The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

"Update: FAR inferior to Dynasty Warriors 4"

UPDATE!: I first gave this game a 7. But that was before I played Dynasty Warriors 4, which is the best game made so far (that's not a small claim...just look at all the reviews I've posted...I know my games). I can't review DW4 because it has too many reviews, but by comparison, even at the time of its release, there's no way I can give LotR:2T a better than average score, especially since there's no co-op multiplayer. Even Dynasty Warriors 3 is far better. Anyway, everything following this sentence is actually the OLD review; the scores have not been changed:
___________________________________________________________

Like Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, this is a great game marred only by its short length. Thus, it makes the perfect rental. I'll elaborate:

PRESENTATION - 9

In EVERYTHING, LotR:t2T is true to the movies, although admitedly I haven't seen the second movie yet.

GRAPHICS - 8

Gorgeous. The levels look JUST LIKE the locales I recognized from the first movie. The colors are all spot-on, and even in the murky environments I don't have trouble finding the characters. Textures are great, the effects when you're knee-deep in murky water are awesome, and the one beam of light in Balin's Tomb both orients you and dazzles the eye.
The framerate is ROCK SOLID. This is amazing, given not only the great ambience, but also the 12 CHARACTERS POSSIBLE ON-SCREEN. I got that number from Extended Play, but it may be more. For example, in the Balin's Tomb level, part of the stage has Gandalf, Baromir, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Frodo, tons of orcs, AND the giant Cave Troll all battling it out at the same time. Each level really gives you the impression that you're not a one-man army, you're one good soldier fighting in the midst of a war along with all your comrades. Animation is good all-around.
The thing keeping the graphics from a 9 or 10 is the fact that, up close, the main characters look kinda bad. They could have used a few more polygons. Of course, this only shows up during cutscenes, and is unnoticeable mid-gameplaying.

AUDIO - 10

The first 10 I've ever given an audio section. I rarely give 10's on anything (Hitman 2 is the only game I gave a 10 for Gameplay), but this game deserves it. All the music comes from the original movies' powerful scores. And they ARE good scores. They even got the entire cast of the movie to come in and record the voices for the game. How cool is that!? In-game battle sounds are good, and I can't think of a single complaint here.

STORY - 8

The tie-in with the movie is very good. You get alot of dvd-quality footage from the movies as most of the cutscenes, primarily the intro from the first movie. The story follows strictly the exploits of the playable characters, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, though. Frodo is there only a a character you must protect, and only shows up in the Council of Elrond cutscene; the other hobbits are nonexistent. Still, the game does manage to summarize 2 3-hour stories quite nicely.

Also, there are short little cutscenes mid-mission rendered with the game's engine. These have nice action bits, but also expose the game's one graphical weakness.

CONTROL - 9

The Two Towers is basically a 3d version of Goldenaxe. The closest similar game is Gauntlet Legends, except the upgrade system is different.

X is fast attack, Square is block (parry if you time the tap perfectly), Triangle is strong attack, Circle is kick, holding R1 pulls out the bow (then x to shoot), and R2 will finish off any enemy knocked to his feet. The left analog stick moves the character. I have no complaints. This is simple, fast, and furious.

GAMEPLAY - 7

LotR:Two Towers is fast fun at its best. There's only one play mode, which takes you through the story as either Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas. The first stage is a training stage where you fight the Battle of Mordor as Insildur and the second is Aragorn's defense of Frodo from the Ringwraiths at Weathertop. The rest, however, allow you to play as any of the three characters you choose (not Insildur). Each stage is identical no matter who you pick.

Gimli is slow, but can often deliver one-hit-kills. Legolas is faster and has the fastest bow-and-arrow move, but dies more easily. Aragorn is the balance between the two.

Often (usually), you have allies. This is NOT an escort game, thank the Maker. Only in the second level do you have to protect Frodo. In the rest (minus Helms' Deep), your allies manage to hold their own admirably. They do indeed keep you protected when the orcs come a-swarming.

Some enemies have shields, which must be broken by strong attacks (or fire, if you have the upgraded arrows) before they can be hurt. Use a combo with Circle, and you can knock them to their feet and often get a fast R2 kill. The fun comes when the game throws tons and tons of orcs at you. It's not hard, though, because you get life-up potions rather frequently.

There are also well-done boss battles in at least every other level. They require simple strategies, but they all make for memorable experiences.

The attacks can be chained together, particularly after purchasing a relevant upgrade. Also, the ability to pull out a ranged weapon (bow and arrows or Gimli's hatchet) mixes up things. Attack well enough, and your sword/arrows will glow, allowing one-hit ''Perfect'' kills.

The upgrade system provides most of the strategy and replay value. You're graded on your performance at the end of each level. Do well enough, and you can buy more combos, or upgrade your weapon or shielding, tailored to the character. For example, Legolas by the end of the game will have arrows that go through multiple opponents and light them on fire.

Level design is great. The game has taken ONLY the action scenes from the movie and portrayed them all. The final 3 levels are the defense of Helms' Deep. In one, you man the walls along with other soldiers, running around to kick away ladders and fighting off the orcs that spawn from them. Great fun.

There's also tons of interviews with the cast about the game. The secret mission is basically a Survival mode. However, the Secret Character to unlock is...INSILDUR?!?! WHAT!?! What happened to Gandalf the Grey/White? I mean, they modeled him, his swords, and 2 magical attacks for the 2 levels where he fights alongside you ANYWAY. Giving you Insildur, a clone of Aragorn, is a bad joke. Anyway...

Here's the biggest problem: NO 2-PLAYER MODE!!!!!???!?!?! How can this game NOT have 2-player co-op!!?!?!?!? I mean, in most sections, you have MORE than 2 allies backing you up! This is an unforgivable omission, one which might have pushed the rating up to a 9.

For all the goodness, the problem, like with Sly Cooper, is the game's length. Sure, you'll wanna play again with all three (four) characters, maybe even try out another difficulty level, but you can't help wishing they had included the scenes from the third movie in this game, too. Since the movies were produced simultaneously, and the game has spoilers for the second movie anyway, this wouldn't have been such a stretch.

So, yes, it's a fun game, but if you can, rent it, beat it, return it. For $60 I want a little more bang for my banging buck.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/02, Updated 06/25/03