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Lord of the Rings: Conquest debut trailer depicts battles, oliphant violence
Pandemic just released the first trailer for their Star Wars: Battlefront-esque take on Tolkien's beloved fantasy world, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, and despite a few framerate issues, we're as pleased as Miruvor-flavored punch. Though past titles have tried to capture the grand scale of Middle Earth's climactic battles through various methods of interactivity, we've never really felt the exhilaration associated with cutting through swathes of Orcborn adversaries with our trusty Andúril. The familiar Battlefront gameplay formula looks to be just what the doctor ordered -- though PETA might have a few unkind words to say about the Proboscidean homocide apparently featured in the title.
LOTR Conquest details: playable creatures, heroes
In a recent interview with Crispy Gamer, Pandemic got the chance to shed some light on their recently announced Battlefront-meets-Lord of the Rings title, Lord of the Rings Conquest. With the interview come a few details regarding the game and just what gamers can expect. Said details are as follows: Three types of combat: Melee, Ranged, and Magic (expect warriors, archers, etc) The game will play from 3rd person perspective There will be several playable creatures and vehicles including ents, fell beasts, catapults, siege towers, trolls, battering rams and eagles Much like the Battlefront series, players will be rewarded with playable heroes for completing objectives Players will fight through the major battles of the film and a few that appear in the books. There are also battles included that were "hinted at" in the books. The Evil campaign plays out as though Frodo failed in his mission to destroy the One Ring No cross-platform play between PC and 360 (surprise, surprise) Conquest features "a recognizable actor from the films" as the narrator (dare we hope for Hugo Weaving?) The concept of mixing Battlefront with Lord of the Rings already had us intrigued, but this new info has us even more excited, particularly the news regarding the available creatures and vehicles. Hit the "Source" link for the full article.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy headed to Blu-ray?
Now that we've already got one particular trilogy on our BD radar, it's only fitting that yet another blockbuster trio hit the screen. According to PSU, Peter Jackson has stated outrightly that he is "working on a Blu-ray version of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy with Warner Bros. at the moment," and although he confessed that a release date wasn't available, we are told not to expect it anytime this year. Reportedly, the comments were divulged while chatting about the forthcoming Hobbit, and while we're undoubtedly stoked to hear the news, we can't help but feel somewhat crushed that Profile 4.0 may very well be out and about before this collection ever lands. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Image courtesy of Britannica, thanks Justin]
Pandemic announces Lord of the Rings: Conquest [update]
click to enlarge Just how many people are working at Pandemic anyway? Not only are they still finishing up Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and (maybe) making the next Batman game, but news has come from IGN today that the Lord of the Rings game the studio is currently crafting (called Lord of the Rings: Conquest) will arrive on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this fall. By the developer's own admission it's an unabashed mash-up of the fantasy property and its own Star Wars Battlefront (read: huge fights in Middle Earth).The game will incorporate every battle from the movies, a few from the books and some from whole cloth. Conquest's large-scale battles, which will sport up to 150 characters on screen at once, can be waged by eight players online [update: It's apparently 16] against one another or with four players teaming up on the main campaign online or via split screen. Frankly, we got a little burnt out on Lord of the Rings games when a glut of them arrived with Peter Jackson's films, but this sounds like the kind of meaty experience that justifies a return to Middle Earth.%Gallery-22396%
Turbine secures $40 million investment
MMO developer Turbine found its purse a bit heavier this week after securing a $40 million round of financing from a group of investors led by Granite Global Ventures, filling the Lord of the Rings Online creator's total venture capital money bin to around $90 million mark. According to a report by Private Equity Hub, the investment also saw Granite Global's managing partner Hani Nada take a seat on Turbine's board, presumably in order to make sure the money was put to good use and not slipped into the underwear of Elvish hookers after a night on the town. While we remain in the dark as to what exactly the studio will do with its newfound wealth, Turbine is expected to make an announcement regarding its future plans in the next two weeks. [Via GI.biz]
April Fools' Alert #14: How the MMOs get their prank on
With only so much time left in the day, we thought we'd fit in a handful of the gros amount of April Fools' pranks found in the various MMOs today. Age of Conan announces the Elf class (If you think this is real, check out the creation video) Guild War turns everyone into stick figures, making us pine for a Xiao Xiao MMO Dungeons & Dragons Online introduces Pimp My Warforged The Battle for Middle Earth gets their chicken on World of Warcraft developer Blizzard does their usual thing Speaking of WoW, our Azeroth-obsessed sister site converted to Hello Kitty Insider for a day of mass coverage (30+ posts!). Here's what their front page looked like today.
LotRO lorebook examines Halbarad, North Downs hero
A new character of Middle-earth has stepped into the Lord of the Rings Online lorebook spotlight. Halbarad is a key figure in the North Downs, and helps to coordinate the defense against the forces of Angmar from his central location of Esteldin. He plays many parts in the story of LotRO's Book III, and has strong ties with a famous fellow named Aragorn.Those who have read The Lord of the Rings may recall that Halbarad was the leader of the Grey Company that meets up with Aragorn in Rohan. The lorebook lists his class as unknown, stating that he possesses the skills of both a warrior and a lore-master. Take a look at Halbarad's detailed entry to find out more about this significant character, and the quests he is involved in.
A look at Goblin-town in the Misty Mountains
The Lord of the Rings Online lorebook has been updated with a page devoted to Goblin-town. You won't have been there before unless you are nearing the maximum level, as the area is teeming with dangerous and seasoned goblins, and is reached by going through the perilous Misty Mountains.Lore buffs will recognize that Goblin-town was the backdrop for a momentous event in Lord of the Rings history, as the lorebook entry explains, for it is here that Bilbo Baggins fell into Gollum's cavern and found an extremely important object -- yep, that one. It is also where Gandalf defeated the Great Goblin to save Thorin Oakenshield's party. These bits of lore may give you the urge to visit Goblin-town, but the goblins aren't going to help show you around, so be prepared to fight.
TurpsterVision: Lord of the Dings
Every Tuesday think "T" for Turpster and take the "a" in "day", capitalise it, remove the little bit in the middle, turn it upside down and you get a "V". Put the two together and you'll have TV for TurpsterVision -- the best Internet video podcast on Massively! (Never mind that business about it being the only video podcast on Massively...) Hello and thanks for joining me again for another fun filled feature here on Massively! I love my job, it totally rocks, I get to have all sorts of fun and hopefully you guys enjoy it a little bit too. I normally am happy with you guys turning up and leaving the odd comment or two below though this week I have to ask you for a favor. On Saturday, just after the WoW Insider Show, I was chatting to everyone's favorite Shaman Crybaby Crusader who was just heading off to a D&D game. I then posed the question to him, "which was the most awesome and manly of DnD characters." Obviously I chose the correct answer and Mike chose the wrong one. Let me know which way you swing in your comments: Bard or Wizard? Who wins? You decide!(Oh and there is a video or something like that after the break!)
Two Ring to rule them all
Two Ring to rule them all, Two Ring to find them,Two Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Forget The 1 Ring folks, Massively lead and WoW Insider blogger Krystalle Voecks came across The 2 Ring today via a Live Journal entry. For many years World of Warcraft players all around Azeroth have been on the look out for this seemingly missing piece of loot, and in patch 2.4 they will be rewarded via the daily fishing quest.The ring features +22 to the primary five stats, making it (wait... let me make sure my math is right here...) 22 times better than The 1 Ring.I'm not sure of it's use initially. It's a well rounded stats ring, so perhaps a druid or other hybrid class might be interested in it if they find themselves changing roles often enough. However for a single role / gear set, there are a plethora of better choices easily obtainable.Of course, with that said, it makes a helluva nice ring to start off at 70 with.
Turbine, Tolkien to stay in bed together until 2014 (and beyond)
You know what it's like when it's early morning and so toasty under the covers snuggled up against that someone special that you just don't see any reason to get out bed. We imagine that's a lot like the relationship between The Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine and Tolkien Enterprises, as the pair have agreed to extend their relationship until 2014 -- with an option to work together for three more years after that -- ensuring that players will be able to continue to frolic and grind their way through Middle Earth.We're very interested to see where Turbine takes the franchise going forward, especially after comments made by executive producer Jeffrey Steefel in January regarding the developer's console-based aspirations for the license. In addition, while no new game announcements have been made, the recent confirmation of a new 2-part Hobbit film finally getting underway would seem to make excellent fodder for the MMO developer, and we expect that the pair will continue to play footsie beneath the sheets for years to come.
LOTS more LotRO to come; Turbine extends LotR license
We've had punters out there guess at just how long Lord of the Rings Online might be able to last, as well as one particularly detailed and precise look at how Tolkien's Middle-earth might unfold over the years, but Turbine has now given official confirmation that they are in it for the long haul. A new press release (posted in full after the break) sent to us from Turbine's PR company states that they have extended their license agreements with Tolkien Enterprises for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit until 2014, with the rights to claim them all the way up to 2017 if they so choose.The president and CEO of Turbine, Jim Crowley, affirmed his faith in the license -- and honestly, it's not a bad horse to back -- saying, "With the recent announcement of what are sure to be two blockbuster films based on The Hobbit and a sequel, we expect the success of the license and our relationship with Tolkien Enterprises to grow for years to come." Only time will tell whether Turbine can give LotRO and associated games legs until 2014 (or 2017!), but with this agreement under their belts they can develop away for the foreseeable future. Hit the jump to read the press release in its entirety.
New LOTR title on the way from Pandemic
Ah, to remember the heady days when Electronic Arts was content to flood the world with Lord of the Rings titles. It seems that EA isn't quite ready to let its very lucrative license go by the wayside, as newly acquired studio Pandemic (Mercenaries 2) is working on a new title set in Middle Earth. And that's about it, really. The news was revealed in a recent analyst meeting (the same one that also seemingly unearthed plans for a new KOTOR title). The only thing known about the title is that EA plans to release it in their fiscal 2009, which runs April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. Could it be the resurrection of The White Council? Time will tell (and so will we, once we find out).[Via Joystiq]
Pandemic Studios developing new Lord of the Rings game
An EA analyst report and meeting (via ShackNews) has revealed that Pandemic Studios is developing a new Lord of the Rings title. The studio, which was recently acquired by EA along with BioWare, continues to work on the twice-delayed destruction-fest, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Little is known about Pandemic's journey to Middle-Earth, save for EA CEO John Riccitiello's announcement that it will release during the publisher's 2009 fiscal year -- somewhere between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. You'll know more when we know more.
Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings Online website carries a small note reminding us that the man behind the rise of high fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, celebrates his birthday today, January 3rd. The team at Turbine of course owe LotRO's concept and lore to Tolkien, but it's important to remember that plenty of other games -- and the fantasy genre in general -- take inspiration from his works as well.Tolkien was born in 1892 and passed away in 1973, at the age of 81. His body rests at the Wolvercote Cemetery in Oxford, alongside his wife Edith, and among other things engraved on their tombstone are the names Beren and Lúthien. Fans of Tolkien's writing will recognize these characters as the mortal Man and immortal Elf-maiden who shared love and adventures, and were inspired by the love of his own wife.Rest in peace, sir.
Is WoW popular because it is fantasy?
Richard Bartle at Terra Nova asks an interesting question regarding MMORPGs in general, wondering why so many of them tend toward the fantasy genre. Did Lord of the Rings have such a phenomenal impact on our cultural imagination that it made every story (or gaming environment) even loosely based on it more likely to succeed, or is there something deeper here? The question sparks an interesting discussion which I encourage you to read. It certainly makes me think about WoW in a new light. Suppose we imagine that Blizzard had made a different decision about which franchise to develop into their first MMO: would World of Starcraft have been as popular as World of Warcraft is today if its gameplay was more or less just as good, or is the science fiction environment inherently less appealing to the masses than fantasy?To me, it makes sense that Blizzard chose the Warcraft franchise over Starcraft (or even Diablo for that matter), not just because it is fantasy, and certainly not just because it draws on elements of Tolkien's literature, but because it draws on a wider range of mythic elements, contains more layers of conflict, and generally provides a greater diversity of opportunities for a new gamer to find something he or she likes in it. What's your opinion?
All the World's a Stage: Raiding and RP don't mix, or do they? -- A question of continuity.
All the World's a Stage is brought to you by David Bowers every Sunday evening, investigating the mysterious art of roleplaying in the World of Warcraft.The Warcraft storyline is part of a great tradition of fantasy literature, and, as with any form of storytelling, the entire span of WoW lore involves a series of events and changes. Arthas wasn't always the Lich King, Illidan used to be able to wear shoes, and your character was once a little child, with no spells or epic weapons at all. All these things fit together in a single story universe, in which the progressive changes taking place in the story made the world what it is today.But what is it today? Is Illidan now dead or alive? Is VanCleef dead or alive, for that matter? As a gaming environment, any boss you kill today has to be there for me to kill tomorrow. The WoW game world needs to remain basically unchangeable -- but over time this can stifle a roleplayer's sense of immersion in its narrative. To illustrate the impact this sort of immutability has on storytelling, let us take a page from a certain fantasy story you might have read, and see how it might work as a WoW raid instance.Welcome to Mines of Moria! This raid instance will reset in 6 days, 10 hours and 41 minutes.[Raidleader] [Gandalf]: Beware! There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world. Follow my glowing staff! [Raidleader] [Gandalf]: ... and um... get ready to pull that first group of orcs. Kill order is skull, x, circle... Gimli, can you offtank that cave troll?
New games this week: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl edition
Even if you have no proclivity to catch 'em all, you'd have to admit that Pokemans are holding down the fort this week. At least they're not ports, which is more than you can say for the big three. Besides all that, the kids just love 'em.%Gallery-2742%Nintendo DS: Pokemon Diamond Pokemon Pearl SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters Devilish
EA renews Rings licence, more games to come
While there were murmurs of The Lord of The Rings: The White Council being canceled that later turned out to be true, Electronic Arts renewed its licensing with Tolkien Enterprises and New Line Cinema to bring a new game for 2008. That being said, there was no word of The White Council being resurrected, which was said to have quality assurance problems. This new game could be another branch in the franchise, or something as simple as a Battle For Middle Earth III. What do you think? Do you want to play any more LoTR games?
Lord of the Rings HD DVD and Blu-ray details
We first learned that New Line would be releasing Lord of the Rings on both HD DVD and Blu-ray during the Warner Total HD press conference last week at CES, but no details were given. Now HD-Insider is reporting some details about the upcoming release -- each movie will be on a single dual layer disc encoded using VC1 and will include Dolby TrueHD 7.1. Release date is still unknown and we can only assume that if the title is released the second half of the year it will be a Total HD disc.
