Latest news with #MiddleEarth
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Tales of the Shire wasn't the game I wanted to play, but the game I needed to play
This month has been an especially stressful one for me. Without getting into too many details, I had more on my plate than usual and had to be extra judicious about how I spent my time. This caused me to treat playing games more like a job than something to enjoy. Well, technically playing games has always been my job, but I never want to approach a game with that mindset. Unfortunately for Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, that was my mentality on first touch — get through it as fast as possible so I could write my article and move on to my next assignment. That's a recipe for failure for any game, but especially so for a cozy game in which patience and the act of doing the more mundane tasks are the reward in and of themselves. Once I met the game on its own terms, it ended up being exactly what I needed to manage my stress. A fine stew takes time Tales of the Shire doesn't feature any epic quest or ancient evils, but focuses on simple Hobbits with simple problems. The closest you get to the wider Lord of the Rings world is a quick meeting with Gandalf and some references to other familiar areas within The Shire. Otherwise, this game is a far more accurate depiction of a Hobbit's life than Bilbo or Frodo's would have you believe. Recommended Videos After creating my own unique Hobbit and arriving in the new village of Bywater, I was struck by the art direction Tales of the Shire chose. It evokes feelings of a watercolor or oil painting that creates an almost dreamlike look to the world. It feels like a concerted effort to evoke the tone of The Hobbit book rather than the darker, grittier tone of The Lord of the Rings, which is quite effective in stills and motion. Sadly, I wasn't so receptive to the gameplay that morning. The first few hours consist of some introductory quests that serve as small tutorials for things like cooking, using your map, planting crops, and all the other chores that make up any good cozy farming sim. This is all framed around the first major quest in the game, which is to settle an argument about whether or not Bywater fits the technical definition of a village according to a lost rulebook you need to find. Thrilling stuff, right? Finding the book is an excuse to give me a complete tour of Bywater to meet the main villagers I will be befriending. Each Hobbit that once had the book tells you they passed it along for one reason or another to someone else, again and again until I finally find it in the most obvious of spots. It isn't the game's fault that this extended fetch-quest rubbed me the wrong way. I was too focused on treating the game like a task that every additional step felt like a waste of time. Bywater isn't a huge village, but my Hobbit isn't all that nimble, so trekking from one end to the other right off the bat was a poor first impression. Also, the cuteness of replacing a sprint with skipping only felt like salt in the wound when I was already on edge with the game. I stopped playing after this first quest, unsure if I would go back. Two days later, I did but only after reflecting on how I wasn't playing Tales of the Shire on its own terms. This isn't a game about the destination, but enjoying the journey and living life slowly — just like a Hobbit. I would need to put aside my stress and let the game move at its own pace to give it an honest shot. When I stopped worrying about not knowing where to go to find the specific fish I needed, or where I could harvest berries for a pie and just enjoyed the process of fishing and foraging, I began to settle into the laid-back atmosphere Tales of the Shire wants to provide. Cooking has very few timed elements and is almost impossible to fully fail, there are no harsh time limits on just about anything I encountered. Even when I accidentally missed a dinner I had invited two Hobbits to, all I got was a mildly passive-aggressive letter in the mail. It was such a relief to have my biggest problem be a slightly grumpy Hobbit that could be won over with just a dinner or two. Even with the tone and pace clicking for me, Tales of the Shire does have some niggles that detract from fully enjoying its world. The biggest was the very limited inventory at the start. Cooking is such a core feature that I wanted to stockpile every fruit, mushroom, fish, and vegetable I came across on a daily basis, but ran out of space frustratingly fast. Being forced to skip back home two or three times a day started to resurface my resentment for the overly saccharine animation. There's also no way to easily track what ingredients I need for a dish. Having a way to pin one or more recipes to the screen so I could easily reference what specific breed of fish or other ingredient I needed while out and about without having to dig through my menu feels like a missed opportunity. Those issues aside, for my first true cozy game experience, Tales of the Shire came at just the right time to help me slow down and appreciate the journey and not focus on the destination. Tales of the Shire is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
Geek Tyrant
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Peter Jackson Says He's 'Not Retired' and Confirms He's Writing Three New Screenplays — GeekTyrant
It's been a decade since Peter Jackson wrapped up The Hobbit trilogy, and while things have been relatively quiet on the filmmaking front for him, the Oscar-winning director wants fans to know he hasn't slowed down. In fact, he's busier than you might think. 'I'm certainly not retired,' Jackson told Screen Rant in a recent interview. 'We are currently working on three different screenplays. I'm at the moment writing three different scripts.' It's good to know that the filmmaker who delivered The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies has retired, and while Jackson didn't reveal what these projects are, there are a few clues about what he's been up to. We already know Jackson is producing The Hunt for Gollum , the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie that Andy Serkis is set to direct next year. 'We are producing and have been writing The Hunt for Gollum , which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year. I've enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I've grown old or not, and obviously the [The Beatles: Get Back] project. I've enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that'll probably carry on.' Jackson's acclaimed docuseries The Beatles: Get Back gave fans an intimate look at the creation of the album Let It Be, and it sounds like his documentary work might continue alongside his narrative projects. Jackson is also fascinated by real-world science, specifically de-extinction. He's working with Colossal Biosciences, a company attempting to bring back extinct species. Jackson couldn't hide his excitement about one particular creature: 'To me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make,' Jackson said. 'I've made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time.' While Jackson is keeping himself busy, I would love to see him get back in the director's chair and direct a proper movie again. I've always loved his storytelling and filmmaking style! It would especially be cool to see him jump back into horror! As for The Hunt for Gollum , it's set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027 and will explore parts of Gollum's life that were never shown on screen. 'We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn't have time to cover in the earlier films. It's too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.' But, while Jackson may not be cranking out blockbusters like before, he's far from done shaping stories, both on screen and in the real world.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peter Jackson Is Working on Three Screenplays: ‘I'm Certainly Not Retired'
It's been 11 years since Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson completed his 'Hobbit' trilogy. He has not directed a narrative feature since, though he certainly has not been stagnant. He did, however, direct the Beatles' docuseries 'Get Back' and the 3D WWI doc 'They Shall Not Grow Old,' which colorized and restored wartime footage. He also wrote and produced 'Mortal Engines' in 2018, and he was listed as an executive producer on the anime 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' in 2024. But since he completed his last ode to J. R. R. Tolkien, he has not led a film set. Jackson, though, insists that he is not out of the game. More from IndieWire Superman's Underwear Returns: A Brief History of the Man of Steel's Red Trunks Alamo Founder Tim League Launches Private Movie Theater Experience in New York 'No, no. I'm certainly not retired,' Jackson told ScreenRant in an interview. 'We are currently working on three different screenplays. I'm at the moment writing three different scripts.' The 'District 9' director teased that more will be coming from both his 'Lord of the Rings' universe and Beatles retrospectives. 'We are producing and have been writing 'The Hunt for Gollum,' which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year,' he said. 'I've enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I've grown old or not, and obviously the 'Get Back: The Beatles' project. I've enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that'll probably carry on.' What he might actually direct, he did not say. But what Jackson is most excited about, he revealed, involves pulling a real-life 'Jurassic Park' with a large prehistoric bird. 'But to me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make. I've made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time,' he explained. Jackson is speaking of the biotech company Colossal Biosciences, of which he is a major investor. The company, according to its website, is 'the world's first and only de-extinction company,' and goes on to write that 'Colossal is closer to restoring the past, preserving the present and safeguarding the future than anyone before. To truly illustrate our success, we must not only redefine de-extinction, but establish standards for the science behind it, as well.' Last year, Colossal was able to use fossil DNA to bring two dire wolves back from extinction after 10,000 years. No, really: here's the Time cover story. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Geek Tyrant
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE Players Escort Hobbit Army Into Mount Doom… Then Get Lost — GeekTyrant
After three years of hilariously noble attempts, The Lord of the Rings Online 's most wholesome and ridiculous community tradition has finally reached the gates of success… only to immediately trip over them and get lost inside Mount Doom. Every year, streamer BurkeBlack organizes what's become known as the Great Hobbit Run, an MMO pilgrimage where players create brand-new, low-level Hobbit characters and try to march them gearless, clueless, from Bag End all the way to the fiery heart of Mordor. Think of it as Frodo and Sam's journey, but with 200 chaotic cousins tagging along and none of them ready for literally any part of it. 'Generally speaking, I encourage everyone to be level five Hobbits, or level one Hobbits, whatever they can get,' BurkeBlack told PC Gamer. 'If [people on] the server, though, they're high level and they see an army of Hobbits running, and they're like, 'Wow, I'm gonna follow this, I wanna see what's going on with this,' we can't stop that.' The result is a surreal, annual spectacle where higher-level players sometimes jump in to protect the halfling horde like makeshift Rangers, escorting this barefoot chaos parade across high-level enemy territory. But despite the valiant efforts, previous years didn't end well. In 2023, the Hobbits were annihilated in Moria. In 2024, Rohan's angry forest vegetation gave them the Treebeard treatment. This wasn't a walk to Mordor, it was a slow-motion mass Hobbit sacrifice. But this year? This year they made it. Well… almost. Roughly 40 to 50 Hobbits survived the six-hour march to Mount Doom. Once inside, they did what any disoriented army of tiny roleplayers would do: they got lost. The lava was right there, Sammath Naur within reach, but they couldn't quite find the actual Crack of Doom. So instead? They just jumped into the fire. Call it a technical victory. Call it a Hobbit solution. If you've got six hours and a need for joy, BurkeBlack's full recording of the Great Hobbit Run 2025 is available to watch here.
Gizmodo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Lord of the Rings Online' Players Successfully Get Small Hobbit Army Lost Inside Mount Doom
MMORPG players love making challenges for themselves beyond the actual challenges offered by their games. Setting artificial level caps, soloing content designed for groups, empowering yourself through ways outside of the typical grind—you name it, someone has probably tried it in an MMO. But a group of Lord of the Rings Online players have managed an impossibility that triumphantly shows the source material's thematic heart of hope in the face of despair so perfectly Tolkien could've come up with it himself. For the past several years, streamer BurkeBlack has organized an in-game event called the Great Hobbit Run. The event sees players create low-level Hobbit characters, and, instead of traversing Middle-earth to gain the experience, gear, and levels necessary to traditionally triumph, have them run those characters from Bag End in the Shire all the way to the interior of Mount Doom itself, to replicate Sam and Frodo's journey in, uh, as 'realistic' a way as possible. More experienced characters or curious onlookers spotting a veritable militia of low-level Hobbits racing across LOTRO's map are encouraged to join, if not as actual participants, as noble guardians of the Fellowship to protect these vulnerable halflings as they try to enter a high-level zone in one piece. 'Generally speaking, I encourage everyone to be level five Hobbits, or level one Hobbits, whatever they can get,' BurkeBlack told PC Gamer of the initiative. 'If [people on] the server, though, they're high level and they see an army of Hobbits running, and they're like, 'Wow, I'm gonna follow this, I wanna see what's going on with this,' we can't stop that.' Alas, the Fellowship has been broken in the past few years that BurkeBlack and his community have attempted the Great Hobbit Run. In 2023, the Hobbits fell to shadow and flame in Moria, while last year, the hour of wolves and shattered shields came upon the shirefolk in Rohan, as the trees themselves came to life and laid them low. Think that bit from the end of the extended edition of Two Towers, but with a bunch of hobbits running into a conspicuously present forest instead. Perhaps then, this was a challenge too mighty for even the bravest and smallest among Middle-earth's denizens. But again, The Lord of the Rings is about unyielding hope against insurmountable odds, and so the Great Hobbit Run returned this week to brave the road to Mordor once more—and finally found success. After 3 years of attempts, the Hobbits finally made it to Mt Doom and threw ourselves into the lava! Thank you tobthe helpers and everyone that joined this year long, but saddly I forget the ring back at the shire so we'll try again next year! — BurkeBlack (@0BurkeBlack0) July 8, 2025Well, mostly. Of almost 200 Hobbits that left Bag End, between 40 and 50 managed to survive the over six-hour trek to Mount Doom itself… only to get lost in its interiors as they attempted to locate the actual crack of Doom, Sammath Naur. Deciding that they were close enough, the Hobbits celebrated technical victory by casting themselves into the fires—with an emboldened promise that when they return next year, bolstered by this success, maybe this time they'll actually find the right way in. If you find yourself with six hours to spare and need reminding that there's still some good in this world, BurkeBlack's recording of the Great Hobbit Run 2025 can be found here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
