I’d argue Smeagol is the most fully-developed character in the Lord of the Rings, so I think the idea is kinda cool. But it’s more about the stealth mechanics you could do skulking around Middle Earth. Bonus points if you get to challenge Bilbo to a riddle contest…
‘It’s about Goldblum? Go on…’
Can we please forget about Goldblum now…I don’t want this to dominate the discussion of this game. /ThreadCop! Come AT ME!
I like stealth games. I love Tolkien’s world. Gollum is fine.
Doesn’t work.
I guess I’m out until after you guys circlejerk about Goldblum for a while.
It’s perfect.
I agree, FWIW.
I like stealth games, I do not like the Styx stealth games. I’ve only played one, but I would assume they’re all similar enough that I can lump them together. It’s been a while since I’ve played, but I remember feeling the game was too by the numbers, which I guess shouldn’t be an issue at all for your average players.
So many thoughts about this one. Why would you want to make a game about Gollum? It’s like making a Saving Private Ryan game and focusing on Upham. Just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Then there’s the real corker - trying to make Gollum more relatable by giving him more hair? Like, more greasy, matted hair is going to help? At this point they could probably just base the character on Bruce Glover and it would be an improvement.
Really, really odd.
Games don’t always have to be about the obvious heroes. And it’s not as if this is the first (or tenth) LOTR game ever made.
I disagree with the Saving Private Ryan comparison. Gollum is an vastly more important character having destroyed the ring. (unintentionally) And there is a lot more material they could explore.
Also a stealth game as Gollum actually makes sense. He has ‘stealthed’ the goblins of the Misty Mountains and Shelob. He gave Thranduil the slip. He stalked the fellowship. He was captured during his journey into Mordor and again by…Aragorn II in the Dead Marshes.
Agree with all that, although you could also do a stealth game about a non-corrupted hobbit if you didn’t want to put people off as (if this thread is any evidence) this choice seems to be doing. In The Hobbit Tolkien goes to great lengths to explain how innately stealthy hobbits are.
The Adventures of Belladonna Took would be great, but would likely confuse people more. Everyone knows who Gollum is. I suppose the backlash in this thread shows a lot of people really dislike Gollum though.
Once you know Gollum’s origin, he’s easily the deepest character in LoTR, and he’s perfect for a stealth game. In The Hobbit he’s lived for years under the Misty Mountains avoiding and occasionally sneaking up on and strangling goblins.
If this game is about his first visit to Mordor, he won’t have the Ring. Bilbo has stolen it and now Gollum’s trying to carry on while searching for it on every shore. Is it any wonder that even Gollum seems a little heroic, seeking his Precious as time ticks away on his sanity?
If you have to actually get him to Mordor, he may have to avoid the notice of the Lady of Lothlorien and the long arm of the Ents in Fangorn on the way. He may even have to deal with the artificial humanoids being secretly manufactured by Saruman.
He’ll certainly have to avoid the lure of spirits in the Dead Marshes. He’ll have to befriend Shelob to get through her cavern, probably by luring in small groups of orcs at great risk to himself. And when he enters Mordor pursuing the grand illusion that the Dark Lord will help an angry mortal fooling himself that the Ring will belong to him.
Bravo, Mr. Many Jars! Bravo!
-Tom
P.S. Especially the Shelob link!