Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The

Electric Playground

A pure celebration of the movies that inspired it. It is a terrific action game with a degree of depth and a great collection of surprises to collect. The game is also peerless in the presentation department and you can play it with a friend.

Play Magazine

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]

AtomicGamer

Rarely does a game boast this sort of cinematic appeal while actually being fun to play, but Return of the King delivers.

1UP

The core of the game is based on this frenetic, nonstop action that propels you from one area to the next, and it is this same sense of mayhem-driven progress that can allow a non-fan like myself to have such a good time.

GamePro

A nicely executed adventure worth fighting for, just be prepared to suffer inglorious defeats until you get used to the game cam.

Deeko

While it lacks a lot of actual scenes from the new film (it uses more footage from the Two Towers and the Fellowship of the Ring with Gandalf doing voiceovers), it still tells the final part of the story and will spoil many facets of the film.

GameZone

With its gorgeous visuals and amazing sound, the game brilliantly brings the film and Tolkien’s vision to life.

Cheat Code Central

The graphics virtually rival the movie and a two-player co-op mode gives the game good replay value making this game a worthwhile pursuit. Although relatively short, The Return of the King is short on story and long on action.

XGP Gaming

How do you make a succesful movie to video game transformation? There have been many and many have failed to truly capture the movie that they're based on. I really don't know how you do this but I can tell you that Electronic Arts sure does.

GameSpy

It'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.

GMR Magazine

Takes everything The Two Towers did well and improves upon it in every way.

Xbox Nation Magazine

Basically an all-you-can-kill, hack-and-slash buffet from start to finish. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.82]

GameReviewer

From the large selection of unlockable extras to the wealth of documentaries and bonus characters, every conceivable base has been covered. In reaching these lofty heights so easily, Return of the King has shamed virtually every other half baked movie adaption ever released.

Ferrago

They 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.

IGN

The hack-and-slash action game is still very much just that, a twitchy combo-fest derived from arcade sensibilities, but now it's surrounded by a superior level of production quality that cannot be mistaken, it's got co-op, and it's filled with interactive backgrounds and newly playable characters.

Xbox World Australia

By combining the same addictive button-mashing core of its predecessor with better visuals, better level design, more dynamic gameplay (thanks to the scripted events that drive the levels), and a multiplayer co-op mode, Return of the King is an exceptionally well-produced game.

My Gamer

The game doesn’t live up to the qualities resplendent in either the book or the movies, but it’s still a technically competent game and fun to play.

Gamer.tv

Seat of the pants gameplay makes it a winner. Despite difficult segments, it's still rather short... but like the Two Towers it's almost as much an event as a game.

Entertainment Weekly

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]

Game Revolution

It’s bigger, longer and smarter than "The Two Towers."

Electronic Gaming Monthly

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]

Game Informer

Even if you don't look up to J.R.R. Tolkien as a literary god, Return of the King is one hell of a play. [Dec 2003, p.173]

Official Xbox Magazine

The high degree of difficulty is one of the few problems with this otherwise brilliant game...Still may be the best movie license game ever made. [Jan 2004, p.81]

Yahoo! Games

Rife 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.

Team Xbox

Improves upon last year’s hack-and-slash fest in every single aspect. The multiplayer action is incredibly fun, but it does take time to get adjusted to the camera angles. The camera isn’t too much of a problem in the single-player game, but still provides a few quirks that will cause some frustration.

GamerFeed

Newcomers may find themselves a bit overwhelmed by the story, and fans may hate the spoilers, but otherwise, you'll find this game's as deep as, well, Helm's Deep. Even deeper than that.

GameSpot

It'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.

Edge Magazine

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]

Next Level Gaming

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.

TotalGames.net

Insufferably bi-polar difficulty levels attacks that can't be repelled or escaped from no matter your skill and combat because your stuck on the ground in a death loops is something so lacking in grace that it numbs you.

games(TM)

It's considerably better than last year's sorry attempt but there's still plenty of room for improvement. [Christmas 2003, p.127]