lord-of-the-rings posts (Subscribe to this feed)

Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood going live December 1

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 29th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Have your frequent visits to the Mines of Moria and Mount Doom filled you with an inexorable case of the doldrums? Looking to get away to a hot vacation destination? The lush, arboreal lands of Mirkwood are ... well, they're pretty terrible. They're infested with monsters and unfriendly wildlife, and completely lacking in tropical luxuries. Still, they'll inject some fresh blood into the veins of Lord of the Rings Online when the appropriately-titled expansion, Siege of Mirkwood, goes live December 1.

The expansion will be offered as a download through online distributors for $19.99 -- though current LOTRO players who upgrade their subscriptions to a multi-month plan before October 31 will get the Mirkwood expansion for free. For more info on the expansion (as well as few special offers which will accompany its release), check out Turbine's recent press release announcement.

LOTRO free for lapsed players until Aug. 24, new subscriptions $10 per month

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 21st 2009 at 11:00PM }

A quick note for those who have been jilted by Lord of the Rings Online: It's ready to take you back. Not only that, but all returning users can play the game for free until August 24. Players with lapsed accounts will also be able to enjoy the new content found in the "Scourge of Khazad-dum" expansion and receive 25 percent bonus experience. Once the free period expires, players can rejoin the MMO for ten bucks a month.

If you're new to the game, you can still sign up for $9.99 a month, so long as you purchase at least three months in advance before September 30. Not a bad deal, unless you have something else to keep you busy.

[Via Massively]

Source - LOTRO.com -- Welcome Back Week
Source - LOTRO.com -- Stay Cool in Middle-earth

Aragorn's Quest bumped to most popular release quarter of all time

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 12th 2009 at 4:30PM }

A recent Warner Bros. press release has revealed the cuteified Lord of the Rings RPG Aragorn's Quest will follow the example of a number of big-name titles, moving from its inital launch window of fall 2009 into spring 2010. Based on the screenshots we've seen from the game, we're guessing they accidentally used up all the color in the world, and are now scrambling to find new sources of brilliant hues.

We worried that this adorable adventure might get swept away in the burgeoning first quarter of next year, as it's set to face off with some extremely hyped, sometimes jetpack-equipped giants. However, it's filling the somewhat uninhabited niche of "family-friendly co-op RPGs set in a colorful, pint-sized reimagination of a historically bleak and robust fantasy world," so, you know. It might do okay.

Trademark registered for 'The Lord of the Rings: War in the North'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 26th 2009 at 11:45AM }

The mighty trademark digger at Superannuation has unearthed The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. The trademark was applied for by the same company that handled Aragorn's Quest, which could signal another one of Warner's Ring offerings, designed to appeal to families as well as "hard-core RPG fans."

We'll be sure to communicate what's happening in the war to the north when we learn more.

LOTR: Aragorn's Quest on Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP

by Justin McElroy { May 28th 2009 at 4:30PM }

We just think it's adorable when publishers announce games that we've all known about for days already, like this release for Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest from Warner Bros. ... yes, the same one you read about last week. But it almost always pays to read these little missives. For example, in this one we learned that the "first Lord of the Rings videogame created specifically for kids and their families" will come to Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP.

Warner also hints at the future of the franchise, saying upcoming offerings will appeal to families as well as "hard-core RPG fans." ... Could we maybe just skip straight to that one, please?

Warner's first stab at LOTR license: Aragorn's Quest

by Richard Mitchell { May 20th 2009 at 11:00PM }

Now that Warner Bros. Interactive has its hands on the precioussss Lord of the Rings license, Shacknews reports that the company has revealed its first game based on the franchise. The game was listed among Warner Bros' E3 debut titles and is reportedly named The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest. Okay, so an LOTR game starring Aragorn. That could be really aweso ... oh, wait, what's this?

Shacknews states the game "is the first Lord of the Rings videogame created specifically for kids and their families" and features "accessible gameplay set in a friendly, colorful rendition of Middle-Earth." Oh dear.

BioWare talks EA acquisition, Dragon Age perception

by Jason Dobson { Apr 21st 2009 at 8:00AM }

With a sequel, an original IP and now an MMO in the pipeline, it's a wonder that anyone at BioWare gets any sleep these days, least of all company head honchos Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk. Still, if there's one benefit to insomnia it's that it leaves you with a lot of time on your hands to talk about any number of things, including what life is like after being gobbled up by a publishing giant.

"Honestly, I don't think there have been too many changes at all," reflected Muzyka on the state of BioWare following the company's acquisition by Electronic Arts in 2007. "If anything, we feel enhanced." The BioWare co-founder added that given that the company is now a publisher as well, "we control our destiny in terms of both development and marketing now."

Part of that destiny includes Dragon Age: Origins, a game that Zeschuk admits has been a challenge to market as something more than just a Lord of the Rings clone. One difference is the role of elves, which are described as "not special" and "second-class citizens" in the eyes of humans, promising a stark contrast to those scampering about in Middle Earth when Dragon Age rolls onto retail shelves later this year.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy finally announced for Blu-ray

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 17th 2009 at 11:45AM }

Click to see full box art.

At last! Peter Jackson's incredible Lord of the Rings trilogy will finally be available in full 1080p for us to enjoy. According to Amazon.com, the Blu-ray package will be a seven-disc set featuring the theatrical editions of all three films. It looks like enthusiasts will have to either double dip, or wait an even longer time, before the extended editions appear on Blu-ray.

No technical specifications nor release date in sight, but the MSRP for all three films is $99.98. (It will obviously be much cheaper than that at most retailers.)

[Via Blu-ray]

Precious Lord of the Rings license goes from EA to WB

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 12th 2009 at 12:43PM }

The Lord of the Rings license has journeyed to EA and back again to Warner Bros. The Cut Scene reports that the licensing deal for EA to create titles based on the Lord of the Rings films quietly expired at the end of last year. At that time, the rights reverted back to New Line, which is part of Warner Bros. When EA received the Ring license back in 2001, Warner wasn't fully committed to the game business ... that's certainly changed this decade. Warner has also heavily invested in Turbine, developer of Lord of the Rings Online. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment apparently declined to comment on the story.

The movie industry is certainly attempting with increasing regularity to enter the game space, hiring executives that may get the job done. Paramount is ready to publish (the rumored) Star Trek DAC in a couple months, while Disney has become far less reliant on licensing its properties to THQ over the years. In time, it appears we'll see more in-house development of games that we currently see "licensed" out, which will hopefully mean better products.

Second round of LOTR: Conquest DLC will cost you

by Dustin Burg { Feb 26th 2009 at 2:00AM }

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.

LOTR Conquest demo conjures 1 million downloads

by Dustin Burg { Jan 21st 2009 at 3:00PM }

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.

Shipping this week: Lord of the Battlefront edition

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 12th 2009 at 1:30PM }

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]

DS releases for the week of January 12th

by Alisha Karabinus { Jan 12th 2009 at 10:50AM }

Moon, elves, chaos and madness -- it's just another week of new DS games, only this time, with actual games! January's been slow so far, but this week, Moon really is coming out, along with a few other titles. Looks like things are finally getting back to normal after the holidays.

Jumble Madness
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Moon
Personal Trainer: Math

Gallery: Moon

Continued →

Top 5: Licensed Games That Don't Stink

by Kaes Delgrego { Dec 15th 2008 at 1:00PM }

Apparently, happy is the new angry (Uggh, I apologize; I hate the "X is the new Y" phrase as much as anyone). While the Angry Video Game Nerd series continues to grow in popularity, a legion of imitators -- err, "inspirées" -- have arisen from the depths of YouTube. While most appear to simply swap "Angry Video Game Nerd" with a few synonyms and reduce the effort, quality, and obtainable entertainment of the video, one manages to make the formula something completely his own. Alaskan native Derek, AKA lophatjello, has created the "Happy Video Game Nerd." While the self-explanatory premise may sound eye-roll-inducing, one would be hard-pressed to ignore his passion for the retro games he highlights after watching a video of his. And that is a quality which I value greatly: unbridled passion and optimism for gaming. We're too often deluged by a flood of pessimism and jaded cynicism from the gaming world.

Very recently, Derek covered the NES semi-classic Ducktales. He labels it as a "kick-ass licensed game." This is a notable statement, as conventional gaming knowledge tells us that a license is often indicative of a terrible game. While there are always exceptions to rules, I feel confident that most who are reading this post can agree that licenses are too often a kiss of death. Yet the HVGN is correct; Ducktales is a pretty awesome licensed game. Here, in my humble opinion, are the Top 5 games based on popular film and television.

NEXT >>

The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.

Nerd out over LOTR Conquest achievements

by Richard Mitchell { Dec 9th 2008 at 5:30PM }

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.