Latest news with #TheShire
Digital Trends
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Tales of the Shire wasn't the game I wanted to play, but the game I needed to play
This month has been an especially stressful one for me. Without getting into too many details, I had more on my plate than usual and had to be extra judicious about how I spent my time. This caused me to treat playing games more like a job than something to enjoy. Well, technically playing games has always been my job, but I never want to approach a game with that mindset. Unfortunately for Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, that was my mentality on first touch — get through it as fast as possible so I could write my article and move on to my next assignment. That's a recipe for failure for any game, but especially so for a cozy game in which patience and the act of doing the more mundane tasks are the reward in and of themselves. Once I met the game on its own terms, it ended up being exactly what I needed to manage my stress. A fine stew takes time Tales of the Shire doesn't feature any epic quest or ancient evils, but focuses on simple Hobbits with simple problems. The closest you get to the wider Lord of the Rings world is a quick meeting with Gandalf and some references to other familiar areas within The Shire. Otherwise, this game is a far more accurate depiction of a Hobbit's life than Bilbo or Frodo's would have you believe. Recommended Videos After creating my own unique Hobbit and arriving in the new village of Bywater, I was struck by the art direction Tales of the Shire chose. It evokes feelings of a watercolor or oil painting that creates an almost dreamlike look to the world. It feels like a concerted effort to evoke the tone of The Hobbit book rather than the darker, grittier tone of The Lord of the Rings, which is quite effective in stills and motion. Sadly, I wasn't so receptive to the gameplay that morning. The first few hours consist of some introductory quests that serve as small tutorials for things like cooking, using your map, planting crops, and all the other chores that make up any good cozy farming sim. This is all framed around the first major quest in the game, which is to settle an argument about whether or not Bywater fits the technical definition of a village according to a lost rulebook you need to find. Thrilling stuff, right? Finding the book is an excuse to give me a complete tour of Bywater to meet the main villagers I will be befriending. Each Hobbit that once had the book tells you they passed it along for one reason or another to someone else, again and again until I finally find it in the most obvious of spots. It isn't the game's fault that this extended fetch-quest rubbed me the wrong way. I was too focused on treating the game like a task that every additional step felt like a waste of time. Bywater isn't a huge village, but my Hobbit isn't all that nimble, so trekking from one end to the other right off the bat was a poor first impression. Also, the cuteness of replacing a sprint with skipping only felt like salt in the wound when I was already on edge with the game. I stopped playing after this first quest, unsure if I would go back. Two days later, I did but only after reflecting on how I wasn't playing Tales of the Shire on its own terms. This isn't a game about the destination, but enjoying the journey and living life slowly — just like a Hobbit. I would need to put aside my stress and let the game move at its own pace to give it an honest shot. When I stopped worrying about not knowing where to go to find the specific fish I needed, or where I could harvest berries for a pie and just enjoyed the process of fishing and foraging, I began to settle into the laid-back atmosphere Tales of the Shire wants to provide. Cooking has very few timed elements and is almost impossible to fully fail, there are no harsh time limits on just about anything I encountered. Even when I accidentally missed a dinner I had invited two Hobbits to, all I got was a mildly passive-aggressive letter in the mail. It was such a relief to have my biggest problem be a slightly grumpy Hobbit that could be won over with just a dinner or two. Even with the tone and pace clicking for me, Tales of the Shire does have some niggles that detract from fully enjoying its world. The biggest was the very limited inventory at the start. Cooking is such a core feature that I wanted to stockpile every fruit, mushroom, fish, and vegetable I came across on a daily basis, but ran out of space frustratingly fast. Being forced to skip back home two or three times a day started to resurface my resentment for the overly saccharine animation. There's also no way to easily track what ingredients I need for a dish. Having a way to pin one or more recipes to the screen so I could easily reference what specific breed of fish or other ingredient I needed while out and about without having to dig through my menu feels like a missed opportunity. Those issues aside, for my first true cozy game experience, Tales of the Shire came at just the right time to help me slow down and appreciate the journey and not focus on the destination. Tales of the Shire is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC.
Time Out
21-06-2025
- Time Out
One of Britain's most ‘beautiful' bus routes is just one hour from London
London buses can be pretty chaotic. Riding a double-decker, passengers are likely to encounter someone blasting bad music from their phone, a person eating a sloppy kebab, and don't get us started on the lack of air-conditioning. So, Londoners might find it hard to believe that some bus routes in the country are tranquil, scenic, and even enjoyable. But, good news for all you city dwellers, because of the UK's most picturesque bus journeys is just one hour from the capital. The Telegraph has revealed the most beautiful bus routes in Britain, and one is within easy reach from the Big Smoke. The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, which embarks from, you guessed it, Cambridge, has been named as one of the top 10 most stunning bus rides in the country by the paper. On this journey, passengers ride in style on leather seats and with free wi-fi along tracks that resemble a tramway. The route that opened in 2011 goes from Cambridge to Peterborough on a pathway lined with leafy green trees. It's also an eco-friendly option, as the bus runs on biofuel. The second-closest route to London was Birmingham's number 11, which passes through Britain's answer to Hobbiton. This attractive bus ride traverses the 'Outer Circle' of Birmingham, passing through rolling green hills which supposedly inspired JRR Tolkien to create The Shire. Also on the list of the top 10 was what the Telegraph calls the 'rarest bus in the world', the 112 from Tavistock to Dawlish in Devon. Why is it the world's rarest bus? Well, it only runs on the fifth Saturday of every month between April and September. But if you can catch it, it's worth it, as the bus passes through Dartmoor and along the coast. The most beautiful bus routes in Britain, according to the Telegraph Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, Cambridge 4677, Berwick-upon-Tweed 112, Tavistock 830, Yorkshire Dales 11, Birmingham X18, Newcastle W17, Outer Hebrides Lakeside 599, Lake District 3, Dartmouth 740, Knighton You can read the Telegraph 's article in full here.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean Astin announces launch of new Lord of the Rings Lego set
Iconic Lord of the Rings actor Sean Astin has announced the launch of LEGO® Icons The Lord of the Rings: The Shire™ set, a 2,017-piece diorama straight from Middle-earth. Known for playing the role of Samwise Gamgee, Astin revived his love for the well-known fantasy series in a commercial for the Lego set. The commercial, released on 25 March 2025, features the actor taking viewers through a tour of the miniature set. "It's no bad thing to celebrate a simple life of wholesome comfort," says the nostalgic actor as he reminisces on the original trilogy. The full mini-film is available to view at
