fantasy

Let me begin this game review by stating that I am a J.R.R. Tolkien fanatic, and "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" are my all-time favorite works of fiction. I am also an avid computer and console gamer. Though "The Lord of the Rings" definitely doesn't lend itself very well to most types of interactive adaptation (even if it's made a few decent forays), "The Hobbit" is quite another story entirely. It's surprising how rich the source material could prove in the right developers' hands. Unfortunately, the right developers weren't the ones behind Vivendi Universal's cross-platform effort. That's not to say that "The Hobbit" is a bad game, but it certainly doesn't live up to even a fraction of its potential.

So, as a Tolkien zealot, how true is "The Hobbit" to its source material? In strict terms of the overall story, it's fairly faithful to the novel. However, I regret to inform the purists out there that many annoying liberties were taken. Yeah, I know, I know, it's a video game, not a book (or a film), but that doesn't excuse the inclusion of the completely made-up characters that appear rather frequently throughout the game. I'm referring to enemies as well. At one point, Bilbo (the hobbit protagonist) actually squares off against what appears to be an armor-plated badger. Other times he'll face leaping fish-men, wicked pixies, and gigantic worms. Given the depth and detail in Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, it's highly unnecessary to INVENT new characters and creatures. Purists will find this rightly offensive.

Graphically, "The Hobbit" is closer in tone to the Rankin Bass animated production from the 1970s than it is to Peter Jackson's appropriately gritty take on the ensuing "Lord of the Rings" saga. I suspect this was done to appeal to children - but the game could have appealed to the younger set regardless, and the cartoonish style of the game is really a cop-out, and is not representative of the material. I think the developers were probably inspired by the more recent "Legend of Zelda" games, and it's a shame.

In a perfect world, a video game adaptation of "The Hobbit" would play less like "The Legend of Zelda" and more like "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" - and no, I don't suggest transforming Bilbo Baggins into Sam Fisher, but I think the game should emphasize stealth above all things. The Bilbo from the novels only rarely gets into a scrape, and he certainly doesn't have an easy time of things when trouble comes calling. He isn't a warrior, he's a so-called 'burglar' - and a small one at that. In this take on the beloved classic, though, he IS a warrior. He can battle several goblins at once and come out of the fray unscathed. More unfortunate still, he's apparently a hairy-footed cousin of Mario and Luigi. "The Hobbit" is essentially a platformer that has our halfling friend leaping, climbing, and collecting things from the beginning of a given level all the way to the end. Memorable locations from the book seem more like footpaths for Sonic the Hedgehog than actual Middle-earth real estate.

Other gripes are ripped from a gamer's standpoint. Take the combat, for instance. It's clunky and simplistic, and therefore quite unexciting. As with most 3rd person behind-the-back games, camera control can certainly be a problem every now and again. Some levels are completely indistinguishable from one another - how many same-looking caves do I have to wander through?! Yes, to be sure, I definitely have my share of issues with "The Hobbit."

On the other hand, I must admit that I did eventually warm to the game's style of play, ill-suited to the license though it may be. If you like platformers, then you could do plenty worse than "The Hobbit." The game controls quite well and offers a decent challenge, and it's strangely addicting. Naturally the game's stealth-based missions proved to be my favorite (particularly the game's fairly faithful take on the novel's "Barrels Out of Bond" segment), and though they are basic and disappointingly few, they are still rather exciting.

In the end, I fear that this adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary classic is much like the One Ring itself. It can be strangely compelling, but if you wear the Ring for too long, you will definitely get a feeling that something just ain't right. As a Tolkien fan I lament the game we'll probably never get to play. As a gamer, I say you could do much better than "The Hobbit," but you could also do considerably worse, and it certainly has its charms. If you want a poor man's "Legend of Zelda" with a touch (and I mean a TOUCH) of Middle-earth magic, this is for you.

Final Score: C

What a joke! This is just as bad as The Fellowship of the Ring game. I really don't see how this game is rated above 1 star. If you want to play a real LOTR game, get EA's Two Towers and Return of the King. Vivendi just doesn't know when to stop. Another useless game that will find its way into the discount bins.

Hey it's your money, I just like buying games that are worth the money I spent. Fair warning: rent the fellowship of the ring and the hobbit first before buying!!!

I have not played the game, but looking at the cooooooooool graphics and zelda type gameplay reminds me of chicken noodle soup.(yum, chicken noodle soup, yumy yumy yuuuuuuuuuuum)