Like the game based on the first volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy developed by WPX Games & Surreal Software, it largely conforms to the same conceptual design as in the films, but there are a couple of standout elements that did fairly well to separate it from both the initial Peter Jackson film trilogy and the aforementioned game at the time of its release at least (before the Hobbit film trilogy came out years later as well as Lego The Hobbit), such as locations like Lake Town, Mirkwood, and Erebor.įor the most playing out like a traditional 3D platformer, the game also has a few little side quests thrown in for good measure during the first half of it like the previously mentioned Lord of the Rings game. Whilst they may have looked fairly impressive at the time, they don’t hold up nearly as well on a technical level as many other games of its kind do, such as Final Fantasy X and Metal Gear Solid 2 to name but a few.
One aspect that the game falls short on somewhat, is the visuals. In my opinion, whilst The Hobbit may not be among the best, it’s certainly not among the worst, I find.
However, there are a select few license games, which go above and beyond what is expected of them, and end up offering some legitimately enjoyable gaming experiences. In the industry, licensed games have for the most part been generally frowned upon, and seen as simply being a modern form of shovelware, with the owners of their respective licenses simply releasing games to coincide with films for the most part. Tweet Developer(s) – Inevitable Entertainment, The Fizz Factor & Saffire Publisher(s) – Sierra Entertainment Designer – Chuck Lupher Producer(s) – Jaime Grieves PEGI – 7Īmidst the newfound popularity of the Tolkien mythos surrounding the Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, and amidst an ongoing dispute regarding the rights to the Tolkien license, with multiple games based on the books and films being developed at the time, The Hobbit was released to mixed reviews from critics, who cited the gameplay as being uninspiring, and it’s failure to appeal to younger gamers.