Ever since Frodo Baggins lucked his way into inheriting a cursed piece of jewelry, The Lord of the Rings has been prime material for video game adaptations. The majority of these games have been based on the Peter Jackson-directed film trilogy, with The Hobbit prequels also getting time to shine on various platforms. Some of these games have been great tie-ins to terrific films, others have been about as fun to play as tag with a Nazgul.
More franchise best lists
- The Legend of Zelda
- Sonic
- Call of Duty
- Super Mario
- Metroid
But in the fires of Mount GameSpot, we’ve found the best Lord of the Rings games. These are our picks for the 10 most preciousss games of Middle-earth. We think all of these are worth playing even today, but there have definitely been some clunkers in The Lord of the Rings franchise. Here’s to hoping that The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is good enough to join this list when it releases in September.
1. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The third time was the charm, as Return of the King nailed a perfect balance between action, adventure, and cutting-edge visuals for its time. With some proper star power cycled into the mix–yes that really is Sir Ian McKellen voicing Gandalf–Return of the King helped end the LOTR film and video game trilogy with a gigantic bang in 2003.
Read our The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King review.
Come from Sports betting site VPbet
2. The Lord of the Rings: Two TowersCome from Sports betting site VPbet
The Fellowship of the Ring’s tie-in game was largely seen as middling, but for the sequel, The Two Towers massively improved on its predecessor to create a more enjoyable journey. It wasn’t perfect, but a competent combat system, great voice-acting, and impressive graphics made the middle-child of the LOTR saga surprisingly memorable.
Read our The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers review.
3. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
An original tale set in the wastelands of Middle-earth, Shadow of Mordor’s claim to fame was its brilliant Nemesis System, which created a dynamic choice-based system that altered the world around you based on your actions. The combat was magnificent, bending wild beasts to your will so that you could have an army on standby was great, and going after an Orc that had been a thorn in your side made Monolith’s first foray in Tolkien territory an instant-classic.
Read our Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor review.
