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Lord of the Rings Role Playing (Games) Games

EA Plans Free Mobile 'Lord of the Rings' Game (cnet.com) 35

Posted by EditorDavid from the return-of-the-ring dept.
Electronic Arts and Middle-earth Enterprises "announced on Monday an upcoming free mobile game called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth," reports CNET: With the role-playing game, Lord of the Rings fans can look forward to experiencing the iconic universe in a whole new way.... The game will feature immersive storytelling with iconic plot lines, turn-based combat and a selection of characters from both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to battle the evils of Middle-earth.

"The team is filled with fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and each day they bring their tremendous passion and talents together to deliver an authentic experience for players," Malachi Boyle, vice president of mobile RPG for Electronic Arts, said in a statement. "The combination of high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art immerses players in the fantasy of Middle-earth where they'll go head-to-head with their favorite characters."
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EA Plans Free Mobile 'Lord of the Rings' Game More

EA Plans Free Mobile 'Lord of the Rings' Game

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  • There should be a law which would stop companies calling things free when the entire product isn't actually free at all. I like calling this kind of software Teaserware.

    • Also, in the 90s we simply called such games Demo Versions.

    • The corrective measure to this is editors and writers who do their job.

    • I like calling this kind of software Teaserware.

      There's already a name for these type of games, "freemium". I'd go through the explanation of why they suck straight to the foulest depths of Hell, but South Park beat me to it by several years.

      IMHO, the litmus test for is it a freemium game? involves finding a modded version with the in-app-purchasing hacked. If the game is no longer difficult whatsoever after you have access to unlimited coins/gems/Smurfberries/etc., then it's very likely a freemium game. If your progress in a game is determined by how

      • Yeah, I'm aware of the term "fremium". I just feel like it doesn't describe the purpose of the entire business model (making money) enough to raise customer awareness of the scale exploitation behind it, and the entire field of video game microeconomy and psychological research that backs it up.

    • Well it is free. Even pay to win games are free providing you're not a weak minded drone who pays money for your chance at beating something on a recurring basis.

      But really you do touch on something, the free component of the game can effectively be considered marketing for the addictive sale of some in game content. Shouldn't this be covered under some laws against marketing to children?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by fuzzyf ( 1129635 )
        Games like this doesn't require a "weak minded drone". Most "free" games are designed to be boring and tedious unless you pay up. They have basically removed the entire purpose of playing games, unless you pay.
        That doesn't stop them from getting people addicted first, though.
        • Exactly. Paying for microtransactions in mobile games always seemed dumb to me so I stopped playing them. As you said, the games were boring (but addictive). I bought a few PC ports for Android, but the controls are so wonky as to be unplayable. I now own a very expensive comic book reader. At least I really like comics.

        • Indeed, but the point there isn't so much that they are Teaserware but rather they are actually crap games.

    • Your average mobile game is "free to pay" where the game is free, but an agonizing grind awaits you if you do not pay for advancement.

      I still prefer that to "fee to pay" where you pay for the game client, and then pay again monthly, like the vast majority of MMOs. Any game where I have to pay and then pay again is automagically off my list, period. I'll pay now, I might pay later, but I won't do both.

  • LotR and mobile gaming (Score:3)

    by sTERNKERN ( 1290626 ) on Monday May 16, 2022 @02:26AM (#62537872)
    "That will be a fine addition to the lore and it will provide the immersive experience people who read the books or watched the movies want to feel." - said no one ever

  • EditorDavid leaves out in-game purchases (Score:4, Informative)

    by gacattac ( 7156519 ) on Monday May 16, 2022 @02:41AM (#62537884)

    EditorDavid puts "Free" in the title, and quotes from the article, other than the relevant part:

    "Little is known about the game currently, but according to EA, it'll require an internet connection and include some in-game purchases."

    • some in-game purchases

      The download is free but you have to buy an effing expensive ring in order to get missions to play. And no, you can't just steal it from the nearest dragon.

    • EditorDavid puts "Free" in the title, and quotes from the article, other than the relevant part:

      "Little is known about the game currently, but according to EA, it'll require an internet connection and include some in-game purchases."

      EditorDavid doesn't need to put "water is wet" or "sky is blue" in every article. The word free tells you all you need to know.

  • Oh, yeah people will be tripping over themselves for an EA game. They have such a wonderful track record this past decade.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by GoTeam ( 5042081 )

      Oh, yeah people will be tripping over themselves for an EA game. They have such a wonderful track record this past decade.

      Clearly you don't remember how great... that one EA game... was...?

  • Ok (Score:2)

    by Hadlock ( 143607 )

    I'm sure the 10 and 11 year olds will enjoy hounding their parents for money to buy the thing to win. Yay. Some mid-level manager got their wish. Congrats dude.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by GoTeam ( 5042081 )

      I'm sure the 10 and 11 year olds will enjoy hounding their parents for money to buy the thing to win. Yay. Some mid-level manager got their wish. Congrats dude.

      With any justice, that 10 or 11 year old who gets addicted will be the child of the mid-level manager.

  • It's not the first Lord of the Rings "game" to appear on mobile devices and I'm sure it won't be any different that the shit that's out there already. Expect time locks, increasing mathematical chance of failure, monetisation up the ass and at least 2, 3 or 4 virtual currencies. All wrapped around some dumb "game" where you pay to win.

  • Do the Apple and Google stores have information on the download page for apps like this that let you know that the app has in-app purchases/microtransactions?

  • EA execs: "Let the feast of 1000 microtransactions begin!"

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