Alot of people seem to forget that we're reviewing a game and not the movies, resulting in some dumbfounded euphoria and fanboyism for the series. Now let's talk (seriously) about the game: first thing I noticed and bothered me was the actual use of voices (haven't played a LEGO game since Batman, which was amazing!). It didn't bother me they used the original voices instead of a lego-translated simspeak, but the fact that there was no clear basic animation on the character's faces (characters being scared but having a big grin on their face) made me feel the designers didn't know what they were doing. Also when Frodo and Sam are running of Mount Doom, they're just smiling their faces (maybe they're on shrooms thinking they're in this warm spring full of butterflies and Sam thnks he's running towards Daisy? I dunno).
The game takes endless amounts of loading while the graphics are still the same as in previous games. I know, it's all polished in HD but I don't care. These games aren't about graphics and could've easily run alot faster with a 720p resolution (no one would notice the difference unless they saw it with their own eyes on the box), this takes away alot of the immersion and makes me regret skipping cinematics because it takes longer to load the level when I do instead of just watching it (so it has to load AGAIN?!).
The game isn't clear about the jobs system and doesn't even really help you with the hints it gives while loading (or when having tips on in-game). Some people may find this good and the game makes you wanna try things out, but just simply stating "strong characters can pull orange levers" and not succeeding until I find out on the internet you need to use an orc-type character or Saruman makes me feel dumb. Another argument is that for all other things you need specific characters, the game just blurts it out (you get near arrows, an obvious target for Legolas, "hey, maybe you should use Legolas to fire arrows at those targets?"... NO SHERLOCK!) so why couldn't they do the same with the orange handles? Or the mithril objects? Why does the game suddenly try to be difficult when it's overly easy for the rest of the time? This is -again- NOT the object of LEGO games. Why can't the game just say "use an orc-type character to pull orange levers"? I'm just saying.
There are many other frustrations that this game gave me while playing (glitching graphics, glitching gameplay, another loading screen) that made me feel this game was very rushed and just a cheap cash-in for Tt on LoTR fans.

Now let's talk about some good aspects of the game: the game dares to not always follow the story blindly (Sam fighting the Uruk hai before Shelob) resulting in better gameplay (you can kill the uruk to replenish your health when fighting Shelob). The only part I missed was the escape of Merry and Pippin from the orc tribe and finding Treebeard, which I thought would've been alot more fun to play than actually digging up three objects with Aragorn and then getting a cutscene. I understand they did this to introduce Aragorn's special ability of tracing objects into the gameplay, but this could've been easily scratched. This brings me to my next point: the game is very varied in its gameplay and it's an open world, this fits Middle Earth perfectly. However sometimes it feels too big, having me changing characters and actually performing the task become a 50/50 chore (and the characters need to load too,... wut?). There are so many objects it feels more like an rpg than a lego game, a good innovation in itself that fits lord of the rings in itself. BUT after a while you'll start to feel like an errand boy going from A to B, back to A, and suddenly you have to go to point Z (thank God for fast travel, where loading is kinda fast).
The ending cuts at Aragorn being the king he's supposed to be and never tells us about Frodo leaving Middle Earth. Although this is a minor detail for a kid oriented game, it makes me feel what the entire game did: nothing. There's no immersion into the story and the game makes you end up feeling very bland. The game's bland. The game balances because of these things between "hey, this game's cool" and "I wanna rip my eyeballs out! this If you haven't played this game yet, save the money and watch the films again. That's what the game makes you feel like doing anyway.… Expand

THIS IS A GREAT GAME! There is so much to do AND the kids can play and connect with the whole Lord Of The Rings movie franchise. There is humour and puzzles. Fighting and over one and a half hours of video footage. It's like an interactive Readers Digest version of the three movies. After you have finished the game there is still so many loose ends to tie up. My children love it and I am happy with them playing it. Probably one of the best Lego games to date, and even one of the best games outright. So much work has gone in to this game. BUY IT!… Expand

Being an avid fan of all the past Lego games, I was surprised when I picked this one up and found that the standard Lego game recipe got old really quickly. I've heard other people make this remark about previous games, but I could run through Lego Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, and Pirates over and over without losing interest. The biggest difference in this case is humour. it just doesn't have it. There are a few spots where I'll chuckle to myself about what a character has done, but most of the opportunities to make a funny joke or poke at the scene go unnoticed. Some of the great lines in the movies are cut out of the video game, of course to allow you to play through the three movies in less than 9 hours (near 11 or 12 for extended I believe).

On the positive side, there are still some core mechanics that are there from previous Lego games where you bust bricks, take control of other characters, lots of unlocking of characters and extras, and amazing animation. Every game that TT comes out with keeps getting more amazing to look at. Even the textures and lighting are amazing allowing me to believe I'm playing the movies.

As great as the game may look and as amazing as the animation is they don't live up to the fact that the core Lego game experience feels off. The game does feel like Middle Earth, but unfortunately, in the end, it makes me want to actually watch Lord of the Rings instead of playing this game.… Expand

No stranger to the LEGO series and a big LotR fan, I received precisely what I expected when firing up this game. I feel it represents the source material in Traveler's Tales' own unique way, including oddball and slapstick humor, interesting puzzle elements and a great blend of visual styles. The scaled-down world offers the tale in short-form, which seems to play a lot like a highlights reel more than a full game but I feel they have done a great job in making an epic story fit into their style. Those unfamiliar with LEGO video games may be put off by the need to replay the game a handful of times in order to unlock all the hidden items, but I didn't mind as it adds to the challenge to figure out which characters are needed for each piece. I'm on the fence about using the actual voices/dialog. I'm rather nostalgic for when LEGO characters just made strange little noises and had over-the-top reactions. On the other hand, something about seeing LEGO Gandalf fighting the Balrog and screaming "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" was just hilarious and cool at the same time. I'm not really sure this tale COULD be told in the old style.

I experienced a handful of technical glitches. One forced me to turn off the PS3 when the video locked up. Another had a character fall straight through the ground, through the landscape mesh and into a never ending chasm (I could access the map and teleport out). Some controls do not respond as you'd expect at times, which can (and did, in my experience) add to frustration.

All in all, if you like Lord of the Rings and LEGO games, this is a win. It has everything you've come to expect from the makers. If you're a fan of the films (but don't take it all too seriously) this is worth checking out.… Expand

This is the first Lego game I have played and it was not to my disappointment, it follows the LOTR trilogy step by step missing out almost nothing relevant to the films.
The graphics are fantastic and the sound quality is also very good. Humour has been added to the game as Tt Games target audience is for 7-12 year olds, in places this game is quite tricky as there are lots of different things each character can do so I would say that the game would be better suited for ages 12 and above. Overall this is a fantastic game and is worth a buy as there are lots of hours of game play to be able to complete this game and if you are a Lord of the rings fan you will see relevant the whole game is to the films and do and see the extra features created by Tt games… Expand

An excelent game with very good graphics. The story is very similar to the movie and the stages are very good builded. A positive point is the lot of hours of the game to need to do 100%.

I didn't expect much from a LEGO video game, but when I started playing it and saw the epic Middle-Earth map, I was amazed. The best thing in this game is, that it has popular LOTR memes in it. I recommend this game to every LOTRT fan.

Have played all previous LEGO games and this is the best one yet. Unlike other game series, Tell Tales actually moves forward with each LEGO iteration. They've added fast travel (the map is the largest yet), side quests (all of the fetch variety), dual story lines and even crafting, though rudimentary in form. The fundamental formula is still there, requiring you to Free Play each mission to get all of the items and secrets. Voice overs and movie lines are well done. Some of the fights are tailored for co-op play, but not required, of course. Oh, and there's plenty of secrets, some not as simple as previous LEGO games have made them. Gameplay hours seem quite long. I've played about 12 hours and have gotten through about 35% of the game. Only issues I've had is two lockups that I couldn't replicate, so not a gamebreaker. Overall, the best LEGO game yet.… Expand

Being a huge LOTR fan I was, of course, expecting a lot. I've played all the LEGO games and, in my honest opinion, although Lego LOTR is a great game it's not the best one so far. Lego DC Heroes is the best one for me. They did a great job, both graphically and in terms of enjoyment. The actual dialogues are there, as well as the most iconic scenes of Peter Jackson's Trilogy. But something is missing, I don't know. It soon becomes clear that this could be such a better game - maybe they didn't have time to give a final polish? There are glitches that make exploring somewhat confusing and, for the first time, story mode is more engaging than free play. Once the story is finished you are free to explore Middle Earth. But it's all on foot and the fast travel isn't very helpful. They should add some features to make exploring more interesting - like flying characters (Nazgul, maybe?) or improving the whole quest/exploration experience with a more solid way of pointing out what you want to do. Great game, not the best Lego one, though.… Expand

The PS3 version is riddled with glitches and requires constant backtracking. This makes story mode an annoying slog, as your progress is constantly lost. The graphics are pretty, but the levels are on the small side, and skip a lot of the cool stuff from the movies. Lego LOTR is okay, but definitely not up with the best.

Being a fan of the LEGO video game series and a fan of The Lord of the Rings films, I find this game to be amazing. It sticks to the story of the films while adding the humor and feel of a LEGO game. As with any LEGO game, the amount of playable characters are jaw-dropping. Many people complained about how LEGO games 'don't feel the same' with voice acting ever since LEGO DC: Super Heroes, but I personally believe that the voices helped the game more than hurt it. Without voicing it would have been extremely difficult for the developer's to portray the entire story and make it feel like the movies. Overall one of the best games I have played this year so far. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone.… Expand

I am dumbfounded as to why there are no reviews by any critics of this game as of today. I know there was an issue of a mislabeled demo disc on the Xbox 360...but still. My 10 year old loves the lego games, till now I have been a watching bystander. This game changed all that. This game hit's on all cylinders. I loved how the creators have managed to bring out the kid in me again. Granted I am a Lord of The Rings fan, so the that was the hook in me...but how they managed to make it feel like you were playing the film was truly magical. The first battle scene just hints at what this game will do...and once you enter Hobbiton...well the artistry and magic shines through. Yes it is simplistic in controls, but none-the-less, it is a game play that works..and works well. Sound lifted from the film cleverly pitted with site gags is the icing on the cake of this winning ps3 game. Congrats!… Collapse

Similar to past LEGO games, but the Lords trilogy is so massive that this game called for one of the more involved open worlds I've ever seen in the LEGO series. The dialogue is from the films, which is excellent. So many characters, and so much diversity. Easily one of the best LEGO games in my opinion!