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Lord of the Rings: Conquest, The xbox360 Game Reviews
Lord of the Rings: Conquest, The
Critic Score
Metascore: 56 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.7 out of 10
based on 26 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 46 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

For the first time, play as Evil characters in a brand new, 'Evil' campaign. Battle through scenarios after Frodo failed to destroy the One Ring; it’s good to be bad. Acclaimed Battlefront gameplay in a fantasy setting allows players to choose the way they fight, as Warrior, Archer, Mage or Scout in melee and ranged combat. Online multiplayer - pick your allegiance then battle in 16-player online clashes, or in 4-player co-op campaigns. Local multiplayer - split-screen with up to 4 players competitively or 2 player co-op. A massive cast of characters & weapons adds great depth to the gameplay: Heroes, Wargs, Ents, Oliphaunts, Cave-trolls, the Balrog, Nazgul, ballistae, and more. [Electronic Arts]

PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
DEVELOPER: Pandemic Studios
GENRE(S): Action, Adventure
PLAYERS: 16
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: January 13, 2009

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
MEGamers
We are going to go ahead and declare The Lord of the Rings: Conquest as a great game concept.
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72
Cheat Code Central
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a fun title that should keep many diehard fans, especially younger players, engaged. However, if you're looking for something with a bit more depth than button-mashing your way to glory, you will likely find the game shallow and frustrating.
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70
IGN
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.
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70
GameDaily
The graphics look decent (despite some broken animations), and the game allows players to smash both Orcs and Hobbits. That said, the mindless button mashing grows redundant and some enemies are mind-numbingly difficult.
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70
3DJuegos
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a videogame too far from excellence to be recommendable without making some kind of warning marks before. Those who don't like the senseless button smashing will not enjoy this game, but if you are a fan of both the Tolkien universe and the online battles you will find here an honest but reiterative entertainment.
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67
Team Xbox
Fans of LotR or team-oriented multiplayer masters should pick this one up—sooner than later if possible. But for those thinking that The Lord of the Rings: Conquest’s core gameplay is like Ninja Gaiden with chain mail…this ain’t your “precious.�
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67
Console Monster
Star Wars: Battlefront stood ahead in a long list of rubbish Star Wars licenses games, and it seems that this time around Pandemic have fallen on the wrong side of the fence, sitting amongst many poor Lord of the Rings licensed games.
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65
GameZone
Using the fun Star Wars: Battlefront style, Conquest has all the right elements but they’re not implemented as smoothly or as it should have been on the Xbox 360. The controls make for some frustrating button-mashing battles even with some fun match types or the various heroes you can use on the many battlefields.
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65
Gameplanet
Whilst often frustrating and lacking in complexity, Lord of the Rings: Conquest still has a limited appeal for die-hard fans. For everyone else, it's a real disappointment.
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65
GameSpot
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.
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60
IGN UK
Conquest offers much sound and fury but little substance.
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60
VideoGamer
Unless you fall in love with the deathmatch modes, the main draw here is the two campaigns - and most gamers will be able to cut their way through both in under five hours. Even if you're a massive fan of the series, we'd advise you to approach this game with caution.
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60
MS Xbox World
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is an average game at best, which could have been improved in so many ways – better graphics, more refined combat, decent camera etc.
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60
Meristation
Lord of the Rings: Conquest offers the player the same gameplay from the Star Wars: Battlefront franchise, but located in the Middle Earth. Pandemic had a great idea including two different campaigns; we love being the bad guys. But the game is a bit repetitive and offers little variety along the 16 different levels and the graphic are far from the finest examples of this generation. Although LOTR isn't a AAA game, you'll have a good time with it thanks to a great multiplayer mode.
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60
Gamervision
Despite its many flaws, there is some fun to be had. Poor design choices, sloppy controls and a lack of any soul or polish keep it from being anything but a brief distraction, but hacking your way through the armies of Sauron to the tune of Howard Shore’s epic soundtrack is enjoyable up to a point.
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60
G4 TV
Conquest hits the same beats that we’ve hit over and over again in previous titles. It’s not that they don’t hit them well, but they hit the exact beats we’ve come to expect from a Lord of the Rings title.
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60
ZTGameDomain
Clunky controls and redundant gameplay all point to the guilty party: mediocre game design.
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50
Boomtown
If you enjoyed the Conquest demo you'll no doubt like the full game. But I just found it a bit dull. Too dull even to get annoyed about.
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50
GameSpy
We were hoping for more from The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, and we're disappointed that the game didn't do more with such a powerful license. Star Wars: Battlefront hasn't aged very well, and to get essentially the same game with a different theme left us wanting more.
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50
EuroGamer
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.
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40
Official Xbox Magazine
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.
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40
Computer and Video Games
The pairing of large-scale online battle game with the thrill-packed Lord of the Rings series should've been a winner, but as it's turned out, Conquest won't possibly satisfying any Battlefront fan or Lord of the Rings buff at all.
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40
Total Video Games
Very much throwaway gaming, Conquest is wholly lacklustre, devoid of any real purpose, and is a real low point for Pandemic, which after Mercenaries 2 is really saying something. 'Must do better' is a gross understatement.
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30
X360 Magazine UK
A pointless, unfinished, unpolished, joyless, broken experience.
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30
games(TM)
As soon as you pass the initial novelty of feeling like Legolas, or whatever character the Scout corresponds to - though we’d argue its inspiration is the Spy class from Battlefront - half of the gameplay disappears into the ether. [Feb 2009, p.118]
25
The Onion (A.V. Club)
EA's glitchy multiplayer servers place you in a one-on-one match of capture the flag.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 46 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tess A. gave it a10:
Fantastic online multiplayer. No matter how many :critics" call it a button masher, it is far from it. This game requires aim, timing and skill. Don't let the people who have obviously never actually played it detour you from a fantastic game with tons of online fun to be had. Please, more games like this and I will be set.

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