18.2.2004

Here's the thing. I like this game, I love the films and I enjoyed the books. With this in mind I was almost tempted to give this five stars but I couldn't. But let's not dwell on the sloppy elements for now and concentrate on what's good in this game.Once again the game throws you straight into the mix when you start your first game. In 'The Two Towers' you were placed in the role of Isildur as he battled Orcs on the slopes of Mount Doom. It was an exciting way to start and the blending of cut scene and in-game action was almost seamless. Thankfully the games creators have started in a similar fashion and here you are thrust into the shoes of Gandalf as he finishes off the Uruk-Hai at Helms Deep,picking up where the first game left off.If you've played the first game, you'll notice differences, both good and bad, immediately. First the good. It looks incredible. From the accurate but slightley bleak arenas of the first game, you arrive in a sweeping, brightly lit hive of activity that, and I don't like to use hyperbole very often, is frankly mind blowing.The fighting, by and large, is roughly the same, with a few minor differences. Firstly each character has a new special move which can be accessed by holding down all four shoulder buttons at once. In Gandalf's case this is a sphere of light wich surrounds him and causes damage to any unfriendly characters it touches. These take a while to charge up and should really be used sparringly as they leave you chracter vulnerable while they kick in. Pushing enemys away is now far less effective than the first game and this is the first of my gripes with the game. In 'The Two Towers' there was nothing more satisfying than finishing of an attacking Uruk and then kicking another away just before he could land a heavy blow. Here, the kicks are innacurate and do so little that you woner if they landed at all. The character who suffers the most here is Legolas, who relys on quick linked attacks to stand any chance of success when the fighting gets up close and personal.On the subject of characters, this is another double edged sword for the game. On the one hand it greatly extends the life-span of the game, offering as it does three completely different roots through. These are split into Wizard (controlling Gandalf) King (Aragorn, legolas, Gimli) and the Hobbits (Sam and Frodo). This is an excellent way of plotting the story and also offer you an alternative should you get stuck (and you will get stuck). The downside is that the games creators have had to spread a lot of good ideas thinly across the paths. This leads to some severely dissapointing and rediculously difficult levels such as Shelob's Lair and the exceedingly poor Pelenor Fields (Kill elpephant, shoot Nazgul kill elephant, shoot Nazgul kill eleph....etc). This is sad because it detracts from some excellent moments such as Osgiliath, Cirith Ungol, the siege of Minis Tirith and so on...As I mentioned rediculous difficulty is an issue but is thankfully limited to only a couple of levels, namely Shelob's Cave and the Minas Tirith courtyard. Although the difficulty here adds to the 'struggling against the odds' feel of the experience, there's only so many times you can be killed by a baby spider or jumped on simultaneously by seven Uruk-Hai before it starts to grate somewhat.To summarise then, RotK is a very good game that falls short of the term 'classic' due to some slack level design, stupid difficulty and repetetive combat. If you like the book and/or films then I suggest you buy this now. If you just like sword fighting then get Soul Caliber instead.

17.2.2004

Now that ROTK has swept all from the field in the Cinema (fingers crossed for Pete Jackson's deserved recognition by Oscar)After viewing the joys of the destruction of the ring,I skipped merrily from the cinema and straight home to play on the PS2 game of the same name (i'd actually bought it some days before but didn't want to ruin the plot of the film like the 1st game did for the 2nd film....GRRRR!).Firstly for all those young adults suffering from a highly charged inner child this really captures the joy of that SEGA megadrive classic Golden Axe. It escapes the trap of many hack and slash cames by making sure that the game has a very free flow style of combat and that you never have to hike over vast tracts of unoccupied middle earth.The enemies attack on masse meaning that dealing with them one by one is not an option, making the use of one's nonce all the more important.In spirit it is very much the same as the first game, but then we didn't expect a vastly different animal. However the developers have taken on board some inmprovements. The 'camera' is located at a greater distance so the enemies don't hurl themselves from off screen, performing crude open heart surgery before you know whats happening, quite as often as they used to. They still do from time to time though especially in the pelennor fields mission.Another imporvement is the upgrades. Not just the ability to buy upgrades for the other characters in the fellowship but now the upgrade reflect the different abilities of each character. Legolas and Gimli both distiguish themselves from Aragorn much more than the first game. Legolas' bow becomes far more of a weapon even in the melee levels. Similarily to use Gimli effectively you have to really get stuck in, no messing about.Given all this praise you'll be wondering why I docked that final star. Personally I believe that no game is perfect and this is no exception. Firstly the developers have, at times, sacrificed gameplay in favour of soaring vistas. Having praised the 'camera' position i will caution that sometimes its gets so far away that accurately controlling your character becomes difficult and you lose sight of him under a pile of enemies. Also the block element of the combat is still a bit of a hit and miss affair meaning that pulling a successful block cannot be guaranteed.Both the powerful and kill moves take so long to execute that you'll need real flair for control before you can use then without some tedious ork taking an in depth look at your kidneys.The Hobbit levels grate as the dependable and loveable Samwise Gamgee has been transformed into a stunted Schwarzenegger with an endless stream of orc carcasses strewn around him. Gandalf too turns up at the fall of Eisengaard where he quite definately has no business whatsoever.All in All this game is a triumph they have corrected the defects in the superb original and legthened the overall game using the films' wide stable of heroic types to vary the whole caboodle. There are a few niggles and you may find that there you get a few pangs of sacrilidge as the original story gets knocked about a bit just so you can stab more than one over sized spider. But hey forget that, this shall keep the armies of Sauron at bay at least until the Extended DVD comes out later in 2004.

13.1.2004

The Lord of The Rings (games) trilogy started out with 'The Fellowship of The Ring', which for it's time was not bad and was more of an 'adventure' game where you would go round completeing different tasks and occasionally beating up the baddies. Then came 'The Two Towers' and it was great fun killing all the Orcs. And finally we come to the latest one, 'The Return Of The King', and after the second installment we were all expecting somthing rather special. Thankfully EA did not dissappoint and i'm sure you will agree with me if you you have played on it that this is definately the best game in the trilogy, if not the best game of 2003.Like 'The Two Towers', it falls into the 'hack and slash'catagory and if you have played on it or the previous one, you will know exactly what i'm talking about. About 90% of the game is basically fighting off the baddies, wether it be Shelob, The Witch King, The King of the Dead, Sauron's Lieutenant or just huge armies of Orcs. Just slicing up a load of these evil creatures level after level may sound a bit repetative, but i assure you, it's great fun.As in the other two games, you can play as several different characters including Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Sam, Frodo and there are even three special unlockable characters. You can take one of three paths in the game; the path of the wizard (where you can only use Gandalf), the path of the king (where you can use either Aragorn, Gimli or Legolas) or the path of the hobits (where you can use either Sam or Frodo). Each path contains it's own set of levels so you won't have to complete the same level over and over again with each character.Also like in 'The Tow Towers' for each 'thing' you kill you recieve a kill rating; either fair, good, excellent or perfect, and then when you have completed each level you will come to a screen where all your different ratings are added up and turned into points which you can then use to buy upgrades for the character which you have just played with. By 'upgrades' i mean things like extra combos, self healing and a more powerfull sword or arrows, to name but a few.Another great feature which makes the game all the more worth while buying is that there is a now a new 'co-op' mode. This basically means that you can play the game with a friend which makes it twice as fun. Usually on two player modes, the screen is split in half for each person, but in this game, it's just one screen between the both of you, which believe me is much better.The general graphics have improved as the trilogy has gone on and now they are absolutely excellent. If you go on 'The Fellowship of the Ring' and then on this game, you will actually see just how far they have come in such a short space of time.The gameplay is also fantastic. There are in total 15 amazing levels which are suprisingly long and you also get loads of quite long clips from the second and the third film which really help you to get to grips with the storyline, especially if you have not followed the films.So as you can see, this is a supurb game and a real treat for any Lord of the Rings fans or just your average hard-core gamer. A great game to end a great trilogy. Buy it and i promise you won't be dissappointed!

6.1.2004

One word can describe this game, and one word only: brilliant. Its not a game that will overly challange the most dedicated and skillful player (which, admittedly, would be a put off for many potential gamers out there), infact you could probably defeat it in less time than it takes to say "bloody hell, thats a long film", but the sheer loyalty to the locations, plot lines and even presentation in terms of colours and moods are spot on in comparison with the movie, more than make up for it. You'll feel like you're experiencing the movie as you travel through all too familiar battle scenes.And that is basically what this game is made up of. Battle scenes. Much like The Two Towers game last year,RoTK is one long clash of metal, axe, arrows and glowing swords. But while TTT was an enjoyable film game, i always felt you played it in the same way you'd watch the actual film if you were in a hurry - you'd skip to all the best bits. TTT was basically the best battle scenes of the first two movies with a few film clips inbetween. RoTK though is held together admirably by more choice of characters (as oppose to simply playing the role of whoever's put before you), the option to play each set of characters paths individualy, and a more natural progression of the story between levels as oppose to feeling like you turned over 3 pages at once.As aforementioned, battle sequences are aplenty and enemies are relatively easy to defeat. This brings with it an obvious solution: outnumber you with baddies by about 150/1. OK so thats a slight exageration but when you can no longer see your character because he's buried beneath a pile of orcs/spiders/dead things wielding sharp/metal/spikey things then it seems very much like every single one of the bastards in middle-earth has made a bee-line for you.I've not yet completed the game, so cant warn how revealing the ending will be (having seen the film, and that the title of the final level is 'the crack of doom', you'd imagine it has to be atleast somewhat revealing) but i think its probably better for you to see the film first, so you can play it without wondering what spoilers might be ahead. In truth, there arnt many in terms of movie footage form - but the levels and situations presented do, in essence, reveal the entire plot twist for each set of characters so there is a 'slight' eliment of spoiler in there. It will also give you an advantage having seen the film knowing what possibilities the game makers had to explore with situations that arnt fully played out on screen - Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli hunting out the army of the dead for example, or Sam going after Frodo in Shelobs lair - and you just know that they wernt going to just allow Sam to rescue Frodo from the Orcs in the quick and easy 'here i am, lets go' way the movie did - you just know they're gonna make you leg it through levels and levels of absolutely thousands of the ugly bastards before you find him.So, in conclusion; Absolutely stunning graphics, better choice of characters, fantastic gameplay, billions of Orcs. No film could make a better conversion to video game, and no video game could do the film its representing more justice.

17.10.2003

The Return of The King is based on one of the most magical worlds ever created , the first two installemnt of the movie series were a hit with the final installment approaching with a promise of never before seen experience , and as we all feel that the third installment will be better,bigger and more dark than the first and second installemnt , also the Rotk game promises the same....and more .The two towers game was a very good game which only suffered from longevity issue , i have felt that the game should have been more long and also the AI and the controllers should have been more easy and accurate , and fortunately the Development team at EA Redwood Shores knows what they will do this time .The first improvement here is the execellent capturing of the cinematic charcters ,

31.12.2003

I think anyone would have a job on trying to find one person who has not heard of the Lord of the Rings by now!I finished reading the book early 2001 and have a deep love and respect for the story. When i was told that they were making a film i was excited yet fearful at the same time. However those fears however have now gone as the film has been done overall fairly well!The book is essential, the film a must, the game.....If your considering buying this game (which you must be to be looking on here!) you will not be disapointed with your purchase. The main reason i purchased the "Two Towers" game was for the extra footage of a film not yet released, yet a great game emerged.

25.3.2004

This game is certainly decent, and very well presented, but does the gameplay make it a cracker? Read on to find out...GRAPHICSFirst of all, the graphics are amazing. The faces look detailed, and the Orcs and Uruk-hai look absolutely amazing. As you move your characters head actually looks around. Realistic and it is obvious that a lot of time was spent into the visuals.GAMEPLAYThe gameplay is pretty much the same, except a few new combos and characters have been added. The controls are the same, except a new Evade button has been added (L1). You can also power up your character and allow him to go into Perfect mode quicker. This can only be done once every 2 minutes, which doesn't sound long,

30.8.2003

This may be the first review.BUT.as people may say when the game actually arrives in the UK everybody will be saying what I'm saying now.Just a week ago did I first test the Lord Of The Rings:The Return Of The King in America especially for you guys in the UK.(are'nt I kind) well I came back with some rather astonishing answers and comments....This is exactly what I said:"Fantastic, can't wait to play it several times again when it's released.I could'nt believe what I was playing" I felt like I was in the Hobbit's town being one of them.In their own boots.Fighting a war that atleast we would'nt dare to fight.Thankyou to America for being so quick in the Video/Games genre to release the game

7.12.2003

When the two towers came out, I bought it instantly and had been my favourite game for over a year. With the Return of the King film fast approaching, I knew to expect a new game soon. And EA did not disappoint.It picks up exactly where the previous game left off at Helms Deep, where you take control of Gandalf in a final stand. As soon as you see the opening cutscene, you can tell that the game is going to be a pleasure to play.It improves on the two towers in just about every way. It keeps the same hack'n'slash style that the last game had but also combines it with a more subtle approach, as you play as hobbits and try to sneak past your enemies. This makes the game a lot more two sided,

24.11.2003

I bought Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, and all I have to say about it is wow! Here is why...GRAPHICSFirst of all, the graphics are amazing. The faces look detailed, and the Orcs and Uruk-hai look absolutely amazing. As you move your characters head actually looks around. So realistic, and just amazing.GAMEPLAYThe gameplay is pretty much the same, except a few new combos and characters have been added. The controls are the same, except a new Evade button has been added (L1). You can also power up your character and allow him to go into Perfect mode quicker. This can only be done once every 2 minutes, which doesn't sound long, but when your taking out hundreds of Orcs, it is!

9.3.2009

I first had this game for the xbox a few years ago, and recently bought it for my ps2 as I had fond memories! I really like this game - but then I am also a bit of a fan of LOTR (i.e. love the films and books and think aragorn is hot, rather than I go to conventions and sit at home wearing elf ears!).Naturally, it's based on the film, so it follows the adventures of the various members of the fellowship - you start out with three paths to choose from - either follow frodo and sam; aragorn, legolas and gimli, or; gandalf - and you have to guide the characters through, killing lots of orcs and trolls along the way - it works like a fighting game, you have basic moves and then you can use experience points to buy new special moves.

22.2.2004

This could have all gone wrong...With so many possibilities for LOTR gaming you didn't think EA would resort to a typical hack 'n slash game, did you? Well they did and the results are actually pretty good. Those looking for faithful gameplay from the books will be disappointed, because the gameplay seeks to capture the breathtaking battle scenes from ROTK and TTT, rather than the sense of adventure and friendship that is also present in the books and films.However that it captures the action set-pieces so well is a testament to the quality of which the game has been produced. There are only about 12 levels (plus a few tacked on bonus levels that are shoddy at best), but each re-creates scenes from the film.

28.5.2005

i got this games shortly after i had broken my arm. it was a great dissapointment because i couldn't play (as weel that i can with 2 arms). The great thing about this game is that it's not to hard and all the contols are easy to get to. there are 12 great levels that are challenging but never get boring.for graphics, the game gets a 9.9/10. nothing beats the graphics except they are sometimes unpredictable. once, finishing up the southern gate (the second BEST level in the game) legolas (me) drew his bow and aragorn (turner) walked out of the gate. so for the end movie, legolas had his bow lit up. kinda cool when you have mithril arrows.when it comes to game play, it gets a 10/10. sure,

20.11.2003

to review it quickly (if I can), the game has three seperate paths :1)the path of the wizard (playable as Gandalf).2) the path of the King (playable as Aragon, Legolas and Gimli) 3) the path of the hobbits (playable as Sam and Frodo).Once the game is completed, you may play as any character in any level (including 3 hidden characters)The game incudes many scenes from the movie aswell as ACTUAL VOICE OVERS FROM THE CAST OF THE MOVIE (which you can see them perform once you have completed the game). There is a co-op version for the option of a two player game.In comparison to "the Two Towers" the game was designed to be and is much harder and EA are so convinced you won't complete the game in every way,

20.1.2004

When I had played this game I was taken back by how well it played for a simple Hack-in-Slash button bashing game. All the features of this game that make it work are suburb and they work very well together.As a fan of "The Lord of the Rings"I was happy to see that the game played off the film very well as one of the best aspects of the game is the story line and how it progresses.Like the film the game is broken up so you can follow a certian character and their part in the story,like Aragorn when he goes under the mountain or as Sam in the Tower of Cirith Ungol.Overall you can play as nine diffirent characters from the film including Gandalf!.The main thing that stands out in this game is

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