The Lord of the Rings™, The Return of the King™ presents the bombastic finale to J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, filtered through Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films. Electronic Arts has built on the success of its previous movie tie-in, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, improving the gameplay and making the action even more immersive.
Like Electronic Arts’ previous movie tie-in, this third-person adventure begins with actual footage from Jackson’s trilogy. The film footage morphs into gameplay graphics without missing a beat, and suddenly, you’re Gandalf during the chaotic end of the battle for Helm’s Deep. Once the action begins, you must keep Orc soldiers from skewering you and make tactical maneuvers that will halt the larger army’s advance. The playable characters have both small, fast attacks and slower, more powerful attacks. Each move is mapped to a controller button, and you can string them together to pull off devastating combos. You also have projectile attacks and the ability to block or parry as you fight your way across the battlefield. Context-sensitive items are strewn around the killing ground, from spears to giant catapults, and all you need to do to use them against the enemy is stand nearby and press a button. All the characters have special abilities, and in the case of the hobbits, it’s stealth. By using their Elven cloaks, you can become invisible and sneak past your enemies unseen … or better still, kill the heck out of them before they even know you’re there.
There are six playable characters at first, including Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, Gimli, and Legolas. As you progress, at least three more characters become available (and there may well be additional secret characters that haven’t been revealed yet). Each has his strengths and weaknesses: Gandalf, of course, is great with magic, Legolas has the best ranged attack in his bow and arrow, and Aragorn is your all-around brawler. You can follow three separate “subplots” to complete the game, mirroring the way both the book and the movie unfold. Gandalf takes the Wizard’s path through Isengard and on to Gondor; Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas journey through the Paths of the Dead to raise the King’s army; and Sam, Frodo, and Gollum cross Mordor through Osgiliath and move on to Cirith Ungol. The whole adventure comes to a head under Mount Doom--assuming you live that long.
Characters aren’t the only thing you’ll unlock. Each time you dispatch an enemy, the A.I. keeps track of how efficient you were and grades you from Fair to Perfect. The more hits and combos you can pile on without being blocked or hit yourself, the better your grade will be. At the end of each level, you’ll be rewarded based on how many kills you made in each grade. You can spend these reward points to open up new combat combos or spells for one character or the entire party, so the more you fight and win, the better. The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King also lets you level up as you go, turning your combat experience into improved base stats, making you a more dangerous combatant for the tougher battles in the later stages. There’s also a co-op mode that allows you to complete Frodo’s quest with a little help from your friends.
Finally, there are many cast and crew interviews that can only be viewed after completing a certain level or meeting certain requirements. Behind the scenes interviews with Christopher Lee (Saruman), Elijah Wood (Frodo), and Sir Ian (Gandalf) are only the beginning. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen the actors who play the hobbits mocking each other’s gaming skills.
It’s a shame that The Lord of the Rings is only a trilogy, because EA keeps improving the license with each new release. With its fast and furious action, gorgeously rendered environments, terrifying monsters, and a strong commitment to one of the best books ever written, The Return of the King will rule your Xbox this fall.
