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I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read The Hobbit.

But after playing it for a couple of hours, I’m left lukewarm.

A cozy Hobbit-hole by the river in Tales of the Shire

There’s a lot of promise here.

Most importantly, there’s a large, barebones pantry that I’m giddy at the thought of restocking.

Cooking is surprisingly intricate.

A Hobbit man cooking in a cozy kitchen in Tales of the Shire

A lot of this is a visual issue.

Hobbits look too smooth to have any character.

Right now, Tales of the Shire feels like a generic life sim with a thin Middle-earth veneer.

A screenshot of the upcoming Switch game, Tales of the Shire.

I don’t want it to stay that way, because there’s real potential here.

Tales of the Shire is set to launch in 2025.

Until then, here are thebest Lord of the Rings gamesyou can play now.

A Hobbit watering her plants and vegetables in Tales of the Shire

Two hobbits in a kitchen with a duck on the table during the upcoming Xbox Series X game, Tales of the Shire.

Tales of the Shire: a screenshot of the upcoming Lord of the Rings game�s artwork.

Arydia: The Paths We Dare Tread in play

Witchbrook screenshot showing a room above a clothing boutique where a character interacts with another and a heart appears above one of them

Stardew Valley

Baldur�s Village Stardew Valley Baldur�s Gate 3 mod

Michi, Pinky, and the rest of the Promise Mascot Agency standing in front of Kaso-Machi in key art for the game

Nintendogs 2005

GTA 6 trailer screenshots

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

A screenshot from Super Mario Odyssey showing Mario throwing Cappy in New Donk City.

Mavix M7�s Elemax massage and heating backrest

Ritual Remnants appear in various rooms in The Horror at Highrook

Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour in Thunderbolts

Articulate box, cards, board, and tokens on a wooden table

The cast of Thunderbolts standing in an elevator during the trailer for the upcoming Marvel Phase 5 movie.

Jonah Hauer-King as Conrad in Doctor Who: ‘Lucky Day’.