What happens when you combine a family-friendly video game with the most profitable film franchise of Middle-Earth?
LEGO Lord of the Rings is the latest action-adventure video game to be released by Traveller’s Tales and this is the biggest one to be released, so far. Following the epic good vs. bad fantasy built J. R. R. Tolkein’s endless source material and Peter Jackson’s film franchise, LEGO Lord of the Rings follows the primary storyline: The people of Middle-Earth must work together in order to destroy the Dark Lord Sauron.
In this game, players follow the quest of the Fellowship; sometimes working in unison, oftentimes split into separate groups. More than 80 playable characters are availabie. Some are unlockable during gameplay, others are available after completing quests. co-op gameplay with drop-in and drop-out options
In a new trend for LEGO video games, these minifigures speak using dialogue recited by the actors, recorded from the feature films. This is the second LEGO video game to feature speaking figures, the first being LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. I prefer LEGOs that don’t speak in video games; they tend to be funnier and include more succinct storytelling.
While the game does offer the usual bad camera angles that have haunted each of Traveller’s Tales LEGO video games, this is not a game breaker. The gameplay is fun for a child and there’s plenty of details for the most-hardcore Middle-Earth fanatic (Radagast the Brown is even playable!). There is also a DLC character pack not included with the game — including five extra playable characters — which is available to download at the Playstation Network and XBOX Live Arcade marketplace.
Somehow, this game edits down the lengthy volumes into easy bite-sized portions that are incredibly addictive, with great replay value. Peter Jackson could learn a thing or two from Telltale Games! This is, by far, the best LEGO game available on the marketplace!
Strength: Journeying through Middle-Earth is truly otherworldly.
Weakness: Sauron, the playable character, is less than noteworthy
WTF Moment: There’s no playable Balrog? What gives?
Notable Quotes:
– “Fool of a Took!”
Review: 5/5