The game did not receive the same scores that its predecessor received, as it garnered criticism for its disjointed story and how it was too similar to the game before it. The game itself was fairly similar to LEGO The Lord of the Rings, as almost everything was carried over except for the main characters and the story. However, that DLC never came to fruition and was quietly canceled, which left LEGO The Hobbit incomplete. The game adapted the first two Hobbit movies with plans to adapt The Battle of the Five Armies as post-launch DLC. Two years later, Traveller's Tales returned to Middle-Earth with LEGO The Hobbit. Upon release, the game received positive reviews, and many Lord of the Rings fans flocked to it. Each character also has their own personal inventory and players can collect various magical items to use on their adventures. They can walk all the way from the Shire to Mordor and gather collectables on their way. The title adapts the three Lord of the Rings movies over 18 levels in hilarious LEGO fashion and lets players explore a fully realized open-world version of Middle-Earth. The game is the second LEGO title to use voice acting, and the first to utilize voices pulled directly from films. In 2012, Traveller's Tales released its first Middle-Earth centric title, LEGO The Lord of the Rings.
