This summer we're going to be prepped and excited for the eventual winter release of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit in theaters. How, may you ask? With LEGO releasing a lot of building sets and the rumor of TT games releasing a LEGO LotR trilogy game (not confirmed), not to mention the all year hype we're sure to receive for the new The Hobbit film. With all this, "Ringers" and casual fans alike will be getting ready to hop back into the world of Middle-earth and surround themselves with Tolkien lore. Of course, with a new movie, hopefully there will be some new games, and though the LEGO game would surely be interesting, we can only look back to see the weak release of LOTR: The War in the North, some okay hack n' slashers when the original trilogy came out, and some semi-decent RTS' which have long been absent from retailers' shelves. If we could get a perfect The Lord of the Rings game, would it be like The Elder Scrolls? Dark Souls? What role would we step into? Frodo? Gimli? Gollum? Well, we have some ideas, so read on!

Going Back to the Books

Though some Lord of the Rings games have pulled material from the books, most pull their source material from the films. While this is fine, as it is the source most fans are familiar with, it would be nice to see more material pulled from the novels and other writings of Tolkien's. War of the North attempted this a bit, but it failed.

Although Middle-earth has its history, events, and characters pretty well developed out across dozens of story / note collections and books, most Lord of the Rings games hardly seem as deep or as rich in cultural history as a The Elder Scrolls game. It would be nice to explore the history and creation of Middle-earth via texts, NPCs, quests, and other forms of exposition. Casual fans would be excited to learn more about the world, and hardcore fans would drop their jaws at a reference of the Nauglamir in some old text lost in a library at Lond Daer. 

Moving Past The Franchise

Most publishers see The Lord of the Rings as another franchise name to exploit, or something they are required to rush to release. What we end up with is another simple piece of merchandise to go alongside the movie release. Developers need to first focus on gameplay: swordplay, magic use, item use, general control, design... everything. We want each sword fight to feel real, and we don't want to button-mash our way through wave after wave of the same type of enemies. We want to be able to strategize, customize, and attack. Give us a challenge like Dark Souls, or give us the world and customization of Skyrim. It's offensive to turn such a rich world into a flat nothingness like it has been done in the past. 

Swords, Items, and Weaponry

Just as Peter Jackson's prop makers spent the time and care putting the detail, culture, and history into weapons and items throughout the movie trilogy, there is no reason why the weapons of these games couldn't have more personality. Sure, there are the main swords in the story, but what about all those other weapons, real or imagined, that could be inserted or crafted? The Lord of the Rings fans are lovers of the detailed history and cultures of Middle-earth. This means detailed crafting could be a huge part, finding the right materials and seeking out who might be able to teach you those forging skills… Want a mythril blade? Guess you'll have to search some really old dwarf mines for mythril and find an old text somewhere that might show you how. Want an Elvish blade? Time to head off to Lothlórien or sack it from some poor wandering elf. These weapons develop the culture and design of Middle-earth as much as anything.

Stepping Away from the Heroes

We've been through the roles of the Fellowship in games before, and while the MMO gave us a chance to carve our own heroes out in Middle-earth, War in the North fell short in giving us new personalities. 

If we do get to choose a race and create a brand new character to play in Middle-earth, then as the gamer progresses, they should have the chance of crossing paths with major events and characters along the way, but they should never be forced to play those characters or events. 

Hold on… Hear me out... For example, what happens if you played a dwarf brigand character and started in Bree? Then, early on, you find Frodo and the hobbits on their way to the Prancing Pony and mug them, taking the One Ring. Things could play out Heavy Rain-style at this point. The game's story continues on a completely different path now. You take the ring, the wraiths are after you (and probably Gandalf and his crew too), and the story goes from there. Good luck keeping the One Ring to yourself!

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