Lord of the Rings Conquest

Lord of the Rings Conquest

It’s been eight years since Peter Jackson’s epic cinematic interpretation of JRR Tolkien’s best-loved fantasy trilogy took moviegoers by storm. Around the time of the series’ release we were treated to a number of different interactive spin-offs which took the likenesses of those actors Jackson hired for the film and re-appropriated them for videogame tie-ins. But, if this game is anything to go by, the well is yet to dry up. Conquest is another lavish production that takes the locations, visuals and audio from Jackson’s movies and turns them into a vibrant interactive experience.

Developed by the Los Angeles-based Pandemic, Conquest follows the template laid down in the company’s popular Star Wars Battlefront games. This means that in the single player campaign you’ll be taking part in some epic battles, assuming the role of a warrior, archer, mage or scout and throwing yourself into the action, completing mini challenges along the way to help your side to success. And, of course, once you’ve played through the eight levels that pitch you against Sauron’s dark forces and the eight battles that have you playing against Gandalf and the hobbits, you can head online and do it in a sprawling multiplayer battle.

After a training level, which teaches you the basic light, medium and heavy attacks, blocking and how to use magical attacks, you head straight into one of the most memorable battles of the books and films: the Battle for Helm’s Deep. Here you can choose to play as one of two different classes and must work to defend the walls of Helm’s Deep from your attackers.

As the battle progresses you’re given ad hoc tasks, such as taking down specific enemies, giving support in the throne room or retaking areas of the map in a capture the flag style. If you die during battle you get to respawn (using one of your finite lives) and towards the end of the level you’re given the chance to play as Aragon. This format continues throughout the whole game, playing as one of an increasingly large number of classes, fulfilling objectives and, finally, taking on the role of the core heroes, such as Gandalf or even one of the tree people: the Ents.

Gameplay is fast and furious both offline and on and there are a host of extra modes over Xbox Live to provide longevity to the package. The battle system occasionally feels a little lightweight, hits not connecting with quite the sense of impact and weight one expects from Lord of the Rings. While there are a number of different attacks available to each character class, often combat devolves into button mashing, which can quickly grow tiresome.

Nevertheless, the presentation of the experience, the quality of the universe and the fast-paced, constantly evolving nature of battle gives the game a solid core and, as such, it comes recommended to fans of both the story and the genre.

3 out of 5