Genre: Role-playing (RPG)
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Year: 2004
System: Microsoft Xbox
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is a role-playing game developed by EA Redwood Shores and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube in 2004. Unlike previous Lord of the Rings games by EA, which followed the films closely, this title presents an original story that runs parallel to the events of Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy.
Players control a party of new characters, led by Berethor, a Gondorian soldier. As the story unfolds, the group travels across Middle-earth visiting iconic locations such as Helm’s Deep, Osgiliath, and Minas Tirith. Gameplay is turn-based, drawing inspiration from Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy X, with players issuing commands to characters for attacks, spells, and special abilities. The game also includes a unique “Evil Mode,” allowing players to battle as Sauron’s forces in mirrored versions of the main encounters.
The Xbox version features detailed environments and character models, along with cinematic cutscenes that integrate film footage. Characters level up and learn new abilities through branching skill trees, and equipment upgrades are visually reflected on the models. Exploration is mostly linear, but combat offers strategic depth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age received generally favorable reviews, praised for its faithful setting and engaging combat system. The Xbox version holds a Metacritic score of 75/100.
