The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

"One Game to Rule Them All"

This is the best portable game I have ever played. Possibly my favorite game of all time on any platform. Before I get started I wanted to clear something up. This game is nothing like The fellowship of the ring, The two towers was made by a different company and is WAY better. I feel that the FOTR is hurting this games sales a lot. Anyway enough of that. On to the review!

Graphics 10/10
I didn't know the GBA was capable of this! In different parts of the game there are clips of the two towers and fellowship right on your gba! Also there are movie stills during the game, like watching a movie in the palm of your hand! Anyway the actual in-game graphics are great, it's overhead view is cool and the character animations are very smooth. The characters are distinguishable from each other, I have yet to notice any slowdown in the game!

Sound 9/10
Very cool music throughout the game taken directly from the two films! The music isn't as great as the movie of course but is much higher than I thought the gba was capable of! The sound effects in the game are awesome too! The clanking of steel on steel and the orcs screams really add to the game play!

Gameplay 10/10
The most important part of the game! If you ever played Diablo or Diablo 2 your gonna love this game. It's basically diablo in your pocket. For those of you who have never played the diablo series here is a description. Its and rpg where you gain experience for killing enemies, level up, search for rare and unique items. But what I really like about this game is that its realtime! You don't just select their moves and watch them fight you are controlling them the entire time! Dodging arrows charging the enemy hordes or running away to recharge your health! There are five characters to choose from and each character has his or her own unique levels, skills and spells! I would say there is about 8-10 hours of game play per character.

Controls 10/10
The controls are very simple and easy to learn. B Attacks A casts a spell, L cycles through spells and R picks up items on the ground. Start will show you your inventory and your different skills. Only took me about 5 min. to learn.

Replay Value 10/10
Once you finally beat the game with each character there is plenty to do, unlock secrets, play the game again cause its so cool! And multiplayer! Play with a friend and compete to see who can get the rare item at the end of the level! Trade items with your friends etc. also there is 3 difficulty levels so its always a challenge!

Final Thoughts
If your a fan of the Tolkien series or Diablo this is a must for you! Worth buying a gba just for this game! This game definitely gets a 10/10 in my book! Have fun overthrowing the forces of Mordor!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/02, Updated 11/21/02