JRR Tolkien lord of the rings never goes out of style, as evidenced by the upcoming official artwork of Gandalf – Mithrandir, which paints fiction's greatest wizard in all his glory. In the next two years Hunt for Gollum and Rings of Power season 3 should debut and the future even has a new Middle-earth game from Warhorse Studios, the developer responsible for Kingdom Come: Deliverance. In fact, the franchise's gaming output over the past decade leaves a lot to be desired Return to Moria which is the only decent drop so far in 2020. Gandalf the Gray or Gandalf the White also seems to be taking time off from the video games as the OP mage hardly ever appears these days.
Although something new would be greatly appreciated, history is full of wonderful things LOTR games with a playable Gandalf as well as across countless genres. While we wait for Warner Bros. finally announces a new one Shadow of Mordor game, or for that Goofy remake anyone who wants to, let's take a trip down memory lane by embodying the walking magical nuke known as Gandalf.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Action Wizard Gandalf: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gandalf the White, Army of the One Wizard
Let's get the blockbuster recommendations out of the way and let EA help us get started. Officially based on Peter Jackson's films, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Return of the King has defied the standard practice of licensed draw games by delivering real quality and both should be played by every fan. In the home console versions, Gandalf only appears in ROTK as a playable character, which is 1 of 8 options available. The 2003 game almost feels like a muse title at times, and the 2003 game will make you feel like a truly powerful wizard who can single-handedly change the course of battle.
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If you want to become Gandalf the White and experience his glory in Minas Tirith, Return of the King it must be the first game you play and it has aged nicely too. I tend to be cautious about recommending older B-tier games as they might be better kept in mind, but I revisited both Two towers and ROTK recently and found that it holds up surprisingly well. They're showing their age, sure, but they manage to be consistently entertaining.
The Grand Strategy Wizard: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth 2
Gandalf the White, one wizard in the army
Mobile games aside, 2006 Battle for Middle Earth 2 was the last clerk LOTR strategy game, which is a frustrating fact considering the franchise has been a bit on the run and fits the genre like a glove. Still, The War of the Ring and the two of you TBFME the games stand up as stellar experiences that can be enjoyed by both LOTR and RTS (or grand strategy) fans.
Although I also recommend playing older recordings, Battle for Middle Earth 2 it serves as a great entry point for anyone looking to take a deep dive lord of the rings” strategic history. Now Gandalf acts as a powerful heroic unit for the Men of the West faction, although you have to work to earn the right to use the legendary wizard Maiar. Before that, you will be able to lead a massive army through the northern fronts of the War of the Ring.
Gandalf's Co-Op Sandbox Stroll: LEGO The Lord of the Rings
A charming, hilarious Lord of the Rings story
WITH LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is doing really well, this franchise seems to last forever and a day. Although its structure may seem a bit dated these days, LEGO The Lord of the Rings may still be the best game of its type, especially if we stick with the tie-in releases. Not only is it packed with an absurd amount of content and playable characters, but the campaign covers it LOTR surprisingly good while still delivering the good old fashioned LEGO stupidity.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King supports 2-player local co-op for anyone who wants to play through a relatively linear story; in comparison LEGO the game opted for a more sandbox design that encourages you to hang out and just have a good time in the most family-friendly version of Middle-earth. I personally prefer it ROTK's co-op, but LEGO it handles it well and can be bought through Steam, making it much more affordable than EA's discontinued games from last year.
RPG Guest Star Gandalf: The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
What if LOTR became Final Fantasy?
OK, time for a real throwback, and I'm sincerely sorry that so much of this article features hard-to-find games from the early 2000s. Still, you can find these titles if you look in the right places (second-hand video game stores, I mean). The most obscure of the bunch, The third age puts LOTR through a turn-based RPG filter that takes a few lessons from Japanese greats such as Final Fantasy.
The campaign follows the other fellowships as they go through a quest parallel to the canon story, with everyone's favorite wizard occasionally appearing on their journey. You don't play as Gandalf very often, but it makes each of his battles special. Also, the mage only appears sporadically in the movies/books, so using him in this game makes perfect sense.
