UPDATE
The team has issued an apology online after the lackluster launch:
A few words from the " The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ " team pic.twitter.com/adPamy5EjO
— The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (@GollumGame) May 26, 2023
ORIGINAL STORY
The “Game of the Year” list for 2023 already has some standout contenders, from a remake featuring Leon S. Kennedy to the next adventure of a “Jedi Survivor,” a “Link” to both the past and future of a beloved Nintendo franchise, a unique magical journey through Hogwarts and more. Plus, with the rest of the year left to go, there are bound to be titles that stand out and make people think that this may be one of the best years in gaming we’ve had in a while. But 2023 has also proven that there are still troubles in the gaming industry, as The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum is showing in its reviews.
Because, unlike those other titles we teased, The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum is not considered a “Game of the Year contender.” That wouldn’t be bad on its own because innumerous games don’t get that honor. However, the new title set on Middle-Earth is being given the dubious title of “worst reviewed game of 2023” so far. That’s because on Metacritic, no matter which platform you look at, the title has around a 38% rating.
As other sites have noted, this ranking puts it at the bottom of a 296-game list that Metacritic has for all the titles it’s gotten reviews for this year. The PS5 version has a 38% rating, while the PC version has a slightly higher score. But even then, all signs point to this being a terrible game.
But what are reviewers saying to give the title such a low score?
For the PS5 version, the title has gotten 21 reviews. Six are in the “mixed” score category, while the other 15 are in the “negative” score category. That alone makes it pretty bad.
The highest score came from IGN Adria, which gave it a “70” for a “solid enough” experience but very underwhelming graphics. Everything else was a 55 or lower, and the best compliments that were posted were about the dialogue and the few insightful moments we got with Gollum.
Many blasted the title for not being “cooked enough” and felt that even the most diehard Middle-Earth fans wouldn’t want to play this title.
Sadly, this will be added to the ever-growing list of games that were “released before they should’ve been.” The title had been delayed in the past, but apparently, it wasn’t enough. Whether this sends extra ripples through the game dev community remains to be seen.
