as I watch a LotR videogame speedrun, I think about how...the thing is, LotR makes a shitty videogame, as such things are generally understood

because while there are some battles, there aren't really...boss fights

the Witch-King, yes, but Eowyn isn't a member of the Fellowship, which would be the player characters

(even then, it takes...two, three exchanges?)

right now they're fighting ghosts in the paths of the dead, which obviously does not happen

not even in the movie

the ghosts aren't enemies, they're reinforcements

...okay I'm gonna make a bad joke, but

the Lord of the Rings would be best represented...by a walking simulator

slash a visual novel/talking game

but people keep trying to make it an action game

which requires inventing some enemies that can be truly defeated in battle

the heroes defeat Saruman's forces at Helm's Deep...via survival and Gandalf finding reinforcements, but they never fight Saruman with anything but words

the Battle of the Pelennor does have a boss fight, sort of, but several of the dramatic moments are again the arrival of reinforcements, and the Witch-King isn't defeated by Gandalf but by an NPC (Merry helps)

the battle before the gates of Mordor is unwinnable and they know it, is a distraction

the fight at the breaking of the fellowship is...also an unwinnable fight, like the one at the end of FF7 Crisis Core at best

anyway: LotR walking simulator/indie-style game, you can't prove me wrong