The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

"Great game but Very Difficult"

The Return of the King is the second Lord of the Rings game produced by Electronic Arts. It follows the story of Peter Jackson's movie-versions of the classic epic, penned by JRR Tolkien. The game is much like it's prequel, The Two Towers, in the way it is played, but has improved many of the factors that go into creating a great game.

Graphics - The graphics on this game are smooth and flowing. Inserts from the movie (which are frequent) make the in-game graphics appear worse than they really are, but in truth this game has above-par graphics in every respect. Some areas are a little dark, so seeing you're way around can be difficult. The movements of the various characters is excellent, as the actors and stunt men from the movies helped in the motion-capture process that went into creating the characters. All of the actors who play characters in the movie that appear in the game are faithfully recreated as the looked in the movies. From John Rhys-Davies as Gimli to Elijah Wood as Frodo = and even Andy Serkins as Smeagol. 9/10

Sound - Many of the actors who were in the film lent their voices to the video game. Your allies while walking around will say small lines to add atmosphere and your enemies will scream out war cries as you cleave them down with your sword, staff, axe or bow. Much of the music present in the movie's excellent neo-classical sound track is in the background while you fight through levels, giving the game a real sense of atmosphere. 10/10

Story - While not loyal to the book, the story of the game is indeed loyal to the films. It includes scenes such as Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli travelling through the paths of the dead to enlist the help of the armies which Aragorn's ancestor, Isildur, banished after their treachery in the first war of the ring. You get to go as Sam to rescue Frodo from the spider-monster Shelob. The game's story is loyal enough to make it good for real fans of the books and great for fans of the movies. 9/10

Gameplay - You can take three paths through the game, only one of which leads to the final level while the other two lead to the great battle at the Gates of Mordor. You can play as Gandalf the White, and go on his quest of buying time for Frodo and Sam. You can play as one of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli and travel through the paths of the dead, eventually coming to the final battle at the Gates of Mordor. You can also go as Sam and Frodo (though Frodo is only playable for the final level) and deliver the ring to it's final fate at the Crack of Doom. The Beat-'em-up feel of this game and it's action-based character development is great if you just want to relax. There aren't any real puzzles to play though, though it can be difficult on some levels to find out what you're meant to do. The overall difficulty of this game is very hard, much harder than The Two Towers. 9/10

Replay Value - With three extra characters and two extra levels to play, this game will keep you entertained for a long while. Once you have beaten the final level with Frodo, you can play any level with any character. Imagine Gandalf beating Gollum away at the Crack of Doom, or Sam fighting the King of the Dead. You can continue to level up your characters, making this a game that will last for a long time. 10/10

Overall Rating - This is a great game that will keep you entertained for many hours. It's outstanding difficulty, however, lets it down slightly. 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/31/03