that is only available on the PS2 and GBA at the moment. So the home console of choice for Tolkien nuts should be without question Sony’s older but no less dominant system. But what about me, I’m a Tolkien nut and a Gamecube nut, why is it Nintendo are the only system who have nothing Tolkien based on their system? Well ignoring the rhetorical questions I can only reassure myself is that, as a Tolkien fan, the Gamecube has promise for the future… but I am fed up of it! Why is it Nintendo are obsessed with promise? When the Gamecube was released a hardcore fan like me bought it simply because it ‘promised’ decent titles come September (Resident Evil, Mario, Eternal Darkness) and now with Christmas on the horizon what are Nintendo using to sell the system? No not a triple A masterpiece, nope not a price cut either… but the ‘promise’ that next year the best games will be coming out. Nintendo’s new Christmas advert advertises Zelda, Metroid and Final Fantasy… games that are coming in spring, March and Christmas 2003 respectively.
And I really would like to see more now! Is Microsoft relying on future titles? NO! I don’t truly understand why anyone would want to, yet Nintendo seem adamant that they will. But in fear of wondering from the point I will return to Tolkien… what does the Gamecube offer? Well EA’s Two Towers WILL be coming to the X-box and Gamecube before the year is out taking a lot away from Sony. The X-box now houses the same number of games and the Gamecube at least has the best one… who needs Sierra’s disappointing efforts? Well apparently Nintendo do… What the Gamecube has to offer Tolkien fans above all else is the most promising looking title of them all, Sierra’s adaptation of ‘The Hobbit’. This game not only looks good but unlike the Fellowship of the Ring it isn’t being rushed to cash in with some movie… time and effort is being spent over the game and more to the point it is EXCLUSIVE to Nintendo Gamecube. So if you’re a Tolkien fan looking for your gaming fix immediately then the PS2 with its purpose built games is the console to go for. But if you don’t mind waiting or putting up with ever so slightly below par conversions… then maybe you should wait a bit, because that is what I will certainly be doing:
PS2 – Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
GBA - Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers: Available now!
X-box - Fellowship of the Ring: Available now! The Two Towers: December 2002
Gamecube- The Two Towers – December 2002 The Hobbit – Spring 2003
Here’s to the future
Dringo.