Metareview -- Lord of the Rings: Conquest (PS3, 360)

EA got the folks who made the rather excellent Star Wars: Battlefront II to make Lord of the Rings: Battlefront Conquest, so it, too, must be rather excellent? Despite the source material, developer pedigree and the fact that you can play as the bad guys, the reviews -- which admonish its "ropey visuals" and "redundant gameplay" -- do not smile kindly on this latest video game jaunt through Tolkien's Middle Earth. Sauron's eye casts its gaze on the scores and summaries below.

• IGN (70/100): "Diehard fans of both online, class-based games and The Lord of the Rings might want to invest the sixty bucks, but if redundant and unimaginative gameplay are things you despise, you'll want to steer clear."

• GameSpot (65/100): "The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an exciting and action-packed way to experience Middle-earth, provided that you have the patience and fortitude to shoulder a few frustrating burdens."

• Eurogamer (50/100): "While there is some enjoyment to be had here, it is hard-won and rarely fulfilling. The imprecision of the combat and its lightweight feel combined with the ropey visuals conspire to date the game considerably."

• Official Xbox Magazine (40/100): "It'd be too easy to say that Conquest will appeal only to diehard Tolkien fans; in fact, they're the ones most likely to hate it."