For most people, their introduction to the Tolkien mythos was through the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Some of them will later realize that the films are merely the tip of the iceberg that J.R.R. Tolkien carved out. Too many events, characters, or lore bits were omitted in favor of brevity and flashiness. As such, the games based on these trilogy films don't often represent Tolkien lore at its deepest or most elaborate.
Some Lord of the Rings titles thankfully deviated from the Hollywood mainstream and featured some relatively obscure or overshadowed pieces of the lore. A few titles were in luck that the risk they took didn't affect their popularity too much. Some remained as obscure as the stories they covered. But for those who are still hungry for Middle-earth stories untouched by the films, these games will prove that they're precious.
7 Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-earth 2
- Release year: 2006
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
- Genre: RTS (Real-time Strategy)
The first Battle for Middle-earth covered familiar ground. It was an RTS video game adaptation of the trilogy by director Peter Jackson. Back then, it was one of the most marvelous RTS games on the market. The sequel, however, supposedly ran out of movie material to adapt so it turned to the lesser-known fronts of the War of the Ring.
It even explored the struggles of the Dwarves in Erebor as well Rivendell and Elrond's whereabouts while the Fellowship went on an adventure. The developers did take a lot of creative liberties with these events, so don't expect a faithful recreation of the books. Still, it's refreshing to see new stories from far-flung places of Middle-earth as it expands the scope of Mordor and Sauron's threat.
6 Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-earth 2 - The Rise Of The Witch-King
- Release year: 2006
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
- Genre: RTS
The Rise of the Witch-King is an expansion to Battle for Middle-earth 2 but it features a campaign story so significant and considerably detached from the War of the Ring, that it might as well be its own standalone game. This expansion adapts the Appendices in the books about the Witch-King of Angmar and how he rose to power back again in preparation for Sauron's return to prominence.
This was a rather important prelude to the events of the three Lord of the Rings books (or films). It detailed how Sauron held a grasp on the land despite being defeated by Isildur back in the Second Age. In any case, seeing the story of the edgy Witch-King unfold in the expansion makes the price of admission worth it. It's one of the few games that lets players participate in the past events before the War of the Ring.
5 Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor
- Release year: 2014
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Classic Mac OS
- Genre: Action-Adventure
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is likely one of the best recommendations here when it comes to exploring a story that the films mostly ignored. It takes place during the 60-year gap between the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. Players get to control Talion, a Gondorian Ranger who was brought to life after being possessed by a powerful and vengeful spirit.
Without spoiling anything, the spirit is someone pivotal in the Lord of the Rings' plot. A word of warning, however: a lot of Tolkien purists do not and will not consider this game's story and plot as canon. It's far from what Tolkien envisioned; it also toys with a lot of his established world and lore rules.
4 Middle-earth: Shadow Of War
- Release year: 2017
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Microsoft Windows
- Genre: Action-Adventure
Shadow of War is the sequel to Shadow of Mordor. The game cranks up the proprietary features introduced by its predecessor where Talion can literally control Sauron's orcs and launch his own reversed orc army against the forces of evil. In Shadow of War, Talion can even conquer territory and control his own orc fortress.
Thus, he's able to build up massive orc armies that can rival Mordor. It's easy to see how some Tolkien fans consider this as more than non-canon. But like the first game, Shadow of War also introduces some lesser-known characters, locales, and references to the books' Appendices before molding them to fit the video game medium.
3 Lord Of The Rings: War In The North
- Release year: 2011
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox 360, Macintosh operating systems
- Genre: Action-Adventure
War in the North is a Lord of the Rings game set in the same continuity as the films except it explores a different part of Middle-earth. Much like Battle for Middle-earth 2, War in the North turns its attention to the northern parts of the continent where less dire but equally sinister evil threats are also brewing. In this case, it's Agandaûr taking on the role of the big bad evil guy.
He's non-canon but functions similarly to the Mouth of Sauron. In any case, players get to control three random characters as they hunt down Agandaûr and contribute their own efforts in the War of the Ring. It's a somewhat fresh take on the lore and emulates the Fellowship splinter trio adventures of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas.
2 Lord Of The Rings Online
- Release year: 2007
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS
- Genre: MMORPG
Lord of the Rings Online was one of the most ambitious adaptations of Tolkien's works. It didn't quite achieve the same acclaim and status as genre giants like World of Warcraft but it was a good MMORPG, especially for Lord of the Rings fans. In the game, players join the mysterious Grey Company as they clean up after the Fellowship's footsteps.
Hence, the game sets its players up to be behind the Fellowship during their journey to Mordor. Sure enough, there are plenty of side quests and various activities that tap into the rich and virgin lore of Tolkien's world. At the same time, the game also explains well why the Fellowship was more effective than an army marching into Mt. Doom.
1 The Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Ring
- Release year: 2003
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
- Genre: RTS
War of the Ring is Tolkien Enterprises' attempt to create its own video game adaptation but it's based on the books whereas Battle for Middle Earth was based on the movies since the rights were owned by Electronic Arts. With that said, that doesn't mean War of the Ring was more faithful to the Tolkien lore. It took a lot of liberties (perhaps more so than the movies).
Even so, it still featured some lesser-highlighted fronts in the War of the Ring such as the Dwarves retaking their home. Certain characters that are missing from the films or were mostly ignored were also given the spotlight in this game. Players will have to temper their expectations here a bit since it's on par with Shadow of Mordor/War games when it comes to gore. There's enough violence here to put meat back on the menu, boys!