Game news “It’s much worse than you imagine” is this video game already the biggest fail of 2023?
Published on 05/26/2023 at 16:35
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We hadn’t felt the failure coming, but maybe not to this point…”boring”, “purging”, “throw away”… Critics are harsh for this highly anticipated video game.
The Lord of the Rings Gollum, un jeu attendu…
There are licenses that have an aura such that each project concerning them is the subject of a particular enthusiasm. This is the case with Harry Potter, as we have seen recently with Hogwarts Legacy: The Legacy of Hogwarts, but also with Lord of the Rings. Suffice to say that when Daedalic announced in 2019 the arrival of a game centered on the adventures of Gollum, fans were particularly intrigued. But they were quickly disillusioned. First there were the delays, supposed to allow the developers to “provide the best possible experience” for players with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. And then came the first previews… And that’s when things started to get complicated.
Editors of all stripes (including JV) have indeed expressed their concern about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Whether in terms of graphics or gameplay, Daedalic’s title had proven to be too lagging and that did not bode well for the release. A few days before the latter, copies of the game would have already been sent by Nacon (the publisher) to video game shops to be put on sale in advance. A fairly well-known technique that betrays a lack of confidence on the part of publishers in the quality of their own title. Another clue in this direction: the absence of tests until the day of the release. And now that they have fallen, it confirms what we thought. According to YouTube channel Skill Up, the game is even “much worse than you might imagine.”
There is a very dirty story behind the development of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. You don’t start from this concept to arrive at THAT in release.
And I’m not talking about the graphics, who cares about that.
The UI is a textbook case and a call for help. https://t.co/TfhsTPz7nS
— Official FdeSousse 🟨 (@Taleboules) May 25, 2023
…but far from precious
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is the biggest disappointment of the year so far. It’s simple, the reviews are almost all negative. On Metacritic for example, out of 20 ratings, only 5 are greater than or equal to 60 (the equivalent of a 12 out of 20 for us). The other 15 range from 55 to 20. Unsurprisingly, the game is therefore in the red and registers an overall score of 43 on PC (40 on PS5). This allows him to win the title, not necessarily very glorious, of the lowest rated game of the year for the moment. Recall that the lowest rated game in the history of Metacritic is Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade, released in 2012 on Wii U, with its Metascore of 11.
But then, what is he accused of? Well, according to Gamereactor, the list of flaws “is long”. This ranges from the repetitive and lackluster gameplay, to the poorly thought out stealth (yet supposed to be at the heart of the gaming experience), to the numerous bugs and strawberry technique. “Even the show moments fail to mask an ultimately very boring game.” can we read at Rockpapershotgun. The journalist from The Guardian is even more acerbic and invites players to go their own way: “But if you fancy a bit of Lord of the Rings in your gaming regimen, buy Shadow of War instead for five euros during the next sales.” Suffice to say that the disappointment is great and that the pill may have difficulty passing for the players, as for the developers.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
