8 Lord of the Rings games for true connoisseurs

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle‑earth Series

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360.

This series of strategies consists of two parts and The Rise of the Witch-king expansion for the last part. The Battle for Middle-earth will appeal to fans of fantasy and the Tolkien universe in particular. Only it is important not to find fault with the schedule of sixteen years ago.

The Battle for Middle-earth does not force the player to dive deep into the economic processes and the collection of resources, but concentrates on battles. You can choose both the bright side and act as the leader of Evil.

The plot of the first part is based on the events film trilogy. On the side of good, the player will have to manage Rohan and Gondor. If you prefer darkness, you will have to destroy Helm's Deep, attack Minas Tirith and try to take the ring from Frodo.

The first Battle for Middle‑earth gained notable popularity, so in 2006 the developers released the second part. New factions were added to it: elves, dwarves and goblins. Also in this game there are events from books that were not in the films.

The Battle for Middle-earth II was supplemented with a mode with a global capture of the provinces of the entire Middle-earth. In addition, in the game you can create your own unique character using the editor provided for this.

Immediately after the second number part, the developers introduced The Rise of the Witch-king addon. This is a prequel set after Sauron's defeat by Isildur.

2. LEGO series The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings is an arcade platform game with familiar characters, puzzles and combat. In addition to participating in battles and overcoming obstacles, here you can collect magical artifacts and create new items from mithril metal. The game is soaked humor and the atmosphere inherent in other projects in the LEGO format. Even the tragic scenes here appear comedic.

LEGO The Hobbit carries over all the events from The Hobbit film adaptation to the Battle of the Five Armies. The culmination of Bilbo's story was promised to be presented in the corresponding addition to the main game, but the project was never completed.

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3. Middle‑earth series: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4.

The action of this dilogy about the pathfinder Talion takes place in Middle-earth and covers the period between the events "hobbitand The Lord of the Rings. The developers came up with a story that combines canonical and new characters. The game world is filled with iconic places and references to films and books.

The game is an action game with parkour, stealth elements and skill upgrades. In Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War you have to fight with a large number of ordinary orcs and their commanders. The latter have their own ranking system, as well as personal characteristics. Orc officers remember the main character and are able to take revenge on him if they are left alive. But they can also be recruited to your side - with such allies it is easier to win difficult battles.

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• Buy Middle‑earth: Shadow of War for PC →
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4. The Lord Of The Rings: Adventure Card Game

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4.

Adventure Card Game is considered the best virtual card game in the Lord of the Rings universe. It is made on the basis desktops The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game. The story takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

Here you need to collect a deck of heroes of the saga with different abilities and repel the army of Sauron. You have to visit the iconic places of Middle-earth and complete the tasks of two story campaigns.

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5. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3.

War in the North is a dynamic action game with RPG elements. Fight enemies with melee weapons, bows and magic. The main characters are the dwarf Farin, the elf Andriel and the man Eradan.

The main feature of the game is cooperative passing by three. The campaign can be mastered alone, but together with friends the impressions are usually brighter. The developers focused more on Tolkien's books, so there are locations that are absent in Peter Jackson's cinematic trilogy. But there are also familiar places like Rivendell and Bree. Along the way, the main characters will also meet Aragorn, Gandalf, Frodo and Elrond.

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6. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube.

The Return of the King is a 2003 action game that does a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the Peter Jackson films, if you put up with the outdated graphics. It uses not only locations from the film trilogy, but also music and characters with the appearance and voices of those actors.

The game has in-engine cutscenes and moments cut directly from the movies. The campaign is divided into three paths - king, hobbits and wizard. In these branches, you will have to complete missions for the corresponding characters. After completing the story, everything can be replayed without restrictions on roles. In addition, three more heroes are unlocked.

During the passage, you can open secret levels, as well as bonus materials on films - interviews and concept art.

7. The Lord of the Rings Online

Platforms: PC.

The first version of this MMORPG appeared in 2007. Players have access to a huge open world, a large number of races, classes and professions, as well as artifacts and a variety of weapons.

The game is based primarily on the books, but there are also borrowings from the movies. Here you can meet characters that were not in the film trilogy, such as Tom Bombadil.

The Lord of the Rings Online is designed more for PvE, that is, it is more interesting to go through chains of story quests and fight with computer opponents. For fans of battles in PvP mode, their chips are provided, but there are quite a few of them.

The game's scenario complements the main events of The Lord of the Rings and allows fans to look at many well-known events from the perspective of secondary characters. In the latest additions, the story continues after the defeat of Sauron.

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8. The Hobbit

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube.

The Hobbit is a 2003 platform adventure game with simple game mechanics and a dreamlike atmosphere. It is suitable for both nostalgic adult connoisseurs and children. The story here closely follows the literary source.

The player needs to go all the way from the book - from the Shire to Esgaroth and Erebor. If the outdated graphics don't bother you, try running The Hobbit on a PC, or find a version for an older console if possible.