User Reviews (21 - 31 of 89)

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A WASTE OF MONEY

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 17
Date: November 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The controls are terrible. They didn't do a good port to the PC. I would give it zero stars if I could.

THE BEST GAME!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the best game I have ever played!!! The levels can be challenging, but that keeps the game fun. Watch out for the requirements though. I have a GeForce 4 MX440. The game runs good on that. This game will NOT work on an intel video card. If you have the requirments, BUY THIS GAME!!! I love this game and so will you!
P.S. How do you kill the King of the Dead? I'm stuck on that level.

Definitely Worth the Money!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is worth the $9.99 you can get it for!!!! We have this game and I have finished it, and the end is cool, there are secret codes like Infinite Missiles, Perfect Mode, Unvulnerable and more. (You have to finish the game to get them!!!!!)
This is the best PC game I have ever come across, plus the most fun. Also, there are 5 or 6 other secrets at the end of the game, and an extra level.
Plus, quick movie clips from the movie and the charaters actually look like the actors!!
Get this game! It is DEFINITELY WORTH IT!!!

Cool but short

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

hi potential buyers hope this review helps :-) first of all great game. cool charecters. i like the idea of three paths with different charecters on each, then after you beat the game you can play anyone on any level. the graphics are great too. Gameplay 5/5 easy controls cool moves it's fun to shoot arrown k-swoosh Length 3/5 the game is so short I can beat it in about 6 hours but it's still pretty fun the first time Replay 5/5 the game is actually funner the second time around because you have good moves (escpecially the first levels). it's fun on "the southern gate" to be legolas, turn on infinate arrows and just shoot and shoot and shoot Extras 5/5 cool extras you unlock merry pippin and faramir and two new levels that are cool it's you against hoards of enemys the intervievs are cool to watch too Graphics 5/5 i'm not a person that needs good graphics but these are great Overall 4/5 great game just to short :-) the black gate is really fun. i could sit here and type for hours about how cool this game is but i wont. have fun guys!

Very Good Graphics

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It has very good graphics, but you have to buy a video card to play it. I would Recommend The e-Gforce FX 5200. ... The Characters look very real. After you beat the Game you unlock Two New Levels to play so you don't forget about the game and just throw it away. Also you unlock Three Characters Including Faramir, Pippin, and Merry. I hope this review was helpful. !Thank you! for reading my review!

Cool Hack and Slash Marred by Major Flaws

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: February 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

And I actually bought this game twice...ouch! Once was as a gift for someone with a Mac, and once for myself on PC.

Had I known about the three major problems it has from seeing it on the Mac, I wouldn't have bothered to get it for myself, but alas, it wouldn't run on the Mac as that machine's a bit dated (the machine was almost three years old).

The problems this game has make it almost unplayable (at least on a PC not used as a dedicated game machine). Not only is this very unfortunate, but it's also a little strange considering the huge amount of effort that was put into the game's strong points: graphics, sound and animation. These are truely impressive. For example, the ghosts on "Paths of the Dead" dodge and move with surprising realism...well, despite the fact they're dead! Even the stride of the main characters has been faithfully reproduced. This is incomplete contrast with the game's three glaring flaws:

* Difficult and imprecise keyboard/mouse control

* Disfunctional autocamera

* No save function

This seriously leaves me to wonder whether any quality assurance was done on the PC port to test for overall playability beyond "o.k., it runs, ship it!" (This was originally designed as a console game.) It is virually impossible for someone to play this game and not notice these problems almost immediately. QA on the FX part of this game was obviously extensive...but what about playability?

The first problem (game controls), you can actually work around somewhat through practice, or pretty much completely by using a gamepad. So, o.k., that one's not fatal in and of itself. Still, this can sometimes leave you wondering if the character you are controling isn't a complete drunk.

The autocam behavior is more problematic. It can be quite frustrating to have boulders, walls and other objects come between you and the character you are controling during a battle, essentially making you fight blind. This can happen with opponents and allies as well, but at least they become semi-transparent so you can still have some idea of what you're doing. The camera--which seems to pay much more attention to providing a cinematic POV than the game player--also often does not let you see what your character is obviously seeing, which can result in nasty surprises, or just a plain inability to see where you are going/running. On top of that, the bad camera and character control actually add up. When the POV automatically changes, the character can unexpectedly start moving in a different direction, because character direction is determined relative to POV. Handy. This all makes the final flaw pretty much fatal....

This game has NO SAVES. That's right. No saves. At least not in a PC sense. Of course, the developers don't expect you to go through the whole game in one sitting (this is very considerate of them), but they DO expect you to go through a whole LEVEL in one sitting, however long it make take to get through it. Leave the field of battle before a level is finished and when you return you'll have to do the entire level again. Now, there are these areas in the game called "Checkpoints", but they DO NOT create a save file to let you return to that point in the game at a later session. They only let you return to the checkpoint if you get killed, but YOU CANNOT LEAVE THE GAME. Want to go to bed after finally defeating the King of the Dead? Can only get back to that NEXT WEEKEND? Well, you're going to have to leave the game running 'til then. Combined with the difficult controls and half-baked camera POVs, both of which can easily get you killed through no fault of your own, the inablity to "quicksave" is extremely frustrating. But the lack of at LEAST savefile generation at "checkpoints" is completely unforgiveable. Not to mention that even the "checkpoints" are pretty few and far between.

Given it's major flaws, one has to wonder, "How does this rate as a GAME in spite of its LotR 'skin'?" How would this game rate, with all it's strong and weak points, if it had been "The Adventures of the Billy the Bandit" (i.e., no connection with LotR)? Probably just 3 or 4 out of 10. It would have been noted in passing for its outstanding production values, then been left quickly and completely by the wayside because of it's lack of playability. And that's truely ashamed for a LotR title, especially considering that what's missing are really the smallest of things...but how important they are!

Be careful!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: June 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Very disappointing! If you buy this game make sure you read other reviews and go to the official website first! No where on the box description of requirements does it state that you need one of two specific video cards in your computer! It does say you need a 3D card with 32 MB - But it should also say on the box that you need one of two specific chipsets for your video card! It did not say that on the box I bought! Now I have a game that I cannot play! Trust me if you do not have a NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS or greater or ATI Radeon 7500 or greater chipset - it will not play! I have tried everything! In Amazon's requirements it does mention it but I did not come here first! I will next time!

Better than expected

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: November 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Just got it today. After seeing a couple negative reviews up here while my order was in transit I was a bit worried about my purchase, but having played it a bit, I have no regrets whatsover. Basically the does a good job mixing the movie elements in with hack-and-slash arcade-like gameplay and the result is a very solid action game that blends in well with the theme. I suppose you can get the console versions instead (and save a couple GBs of drive space), but if you don't own one (like me) and yearn for the occasional action game then get this! I don't know about standard PC controls, but with two USB gamepads hooked up to my system it plays great in co-op! The only complaint I have is lack of netplay, which could have had potential in a game like this, but that's the only reason I'd knock of the 5th star.

A great game!! quite shortlasting

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game really gives the same fealing that the movie gave, with fast paced fighting a nice combination of moves which can be won through a levelling system. The game is so realistic, the characters look real the game soundeffects are straight from the movie and it is Co_op!!!!! If you are a fan of lord of the rings then this is a great game. Such a good game the only downside i think is that its a little short but the enjoyment whilst playing the ten or so levels with an armment of wicked abilities and swift movements should take over that fact of the game, must buy for lord of the rings fans and a great game otherwise, gets four thumbs up enjoy!!

Exceptional gaming experience

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Granted, "The Return of the King" by EA Games is no Myst. It is not complicated to play. It does not puzzle your brain. It is fairly straightforward and easy to beat. What makes this game so special is not the thought or skill required to beat it. What makes this game special is the plane quality of it. The graphics are beautiful and the action is rendered exceptionally well. The controls are easy to use and the combo moves simple to learn. The levels are true to the movie and the book -- everything from the Fields of Pelennor to Mount Doom. The voice acting is excellent. The only downside is that the movie cut scenes that divide up each level get a tad on the annoying side and are the main culprit in the massive installation size, but they do add an "official" air to the whole game.

For the price, this game is definitely worth checking out. It's certainly not the thinking man's game, but it's still enjoyable to play. Again, very well put together and, while system requirements are on the high side, most newer systems should be able to run it well.

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