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[Represent.]

LOTR is getting 5 new games by March 2024. And by the looks of it, each one of them is trying to be worse than the previous.

First Gollum. One of the worst games made in years. Straight out of the PS2 era.

Now this shit. LOTR: Return to Moria, which, I guarantee you, will be only marginally better than Gollum.

What will the other 3 be? Do we know?

What the hell is this

Seriously what the fuck

This is Lord of The Rings. Deserves more respect. This is a current-gen exclusive by the way.

Get some noteworthy devs on it, give it a real budget. Cancel this trash, its probably going to cost $70 too.

You'd think that with an IP like this, one that lends itself and translates so perfectly to the gaming medium... We'd get a real, high budget, AAA RPG or something. So much potential for good games.

But nope. We get this.

Why is this IP getting treated with such disrespect as of late? Thats all I can call it at this point.

 

[NikuNashi]

Three words.

Rings Of Power.

It opened the floodgates of excrement.

 

[The Fuzz damn you!]

Because Christopher Tolkien (JRR's son) died three years ago, and he was the only one standing in the way of every last scrap of IP being sold to the highest bidder.

 

[Represent.]

Three words.

Rings Of Power.

It opened the floodgates of excrement.

At least that took pride in visuals. At the very least it was pretty to look at, and had other worldly production values for a TV show.

On the gaming front we're talking all-time bad games being put out with zero redeeming qualities. I feel they just dont give a single fuck about games.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I actually like the Gollum game except for the technical issues.

But I'm guessing garbage like Rings of Power as well as other LOTR Expanded Universe media passes nowadays is because Christopher Tolkien is gone.

I heard he was very strict about what was okay and what wasn't and he really didn't even care for the movies which are considered modern day classics.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Because the owners of the ip are licensing it away to literally anyone who asks it seems.

Nothing more to it.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Because the owners of the ip are licensing it away to literally anyone who asks it seems.

Nothing more to it.

Pretty much what I said above. The Tolkien Estate just doesn't seem to care anymore but if Christopher Tolkien were still alive you probably wouldn't see any of these games and probably not even a Shadows of Mordor/War.

 

[BusierDonkey]

WTF is that art style. That looks awful.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Pretty much what I said above. The Tolkien Estate just doesn't seem to care anymore but if Christopher Tolkien were still alive you probably wouldn't see any of these games and probably not even a Shadows of Mordor/War.

Yep, im surprised we even got the movie game adaptations

 

[IDKFA]

Because Christopher Tolkien (JRR's son) died three years ago, and he was the only one standing in the way of every last scrap of IP being sold to the highest bidder.

This. The Tolkien estate don't care about respecting their relatives lifework. They only care about milking it for as much money as possible. They'll sign off on anything as long as the cheque is large enough.

 

[GenericUser]

LOTR is getting 5 new games by March 2024. And by the looks of it, each one of them is trying to be worse than the previous.

First Gollum. One of the worst games made in years. Straight out of the PS2 era.

Now this shit. LOTR: Return to Moria, which, I guarantee you, will be only marginally better than Gollum.

What will the other 3 be? Do we know?

What the hell is this

Seriously what the fuck

This is Lord of The Rings. Deserves more respect. This is a current-gen exclusive by the way.

Get some noteworthy devs on it, give it a real budget. Cancel this trash, its probably going to cost $70 too.

You'd think that with an IP like this, one that lends itself and translates so perfectly to the gaming medium... We'd get a real, high budget, AAA RPG or something. So much potential for good games.

But nope. We get this.

Why is this IP getting treated with such disrespect as of late? Thats all I can call it at this point.

I thought the same thing. It's one of the few film licenses that I think could really work well in videogames but they hurl up trash like Gollum. I don't understand that, makes no sense.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Yep, im surprised we even got the movie game adaptations

Funny enough my first video game in Middle Earth was the old Hobbit graphic text adventure which I had on the Commodore 64.

The game even came with the full Hobbit book.

 

[March Climber]

LOTR is getting 5 new games by March 2024.

What will the other 3 be? Do we know?

One of them is a new MMO.

You'd think that with an IP like this, one that lends itself and translates so perfectly to the gaming medium... We'd get a real, high budget, AAA RPG or something. So much potential for good games.

Check out Shadow of Mordor 1 and 2.

I won’t judge this Moria game until reviews and more gameplay videos come out. The only thing I can notice about it is that it looks AA quality, not AAA.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Yep, im surprised we even got the movie game adaptations

These are related to LotR licence which was sold by Tolkien himself towards the end of his life, the estate did not have any influence there. Same as with all other games coming out, as long as it relates to the period and general themes of LotR it never required the approval of the Estate.

The Rings of Power were created solely from the appendices in LotR, and the rest invented, all of this falling into the LotR licence and this not requiring consent from the Estate.

 

[Dr. Claus]

One of them is a new MMO.


Check out Shadow of Mordor 1 and 2.

I won’t judge this Moria game until reviews and more gameplay videos come out. The only thing I can notice about it is that it looks AA quality, not AAA.

Mordor 1 and 2 are fun *games*, but they are absolutely insulting *LotR* games.

OT:
The franchise is being mishandeled by people who care more about money than by making a quality piece of entertainment. Rings of Power is a slacktivists wet dream. MTG openly race changed numerous characters, Gollum is one of the worst games in years, and now we have this drek.

I would rather the franchise be dead and buried than get mediocre/insulting trash like this.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

MTG openly race changed numerous characters

I couldn't believe this was serious when I saw it which was the black Aragorn for starters.

If people don't believe there's a woke culture I can't find much better proof than this. Funny enough these same people who decide this shit and/or okay with it are the ones that complain about cultural appropriation. Go figure.

 

[Dr. Claus]

I couldn't believe this was serious when I saw it which was the black Aragorn for starters.

If people don't believe there's a woke culture I can't find much better proof than this. Funny enough these same people who decide this shit and/or okay with it are the ones that complain about cultural appropriation. Go figure.

I often see "Race isn't a part of his character!" Except it is. Everything in Middle Earth is so meticulously laid out. Race, regions, nations, locations - all of it is integral to each and every character in the franchise. There are plenty of black/asian characters in the various books they could have used that would make for amazing cards.

Instead they show their ignorance of the subject matter and change something so integral to Aragorn. That would be akin to making T'Challa a white male.

 

[L*][*N*K]

Tolkien’s son Christopher resinged his position in 2017, he was 93 years old so its not like he got sick of it, he was the last person that protected his father’s legacy.

 

[March Climber]

Mordor 1 and 2 are fun *games*, but they are absolutely insulting *LotR* games.

I suppose. The cold truth is that there aren’t really many options when it comes to LotR games, let alone AAA ones. If I’m starving and might have wanted a burger, but someone hands me a really good fully sized pizza, I’m not going to slap that pizza away and be picky about my options. There weren’t many options in the first place.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I often see "Race isn't a part of his character!" Except it is. Everything in Middle Earth is so meticulously laid out. Race, regions, nations, locations - all of it is integral to each and every character in the franchise. There are plenty of black/asian characters in the various books they could have used that would make for amazing cards.

Instead they show their ignorance of the subject matter and change something so integral to Aragorn. That would be akin to making T'Challa a white male.

Middle Earth and Lord of the Rings in general was all based off of European mythology and culture. To start race swapping characters is pretty much going against part of what makes the stories what they are.

Your analogy about T'Challah is spot on.

 

[Dr. Claus]

I suppose. The cold truth is that there aren’t really many options when it comes to LotR games, let alone AAA ones. If I’m starving and might have wanted a burger, but someone hands me a really good fully sized pizza, I’m not going to slap that pizza away and be picky about my options. There weren’t many options in the first place.

I would say there are plenty of great LotR games - they just aren't modern ones. The 6th Generation Movie Tie-Ins are honestly legit fun. They take some liberties, but aren't insulting about it.

Then you have the Battle for Middle Earth games which are still some of the best console RTS games of all time during the 7th Gen.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Yeah, it kind of sucks. I'm just glad Chris Tolkien isn't around to see his father's legacy manhandled

 

[Dr. Claus]

Middle Earth and Lord of the Rings in general was all based off of European mythology and culture. To start race swapping characters is pretty much going against part of what makes the stories what they are.

Your analogy about T'Challah is spot on.

Exactly. And the thing is, Tolkein *did* expand upon Middle Earth. He introduced locations that mimick the African/Eastern nations with thier own unique stories, characters, and events. They were wonderful and engaging! Why not use these instead of forcing race changes?

 

[The Pleasure]

Because I'm lord of the g-string. I have the femaleship of the string.

 

[diffusionx]

This game looks like it could be a bigger hunk of shit than Gollum.

 

[Robb]

The IP seems to just be licensed to anyone who wants to use it without any form of quality assurance whatsoever.

Hopefully at least 1 of the 5 games will be something worthwhile.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I wish the Cthulhu Mythos would get an AAA game. Granted, I think the official Call of Cthulhu game was pretty good but it wasn't exactly AAA. It's another intellectual property that's kind of neglected.

Look at more Warhammer 40,000 today. It used to be a lot of low budget games but now they're really upping the ante and we're getting some high quality Wh40k games.

 

[GnomeChimpsky]

Because Christopher Tolkien (JRR's son) died three years ago, and he was the only one standing in the way of every last scrap of IP being sold to the highest bidder.

Fucking depressing when you think about it. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Fucking depressing when you think about it. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

Who is the Tolkien family nowadays? They could be blue haired land whales for all anybody knows.

 

[nemiroff]

Everyone has already said it; the Tolkien estate is in shambles, the legacy continues to come tumbling down due to a quick buck.

Edit: Seems like there's more to the story.

 

[01011001]

it's becoming the new Warhammer, the license is seemingly handed out like free candy on Halloween to whomever comes knocking on the door.

 

[lh032]

LOTR is getting 5 new games by March 2024. And by the looks of it, each one of them is trying to be worse than the previous.

First Gollum. One of the worst games made in years. Straight out of the PS2 era.

Now this shit. LOTR: Return to Moria, which, I guarantee you, will be only marginally better than Gollum.

What will the other 3 be? Do we know?

What the hell is this

Seriously what the fuck

This is Lord of The Rings. Deserves more respect. This is a current-gen exclusive by the way.

Get some noteworthy devs on it, give it a real budget. Cancel this trash, its probably going to cost $70 too.

You'd think that with an IP like this, one that lends itself and translates so perfectly to the gaming medium... We'd get a real, high budget, AAA RPG or something. So much potential for good games.

But nope. We get this.

Why is this IP getting treated with such disrespect as of late? Thats all I can call it at this point.

they have to make sure it works on PC

 

[Darkmakaimura]

it's becoming the new Warhammer, the license is seemingly handed out like free candy on Halloween to whomever comes knocking on the door.

True but at least with Warhammer 40,000 it seems things are changing for the better. We're getting better quality games where it used to be a lot of low budget and mediocre games. I think Games Workshop is getting a little bit more fussier about the quality which of course is a good thing.

The Tolkien Estate without Christopher Tolkien is a different story and unfortunately they don't seem to care anymore.

 

[old-parts]

It's a tricky balancing act, I think Tokien is difficult to adapt to other mediums compared to others, look at Warhammer which was heavily inspired by Tolkien but with a focus on conflict, this makes adapting to games a lot easier.

Low budget Tolkien games can work but the devs really need to know their stuff and what they can limit themselves to, the Gollum devs failed at this.

The Moria game is a well know formula of similar games that already exist but whether the Tolkien license is enough to entice people is hard to say.

There have been poor quality Tolkien universe games over the past 30 years, recent ones are not unique other than the licensing control has become more lax.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Tolkien deserves respect, OP.

His franchise stopped being his when he left this world and the strung up marionette wearing it's name is deserving of neither respect, or money.

Edit: I did nearly piss myself upon realizing that they're truly putting out another Bob the Builder ass looking pseudo-PS2 game about some bullshit mentioned in passing in the Trilogy.

There had better be my Grima Wormtongue tactical stealth game coming up.

 

[FunkMiller]

The answer is this dickhead:

Simon Tolkien just doesn’t give a fuck about anything other than cash. He’s 100% behind Rings Of Power.

 

[The Fuzz damn you!]

Fucking depressing when you think about it. The family should be ashamed of themselves.

At the risk of disagreeing with myself… yes, but also no.

The big thing the Tolkien estate did was sell rights to elements beyond LotR (i.e. The Silmarillion) for Rings of Power. But when Bezos rocks up an offers you a quarter of a billion dollars AND lets you dictate the scope of the product, how many of us would really refuse?

It was JRR himself who sold off the rights to LOTR-derivative media.

 

[Nestunt]

Because the Tolkien estate don't care.

I mean, they are too high and mighty and regard anything else besides the books to be "low art". So, they don't engage with it besides the money.

The consequence is that we get an exploitation of the IP without an high level of curatorship from the people who should properly shepherd it.

 

[LazyParrot]

Because the Tolkien estate doesn't give a shit as long as they get paid.

 

[Salmon Snake]

Oh jeez...

Timothy Tolkien is turning in his grave

Spoiler: Timothy Tolkien

For all the Sacred Symbols podcast listeners.

 

[calistan]

Funny enough my first video game in Middle Earth was the old Hobbit graphic text adventure which I had on the Commodore 64.

The game even came with the full Hobbit book.

I'd forgotten about that thing, I had it on the Spectrum. Just tried it in an online emulator and it's exactly as I remember.

 

[Shut0wen]

The answer is this dickhead:

Simon Tolkien just doesn’t give a fuck about anything other than cash. He’s 100% behind Rings Of Power.

He also licensed gollum almost 10 years ago as well

 

[brian0057]

The people that actually care about the property are all dead.
The ones in charge of it now only want to make money out of it.
Simple as.

 

[Success]

I am on the other side of the equation.

Now I want to see how many trainwreck Lord of the Ring games are going to be released and when it will end.

It is such an interesting inflection point in gaming culture.

 

[The Cockatrice]

The answer is this dickhead:

Simon Tolkien just doesn’t give a fuck about anything other than cash. He’s 100% behind Rings Of Power.

He looks exactly like that dead beat uncle that lost all his money to gambling and keeps asking you for more.

 

[Kurotri]

It really sucks. Harry Potter and Star Wars are treated relatively well (Hogwarts Legacy, Jedi Survivor) nowadays, but LOTR seems to be cursed.

 

[rofif]

The Dwarves game might actually be good

 

[Kenneth Haight]

 

[Lunarorbit]

They also sold the rights to embracer group, which has shown a remarkable ability to buy IP and then have one of their 300 teams make vaporware or just garbage.

 

[SirTerry-T]

I wish the Cthulhu Mythos would get an AAA game. Granted, I think the official Call of Cthulhu game was pretty good but it wasn't exactly AAA. It's another intellectual property that's kind of neglected.

Look at more Warhammer 40,000 today. It used to be a lot of low budget games but now they're really upping the ante and we're getting some high quality Wh40k games.

There was an adaptation of Fantasy Flight Games "Mansions Of Madness" a few years back.

It was shite.