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King is the best, most synergetic convergence of film and videogame I've ever seen. It turns Two Towers' wow factor into an emphatic "holy freaking crap!"
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100The graphics are first rate, and the action is intensely frenetic. Most important, ROTK turns up the LOTR authenticity full blast. [Jan 2004, p.55]
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91There is so much to do, and players will be drawn into the game, and it won't let them go until they unlock everything. This is the best movie to game conversion that has come out in a long time.
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Few games are as excitingly presented, as gorgeously constructed, as intensely visceral as the extraordinary The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. [Dec 2003, p.52]
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90Takes everything The Two Towers did well and improves upon it in every way.
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90The closest an interactive experience has come to re-enacting the utter chaos and undeniable fun that is being a part of an ongoing epic battle in which you (alongside either a friend or a complete stranger online) play an important role.
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90It's one of the finest crossover titles I've ever played; mainstream gamers will enjoy it for its excellent use of the movie license, sharp visuals, and easy-to-pickup gameplay, but it also has enough challenge and variety for hardcore players to soak up.
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90Minor camera issues aside, Return of the King is a refreshing example of competent licensing melded with the hack'n'slashery we all know and love.
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90The controls for all versions do a masterful job of managing the fierce action. Even in battle so pitched that you literally lose sight of your character amid the multitudinous combatants, you still feel you’re the master of your fate.
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90This is without a doubt the best game based on a book/movie that I have EVER played. You can really tell that EA went to great pains to ensure its authenticity, and they truly went beyond the call of duty this time.
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89A modern day "Golden Axe", but ratcheted up to massive levels of production. With excellent sound, graphics, and theatrical work bolstering it, Return of the King is a hardcore gamers' game with tremendous mass market appeal.
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89They have concentrated on distilling the best action they can out of Tolkein's, (or should that now be Jackson's) masterpiece and presenting it in a well executed package. Lord of the Ring fans could surely want for nothing more this Christmas.
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87The game’s technical flaws are minor, and the game’s only other negative point is that it’s somewhat short.
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The two-player cooperative mode is the real star of the show, overshadowing the online play that the PS2 version offers, and is the one critical feature the first game so desperately needed.
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84A tremendous achievement. Genuinely exciting and immersive but not without its faults. A hack-'n'-slash treat, if slightly repetitive. [PSM2]
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84EA has done an exceptional job creating a game around the movie, and their efforts are certainly deserving of your attention.
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Offers some amazing visual effects and locations that will blow your mind, and it still remains a blueprint for movie video games. [Dec 2003, p.130]
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Does a fantastic job of putting you into the world of the movie through its graphically stunning reproductions of the film's war-torn sets, smooth transitions from thriling cinema clips, into exciting gameplay, [and] top-notch voice work. [Dec 2003, p.181]
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Fans will find much to enjoy, but don't blame us if you're as haggard as Gollum by the time you actually finish the game. [19 Dec 2003, p.L2T 20]
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It’s bigger, longer and smarter than The Two Towers.
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80A beautiful hack-and-slasher that lives up to the considerable scope and grandeur of the filmic source material. [Holiday 2003, p.32]
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If you take away the window dressing, the epic sounds and the preordained surprises this is a derivative, one-note and sometimes flawed game, but see it as a spectacular amusement ride and you can play and it's a distinguished achievement. [Christmas 2003, p.110]
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80It's still a relatively simple and short action game at heart, but a solid combat system, some extremely intense and cinematic levels, cool extras that fans of the movies will enjoy, and the option to play cooperatively with a friend all add up to make The Return of the King deserving of its name.
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80Rife with action and bursting at the seams with bonus content, the title will also go down in history as one of the most intense products ever created for hobbyists' consumption.
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80But the exhilaration can quickly turn to frustration, perhaps hyperventilation, if you repeatedly fail some of the game's tougher missions.
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The presentation is just outstanding. It's just a shame that the gameplay was a little off, and that you couldn't skip the movie cutscenes.
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Overall there's more to do and experience in Return of the King than in The Two Towers, but consequently this tends to frustrate more than please.
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8 / 7 / 8 / 7 - 30 silver [Vol 786]
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Switch between the game’s three passages—the Paths of the King, Wizard, and Hobbit—to hack levels tailored to each character’s quirks. Or better yet, stick with one and build up his abilities—cutting through the Orc-etc.
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70It's a surprisingly deep, involving and intense hackandslash experience that belies its apparent simplicity.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 22 out of 25
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Mixed: 0 out of 25
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Negative: 3 out of 25
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8
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ColeF.10Just a wonderful game and somtimes very hard to beat the ladder level.