The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

"My precious..."

-Intro-
I knew this game was going to be awesome and I was right. I got this game for Thanksgiving. I was ecstatic. I was waiting for it, day and night, and now I finally have it. I got home and put the game in. Middle-Earth, look out!

-Story-
10/10
The game starts where the first movie began. You fight some orcs, then you meet the fellowship. They consist of Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf, and Boromir. Let me just add, that you don't see Merry, Pippin, and Sam that much. But that's ok! You still have a great fellowship. You can control Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and even a secret character! Of course, you have to protect Frodo in some levels, and slaughter orc!

-Graphics-
10/10
Stunning. Absolutely stunning graphics. Some of the best I have ever seen on the GC. The game captures the darkness and evil of Middle-Earth. The orcs, Uruk-hai, and the rest of the monsters look great. They look exactly like out of the movie! The rest of the characters look great also. The levels looked straight out of the movie. The different houses, the fortress... everything was amazing. Plus, there could be up to thirty characters on-screen or more! It didn't freeze up, because there was so much graphics on it. I don't know how they managed to do it. When Legolas uses his bow, the arrows look fast and sharp, when he shoots them. He can even set the monsters on fire, using different types of arrows! Everything was so detailed, I have to congratulate the developers. Tolkien would be mighty impressed, by the way they created this game. Did I mention that the game's cutscenes are straight out of the movie!?

-Sound-
10/10
The sound practically blew me away. When you're fighting all the orcs, and all them, the music gets more intense, and you feel the weight of Middle-Earth. Off-screen and on, you can hear the swords clashing against each other, and the screams from different characters. It also has nice voice-acting in the cutscenes, and in the game. When you're shooting your bow, you hear it cut through the wind, and then hit the enemy. It sounded great. When getting ready to fight an army, you can hear their battle cries. Explosions look fantastic. You have to blow up a lot of things in this game, just like in the movie. I could go on and on about the magnificent sound in this game, but I think you got the gist of it. I'm glad the sound doesn't get SO loud, that you have to turn the volume way down, like in other games... *Cough* Dead to Rights *Cough*. When I read the books, I never imagined the music would be so intense... well, now I know, and I love it!

-Gameplay-
10/10
Grab a sword, bow and arrow, and a seat, because the fighting is VERY INTENSE. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of monsters, and I mean a LOT LOT LOT of monsters on-screen and off. You can slaughter as many as you want, but they keep coming back! That's what I love most about this game: The exciting gameplay. You can cut the orcs, uruk-hais with your swords or ax. Aragorn is a master with his sword, Legolas is the master with his trusty bow, Gimli is... good with his ax? I'm not good with Gimli. I die more with Gimli. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I'm not a dwarf guy. If you want to defeat the enemies fast, use Legolas. It's fun to use his bow and arrow. You can also upgrade your weapons with all the characters, so you can have stronger weapons and more health. Let me tell you, GET_A LOT_OF_HEALTH. You're going to need it on the last level. That's all I'm going to say. Anyway, upgrading with your swords or ax is very cool. You can power up your weapon, and then unleash a powerful fire attack, setting your enemies ablaze. You can't jump in this game, but so what? You can still do everything else! The only flaw I noticed while playing was the camera. Sometimes, you couldn't see what was going on behind you, and an enemy would sneak up, and hit you to the ground. Before you could run, it's too late. Minor flaw... cameras are the worst part in every game. If the developers would read some of these reviews, they'd get a hint to try and FIX the problem. But everything else is great. I didn't notice anything else bad. EXCEPT... the game is a little short. Long movie, but short game. Long levels, but short game. You'll still have fun playing after you beat it, though. Don't worry about that.

-Replay Value-
9/10
After beating the game, you could try getting all the upgrades again, or try to beat the levels by trying to get perfects. There are a lot of secrets to unlock. All are very fun. There is no multiplayer in this, sadly. I would have liked it if they included that in there. Other than that, the game is exciting and very intense.

RENT or BUY??
Some might buy this, others may not. Since it's so short, you may want to rent this. After that, you could buy it. It's good for inviting friends over. No multiplayer, but you could share! ;) They'll have a ball with this game, also.

Final Synopsis:

-Pros-

-Stunning graphics
-Wonderful sound
-Intense gameplay
-Detailed levels
-Great visuals
-Can have a ton of characters on and off screen!
-Added the cutscenes from the movie into the game
-It's MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH better than the first game
-Will keep you entertained after you beat it
-This game is MY precious!

-Cons-

-Camera (Not a big flaw)
-No multiplayer (But you can still take turns)

HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/18/03, Updated 01/19/03