The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

"This game will please any fans of the movie/literature"

Before continuing to my review, I feel it necessary to tell you that I have not completed the game. However, I felt it necessary to post my own opinion of this game because I've seen quite a few extreme opinions posted (on the entire web, not just this site) and I want potential gamers to have what I feel is a more unbiased review of the game.

Story: The story is based on the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as well as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by New Line Cinema. These movies are based on the books of the same name by J.R.R. Tolkein. However, the story is not completely developed within the game, so only those familiar with it will really be able to follow what is happening. Fortunately, I think most people ARE familiar with the story.

Graphics: 8/10 The game includes some footage directly from the movies. (This is especially nice since it is our first look at some footage from The Two Towers!) The game is fond of using a dissolve technique to switch from movie footage to the game's graphics engine. Sometimes this is effective, sometimes it looks pretty bad. At first, I was a bit disappointed in the graphics (I think Gimli looks especially bad). But, as I've progressed through the game, they've gotten better. The graphics that matter (when you are actually playing the game and hacking through the bad guys) are good and the animations are quite fluid. Some of the environments/backgrounds that you move through are absolutely beautiful (The Forest of Amon Hen comes to mind). Overall, the graphics are adequate and since the depth of the backgrounds has increased my enjoyment of playing the game, I gave the graphics a favorable rating.

Sound: 10/10 With voice acting done by the actors from the movie and licensing to use the soundtrack, how could the sound be bad?? Fighting in Balin's Tomb with the LOTR score pounding in the background is a real rush! Other sounds (swords clanging, armor breaking, etc) are well done but not incredible. But, the power of the soundtrack and the overall audio environment are enough to get my blood pounding so I give sound a 10/10.

Gameplay: 7/10
The gameplay is very similar to Devil May Cry, for those who are familiar with that game. For those who aren't, that means that each button is assigned to a particular action and you will move your character through a 3-D environment from a 3rd person perspective as you hack-and-slash through the minions of Sauron. Some high and low points of gameplay-- I like the ability to quickly switch from bow to hand-to-hand weapon. I've been playing with Legolas and I've been able to execute a few of those ''Down their throat from 5 feet away'' shots that we see him executing in the movie. Most games of this sort make the switch from missile to melee so slow that it is suicidal to try to shoot someone in close combat. Not so here, and I enjoy it. Also, I like the power up system. Advancing through the levels gives you the opportunity to purchase power ups (increased health, strong bow, etc) as well as new combo moves. I think that this gives each level a new feel that keeps combat from getting too stale. Also, this game is not just a ''button mashing frenzy''. Successful players will use the parry button more often than the attack button. And, the parry must be timed properly to work (Not like The Mark of Kri's ''One Size Fits All'' defense). Just hacking away will get you mauled when you are surrounded by several enemies. You will find yourself watching your enemy to find the proper time to strike, and this keeps combat intense. My number one gripe with gameplay (and with many 3-D action games out there) is the camera angle. I've found myself not able to see the bad guys that I wanted to shoot with the bow on several occasions. Consequently, I just had to let the autoaim take over and fire an arrow. If I heard it hit home, I knew that I had a clear shot and I would keep firing. I wish that the developers had included SOME way to adjust camera angle for the few times that you need to be able to.

Overall: 8/10 People who aren't a fan of the Tolkein series, probably won't like this game very much. But, I'm a big fan of the series and I really enjoy the chance to play through it in a video game. The game does have it's flaws. Things like the camera angle and the short length of the game spring to mind. But it has it's strengths as well. Things like the sound, the well thought out combat system, and the beautiful backgrounds really make this game shine. The ability to play through as three characters (Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli) give it a significant replay value, not to mention all of the unlockable extras. Overall, I am pleased with this game. I think anyone who enjoys the LOTR series deserves to give this game a look.

Buy or Rent? To answer this question, ask yourself these questions: Did I like the movie LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring? Did I like reading the trilogy by Tolkein? Did I like playing Devil May Cry? If you answer yes to 2 or 3 of these, go ahead and buy it. If you didn't answer yes to 2 or more, go rent it to see what you think. Hey, with blockbuster rentals as long as they are these days, they may have it for sell as a used game by the time you have to return it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/26/02, Updated 10/26/02