The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (PS2)

The developers have, as with the enjoyable Two Towers tie-in, opted for a beat-'em-up in the style of old classics such as Golden Axe. It proves to be a wise choice. Seamlessly incorporating some of the finest cinematic moments from the film, the game is a frenetic, rip-roaring and hugely entertaining affair. And surprisingly, it's a well-thought-through and highly challenging one too. The gameplay rewards the player willing to try things other than the same old moves, and through a series of combos and upgrades, it constantly pushes you onward. It's no one-weekend wonder either, with a healthy long-term challenge packed in.

Downers? A couple of levels don't quite reach the standards set by the game's best, and the toughness of the challenge may also deter more casual gamers. They'd be really missing out though, for not only is Return of the King one of the best movie tie-ins of recent times--certainly eclipsing the aforementioned Two Towers title--it's a tremendously enjoyable game in its own right. It's just a shame now that EA have run out of films and books, as we'd happily thirst for another instalment 12 months down the line. Best make the most of this one, then... --Simon Brew

The two towers game was a very good game which only suffered from longevity issue , i have felt that the game should have been more long and also the AI and the controllers should have been more easy and accurate , and fortunately the Development team at EA Redwood Shores knows what they will do this time .

The first improvement here is the execellent capturing of the cinematic charcters , and i don't mean only in the graphics terms , but also in their behaviour,actions and even the way they are walking , so you should feel the aggressive and conidence way in the behaviour of somecharcters while you find the contrary in the Hobbits behaviour , also the enemies are more powerful and intelligent than before , the AI is more aggressive and smart , so you may find the attack coming from all the directions instead of a bunch of orcs waiting in a line for thei turn to hit you .

Another important element has been added , which is the stealth element , you know that Frodo and Sam are taking their dark journey alone , and they are 2 frightened hobbits so how they will evade all the orcs in the way? so you have to be careful and implement all of your stealth capabilities , and that is helped by the improved attack system where you can use the analog stick for aiming your fists or weapons which gives more accurate targeting , and that is necessary due to the enhanced AI so you can beat the hords of the enemies more effecient .

The game will be more long than The Two Towers with two separate paths to take , the playable charcters features the same of the previous game's charcters along with six unlockable chacters , and that also adds one more great addition in this game which is the CO-OP mode which enables you to team with another player to invade the dark lands of the LOTR world , the playing process will be on the same screen not on two split screens which may means that there is a very reat difficulties out there to overcome .

The overall gameplay is more powerful and enjoyable , along with the stunning look of the graphics and the characters animations , so be ready to take the dark paths to face the ultimate explosive finale .


Lord Of The Games 3: The Rebel To All Games (1st Review)   August 31, 2003
46 out of 79 found this review helpful

This may be the first review.BUT.as people may say when the game actually arrives in the UK everybody will be saying what I'm saying now.Just a week ago did I first test the Lord Of The Rings:The Return Of The King in America especially for you guys in the UK.(are'nt I kind) well I came back with some rather astonishing answers and comments....This is exactly what I said:
"Fantastic, can't wait to play it several times again when it's released.I could'nt believe what I was playing" I felt like I was in the Hobbit's town being one of them.In their own boots.Fighting a war that atleast we would'nt dare to fight.Thankyou to America for being so quick in the Video/Games genre to release the game so early.My friend who lives there believe this or not actually ordered the game before we heard the name.Boy, you could of seen his face light up.Plus mine when I was into the game and played for about 5 hours. If you wanna buy this game, order up quick because from experience the American's had their shop emptied out of the game by an hour of opening. The story goes like the book, that's if you've got the original TRUE series. After the now released Two Towers, the bad dudes in that video are different and less masked up as you'll see in the visual effects on this fantastic game.It took me to complete the game approx. 4 weeks (as I stayed all the summer holz at my friends 6 weeks) and the effects are so manic that you'll be warped into the forest of dead. (Ooops, one name revealed, don't tell no-body) and feel the same and act the same as they do. Be warned have 2 memory cards at the ready 'cos this games does feed off memory like a unfed bull. If you wanna order it.Order it here.I have.This games defently beats the day at the Cinemas. My stats below as stated:
Verdict: 100% 10/10 Visual effects: 10/10 Screen-play: 10/10 Time to completion: 4 weeks or so.
Well guys and women. This game is worth the wait.Trust me.
You'll love it.I'm maybe the first to review, but I can guarantee I will now be the last.Thanks for reading.Have I got your approval????


What a Game!   November 25, 2003
33 out of 37 found this review helpful

I bought Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, and all I have to say about it is wow! Here is why...

GRAPHICS
First of all, the graphics are amazing. The faces look detailed, and the Orcs and Uruk-hai look absolutely amazing. As you move your characters head actually looks around. So realistic, and just amazing.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is pretty much the same, except a few new combos and characters have been added. The controls are the same, except a new Evade button has been added (L1). You can also power up your character and allow him to go into Perfect mode quicker. This can only be done once every 2 minutes, which doesn't sound long, but when your taking out hundreds of Orcs, it is! A 2 player Co-op mode has been added so you and a mate can go and kick ass together! Class!

SOUND
The sound is the same as in the Two Towers. The music is 100% authentic and is taken right from the films. Music is clear, and the sound effects as you swing your sword, or plunge your sword through an enemies heart, you think ow, that must have hurt!

LONGETIVITY
Does this game end? Well, yes, of course, but you have to play through 15 massive levels. After playing it with my mate for hours, I looked at my save file and I was only 50% through the game!! This will keep you going twice as long as the Two Towers did.

OVERALL
A huge improvement on an already incredible game, the Return Of The King is a fantastic experience that is authentic, and is great value for your money!

10/10


THE BEST ACTION GAME EVER RELEASED   November 16, 2003
Mrs. A. Polley (U.K)
25 out of 32 found this review helpful

Lord of the rings the return of the king has to be the best action game ever released for the ps2 the graghics are amazing and the best parts are that unlike in the second game you can play as all 8 of the remaining charecters in the trilogy.There are 15 levels compared to the old 10 and you can get multiplayer. After the first level you are just enticed by the game you feel like you are really in middle earth especially because of the screens and music from the film itself.
10 out of 10 easily the best game ive ever played.(and thats saying something


By far the best   August 17, 2004
21 out of 23 found this review helpful

This game is by far the best of the LOTR series of games. It looks beautiful and the gameplay is stunning. You visit all the locations and get to play as all the lead characters from the film. The gameplay improves the more you play, and your character "levels up" allowing for character upgrades to be purchased. This, however, is where the game has a flaw.

Legolas is by far the best character and if you reach level 10 with him before the end of the game then you have spoilt it as he becomes near invincible and the game is no longer challenging. But it then becomes hard to play with anyone else because he is so damn good.

The two player co-operative element of the game is amazing. It's like playing Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega mega drive all over again - addictive and fun. It can cause problems though after beating the King of the Dead and needing to run back through the level. Only because the characters are so well designed i must point out. Each character has their own speed and if one runs faster than the other then you have to make sure not to trap your second player behind scenery as you storm ahead, as this will kill the both of you as the roof caves in.

All that aside though definitely worth buy, especially now it's platinum.