The Hobbit
Set in the mythical world of Middle-Earth, The Hobbit(tm) is an action adventure game based upon J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary tale. The player will control Bilbo from his peaceful Hobbit hole in Hobbiton into the dark and harrowing Mirkwood forest and finally to the Lonely Mountain, in which lies Smaug the dragon.
The Hobbit Accessories
 PlayStation 2 Memory Card (8MB)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
Treasure Planet (Playstation 2)
Lego Star Wars
Kingdom Hearts
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Hobbit (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)
Kingdom Hearts II
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition
The Hobbit Reviews
In appearance, it is much like a cartoon. It isn't too violent and the language is acceptable for younger viewers/players. This is actually the only game in my collection that my oldest child requests that I play because she likes to watch it and it does follow the book. There isn't any adult content. The hardcore gamers will probably not like it much but even as a hardcore gamer it is a fun change of pace (you know, in between the blood, bullets and boobs). This is fun game and it's one that I'm not afraid to play when my little girls are around.
The Hobbit is a good game for children, and I am sure adults will like it too. It does skip at least one or two chapters. If you like "The Hobbit" the book, then you will like this game. I think the Hobbit is a fun game, good for children six and up. It has a good deal of puzzles and sneaking. This game is not about action but adventure. This is a good game if you're looking for adventure.
If you've read the book "The hobbit' then you should know alot about this game already because the game is so much like the book. I reccommend this game about 80% I am pretty sure you will like so maybe consider getting the game. I get stuck on many levels but manage to get out. The hobbit is a very fun game and addicting. Don't be frustrated if you can't beat a level, also. It is a fun game but the graphics could be better.
You meet many new characters along the way and you even find the very famous "Sting" the sword. The game is a very good game with an excellent storyline. The shire is beautiful and bilbo seems to enjoy all of his adventures. Very addicting.
As for the gameplay, I was glad to read in some of these reviews that some other adults, and even their children, found this game to be a little more difficult than they expected. This game has been overlooked, or criticized, by a lot of people who (1) expect it to be the same type of game as EA's LOTR games; or (2) expect it to be a faithful "re-enactment" of Tolkien's book. I did finish it eventually, but it was a harder slog than some Teen-rated games I have played. And it's clear that at least some of the game-makers are Tolkien fans, as evidenced by some of the peripheral things like, for example, the architecture, the runes, names of NPCs (for example, Sam Gamgee's eventual parents make an appearance as hobbit-children in the first chapter) and the fact that they made sure that Gollum has only six teeth. The video game creators could not, obviously, suddenly turn Bilbo Baggins into a great warrior, so for the climax of this game they basically assign Bilbo an extended timed obstacle course, which is fairly easy to finish. Obviously the book is so much more than that, but it does not, let's face it, translate well into video game format.
So of course Vivendi & co. Think about it. Well, (1) while it is much more "cartoony" and childish than the LOTR games so is the book much more written for children than the LOTR books were. And (2) would you REALLY want a literal re-playing of the book in a video game. This was my first ever game of the "platform-jumper" variety but even so I was distressed at times to find myself stuck at certain points, helpless to figure out a puzzle or secret or sequence of moves, or the proper camera angle at which to view a room (which can make a huge difference at times), and just dying over and over and over. had to make up a bunch of random, not-by-the-book "sidequests" just to give Bilbo something interesting to do while helping the dwarves get from one place to another. The ending is pretty anticlimactic.
Mostly walk, and grumble, and look for something to eat. Actually once you get Bilbo past the giant spiders in Mirkwood, it's pretty much guaranteed that you will not be killed in battle for the rest of the game. What do Bilbo and the dwarves actually DO in the book. Your major threats are drowning (Bilbo, naturally for a hobbit, cannot swim), falling from high places, getting stuck trying to figure out a puzzle and not being able to proceed further, or being spotted by Smaug (instant death). The game is still quite a challenge, and well worth finishing, but there is definitely an adrenaline letdown after the Flies and Spiders chapter which is a NIGHTMARE of giant spiders, deadly plants and wraith warriors as well as puzzles, obstacle courses and poisoned booby traps.
Then when they finally get to the Lonely Mountain, they spend several more days just sitting around grumbling. That's pretty much the peak of the action, and after that there are 5 more chapters to go. Which brings me to my one major problem. Of course, if you've read the book you know that there is a huge battle at the end, but that Bilbo has pretty much nothing to do with it.
This caused caused some frustration, but he loved it just the same. Overall, a terrific game. Originally bought for my 6 1/2 year old, I found some of the puzzles a bit too difficult in places for him to manage. This was the first PS2 game I've played so I can't compare it with many others, but I thought this game was wonderful. The graphics are marvellous and the strategy quite interesting. I thought there was quite a lot of fighting for a game designed for kids, however, it wasn't at all gory or distressing.
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