Nicholas Western

The game was honestly boring after the initial wow factor of an open world Pokémon game. I preferred the story over the previous Sword and Shield installment, but the region just felt lacking. I'm not sure if it's that I have reached a point that Pokémon games don't really interest me anymore, or if this game in particular just didn't do it for me. It's definitely worth picking up if your a fan of the series, and I really enjoyed some of the new Pokémon introduced in this generation. However I got burnt out on the game play in a fairly short period of time.

Rings of Power does two things wrong. One is the use of The Lord of the Rings title, and the other is character saturation in a short period of time. Now that being said the show overall has been enjoyable. The set designs are great and the characters are well played. The sprinkle in of some light humor at points is also very welcome and very Tolkien it's presentation. They also don't shy away from the idea of song magic in Arda. However for those not super into the lore of the Tolkien world it may be confusing. I hope to see a character become a vehicle for the audience to explore Middle-Earth. So going back to the first sin I leveled against the show ( the use of the title The Lord of the Rings ) the name is miss leading The Lord of the Rings is an exciting epic capping of the story of the events of Middle-Earth's three ages. Most of Tolkien lore isn't the exciting events of the expedition to Mt. Erebor or the War of the Ring. This show is starting off long before the War of the Last Alliance. So there will be build up. That being said it also isn't holding back that things are going bad, and it's having an impact on life in Middle-Earth. The second sin is definitely character saturation. People not heavily into Tolkien lore aren't familiar with the likes of Gil-galad, Elendil, Durin IV ect.. They have done well in making two of our point of view character familiar ones to audiences who have seen the movie. However key players in this part of Middle-Earth's history seem to get little focus or mention. I hope to see this change as time goes on. Also for those in the know. I really hope the Stranger doesn't replace Glorfindel! All things being said the show is solid and very much worth a watch. If you not deep into Middle-Earth lore keep with it your about to get one of the most exciting chapters in all of Fantasy. Go in understanding that this isn't The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. This is a story that will need more build up, and one that if they follow through the whole story has some great payoffs.