Lord-of-the-Rings-Conquest posts (Subscribe to this feed)

The Price is Right goes gaming, gives away DSi pack


It seems as though every day there's more mainstream saturation for Nintendo products. Why just the other day, we spotted Drew Carey offering a decently tasty Nintendo DSi bundle during the "Showcase Showdown" portion of his (well, not really his) gameshow, The Price is Right -- should the contestants guess the right price, of course.

Though titles like Lord of the Rings: Conquest and, unsurprisingly, The Price is Right game were among those offered, DS staples like New Super Mario Bros. and Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword also made their way into the fray. We know, we know, the question on all your minds is of course: Did the contestant win? You'll have to see yourself over at the CBS website, folks!

[Via GoNintendo]

Gitcha SecuROM de-authorization tools! Git'em ova hur!

EA's perpetual joke -- on you -- comes to an ironic end on April Fools' Day with the release of de-authorization tools for each of its 19 PC games with SecuROM copy protection (full list and download links after the break). If you've been working on that class action lawsuit against EA for bundling SecuROM with The Sims 2: IKEA Home Stuff, you can drop it now -- your flat-pack furniture can finally be moved to a new machine.

In the spirit of generosity, EA's giving you two options for managing your authorizations:
  • Option 1: Download and install yet another "tool" in order to scan your computer for EA's SecuROM games and find out how many computer authorizations you have (or don't have) left for each title.
  • Option 2: Cut to the chase and download the game-specific de-authorization tool you need.

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Second round of LOTR: Conquest DLC will cost you

After releasing the first batch of content for free, EA will be going the paid route and deliver a second set of Lord of the Rings: Conquest DLC this Thursday, February 26, to the XBLM and PSN for 800 and $10, respectively.

The "precious" Conquest downloadable content will add three additional characters (including the freakish Gothmog), two new maps and two fancy arenas. But for a game that didn't fair too well in reviews, is $10 worth of downloadable content all that exciting? We doubt Elijah 'would' approve.

Free LOTR: Conquest DLC, not so free Skate 2 content


There's new downloadable content available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, specifically for Lord of the Rings: Conquest and Skate 2. The LOTR Hero Arena Bonus content is 100% free and gives players a new way to play team deathmatch. If you can spare 135MB of hard drive space, by all means, enjoy.

For those looking to become the Steven Spielberg of Skate 2 film making, there's new 600 Filmer Pack content that adds "advanced camera controls for the replay editor, custom watermarks, expanded online storage" and new apparel to boot. We'll leave that purchasing decision up to you, but for the sake of comparison, Bungie offers a similar expanded Halo 3 storage solution with Bungie Pro. Hey, just saying.

Source - Skate 2 Filmer Pack
Source - LOTR: Conquest Hero Arena Bonus

LOTR Conquest demo conjures 1 million downloads


Pandemic Studios just informed us that the Lord of the Rings Conquest demo that released to the Xbox Live Marketplace a few weeks back has been downloaded over 1 million times. That means the demo download has bested Call of Duty: World at War and its nine week run on top.

Congrats to the crew over at Pandemic on their demo download success, but we have to ask; how well did those demo downloads translate into retail sales? One could argue that those sales figures are a tad bit more important.

Metareview -- Lord of the Rings: Conquest (PS3, 360)


EA got the folks who made the rather excellent Star Wars: Battlefront II to make Lord of the Rings: Battlefront Conquest, so it, too, must be rather excellent? Despite the source material, developer pedigree and the fact that you can play as the bad guys, the reviews -- which admonish its "ropey visuals" and "redundant gameplay" -- do not smile kindly on this latest video game jaunt through Tolkien's Middle Earth. Sauron's eye casts its gaze on the scores and summaries below.
  • IGN (70/100): "Diehard fans of both online, class-based games and The Lord of the Rings might want to invest the sixty bucks, but if redundant and unimaginative gameplay are things you despise, you'll want to steer clear."
  • GameSpot (65/100): "The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an exciting and action-packed way to experience Middle-earth, provided that you have the patience and fortitude to shoulder a few frustrating burdens."
  • Eurogamer (50/100): "While there is some enjoyment to be had here, it is hard-won and rarely fulfilling. The imprecision of the combat and its lightweight feel combined with the ropey visuals conspire to date the game considerably."
  • Official Xbox Magazine (40/100): "It'd be too easy to say that Conquest will appeal only to diehard Tolkien fans; in fact, they're the ones most likely to hate it."

Shipping this week: Lord of the Battlefront edition


Guess what, kids? There's actually a game releasing for the Xbox 360 this week. You'll notice that "game" is singular, as there is only one game out this week. It's appropriate enough though, as the game itself happens to be about the One Ring. Yes, this week marks the release of Lord of the Rings: Conquest. If you've played the demo, you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect. It's essentially Star Wars: Battlefront only with fewer Stormtroopers and a lot more hobbits. Conquest has something that Battlefront definitely doesn't though: You can be a Balrog. A Balrog.

[Via Joystiq]

New games this week: Lord of the Rings: Conquest


Just as in the climax of The Two Towers, the evil forces of Saruman and the post-holiday game drought were about to overwhelm us, when Lord of the Rings: Conquest hopped astride Shadowfax Gandalf-style and rode down a hill to our rescue. Unlike in the film, we did not cry like the mothers of scarlet fever-infected children while we watched it.

If you're a PC gamer in the mood for something a bit more action-oriented, you'll be happy to hear that Mirror's Edge has finally reached your platform of choice. If you're not a PC player, it looks like it's Middle Earth or nothing.

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Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of January 11th


Lord of the Rings: Conquest releases worldwide this week, while Japan plays catch up with games like Fallout 3 and GRID. This is just a tease, then the craziness begins with two months of massive releases like Street Fighter IV, Killzone 2 and Resident Evil 5. It'll be like Christmas all over again. Here's the release list:

US Games EU Games
Asian Games

Video: The good guys of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

After revealing the evil minions of Sauron last month, EA has released a new trailer for Lord of the Rings: Conquest that showcases the good people of Middle Earth. Gandalf: check. Aragorn: check. Gimli and Legolas: they're there. And let's not forget the throngs of nameles archers, warriors and scouts that comprise the various classes players will spend most of their time with. The most important thing we learned from the video: We want, nay, need to play as an Ent. What's that? You say there's a demo available right now? Well then, we're off. Enjoy the video.

Sauron spies with his little eye: 'LotR: Conquest' demo on Live


Word comes from Sauron's agent, the one they call Major Nelson of the Red Mound, that the multiplayer demo for Lord of the Rings: Conquest is available now on Xbox Live. The 1.25GB demo is available globally and allows you to play as either the armies of "good" or "evil" -- although, what side those terms represent is surely up for philosophical debate.

Developer Pandemic has had no qualms in saying that LotR: Conquest is Star Wars: Battlefront with a Middle-Earth setting. The game should arrive on January 13 for X360, PS3 and PC. Now, go kill some filthy Hobbitses!

Update: Worth noting, the LotR: Conquest demo is also available on PSN.

Nerd out over LOTR Conquest achievements


We'll be honest, just the prospect of Lord of the Rings: Conquest has us excited. Getting a chance to take part in a massive fantasy battle out of J.R.R. Tolkien's universe is a geeky dream come true. Helping to fuel our nerdy desires are the newly discovered achievements for Conquest as provided by Xbox360Achievements.org. Most of the achievements center around completing single-player campaign levels or killing X number of enemies as class X. There are a few, however, that stand out. We're particularly fond of Flame of Anor, which is given to players for killing 100 enemies with a mage's firewall on a single life. It also might be hard to top You Shall Not Pass!, which is given for defeating the Balrog -- as Gandalf -- in the Mines of Moria. Nerdgasm complete.

Video: LOTR Conquest shows its evil side

At this point, we've all taken a few steps in Frodo's shoes. We know what it's like to swing a sword as Aragorn. We've even laid waste to hordes of orcs with Gandalf's mighty magic. Now, thanks to Lord of the Rings: Conquest from Pandemic (creators of Star Wars: Battlefront), we can finally give in to our more evil inclinations. The latest trailer for conquest shows off plenty of evil creatures doing what they do best. From Orcs to Balrogs to Fell Beasts to Lord Sauron himself, it's a veritable buffet of malificence. We particularly like the scene in which an orc takes down an Ent singlehandely. Check out the video above and dream of the day you can do it yourself (which, incidentally, will be in January 2009)

Trophies: The Lord of the Rings: Conquest


1 Platinum
2 Gold
13 Silver
32 Bronze
Difficulty: Easy
Online Trophies? Yes
Time to Completion: 15 hours
DLC Trophies? No
View Trophy List Read More About the Game

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LOTR: Conquest attacks in January


The Shacknews folks are reporting that Pandemic Studios' Lord of the Rings: Conquest - a game dedicated to re-creating epic LOTR battles sans Elijah Wood - will be landing on retail shelves next January 13th. And from the factual deets we've already been given, LOTR: Conquest doesn't sound half bad ... possibly even good. We believe in you Pandemic, so do us proud!

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