The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

"'Behold the king!'"

Battle there was in Rohan, and Curunir the traitor was thrown down and Isengard broken; and before the City of Gondor a great field was fought; and the Heir of Isildur led the host of the West to the Black Gates of Mordor.
- The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

I am ashamed to admit that for a good portion of my life, I was not a Tolkien fan. I knew nothing of Orcs or balrogs, of Hobbits and rings. But when The Fellowship of the Ring movie was released, it pulled me into a world that I never imagined could be so deep. Now, only a year later, my knowledge has increased greatly and my appreciation for The Lord of the Rings has grown. Yet for all the heroic deeds of the Elves in 'The Silmarillion' it is the feats of Men in 'The Return of the King' that truly impress me and move me the most. There are so many epic moments packed so tightly together, it would be almost impossible to capture that intensity in a game. But, it has been accomplished. And so, as Theoden King once cried as he smashed upon the Orcs at Pelennor: ''Ride now! Ride now! Ride to Gondor!''

After thousands of years of lying hidden, the Ring of Power has been found. The shadow of the dark lord Sauron is stirring, and needs only the Ring to regain his former strength and conquer Middle-earth at last. Sent to the shores of this Middle-earth by the gods, the wizard Gandalf sets in motion a great war, one that will decide the fate of all. Rather than use the One Ring, he seeks to destroy it. Frodo Baggins, along with his servant Samwise Gamgee, two Hobbits of the Shire, take up this task. They must take the Ring through Mordor, to Mt. Doom, the land of the Enemy. Gandalf knows Sauron must be distracted, and fashions this war. Along with Gandalf fights Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor. Though they all may die, Aragorn must claim his birth right, and lead of the host of the West against Sauron, ensuring that Frodo is able to slip through and fulfill his task. The Ring must be destroyed!

And then all the host of Rohan burst into song, and they sang as they slew, for the joy of battle was on them, and the sound of their singing that was fair and terrible came even to the City.

The Return of the King is a hack-n-slash game, plain and simple. Since the movie is not constant warring, the game creators have taken quite a few liberties with some of the story elements. The result is a few levels that seem out of place, but rest assured, they are pure fun. The game picks up right where The Two Towers left off- the conclusion to the Battle of the Hornburg. The Rohirrim ride down the hill, Gandalf leading the charge, when all of a sudden, the movie footage gives way to CGI, and the next moment, the player is in the midst of battle, forced to slaughter the Uruk-hai once and for all. This opening level is a basic tutorial; it teaches the player how the mechanics of the game work, and it manages to do this without becoming boring. Since the most important aspect of this game is combat, the game begins here. Speed attacks can strike quickly at smaller foes, while Fierce attacks can splinter shields and slam those nasty Orcs to the ground. Once they're on the ground, feel free to deal them a death blow, all of which look utterly cool. Physical attacks, like kicks or punches, can be useful to get out of tight places as can the ability to hop backwards, and even parry enemy blows. The parry is essential to survival, since they can be the seed that sprouts the combo.

Using combos is also vital to survival. Getting sliced by Orcs every few hits won't get you far, so the player must find ways to extend their rampages. Using parry is helpful, as it adds to the combination and prevents the character from being hurt. The more enemies killed in the shortest amount of time, the higher the skill meter will rise. If you manage to top it off, you'll be rewarded with a Perfect status. This allows every kill within a given time to be a Perfect kill. As kills are graded on four levels: Fair, Good, Excellent and Perfect, this status will greatly benefit your character, and speed up his leveling process. As the character increases in level, more combinations are available to them, which are bought at a menu screen. Much more than combos can be purchased, however, you can increase your health or get stronger arrows. Some combinations can be purchased that will effect all the members of the Fellowship.

Though the Fellowship isn't truly intact, that's what it is called here. At the start of the game the player must make a choice between three different paths. The Path of the Wizard; which follows the plight of Gandalf the White, The Path of the King; which follows Aragorn the heir, and his two companions, Legolas the Elf and Gimli the Dwarf; The Path of the Hobbits, which feature Sam and eventually Frodo are these three paths. All the characters feel relatively the same, though you can see how their fighting styles differ. Gandalf has perhaps the most refined skills, while Aragorn can cut down rows of Orcs without even trying... or looking good. You can see the fury in Sam's fighting, but the inexperience as well. Besides, there's much more to this game than actual fighting. Ropes and ladders can now be used, as can various machinations of war. Burning coals can be spilt, boiling oil dumped, spears thrown and catapults launched. Such actions are highly useful for getting through fights when low on health. For example, in one of Sam's levels, he must ascend a tower where two factions of Orcs are fighting one another. In one area, the battle becomes particularly large, and would be a daunting task for a hobbit to cut his way through. Fortunately, all he has to do is lower a drawbridge by pressing a switch, and they'll all be crushed to death by it. You should see the size of this battle.

All were slain save those who fled to die, or to drown in the red foam of the River. Few ever came eastward to Morgul or to Mordor; and to the land of the Haradrim came only a tale from far off: a rumour of the wrath and terror of Gondor.

The battles are indeed epic and this game is gorgeous. How it can have so much action going on and not suffer is beyond me. In the Osgiliath level, buildings collapse, flaming rock smashes to the ground, smoke fills the air, Gondorians fight off the Orcs all the while a Nazgul on his fell beast shrieks above. This is only the second level, and it is a joy to look at. The frame rate doesn't suffer one bit. Every level seems to have been torn straight out of the movie, from the wall on Minas Tirith to Mt. Doom. The characters and creatures also look fantastic. Sam, Frodo and Aragorn look remarkably similar to their real life counterparts, though the rest of the cast looks great as well. Aragorn's robe flows behind him as he runs, and Sting emits a very cool blue light. In case you didn't know, it's times like that when you've got to be extra careful. The sacrifice for having these graphics is a sometimes unstable camera. It pans to give you the most cinematic view and the effect is very dramatic and well done. But when so much is happening on screen at once, it's not hard to lose track of your character. I've had a few cases where my vision is completely blocked, and can see nothing on screen but ash and smoke. Thankfully, these cases aren't very frequent, and the camera will generally give a good view of the combat.

Gandalf did not move. And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was the coming with the dawn. And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.

I've always pictured a dead silence in that scene, and then hearing the great horns of Rohan. This game, however, is far from silent. Never is there a dull moment, even in the depths of Shelob's lair it is deafening. Explosions, the clanging of swords, the thundering of the Ents, all of these elements are placed together to rock the player, to make them feel like they're actually there. As the hosts of Mordor swarm around the Black Gate, you can hear the Orcs roaring with a terrifying intensity. Stones from catapults whistle overhead, and trolls bellowing the distance. Spiders can be heard scurrying about the passageways of Shelob's lair, and a faint wind can be heard in the Paths of the Dead. Combine these excellent sound effects with musical scores from the movie, and you have a complete triumph. Fans will recognize the heroic music that plays during the larger battles, and the music that graces the movie portions. All the music is recognizable, even if you've only seen the first movie. It is for this reason that a lot of casual players will enjoy this game. The actors from the movies have provided their voices as well, though I must say, it felt like some of them weren't trying at all. Orlando Bloom sounds nothing like Legolas in the movies, though Andy Serkis is just as freakish with Gollum as ever. All of this put to together can be almost an overload at times, but it creates one of the most dramatic sounding games in years, perhaps ever.

And then Faramir cried: 'Behold the king!'

This game has multitudes of replay value. For starters, there are three secrets characters at completion of the game, as well as two extra levels that will require the player to do some leveling up before attempting. Once the game is beaten, every level can be played by every character, and of course, the game tracks your progress. So if you really want that 100%, you have to beat all these levels with everyone. And just for kicks, try getting a Perfect rank on all the levels with everyone. See how long that will take! Aside from the single player mode, there is also a co-op, which allows you to slash your way through the levels with a buddy. This is something that The Two Towers game was sorely missing. There is also an online mode, which is basically the same thing as co-op. It's a welcome addition, since online play will bolster the credibility of most games, and is sometimes the deciding factor for many players as to whether or not they buy it.

The Return of the King is an amazing game, and one of the very best this year. It improves on every single aspect of The Two Towers, while not losing its familiar feel. You could be Tolkien newbie who has only seen the books, a newbie who hasn't even heard of Lord of the Rings, or the most hardcore fanatic out there, and I can guarantee you will have fun with this game. It's an epic adventure told in a very explosive way, and everyone should experience it. Just think, you get to face off against the Mumakil, the Mouth of Sauron and even Shelob. That should be enough for anybody to run out and buy this awesome game right now.

For Frodo the halfling, it is said, at the bidding of Mithrandir took on himself the burden, and alone with his servant he passed through peril and darkness and came at last in Sauron's despite even to...

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/03