Product Description

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them... The Return of the King video game once again puts the fate of Middle-earth in the hands of the gamer. Mirroring the final instalment of the blockbuster movie trilogy, the game charges players with destroying the One Ring by casting it into Mount Doom and thus freeing Middle-earth from the clutches of the Dark Lord Sauron.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King allows players to journey through multiple gameplay paths, taking control of the motion picture trilogy's heroes. Defend the walls of Minas Tirith as Gandalf, raise the Army of the Dead as Aragorn, Legolas or Gimli and, with Frodo and Sam, deliver the ring to the fiery depths of Mount Doom.

Based on environments from the upcoming movie, The Return of the King has third-person gameplay that includes immersive action and adventure elements set in rich, interactive levels. An all-new multiplayer co-op mode will let players form their own Fellowship before embarking on their journey through Middle-earth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3350 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2003-11-14
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bringing familiar faces and locations from the hit film, EA's tie-in game The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King could be easily written off at first glance as a simple cash-in. It's therefore a very pleasant surprise to find such an addictive and high quality game nestling at the heart of it all.

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

Customer Reviews

Superb game
When the two towers came out, I bought it instantly and had been my favourite game for over a year. With the Return of the King film fast approaching, I knew to expect a new game soon. And EA did not disappoint.
It picks up exactly where the previous game left off at Helms Deep, where you take control of Gandalf in a final stand. As soon as you see the opening cutscene, you can tell that the game is going to be a pleasure to play.
It improves on the two towers in just about every way. It keeps the same hack'n'slash style that the last game had but also combines it with a more subtle approach, as you play as hobbits and try to sneak past your enemies. This makes the game a lot more two sided, as there is fighting side hacking away with Aragorn, and putting on the ring as Frodo to escape from Shelob. The game has 15 levels (compared to 13 on the two towers) which are roughly split between all the characters, and 9!!! playable characters (compared to 4). The game is packed full of new combo's, many of them unique to a particular character.
The games graphic's are very sharp, down to the tiny cuts you might see on Aragorns face. The camera is overall very good, and follows you around well, but occasionally it zooms out more than you would like it to. One of the best things about the game is that all the characters voices are done by the real actors. It really makes it seem like your part of the action when you hear Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn) shouting accross the battlefield for help!
Just like the Two Towers game, it covers everything in the third film, however, this does mean that if you play the game before watching the film then it will spoiol the ending for you.
Overall, I think this is one of, if not the best game I have ever played. It's great whether your a fan of the films or not.

a very good game
This is the third and final game in the original Lord of the Rings game trilogy. The graphics are good and it is very true to the film. You get to play as the original Lord of the Rings characters and you get to fight the normal baddies. You play as only one character at a time unlike lord of the Rings the Third Age but this is good in lots of ways. One of those is the fact that you don’t need to keep worrying about lots of people dying you can just look after one person! The game play is quick and exiting which means there is always something that needs doing. All in all if you are a Lord of the Rings fan this is a game you must get.

look at the rating......enough said!!!!
to review it quickly (if I can), the game has three seperate paths :
1)the path of the wizard (playable as Gandalf).
2) the path of the King (playable as Aragon, Legolas and Gimli) 3) the path of the hobbits (playable as Sam and Frodo).
Once the game is completed, you may play as any character in any level (including 3 hidden characters)

The game incudes many scenes from the movie aswell as ACTUAL VOICE OVERS FROM THE CAST OF THE MOVIE (which you can see them perform once you have completed the game). There is a co-op version for the option of a two player game.

In comparison to "the Two Towers" the game was designed to be and is much harder and EA are so convinced you won't complete the game in every way, they have put on an 'unlockable' feature?????

The graphics are similar as is the gameplay (which where both great).

The levels are more interactive and the majority are much larger with more check points.

There are more upgrades to be obtained and you can now share upgrade points with other characters or another player. And all charaters have a special ability.

The scenes from the movie blend into gaming graphics in a much smoother form.

The replay value of the game is up by 1000% due to the co-op game and number of available upgrades.

The game is really worth a buy and is sure to have you addicted after a very short amount of time, worth every penny!!!!!