We have finally completed Lord of The Rings: The Third Age, and, for a tenner, it was a good two-player game (of which I am currently an energumen); it was also a fairly lengthy adventure, which gave even more for our money’s worth.

One thing which this game (along with Paper Mario on the Gamecube) sucks at, albeit infrequently, is a few prolix fights, where upon defeating one group of enemies, another battle immediately takes place, and then another, and sometimes a fourth. These series of battles can take twenty minutes or so to complete, and, if one dies, the whole process must be started again. As stated, this happens seldom, and usually only when some really important event is about to take place (the equivalent of boss stages), but a very simple save feature would have been appreciated.

Paper Mario suffers from this disease, though thankfully only when the final boss is met. Whilst we completed The Third Age’s final boss in two attempts, Paper Mario has remained unfinished for well over a year, and will possibly never be finished.

It is a testament to such badly implemented game designs that such flaws can destroy the gaming experience. I can’t remember just how many hours we have been playing Paper Mario (50, maybe), but it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth that so much time spent to complete a game is time wasted. If we do get it together and tackle Paper Mario again, the satisfaction I shall get from completing it will come more from being able to place the game on the “done” shelf, than from knowing we defeated a worthy opponent.

I have nothing against a challenge (thought less so as the years go by, it seems), and perhaps I’m considering myself a better player than I am, but I don’t expect a simple adventure or RPG to be froward. Strategy/God games, however, are a different kettle of lobsters…