The J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Vol. I "review" | Every SNES RPG #30 

Would you want the party in this game to lower you into your grave so they can let you down one last time?

I remember renting the PC version of this game when I was a kid (yes, there was a time when you could rent PC games from video rental stores). My dad refused to let me install it on our computer because he was afraid it would have a virus on it. After a little arguing with him, I realized he thought that because that CDROM had been on a bunch of other computers it could be infected, like he thought that computer viruses act like STDs. A fun little childhood memory I had totally forgotten about until I started watching this video. Thanks! :D

As far as the rotoscoping goes, I remember reading that the dev team took photos of actors posing and used them as references. The line I remember, from an old Nintendo Power, was, "What ended up as Gandalf started out as [some dev team member whose name I don't remember] in a bathrobe, wearing a sombrero, holding a beard in his mouth." As for tie-ins to the movie, if I remember right, the PC CD-ROM version included some clips from the movie, using them as in-game cutscenes.

I really hope you r gonna win the algorithm lottery. Your "reviews" are ballsy, honest and personal, really like your style. Don t give up

The scary part is that they named the game Vol 1, which means that they probably had plans to make a sequel.

Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam sprites weren't rotoscoped. They were digitized characters - they took actual video of people and directly transferred the images to pixelized sprites.

Love how original each one of your reviews is. Keep up the great work!

Stanley Kubrick: Lord of the Rings is Unadaptable Interplay: oh really?

You can control Drakken characters by changing the icon below the character you choose from red to blue. Choose wizard and just blast.

Mortal Kombat doesn't use rotoscoping, it uses digitized sprites. Rotoscoping involves hand drawing over frames. Digitized sprites take motion capture n video and turn em into sprites directly.

I'll be damned, that was my Secret of Mana footage 6:18 First time anyone's used my stuff haha. Glad it was of use.

Another game I'm glad I never had to play. Another great review.

"the evil Lord Saruman" looks like Sauron to me pal.

That's not what rotoscoped means. Rotoscope is tracing 2D animation over live-action footage. You're thinking Prince of Persia and Another World, not Mortal Kombat.

This game on CD on PC-DOS was kinda not bad, the soundtrack was neat.

I remember getting this while visiting my Grandmother in Tennessee in the 90s at a KB toys and not being able to play it for several days till we got home... I wanted this to be good so badly... and I was just.... disappointed doesn't begin to describe it... But clearly... Everyone felt that way.

Great review, Bro. I remember browsing an emulator ROM list back in the early 2000s and when I saw the title of this game, I got excited. I never did get around to playing it. I still want to beat this.

The main theme Is always nice to hear on a Retro Game Music radio, because I hadn't played this. :3

I have that exact same shirt. Like the exact same one. It makes me wonder why we don't see other people wearing the same stuff other than sometimes shoes. Who is making all these different shirts and pants and how is there so many different kinds? Is there some kind of formula they use so not too many of the same type of clothes wind up in the same store so we don't regularly see other people wearing clothes we have?

Great review. Kept my attention the whole way through on this game I have no interest in, and you're very funny. Keep at it and you'll gain a very dedicated following!

wasnt rotoscoped what they used for prince of persia and the like?

This game WAS rotoscoped. Nintendo power did a thing on it and showed them making the game. Wish I knew the issue of the top of my head. But, it really is rotoscoped.

The opening music was unbelievable in this game, everything else was not good. Also the illustration of the Ringwraith in Nintendo Power for this game is still how I think of them.

I would rather every video game in existence turned into a copy of this game, permanently, than have to read Atlas Shrugged. I can't afford to lose any more brain cells.

There are rotoscoped games on the snes you could have used as examples. For instance, Flashback and Cool World. Both most likely have more rotoscoping than Lord of the Rings. You took two games with no rotoscoping instead.

I think we live in the timeline where the ring was never destroyed

Wolves are an obvious enemy in Lord of the Rings. The books called them worgs and no, worgs aren't bear-sized hyena monsters, it's a fancy in-universe name for wolf the way orc is for goblin (derived from varg, which is the old Scandinavian language family's name for wolves). Worgs were also intelligent and could speak, so there's that setting them apart from normal wolves hence the usefulness of an extra term.

Do the Fellowship game on the GBA, it'd be hilarious it's probably worse than the SNES one (except the music is pretty awesome in the GBA one)

I think any music expert would say, even the most inspiring of melodies can be grating after 2-3 loops of it. I actually have an example, funny enough. I know it's illegal, but if you pir.. ok, if you go out and buy an Atari Lynx, and when _buy_ yourself a copy of the game Warbirds. Yes, spend this money just to check out this song. Never pirate video games, kids. You wouldn't pirate a car. Anyway, the tune that plays in a loop for the menu when you're selecting the game type is unreasonably good -- I don't want to overhype it, but you'll at least see what I mean -- but even this becomes annoying after like the 4th time.

I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt here, the characters' animations do look rotoscoped. The walking frames look like an exaggerated walk of a real person, not your typical sprite animation.

i had it paused at 11:26 and my wife comes in and says "who's the lesbian?" sorry bro

I manage to play this game with 3 of my friends and a multitap. Game is still as shitty. Just a tiny bit less frustrating because you dob't have to deal with AI.

I concur. This Mike character is a saint.

Good review, never knew this game even existed.

I would kill for a good LOTR RPG. That EA RPG that ripped off Final Fantasy X's combat system was weird as hell. In the end, you warp to the eye of Sauron and kick its ass in combat. Your party are not cannon people in the movie or books, but could kick the living shit out of the Fellowship for 'reasons'.

Thank you for the deep look of this game.

Sometimes I considered playing through this as one of those "so bad it's good" games, but it honestly looks tedious and boring.

this game is actually super short if you grind the tiniest bit and foregt about companions. There's really just the final dungeon, such a waste of a good engine

I remember used game shops jacking up the price of this cart when the first movie came out in 1999. I laughed because I remembered how awful this game was

9:32 why the fake bottle?

This is very funny. I like it.

I like this game but it does have flaws. Need more games with playable hobbits.

Man, I can't watch bc of spoilers.

Hilarious

I'd rather tend to chickens than play this trash.

cringe

There were worse games

You've earned a subscription from me. Keep it up with these great SNES and RPG reviews

I wanted to love this game SO BADLY when I was younger. Too bad it sucked so much ass.

Hey I love that song!