Lord of the Rings: Tactics
- November 09, 2005 17:43 PM PST
- Email this!
Everyone's favorite hobbit is back, this time for turn-based strategy.
- GamePro Score
- User Score
- Write your review!
Two Sides to Every Ring
The main attraction is a pair of single-player campaigns. In one, you play the side of the angels, and struggle to deliver Frodo and the titular ring to the fiery Mount Doom; in the other, you take up the mantle of the Dark Lord and crush your diminutive opposition. Choosing sides doesn't affect the sequence of maps you'll play, but you are tasked with different objectives and rewarded with relevant film clips.
This choice implies a variety that isn't truly present, however: while there are upgrades for each of your heroes, as well as single-use buffs, healing kits, and such, you acquire little gold from each mission, and thus frequently need to revisit previous maps simply to afford some goodies. There are only so many Urak-hai Berzerkers you can kill before this gets a tad tiresome. This problem cuts the other way as well: Because permanent stat upgrades can be purchased, all you need to do is blast through early missions repeatedly to power up.
You Shall Not Pass!
The good news is that Tactics offers a significant challenge if you don't mind fighting through its repetition. Each map offers up a strategic puzzle, some of which can seem nearly insurmountable at the hard difficulty setting, so when you finally do overcome them the resultant sense of accomplishment is heady.
Tactics probably would've been a better game if it had left out the half-baked RPG elements, and focused on more varied units and capabilities. If you need a turn-based meal, and can work past the disappointments, you might find enough here to keep you fed, even if it's ultimately less filling than it should be.
