E3 08: Hands-On Lord of the Rings: Conquest

true <a href="http://gamervision.com/e3_2008"><img src="/contributed/1216089455kV5v7WWDTx.jpg" width="430" height="100"></img></a><object width="425" height="380"><param name="movie" value="/video.swf?video=/videos/converted/1216670719CNMgx56ywb.flv"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="menu" value="false"><param name="wmode"><embed src="/video.swf?video=/videos/converted/1216670719CNMgx56ywb.flv" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="380"></embed></param></param></param></param></object>I didn’t expect to hear much about Lord of the Rings: Conquest at E3 this year, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw a playable demo on the show floor being manned by Jon Katz, associate producer of the game. When I was handed the Xbox 360 controller Jon joked that it was essentially Lord of the Rings: Battlefront. Well, I thought it was a joke, but once I started playing I realized how truthful his statement really was. The game should be instantly accessible for anyone who has played the Star Wars: Battlefront series or any large-army game like Dynasty Warriors. There are several different character classes to choose from, ranging from rogue-like characters with the ability to stealth-kill, to warriors with powerful melee attacks. Of the classes I tried, the archer stood out, turning the medieval slaughter into a third-person-shooter and adding fire-soaked arrows to my arsenal. <a href="/contributed/12166688356gTkCFOuHz.jpg"><img src="/contributed/12166688356gTkCFOuHz.jpg" width="440" height="250"></img></a> I was fighting for the Forces of Good against the godless hordes of Sauron’s Army as they flooded the gates of a castle. After fighting off enough orcs, several trolls smashed their way through the gates. After using the scout’s stealth ability, I was able to sneak up behind the behemoths and climb their back, plunging my blades into their neck. They fell, dead, and I was able to move on in the level. Graphically, it definitely stands above the other games in its genre, packing hundreds of enemies onto the screen at a time without any slowdown. Most bodies don’t disappear, leading to piles of corpses littering the battlefield. As hoped, the effect is definitely a sight to see, and when a group of enemies has fallen there is a certain sense of accomplishment looking upon your grisly work. <a href="/contributed/1216668775fO7CyDRCOh.jpg"><img src="/contributed/1216668775fO7CyDRCOh.jpg" width="440" height="250"></img></a> When you look at the scale of the battle and the amount of characters on screen at one time, you definitely get a sense that you’ve played a battle worthy of the Lord of the Rings. Ambitious is the only word to describe what Pandemic is attempting to do with Conquest. I look anxiously forward to the game and its 8v8 battles, and hope that the finished product is able to maintain the quality that Pandemic is known for delivering.Related Articles:<a href="/gamer/veggie_jackson/news/article/id_signs_partnership_with_ea">E3 08: id Signs Partnership With EA</a> <a href="/gamer/coop/news/article/e3_08_resident_evil_5_trailer_from_microsoft_s_press_conference">E3 08: Resident Evil 5 E3 Trailer</a> <a href="/gamer/veggie_jackson/news/article/e3_08_fable_2_gears_2_get_release_info">E3 08: Fable 2, Gears 2 Get Release Info</a>  blog

2008-07-21T16:06:49-04:00

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2008-08-01T08:48:35-04:00

2008-07-21T16:06:49-04:00

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e3_08_hands_on_lord_of_the_rings_conquest published “This day we fight!” E3 08: Hands-On Lord of the Rings: Conquest

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