Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Review

He has gone unchallenged long enough!" ~ Aragorn

So guess who gets to take him on. Well, in EA's follow up to the hugely successful Two Towers game, you do. This time around you get a little more freedom and more characters to do the trick, as well as the option for help from a friend.

Unlike the first game, where you could only be Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, you have a total of nine characters at your disposal. Granted, three of them are "secret," but it's still a big improvement.

There are three different story lines to start with. You can chose to take control of Gandalf the White on the Paths of the Wizard, the three from The Two Towers or "TTT" in The Path of the King, or Samwise Gamgee in The Path of the Hobbits. Most people are going to start off with Gandalf simply because, let's face it, Wizards kick ass. And this game sure doesn't disprove that statement. The fact of the matter is, Gandalf is freakishly powerful. Right off the bat his long ranged weapon (firing a blast from his staff) can take down most enemies. He's also extremely quick for such an old fellow, which allows you to both catch up and evade enemies as necessary. His story takes you from the forests outside Isengard to the walls of Minas Tirith, the White City of Gondor.

In the Path of the King, you take lead of the three "main characters" as they gather the Army of the Dead, fight thousands of Orcs on the Pelennor Fields, and finally struggle through endless ranks of Orcs and Easterlings in front of the might Black Gate. These battles are unbelievably fun simply because you just keep pounding the special attack buttons and watch as enemy after enemy is vanquished. Repetitive? You bet. Fun? Oh hell yes.