The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Play as Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf and Sam as you battle for the fate of Middle-earth.

Directors:

Bret Robbins, Chris Tremmel

Writers:

Michael Becker (story dialogue), J.R.R. Tolkien (novel)

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Astin	...	Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee (voice)
Billy Boyd	...	Peregrin 'Pippin' Took (voice)
John Rhys-Davies	...	Gimli / Treebeard (voice)
Christopher Lee	...	Saruman (voice)
Ian McKellen	...	Gandalf (voice)
Dominic Monaghan	...	Meriadoc Brandybuck (voice)
Andy Serkis	...	Gollum / The Witch-king (voice)
David Wenham	...	Faramir (voice)
Elijah Wood	...	Frodo Baggins (voice)
Andrew Chaikin	...	Legolas (voice)
Tom Chantler	...	Shagrat (voice)
Chris Edgerly	...	Aragorn (voice)
Lorri Holt	...	Eowyn (voice)
Roger Jackson	...	The Mouth of Sauron (voice)
Anni Long	...	Gondor Civilians (voice)

Storyline

In this video game based on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Aragorn and the Rohan people are saved at the battle of Helm's Deep by Gandalf the White and the Riders of Rohan. This is just the beginning as you play through various levels from Fanghorn Forest to the fiery depths of Mt. Doom. Using the Fellowship of the Ring to do your bidding, you can now decide the fate of Middle-earth forever.

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Plot Keywords:

single player | playstation 2 | multiplayer | nintendo gamecube | microsoft windows | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | History | War

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Certificate:

T

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Company Credits

Production Co:

Electronic Arts (EA), New Line Cinema, Tolkien Enterprises

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character model for the Witch-king of Angmar sports a different helmet from that featured in the movie, as it was based on earlier design that was later revised to prevent him from being confused with Sauron.

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Quotes

Gollum: He hurts us! He hurts poor Smeagol!

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Connections

Referenced in Einmal Mittelerde und zurück (2003)

User Reviews

The strongest title in the Lord of the Rings video game franchise.

If you think of the EA Lord of the Rings games as members of the Action/Adventure genre you are in reality wrong. Since the dawn of video game history, there has always been a genre known as Hack 'n' slash. The Hack 'n' slash genre is basically meaning that the game does not necessitate much mental input, but instead requires the player to use a certain amount of button bashing. Button bashing games however have always had the tendency for getting dull very easily, with this game however, that doesn't seem to be the case. With 9 characters to play with, all wielding their own unique weapons and special moves, this game doesn't get tedious for a long while. Fun-wise, the Return of the King keeps the action velocity up long enough to constantly keep you interested. Should it be fighting an assemblage of fierce Urik-hai, or spear throwing at some nearby goblins, this game succeeds in the keeping-the-player-interested section. As for the upgraded features from the previous Two Towers game, you can now fully interact with the scenery around you. Characters can now pick up spears and fire catapults, as well as lower drawbridges and cutting roles holding up huge chandeliers (Ah… memories.) As for warfare, it is much swifter. You get the Lord of the Rings fighting style in a much more stimulating and further moving perspective.

For me and of course many others, sound is one of the most important aspects of a game. Without a first-class main theme, or an exhilarating and heroic character melody, a game is, in essence, pointless. Being the licensed movie game, Return of the King was therefore given the rights to use the soundtrack from the movies, composed by Howard Shore. This was a huge excitement for me, as I worship the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, especially the main theme. Should it be the Shire melody, or the terrifying Nazgul tune, the soundtrack from the Lord of the Rings is truly amazing, and of course, fits this game perfectly. My only disappointment however, was that the main theme is only played briefly once, during the after-level screen. I feel that inserting it into some major battles would keep the player's morale up, just as the Legend of Zelda overture would keep a Zelda fan happy if it was played during a conflict or Ganon battle. (Heh, wouldn't it have been nice if the overture was played in a final Ganon battle…?) Sound effects are taking from real weapons, which I learnt whilst watching a bonus movie having completed the game. This adds to the whole experience and only makes the sound better.

Here, EA have really proved what they can do. This game is graphically beautiful and amazing to look at. The character models have been created with amazing detail. Just look at Sam's face and see what I'm talking about. Another thing I thought was pretty cool, which has been improved drastically from the previous game, is the way that the game graphics flow into movie clips from the actual film. Those who have played it will know how awesome this actually looks.

J.R.R Tolkien is the master of fantasy writing, and having read the Lord of the Rings book after I watched the first film, I was gripped by his extreme ability to write. The world of Middle-Earth is indeed an amazing and fantastic place; full of adventure, monsters, beauty and of course heroes. The game focuses on the warfare aspects of the film mostly, but for knowing that there is a much more detailed and epic tale inside of it all, it truly makes the experience worthwhile. Hands down to you Mr. Tolkien.

In conclusion, the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King isn't the best game of all time, nor is it the worst. By far, it is probably one of the best Hack 'n' Slash games yet. With a memorable cast of unique and wonderful characters, a plot to die for, and of course one of the best soundtracks to grace the video game industry, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is truly magical.