Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring
International distributor: Sierra Entertainment, Vivendi Universal Games, Liquid Entertainment
Local distributor: Bvalley Company Limited (卉谷)
Platform: Chinese for PC
Unlike the EA games based on the Peter Jackson film trilogy Lord of the Rings (LOTR), this game released by Vivendi Universal is a real-time strategy game based on the book. Liquid Entertainment brought in a number of Tolkien experts and game designers to create a game that brings alive the spirit of the book, allowing gamers to take part in the great battles of Middle Earth.
According to game critic Liu Chien-chnag (劉千菖), the design of Sierra's Lord of the Ring is very similar to that of War Craft III,which, in spirit at least, drew considerable inspiration from Tolkien books.
Liu said that the this game targets hardcore LOTR fans, and while the whole Middle Earth cast of creations is present, gamers can only select to be on the side of light and right, or command the armies of the Dark Lord. Unlike the games based on the movie, this is primarily a strategy game and gives you the chance to marshal the forces of good and evil, to fight pivotal battles like the Battle of Helm's Deep to see who will eventually prevail.
Senior gamers may have to focus on enjoying control of the members of the ring fellowships, said Liu, and put aside their concerns about the equal strength and balance of different ethnic groups, which is one of the basic elements of the RTS game.
Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna 末日危城:亞蘭納傳奇
International distributor: Gas Powered Games/Mad Doc Software LLC
Local distributor: Microsoft Taiwan
Platform: Chinese for PC
Release: This month
When Dungeon Siege was first released three years ago, it was seen as a 3D version of Diablo, bringing RPG gamers incredible graphics for spells, but a simple interface with diverse options for team play and was seen as a milestone in RPG game design. For those looking for the kind of realism and heroic scenes of Lord of the Rings, the new release of Dungeon Siege, subtitled Legends of Aranna, provides the perfect choice for those long hours over the Lunar New Year.
The extension pack has greatly enhanced the role of mages who have plenty of really cool new spells, and there are also lots of new creations, such as the half-giants, and wonderfully imagined monsters such as the reptilian Zaurask and the cat-like Hassat.
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