Given its success, it was only inevitable that Middle-Earth would get video game adaptations and spin-offs. There are dozens of games based on Tolkien’s world, and, while many are obviously rushed cash grabs, others are works of passion that have garnered popularity and love from the fans over the years.
Thankfully, The Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, and the rest of the Middle-Earth franchise has been brought to the world of video games more times than a lot of franchises. It nearly rivals the Star Wars universe when it comes to games set within the universe; though not all of them are gold, many are still considered classics amongst fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s high-fantasy series.
Guardians Of Middle Earth (2012)
There was a time when DOTA 2 and its many clones ruled the world of multiplayer online battle arena games (or MOBAs) and Guardians Of Middle Earth was one of them. It took on that same formula using famous characters from Middle-Earth which is far from the worst idea.
It’s not that balanced and not very many players on the servers anymore. However, that doesn’t stop it from being a decent experience if someone can find players or if they go up against bots.
The Lord Of The Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (2010)
This is one of the more simplistic Middle-Earth games, going for a more basic action-adventure game with hack-and-slash combat. It’s meant to be a more family-friendly adventure that allows the player to take control of Aragorn.
It has an interesting premise, telling the story of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy but solely from Aragorn’s perspective. It’s a different game for this franchise, taking on a combat style similar to The Legend Of Zelda which can be a fun time for the whole family.
The Lord Of The Rings: Tactics (2005)
Though far from being one of the best turn-based tactics games, Lord Of The Rings: Tactics does deliver on its concept. Iconic characters from both the book and movies move in grid-like patterns to fight enemies; one wrong move can cost the whole game.
Anybody who has played Final Fantasy Tactics or any game of that sort will immediately understand and likely have some fun with Lord Of The Rings: Tactics. Unfortunately, the game is only available for the PSP which can make it hard to find without an emulator.
The Lord Of The Rings: Conquest (2009)
Anybody familiar with the classic Star Wars: Battlefront series will see that The Lord Of The Rings: Conquest is essentially a Middle-Earth version of those games. In many ways, that is both a good and bad thing; the gameplay is familiar and fun with visuals that properly replicate Middle-Earth.
However, The Lord Of The Rings: Conquest suffers a bit since Pandemic Studios’ gameplay style was clearly crafted for a shooter; so, the more sword-based combat is awkward and stiff. It’s still a fun experience that can be experienced on a multitude of systems.
The Lord Of The Rings: Adventure Card Game (2019)
With the likes of Magic The Gathering, Gwent, and Hearthstone available for the masses, The Lord Of The Rings: Adventure Card Game does little to distinguish itself. It plays very closely to the other titles mentioned, but that also means that doesn’t have many egregious qualities.
Fans of strategic card games or Middle-Earth fans will still find enjoyment in The Lord Of The Rings: Adventure Card Game. The presentation matches what fans expect from this franchise, and the card gameplay is addictive and able to test the tactical minds of players.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age (2004)
One of the first Middle-Earth games to create an alternate story besides adapting the books/movies. The Third Age focuses on a band of new characters going on a journey parallel to the events of the series, creating a non-canon story.
Gameplay-wise, The Third Age is a turn-based RPG heavily inspired by Final Fantasy games at the time, particularly Final Fantasy X. Though far from original, the RPG gameplay style managed to translate to the Middle-Earth franchise well, with all six characters managing to be fun to experiment with.
The Lord Of The Rings Online (2007)
For those wanting a more expansive experience, The Lord Of The Rings Online provides access to nearly all locations of Middle-Earth to explore. With the choices of Dwarf, High Elf, Elf, Hobbit, Man, and Beorning as playable races, any fan of Tolkien’s work should give this game a shot.
However, The Lord Of The Rings Online follows the MMORPG formula much like World Of WarCraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic. This means that the game plays nearly identical, but it also forces the player to spend a lot of money on expansions to get the full experience.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth II: Rise Of The Witch-King (2006)
The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit films are famous for their massive battle sequences. The Battle For Middle-Earth II puts those battles in the control of the player in a real-time strategy game akin to StarCraft and Age Of Empires. The Battle For Middle-Earth II simply takes what the first game established and made it even better.
It features a gripping story campaign featuring Glorfindel the Elf, who was absent from the films. Hugo Weaving returns as Elrond, as well, allowing players to experience different events from Middle-Earth lore. The game offers up a well-crafted story combined with massive RTS gameplay that can have players hooked for hours, and The Battle For Middle-Earth II earned an 84 rating on Metacritic.
LEGO The Lord Of The Rings (2012)
Solving puzzles, collecting LEGO studs, and experiencing the epicness of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy through the cartoonish and silly world of LEGO—Like always, Traveller’s Tales put tons of effort into the titles to make them fun to play. With so many iconic characters from The Lord Of The Rings to play as, it leads to the game featuring a surprising amount of content for the time.
LEGO The Lord Of The Rings was one of the first LEGO games to feature dialogue taken straight from the films they were replicating, giving a more authentic experience. The open-world aspect fits right within the massive journey the heroes are on.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Games based on movies are rarely good, but, every now and then, gamers are given a surprise gem. Featuring the movie’s cast, The Two Towers is a linear action-adventure that replicates famous scenes from both The Fellowship Of The Ring and The Two Towers films.
Fans praised the classic hack and slash gameplay reminiscent of the original God Of War with visuals that looked straight out of the Peter Jackson movies. It wasn’t a complicated game, and it can be repetitive to some, but it provided some challenges while making the players feel immersed in the films.
LEGO The Hobbit (2014)
Spanning across the first two The Hobbit movies, LEGO The Hobbit continues the tried and true formula that makes the LEGO games work. However, like its The Lord Of The Rings predecessor, LEGO The Hobbit does experiment with some new mechanics including resource collecting, item management, and some mini-games to spice things up.
As always, the newest LEGO game is always bigger than the last, and The Hobbit is no different, with an open world and even more content to unlock, and the post-game free play will keep many gamers hooked for many hours. Where LEGO The Hobbit disappoints is the lack of content based on the third film, as it’s not even present as part of a DLC offering.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
Making vast improvements over its predecessors, The Return Of The King makes The Two Towers seem forgettable by comparison. It further polished the hack and slash gameplay, but increases the challenge, making the battles even bigger and the visuals even more stunning.
It’s been quite some time since games based on film properties were popular, but, with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Squadrons proving that film property tie-ins can still be successful, fans are hoping that more quality movie-based video games could be forthcoming.
The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North (2011)
Similar to The Third Age, War In The North tells a side story with its own set of characters, but this one is much farther away from the conflicts of Gondor and Rohan. Fans of Tolkien’s world can experience locations never seen in the films and are only referenced in the books.
War In The North goes for an action RPG with free control of swords, staffs, and axes that deliver a bloody experience that earned an M-rating long before Shadow Of Mordor. Though the story and characters are far from the best, it does deliver on being a new Middle-Earth experience that fans of the movies and books should enjoy.
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor (2014)
Telling the story of an undead Ranger possessed by the forger of the One Ring, Shadow Of Mordor immerses the player deep within the franchise’s lore. Fans of Tolkien’s books were surprised by the amount of detail and lore in Shadow Of Mordor.
Even without reading the books, the story is compelling, with Troy Baker excelling as Talion. The gameplay itself is a well-crafted mixture of Assassin’s Creed and the Batman: Arkham games, along with Shadow Of Mordor’s innovative Nemesis mechanic that made the hundreds of orcs feel unique and makes each playthrough different.
Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War (2017)
Shadow Of Mordor was simply a seed, with Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War being the flower that bloomed. It further expands on the lore, including Shelob in her god-like form, the Ring Wraiths, and even showing the creation of Minas Morgul. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, with many famous locations and faces appearing throughout.
The Nemesis system is explored further, with the ability to create your own army of orcs. The player has to manage their own lieutenants who can either remain loyal or betray Talion while also dealing with Sauron’s forces who can hold grudges and hunt Talion. Even the combat was upgraded, with more abilities and upgrades to unlock to turn Talian and Celebrimbor into an unstoppable force. These same developers at Monolith Productions will be behind the upcoming Wonder Woman game.
