The Lord of the rings: the third age PS2

Aprašymas (anglsk.)

As with many role playing games, gameplay in Third Age is split into two different modes; third-person exploration through a 3D overworld, and combat mode, consisting of turn-based gameplay.^[6][7]

Progression through the game is built around "Quests." Every area features multiples quests which must be completed in order to progress to the next area. All areas also feature several optional sidequests which do not have to be completed for progression, but which can yield substantial rewards if they are.^[8] When the player is in third-person mode, the HUD displays a map with the current objectives (primary and secondary) marked on it.^[8] As the player moves through the environment, one of two icons can also appear on-screen. If the Eye of Sauron appears, it means the player has a chance to encounter a random battle; the darker the eye, the more likely a battle will occur. If a blue Palantír appears, it means the player is approaching a story battle; again, the darker the icon, the closer the player is to the battle. However, not every scripted battle is indicated beforehand by a Palantír icon.^[8]

The Third Age is an RPG in the style of the games in the Final Fantasy series. The game's turn-based combat system is similar to Final Fantasy X's "Conditional Turn-Based" system (CTB), which replaced the "Active Time Battle" system (ATB) used from Final Fantasy IV to Final Fantasy IX. The primary difference between the ATB and the CTB is that in the CTB system, time pauses as the player selects commands, whereas in the ATB system, time continues to pass. As such, in the ATB system, even when the player is selecting actions, the enemy can continue to attack. In the CTB system, however, the enemy will not attack the player until the player has had their turn.^[9] During battle, a "battle queue" is displayed on-screen. This shows the order in which the player's party and the enemy will take their turns. However, the order of battle can be changed by using abilities to slow down or stun the enemy, or speed up the player characters. Likewise, the enemies can increase their own speed and decrease the party's, again changing the order. The queue changes each time a turn is completed.^[9] The player can only have three active party members in any given battle, but in most battles, they are free to switch party members in and out of combat. Occasionally, the player will be joined by a fourth member, who is usually a character from the films, and is controllable for one or two battles only.^[9]

Battles are structured around the player selecting actions from the battle menu. Actions include options such as "Attack", "Change Weapon", "Item" and "Skip."^[9] Another feature of battling is "Perfect Mode." As the player successfully executes attacks on the enemy, their momentum meter will fill. When it is completely full, any member of the party can select "Perfect Mode" from the menu and execute a more powerful attack. Perfect attacks are general to the party, with any character able to execute any attack; they are not specific to each character.^[9] At the end of each battle, each member of the party receives experience points, based upon their actions during the battle. For example, if one character killed all the enemies, they will get more points than the others. If a character did not participate in the battle at all, they will get less points than those who did. Gaining experience points leads to the characters leveling up. When a character levels up, they receive attribute points, which they can spend on their various attributes; Strength, Spirit, Constitution, Speed and Dexterity.^[10]Weaponry and armor also effect the level of each attribute.^[10]

Each character also has access to their own unique set of skills. Every character has four basic types of skill set; one based upon their primary weapon, another based around magic, another determining what attacks are available in Perfect Mode, and a fourth determining their passive skills. Depending on what "elf stones" they have equipped, any given character may also have skill sets relating to Lightcraft, Shadowcraft and Item Creation. For all skills except passive skills and perfect mode, the character can only learn new skills by performing the skills which they have already learned from that set a predetermined number of times.^[11] Each successful execution of a skill earns one skill point for the next skill. As the character advances, the choice of skills available to them increases, and they can choose what skill to learn next.^[11] Skill points for perfect mode and passive skills are attached to experience level rather than successful execution of skills.^[11]

The game also features a mini-game called "Evil Mode". As the player completes each area in the main game, that area becomes available to play in evil mode. In this mode, the player controls the forces of Sauron and fights against the main game's player characters. Each area features a set number of battles, between which the player cannot save. if the player successfully completes the battles in a particular area, special items are unlocked, and added to the player's inventory in the main game.