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Additionally, all discs at NexWave Games are carefully inspected and assessed for quality. When discs arrive, we do not accept any that are so badly damaged that they are unlikely to work. We only accept discs with light scratches at most. Discs with scratches are then treated in our professional disc repair machine. By warming the disc and polishing it with soft brushes, these machines can remove a very thin layer from the disc. This removes the layer containing surface scratches and improves the disc’s readability. This ensures the disc works properly, even on consoles with ageing lasers that have difficulty reading games! Great news for the player.
The Hobbit for PlayStation 2
The Hobbit for PlayStation 2 follows Bilbo Baggins on the journey from his quiet home to the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf and a company of dwarves persuade him to join them, after which he finds himself among trolls, goblins and giant spiders. This action adventure uses a colourful three-dimensional world with Bilbo as the only controllable hero. You walk through Hobbiton, find routes through caves and forests and meet characters such as Gollum and the dragon Smaug.
Along the way, you jump across chasms, climb ropes and ledges and move objects to progress. Bilbo fights with his walking stick and later with the sword Sting; throwing stones let you hit distant targets. You do not have to attack every guard. By sneaking and later temporarily using the Ring, you can also avoid enemies. The time available for invisibility is limited, so a safe route remains important.
Coloured gems provide Courage Points. Fill the meter with them and Bilbo's maximum health increases. You spend silver coins on supplies between chapters, while hidden scrolls teach new attacks. Opening chests sometimes requires a small timing puzzle with moving pointers. You play this adventure alone with a DualShock 2; there is no second player or Multitap support. Alternating between searching, jumping and carefully moving past danger determines the pace of the journey.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
The Hobbit for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of The Hobbit
Sierra Entertainment released The Hobbit for PlayStation 2 in 2003. The console version was developed by Austin-based Inevitable Entertainment. Sierra announced the project in February 2002 as a game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book, initially for GameCube. The three-dimensional adventure eventually appeared on several home platforms. The European PS2 release followed in November 2003, during the same period in which the contemporary Lord of the Rings films were also drawing considerable attention to Tolkien.
The starting point remained the book The Hobbit. The developers therefore designed their own Bilbo, dwarves and environments, with rounded shapes and bright colours. This game does not depict the later Hobbit film trilogy or use LEGO characters. The journey gives familiar events a playable setting: a cave becomes a climbing route, an enemy camp a stealth section and a hidden chest a short puzzle. This gives Bilbo small problems to solve himself between the major story moments.
The progression system supports that development from inexperienced hobbit to traveller. Exploring, completing tasks and defeating enemies earn points that allow Bilbo to withstand more punishment, while new techniques expand his limited selection of weapons. A separate Game Boy Advance adventure by Saffire appeared alongside this PS2 game, with a different viewpoint and approach. The version described here is Inevitable's original three-dimensional console game, with direct controls and a journey divided into chapters. The platform differences therefore extend beyond the size of the screen.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
The Fellowship of the Ring shares the literary foundation and also takes you through Middle-earth with an emphasis on exploration and quests. Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf take turns there, whereas The Hobbit keeps the entire journey with Bilbo. His walking stick, stones and temporary invisibility give problems a smaller scale. The connection lies chiefly in travelling through familiar places yourself, not in having the same campaign or combat system.
The Two Towers also uses Tolkien's world, but follows the films' imagery and places considerable emphasis on successive battles with heroes such as Aragorn and Legolas. The Hobbit draws on the earlier book and gives jumping, sneaking and searching for chests more room. Both let you learn new attacks. With Bilbo, peaceful exploration and small route puzzles interrupt the action much more frequently than during the battles of The Two Towers.
Like The Hobbit, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time asks you to read three-dimensional spaces and time your jumps. The prince can run along walls and reverse mistakes with his dagger. Bilbo uses simpler jumps, ropes and his walking stick, without that power over time. Instead, coins, Courage Points and hidden supplies reward investigating side paths. Both adventures connect fighting with finding a traversable route.
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy combines colourful areas with jumping and collecting. The search for Power Cells connects a continuous world there; The Hobbit follows chapters of Bilbo's story and also lets you sneak and open locks along the way. Daxter constantly travels along as a talking companion, while Bilbo meets various familiar faces and then moves on. Collecting supports progress in both games, but the structure of the world and the rhythm clearly differ.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban also turns a familiar fantasy world into an adventure with combat, collecting and environmental puzzles. On PS2, you switch between Harry, Ron and Hermione to combine their abilities. The Hobbit has you develop one hero with weapons, sneaking and the Ring. Where an obstacle at Hogwarts may require another character, here you look for a new use of Bilbo's own abilities.
