LEGO Lord of the Rings Review
18 Nov, 2012If you've seen Lord of the Rings already then you'll know what to expect from the plot as the game follows the events of the three movies. This means that you'll find yourself controlling all of the popular characters as you relive all the battles and memorable scenes from Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. What's fantastic, straight from the off, is that for the cutscenes the developer seems to have taken the dialogue from the movie and replaced the actors with its own brand of LEGO humour. Not only does this give it's own level of entertainment, but it also looks wonderful and provides plenty of lighthearted moments which will have you smiling from ear to ear. There are so many times that you'll laugh out loud, such as when you first arrive at The Black Gate of Mordor and watch as the orcs take a pizza delivery, with one shouting "It looks like meat is back on the menu boys."
Starting from Fellowship of the Ring, you'll be introduced to Gandalf, Frodo, Sam and of course, the ring. This is only the beginning of what will go on to become a massive sprawling adventure, taking you through all manner of brick based environments, be it villages, swamps or snowy mountains.
Before setting out on your journey you'll get the chance to wander around The Shire and see some of the features of this open world game. One of the features you'll come across (when in between levels) is a statue which shows you where hidden bricks and quests are to be found and using this statue you can set a path formed of blue transparent bricks which will lead you to them, although you may need certain characters to complete/gain access to these hidden trinkets. Another important aspect of the statues is the ability to fast travel between them, which is where the open world nature of LEGO Lord of the Rings really comes into play since you can go back to any area at which you've previously found a statue.
Traveling back to other areas is important as each time you complete a level you'll unlock new characters to buy and if you explore enough, will also find plans which will allow you to forge new items. Any characters unlocked can be found spread throughout the map when you visit a statue, although you'll need to accumulate enough coin to buy them. New items meanwhile, can be gained by visiting the blacksmith who'll then forge them, making unlocking previously closed off areas a simple task. That's the thing with LEGO Lord of the Rings, there is just so much to find and explore that'll take you a long time to do so, even with all the hints which are available.
So what of the actual adventure itself? Well it offers everything you'd expect from a game based on these movies, be it Frodo trying to escape from the Ring Wraiths; following Gollum through a gloomy swamp or the epic battle of Helms Deep, which truly is a sight to behold, especially when the King and Aragon take to horseback and slash their way through an army of goblins. LEGO Lord of the Rings is full of moments which will have fans of the movies loving every minute. Who wouldn't want to take part in Gandalf's large duels or take down enemies using Legolas's arrows? It's incredible stuff, it really is.
Given that there are so many characters it goes without saying that each have their own abilities; Legolas can jump higher and shoot arrows at targets; Gimli can shatter certain sections of walls or floor; Sam can start fires and Frodo can use his cloak as a disguise. Other characters meanwhile, can fish, smash through certain objects and even use buckets to gather water to put fires out. As mentioned, you can also forge items, so later on you'll negate the need to use certain characters since each has access to all of the tools that you'll unlock and forge.
One of the other interesting things about LEGO Lords of the Rings is that often the game will split into two different stories as you follow the fate of both sets of characters after they are separated. This allows one set of characters to help decide the fate of the other. It doesn't even matter that the tale is already written, it's just nice to know that you can not missing out on any of it.
Once you have finished the story, you'll discover that you still have a long way to go in order to completely finish the game. As with other LEGO titles, this adventure is full of things to unlock such as mini kits, grey bricks, new characters and hidden areas. In addition, you'll be able to go back and play any mission all over again in Freeplay using whichever character you want. You will need to do this if you want to complete the game 100 percent since only certain characters can gain access to secret areas.
Thankfully LEGO Lord of the Rings doesn't suffer from too many technical issues. There are still a few problems when jumping onto platforms and the occasional camera angle going wrong, while at one point one of my characters got stuck in the scenery (although a quick slap sorted him out). Other than these minor points, there's nothing really to complain about at all as LEGO Lord of the Rings not only looks and sounds wonderful, but has all the hallmarks of the best games released this year.
Whether you are playing solo or with a friend, you won't fail to be impressed by this game. The action never seems to let up and the way Traveller's Tales continues to provide a game in which two players work together so seamlessly is to be commended.
If you are a huge fan of Lord of the Rings then this is a must have. Not only is LEGO Lord of the Rings completely faithful to the movies, but it's also the best Lord of the Rings game ever released. It's hard to know what franchise the developer will tackle next with its LEGO series, but it's sure going to find it hard to top this one.?
Traveling back to other areas is important as each time you complete a level you'll unlock new characters to buy and if you explore enough, will also find plans which will allow you to forge new items. Any characters unlocked can be found spread throughout the map when you visit a statue, although you'll need to accumulate enough coin to buy them. New items meanwhile, can be gained by visiting the blacksmith who'll then forge them, making unlocking previously closed off areas a simple task. That's the thing with LEGO Lord of the Rings, there is just so much to find and explore that'll take you a long time to do so, even with all the hints which are available.
So what of the actual adventure itself? Well it offers everything you'd expect from a game based on these movies, be it Frodo trying to escape from the Ring Wraiths; following Gollum through a gloomy swamp or the epic battle of Helms Deep, which truly is a sight to behold, especially when the King and Aragon take to horseback and slash their way through an army of goblins. LEGO Lord of the Rings is full of moments which will have fans of the movies loving every minute. Who wouldn't want to take part in Gandalf's large duels or take down enemies using Legolas's arrows? It's incredible stuff, it really is.
Given that there are so many characters it goes without saying that each have their own abilities; Legolas can jump higher and shoot arrows at targets; Gimli can shatter certain sections of walls or floor; Sam can start fires and Frodo can use his cloak as a disguise. Other characters meanwhile, can fish, smash through certain objects and even use buckets to gather water to put fires out. As mentioned, you can also forge items, so later on you'll negate the need to use certain characters since each has access to all of the tools that you'll unlock and forge.
One of the other interesting things about LEGO Lords of the Rings is that often the game will split into two different stories as you follow the fate of both sets of characters after they are separated. This allows one set of characters to help decide the fate of the other. It doesn't even matter that the tale is already written, it's just nice to know that you can not missing out on any of it.
Once you have finished the story, you'll discover that you still have a long way to go in order to completely finish the game. As with other LEGO titles, this adventure is full of things to unlock such as mini kits, grey bricks, new characters and hidden areas. In addition, you'll be able to go back and play any mission all over again in Freeplay using whichever character you want. You will need to do this if you want to complete the game 100 percent since only certain characters can gain access to secret areas.
Thankfully LEGO Lord of the Rings doesn't suffer from too many technical issues. There are still a few problems when jumping onto platforms and the occasional camera angle going wrong, while at one point one of my characters got stuck in the scenery (although a quick slap sorted him out). Other than these minor points, there's nothing really to complain about at all as LEGO Lord of the Rings not only looks and sounds wonderful, but has all the hallmarks of the best games released this year.
Whether you are playing solo or with a friend, you won't fail to be impressed by this game. The action never seems to let up and the way Traveller's Tales continues to provide a game in which two players work together so seamlessly is to be commended.
If you are a huge fan of Lord of the Rings then this is a must have. Not only is LEGO Lord of the Rings completely faithful to the movies, but it's also the best Lord of the Rings game ever released. It's hard to know what franchise the developer will tackle next with its LEGO series, but it's sure going to find it hard to top this one.?
(Version Tested: Xbox 360)
Pros
- The best Lord of the Rings game ever made
- Wonderful Humour
- Tells the story (based on the movies) almost flawlessly
Cons
- Occasional issues with the camera
- Jumping between ledges can sometimes be problematic
Edited On 18 Nov, 2012
Add your Comment
“
Really really wanting to get this game, only thing that puts me off it is that there is no online multiplayer, If this was included it would be a must buy for me. Will most probably end up getting it anyway as i love LOTR. Still waiting for them to one day decide to make a Battle for middle-earth 3. This will tie me over till then.
”
LFC Bywater
6 months ago
“
I am so buying this when I have some spare change. I have been keeping a eye on this since it was announced. No online is a blow but not a massive one (just means I wont have too buy two copies)
”
Peon-Overlord Nox-tan
6 months ago
“
Just seen this is out this friday, It's a mix up between this and that sonic all star kart game. Gunna be ordering it wednesday though :D
”
LFC Bywater
6 months ago
“
Looking forward to this. I wonder whether or not Travellers Tales will make a Lego game based on The Hobbit if this sells well.
I enjoyed the Lego Harry Potter games, but I'm expecting much more from this being a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings.
”
Scatigno
6 months ago
“
I wanna see Lego Back To The Future. Although no doubt we'll see Lego: Hobbit before too long.
I do want this one, possibly as a short and simple game to tide me over to the Wii U. However this review doesn't really answer my biggest question. How does it fare against the other Lego games? I kinda find they're all becoming very similar and find that I just cannot be bothered to finish them anymore. I'm reluctant to get this one if it's simply a very similar game with a LOTR twist to it.
”
Robichoico
6 months ago
LFC Bywater
6 months ago
Peon-Overlord Nox-tan
6 months ago
LFC Bywater
6 months ago
Robichoico
6 months ago
Gloria
6 months ago
Barada
6 months ago
COP3Y DUNT
6 months ago
COP3Y DUNT
6 months ago
“
love lego games so much fun and always bring back the claasics i like the idea of not having online means the achivements will all be in games based :-) cant wait to add this to my mego game collection hehe
”
tomas
6 months ago
“
I do love the Lego games, but I'm getting a little pored of them being based on movies all the time, I'd like to see more new original Lego games like Lego City Undercover.
”
Gloria
6 months ago
Robichoico
6 months ago
Gloria
6 months ago
“
Lego games seem to be a hell of a good hit towards fans of the actual series of what there making the game on! Might have to look at a few myself and see what all good fuss is about!! :D Might have to see what Shopto deals are on near Christmas and maybe pick this up or another game? Seem worth it???
”
Tyrone
6 months ago
“
I love these Lego games have them all originally bought for my wee boy but then once I had a shot found them quite addictive and enjoyable and with this being Lord of the Rings it should be the best yet,have it pre-ordered with ShopTo :)
”
GAZZAAAAAAAAA
6 months ago
“
Great review. I was going to get this for my Vita (big LOTR fan) but I'm hearing it's yet another crappy port from the DS?
What gives???? Do Sony actually want their hardware to succeed or are they going to continue to let trash get released?
”
master frodo
6 months ago
“
Thats good to see that its worthwhile, even if the golem model looks like trash.
saying it is the best LOTR game ever is a bold statement though
”
Lewis
6 months ago
“
Here is my review: If you like lego games, you'll like it.
”
hXcPete
6 months ago
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