The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

"Prepare yourself for battle!"

"Prepare yourself for battle!"

I am a big time gamer and a big time LOTR fan, so when this game came out, I knew I wanted it very much. A couple years later, I finally got it, and began playing. Once that first battle started, I was in the zone! No matter what my parents did, I just could not put down the controller. When I beat it seven or eight days later, I decided to write a review on this, but due to my laziness, it has taken me a while to get to work. This is my first review ever, so bear with me.

Storyline: 10/10

Starting at the end of the Battle of Helm's Deep all the way to the Cracks of Doom, the game follows the storyline perfectly. None of the missions are out-of-sync. The characters that were in specific places are there (unless they are an unlockable). Also, there are missions that weren't shown in the movie (such as the Southern Gate) but lead to events in the story.

Graphics: 10/10

Everything in this game looks as should: the ents look like walking trees, the hobbits are short and barefoot, and the orcs are as ugly as ever. Nothing looks fuzzy, pixelated, or like a blob; they are what they are.

Sounds: 10/10

The sounds are amazing! You can tell when swords have hit metal objects, barrels are broken, orcs are dying, arrows are flying, and Nazgul are screeching at an awfully high pitch. If you have speakers around your gaming room, try this game out and feel as if you are in the middle of a battle!

Music: 10/10

The music is mostly the same as it was in the movies; thus, it's perfect! There is also some new music in this game, but it doesn't matter. All of it will get you hyped-up and ready to fight!

Difficulty: 10/10

The difficulty is hard enough to have you put some effort into it. If you don't try, you will certainly die. (Hey, I'm a poet and didn't know it!)

Multiplayer: 10/10

Not only is it fun to chill with your friends and kill some orcs at the same time, it also helps you and your friends build experience for those missions you find too hard to beat.

Replay: 10/10

Once you've beaten the game, you can go again as the same character or a different one, you can choose to only play your favorite missions, you can try the 3 new characters you just unlocked, you can try for perfect mode (or cheat to get there), and more! The possibilities are literally endless!

Overall: 10/10

It has to be 10/10 for two reasons: 1) everything above had 10/10, and 2) it is among the best games ever created for the gamecube. If you don't believe me, try for yourself.

Buy or Rent?

Buy, buy, BUY!!! It doesn't matter if you like LOTR or not, you will enjoy it anyway. Go get it and have fun for the next two weeks or better!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/08

Game Release: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (US, 11/05/03)