The gaming community has been up in arms regarding LOTR Conquest. With many professional reviews claiming that it’s mediocre, and many consumer reviews claiming it’s very good, it’s hard to tell of what quality this game actually is. Hit the jump and read an entirely objective review on Lord of the Rings Conquest’s single player and multi-player modes.

When booting up the game for the first time, you will immediately recognize Howard Shore’s score from the movies. As soon as you select a mode within the main menu, you’ll be greeted by Hugo Weaving’s (Elrond of the movies) narration of the story, and immediately become immersed into Middle Earth all over again. If you wish, you can play this mode split-screen with a friend or online by private invite only. There is both a “Good” and “Evil” story in the single player mode. The good story must be completed first in order to get the evil story. The important thing to note about the evil side is that it is played as if Frodo never destroyed the One Ring. I won’t give away details of what exact plot elements you change from the movie, but expect The Fellowship to take a huge hit.

To add to the authenticity of the game, you will be greeted with a narrated intro and conclusion movie for every level, and they’re actual movie footage. Treebeard will be talking you through the battle in the Isengard level, and Gimli will join you when you raid the Mines of Moria. Vehicles translate into the game as Ents and Trolls, as well as ride-able Warg (Wolf) and Horse mounts. When you use Ents and Trolls, you actually become them, instead of riding on them. All in all, as short as it is, the single player experience is very fun. The only thing detracting from the single player experience besides the short length is the announcer. He shouts every battle command and is very annoying. For instance, when you start the Helms Deep mission he’ll shout “TAKE THE DEEPING WALL!” Don’t worry; you can turn him off in the options. In short, both stories aren’t long at all, so if you are thinking of getting this just for the single player mode, re-think your decision; you won’t be playing long (10 hours for both at max).

When you actually look at the game, you’ll notice the graphics are not exactly eye candy. Some are turned off by them, but they aren’t as terrible as you may have heard. While they’re not near the quality of Halo 3 or Gears of War 2, I don’t find the style hindering the gameplay at all. The environments are actually recreated quite nicely and the character models, especially the heroes, look well done.

This game is marketed as a single and multiplayer affair, so it’s important to look at both facets of the game to determine its worth. The bread and butter multiplayer mode of this game is called “Conquest”. Essentially the same as the main modes found in various games such as Battle Front, World of Warcraft’s Arathi Basin, or Savage 2, you have to capture certain vantage points (usually 4-5 total), to prevent the other team from spawning. If an enemy has a point captured, you must go inside a ring around the vantage point, and each team member inside hurries the capture timer. Each vantage point your team has in possession, you get points per second added to your total. The first team to 1000 points wins.

If your team reaches 500 points, the top player can choose to immediately become a Hero. If you are the second team to reach 500 points, your team still gets a Hero. The Hero depends on the map. For example, Gandalf is essentially a souped-up Mage with better melee capabilities, the Witch King is essentially a souped-up Warrior with a scream ability that stuns enemy units, and the Balrog is a souped-up vehicle unit. The Balrog works like a mix between a warrior and a vehicle Ent or Troll.The other 3 game modes are Team Deathmatch/Hero Deathmatch, and Capture The One Ring. Team Deathmatch and Hero Deathmatch are just battle royales, and the One Ring mode is essentially Capture the Flag.

You can choose from 4 classes when the match starts:

• Warrior – A very strong melee unit, with lots of health, and very little defense against ranged attacks. He has a ranged throwing axe that can stop a close Ranger or Mage in their tracks, due to the knockdown effect, allowing them to use their sword rush attack for an easy kill. They gain easy energy (essentially mana) by attacking others in combat. They can mount attack an Ent and Troll vehicle unit and do half damage with a back attack and a simple QTE (Read: Quick Time Event; where you have a few seconds to push a certain highlighted button, found in the God of War series).

• Scout – One word: Stealth. Played in a similar fashion to a Rogue in World of Warcraft, this unit gains energy gradually while not cloaked. Maximum cloaking time is around 30 seconds, and you can run at full speed with this on. You are not 100% invisible; the keen eye can spot you, but not likely in a heated battle. If you get behind a target, you can use a special back-stab attack, one hit killing your foe; even heroes. This back-stab is very effective on stationary Mages and Archers. Like the warrior, the Scout can mount Ents and Trolls, and do half damage with a back attack. They have limited close combat ability, and a mediocre limited ranged satchel explosive charge ability.

• Archer – They are hard to use, but very rewarding. Archers are capable of head-shots, which can one hit kill a Mage or Scout. They also have multi shot, which is very good at killing imposing Mages or Warriors, and uncovering stealthy Scouts. They possess a Fire Arrow, capable of knockdown and massive damage, especially on vehicle units. Additionally they have a Poison Arrow, which slows units down, and works very well on advancing units, setting them up for another Fire Arrow. All these abilities are on a short cool down timer. This is the highest risk-reward class.

• Mage – They are the overall workhorse of the game. Healer, ranged damage dealer, and defensive mechanism extraordinaire. The Mage has an AOE (area of effect) heal spell, which is essential to master if you want to be respected in a multiplayer game. They also have an AOE attack that pounds the ground, which is used primarily for stunning warriors that miss their combos, or uncovering a stealthy scout. They have ranged fireball, that leaves a trail of fire on the ground, which is useful for trapping some enemies in hallways, or defending against a rushing enemy. They have a ranged lightning bolt attack, which can be charged up (but not that often due to the time it takes) to attack multiple targets. All these abilities (except lightning) are on a short cool down timer. Lastly, Mages have a dome shield that can be used to stop ranged attacks from coming in.

Head on to the next page for criticisms and final thoughts