Back in 2004, Pandemic Studios released Star Wars Battlefront, a shooter set in the Star Wars Universe. The game's main gametype, which revolved around Territory control and Class Based combat, was an extremely simple concept, an extremely simple game to get into but highly effective. A year later, Battlefront 2 was released, much to the rejoice of the fans, dying to play in that eipc Battlefront experience again. However, since then, there have been no solid details on a new Battlefront. For 4 years, fans had to live with rumors of various developers working on a sequel and a not as successful PSP version but fellow Battlefield fans rejoice as Pandemic has returned to the land of Battlefront...with a fresh new take on the series.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest signals the return of Pandemic to the Battlefront grounds only with a whole new universe. Thats right, you guessed it (I hope...): Its the Lord of the Rings Universe. The game is set to release January 19th 2009 internationally and January 15th 2009 if you live in North America but the demo is out and it gives us a taste of what is to be the return of the legacy of Battlefront.
I'll admit: I'm not the biggest Lord of the Rings fan. I've watched all the movies and I admit, I slept through half of the second movie but its premise lends nicely to a Battlefront style game.
You're given very limited options in the Demo. You have the tutorial level and a single gametype on two maps. I can't recall the name of both maps as of this moment but they are familiar from the movies so for those Hardcore Lord of the Rings fans somewhere out there, don't worry. This is as much a Lord of the Rings game as it is a Battlefront game.
The Tutorial level does a good job of teaching you the basics and the game makes sure you get everything done. They even let you play as a Hero at the end. The tutorial level nicely shows you the scale of the game. A particular encounter towards the end looks menacing with all the Orcs charging you. You get the feeling that you're in one of those Lord of the Rings movie, charging ahead with that Old White Haired Merlin dude, who by the way is a Hero for the good team in Multiplayer.
The controls feel pretty good. One thing lacking is, however, graphics. It may be just because the demo isn't a representation of the full game but graphically, this game is lacking seriously. However, just like its older brothers, graphics doesn't drive this game, its the gameplay.
Conquest is published by EA and therefore, and sometimes unfortunately, it uses EA's servers. In the demo, you have access to one gametype, Conquest, which if you're familiar with Star Wars: Battlefront, you should have no problem at all. Its also similar to Territories in Halo 3 and Conquest in the Battlefield games. The demo also comes with 2 maps. One is set in a castle, focusing more on back and forth Infantry play and the other is set in a village with mounts to use. Pretty solid Map design for the type of gameplay but if you were looking for sophistication in maps, this may not be a good thing for you.
Of course, like all Battlefront games, the simplicity works in its favor.
There are 4 classes: Warrior, Mage, Archer, Scout. Warrior and Scouts are the 'close range chargers' while Archers and Mages are supposed to be the 'support' classes. However, there are some balance issues. Warriors are pretty much the weakest class in demo. Hits are inaccurate and there are some minor hit detection issues. When you get the attack to connect though, it sends ripples through your enemies. You may not get the kill but your enemy is more than likely to get knocked down, leaving him open for attack.
Scouts are next in line. They have an invisibility option and when invisible, they can sneak up behind enemies and attack with an OHKO Finisher. This is nicely balanced, at first glance, as you have to be extremely close to the enemy. So close that your enemy is probably a dumbass if he lets you that close to him in a 1 v1 battle, so Scouts are mainly a Ambush class. However, currently in the demo, you will be attacked by at least 2 scouts at times and these attacks are almost impossible to avoid.
Archers are a really fun class to use and I would say the first class everyone should try if they have or have not played a Battlefront game before, mainly because it plays a lot like a Shooter. He too need to be tweaked as he can backstep at a relatively fast pace, making any close range combat against him, almost useless in a 1 v 1. Generally, this is one of the most popular classes and its an awesome support class when used properly.
Mages are perhaps, the biggest problem. They are easily overpowered, with every attack being an ultimate lighting shock of complete destruction and the ability to do the famous Old Merlin Dude 'You shall not pass!' move. Oh, and they can heal themselves and team mates and create a bubble shield kinda thing to block off magic, projectiles and arrows. It can be a problem 1 v 1 but a good team of classes can over come a Mage.
Then you have the Heroes. In the Demo, on both maps, The good team has aforementioned Old White Haired Merlin Dude and the Balrog on one map and the Witchking on another. Heroes are generally well balanced but are at a disadvantage when it comes to scouts, seeing as their OHKO move also affects them. Otherwise, they are a blast to use. Note: There is a requirement to get the option to be a Hero. You have to be the best person on the team at a given point of time. I have personally only gotten to be a Hero once.
There are mounts that can be used in the Village map and in both maps, controlling certain control points give the team access to certain 'Tank' mounts, specifically the Troll for the Evil dudes and the Ents (Big Tree Dudes that Talk) for the good guys. Thankfully, these guys are wonderfully balanced. The Scout's OHKO move needs to be done twice to them to get the kill, thus nullifying that problem.
Besides some of that balance issues, everything else Gameplay wise is wonderful and reminiscent of Star Wars: Battlefront. The gameplay is fluid and its just fun and addictive. And this is speaking from the demo.
Another complaint I have is the interface. I may be spoiled by Halo 3 but the interface for Conquest is amazingly ugly. This of course has nothing to do with the game and I'm just being a complete jackass. Something particularly good is that you can choose from a Quick Match option and a Server Browser option. This is something that is missing from most console games and it is wonderful to see it appear in Conquest.
There was no level up and upgrade system in the Demo. It is not known if it is in the full game. I will work my magic and find out as soon as I can.
Overall:
This is the game Battlefront fans have been looking for. It has the amazingly fun and addictive gameplay of its older brothers. With just some balance issues that, for the most part, have a workaround, Lord of the Rings: Conquest is a fresh new take on the Battlefront style gameplay and its to stay... At least until Star Wars: Battlefront 3 comes out... Hopefully. All the Battlefront games have had balance issues at the beginning and they get worked out, for the most part. Although, on another note, the battlefront formula is starting to lose its charm.
Damn, My opinion seems to go against what everyone here thinks.
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