It's a notch below its console cousins, but the excellent gameplay and cinematic presentation make Return of the King a great action game and a cut above most PC ports. Read Review
EA's second attempt at re-creating Tolkien goodness. Enhances the formula it cobbled together using a little Devil May Cry, a little Streets of Rage, and a far more impressive amount of movie footage from all three of the Peter Jackson films, Return of the King expands in every single way to make this year's effort undeniable. Players get the chance to play as five characters (Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Sam and Frodo), plus three secret ones; the environments are interactive with useable weapons, ropes to swing down, catapults to fire, and more. Plus, gamers can finally get together with their buddies to play the game in co-op mode.
One guide to rule them all. Walkthrough, secrets and more!
It's easy to be leery of console-to-PC ports, particularly in the case of full-on action games. All too often, the port is a one-off without any consideration taken for the particular needs of PC gamers. Still, when I was offered the chance to review the PC version of Return of the King, I jumped at it. Not only was it the sequel to the fun-though-flawed Two Towers game I enjoyed on the PS2, but the early versions of the game I played at E3 and Camp EA seemed like marked improvements over the original. Fortunately, my gamble paid off. Return of the King is a highly polished and very enjoyable action title that, while not the equal of its console counterparts, is still a terrific action game on the PC. Read More »
EA served up one of the best crossover titles in years with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The game touted one of the hottest licenses in gaming and did a commendable job of translating Peter Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien to an interactive medium. I thought it was one of the slickest looking games on the market -- especially on the PlayStation 2, considering its relatively modest horsepower -- complete with richly detailed textures and dozens of enemies on screen. The gameplay offered something for casual and hard-core gamers alike; the controls were simple enough that almost anyone could play it, but there was enough depth to keep frequent gamers satisfied. The Return of the King offers more of the same, but with even better graphics and more diverse gameplay. Read More »
The RTS genre is always competitive, with many different companies putting out similar-looking games. As we approach the holiday season, in fact, gamers have a wealth of options to choose from, including games that have already been released such as expansions to Age of Mythology, Warcraft III, and C&C: Generals, as well as upcoming titles like Lords of EverQuest and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World. Read More »
When making a licensed movie game, you might as well make the mother of 'em all, right? But with 10-mile thick Hollywood contracts and snooty celebrities to contend with, EA's bold, interactive adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy didn't come cheap. Luckily, Two Towers shook up long-standing stereotypes last year ... bypassing the heap of Antz Xtreme Racing discs melting atop truckloads of Atari's E.T. carts in the smelting heat of a Nevada desert. If games could show their pearly whites, you'd likely have been blinded by Two Tower's gloss (while not perfect, it was damn cool; just read our review). Read More »
Also known as: LOTR: Return of the King, El Señor de los Anillos: El Retorno del Rey (Spanish Title)
Release Region: United States
Release Date: November 3, 2003
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Region: United States
Release Date: November 3, 2003
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Also available on: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Wireless, Macintosh
Pentium 3 or AMD Athlon 700 MHz
128 MB RAM, 256 when using Windows XP
8x or faster CD or DVD drive
2.0 GB hard drive space
DirectX 8.0 compatible video card with the following chip sets: NVIDIA GeForce 2 GTS or greater or ATI Radeon 7500 or greater
DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card
2 CDs
For more info on these technical requirements and features, please view GameSpy's Specs FAQ.
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