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he Return of the King invites Hobbit-lovers to immerse themselves in Middle-earth. Based as much, if not more, on the movie as the final book in the Lord of the Rings series, King is an action game. Sam, Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship must wield blades in order to finish the journey intact. Orc heads roll, Sauron-minions scurry and that scuttling sound coming from above? That's one of Shelob's little friends.
Granted, Shelob wasn't surrounded by baby spiders in Tolkien's literary original, but that's not the point. The game maker, EA, worked closely with Peter Jackson's film staff to bring the film's battle scenes to game consoles. Part of the game team was stationed in New Zealand, collecting drawings, film stills and all sorts of assets for every aspect of this title. Meanwhile, game designers rethought the design of last year's The Two Towers game.
For King, the designers added much more complexity. Players can choose to start as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas (seeming a bit more resilient this time around) or Sam. The lineup also includes Frodo and three locked characters—we won't wreck the surprise by announcing which ones.
To reach the final battle, players must complete all three paths: for the King, the Wizard and the Hobbits. Film clips are seamlessly integrated with introductions to each scene. There are far fewer movie spoilers than in the Two Towers game, but players do find out how the story ends for Frodo, Sam and Gollum.
Each character has unique special attack options, like the magical blue spears of light that Gandalf fires at Nazgul circling overhead. Sam and Frodo rely on their Elven cloaks to provide cover, and all players interact with their environments, pulling levers, heaving themselves down and up and throwing torches at dimly lit corners.
Dedication brings a dream alive
Last year's The Two Towers game by EA proved that movie a tie-in could be done well. Extraordinarily well. The Return of the King is just as good, if not better. But this does not mean that the game is easy. It's not.
Compared to the last game, levels are far longer and life potions are in shorter supply. It's sometimes hard to follow the action, too, because of obscured perspective. Players should be prepared to throw up their hands in disbelief, thinking of how many "perfect" attacks are lost forever, just because some ugly brute got in a cheap shot while the fog of war clouded over the screen.
Assuming all goes well, most gamers are looking at about a weekend's worth of playing: 10 to 12 hours. The game is not very deep, and for all the promotion of its online capabilities (for the PS2 only) and cooperative mode (for all versions), it's a game most will really play only once all the way through—or maybe a second time with an unlocked character.
But replayability isn't really the point of The Return of the King. It's a chance to step inside the fully realized world Jackson and his friends at EA have created with total dedication. Every actor gives his voice—an immeasurable asset because of actors like Ian McKellen and John Rhys-Davies. Gimli encourages the Orcs to come fight, Aragorn broods and commands and Gandalf shouts for the women of Gondor—who must be protected by players in an almost-final battle—to be brave. It's these kinds of moments that make this anything but an ordinary game, especially for fans.
Players can expect stunning graphics, complete with well-thought-out touches. A blue ring encircles objects that can be manipulated; around each blue ring is a tiny line of Elvish script. With Rivendell-worthy consideration, the makers of Return of the King take the requirements of good gameplay—that the action move along quickly, logically and thrillingly—and marry them to fan-pleasing details.
I don't even want to stop playing The Return of the King in order to write this review. I'll refrain from making a "my precious, my precious" comment here, but you get the idea. — Jennifer
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