As a huge THE LORD OF THE RINGS fan (I did the 11-hour extended marathon last weekend), I absolutely loved Warner Bros.’ and TT Games’ LEGO: THE LORD OF THE RINGS, released in 2012. Playing through the trilogy in glorious digital plastic was wonderful and hearing classic lines coming from LEGO versions of the beloved characters never ceases to be funny. The close-up of Sam’s mouth as he says ‘share the load’ was a particular highlight. Seeing pizza being delivered to the Black Gate of Mordor by the Easterlings was pure genius.
Now, as THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG is almost upon us (squee), Warner Bros. have announced that LEGO: THE HOBBIT will release in Spring 2014, covering the first two films in the series. Presumably this will be followed by a second game based on the events of next year’s THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN.
Like the many previous LEGO games, including the recently-released LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES, LEGO: THE HOBBIT will feature a ridiculous number of playable characters, focusing on Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey and all 13 dwarves. In LEGO: THE LORD OF THE RINGS, each character had their own unique traits and abilities, such as Legolas being able to walk over snow without sinking and Gimli’s ability to be tossed at walls to break them (don’t tell the elf). In a similar vein, it has been confirmed that each dwarf will have a completely different skill; for example, Bombur’s huge belly can be used as a trampoline.
TT Games are expanding on the standard LEGO formula by introducing new crafting and building features. According to the press release, players can ‘mine for gems, discover loot from enemies, and craft powerful magical items or build immense new LEGO structures’. The chance to actually build your own things with LEGO bricks has been, perhaps surprisingly, absent from all prior instalments, so incorporating such a system into this new game would be a welcome addition.
If you’re a HOBBIT fan, the game will definitely be worth picking up, whichever gaming platform you own. LEGO: THE HOBBIT will release on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, Playstation 3, PSVita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PC and Mac.
Source: GameSpot
