Loading Video...
Cinemassacre Videos for iOS and Android
- Watch all the Cinemassacre.com videos ad free on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices
- Get notified when new videos are up (If you want)
- Create and manage a list of your favorite videos
- Fast video search online or off
- iOS version includes Airplay support to watch on the big screen on your Apple TV or other compatible device
- Multiple bitrate streaming so you can watch at any connection speed.
- Support current and future Cinemassacre videos
November 30, 2012 at 2:58 am
I’ve played the return of the king game on the cube with my buddy. First off I wanna say if its so hard for you, why not play with a second person, its way more fun and makes it better. Also it is really not as hard as your making it sound with the ladders, once you figure out what to do, its not too bad, the camera angle is a huge problem but the game is still really fun to play with a friend. Also the elephant stage is pretty fucking annoying, me and my buddy got it down to a technique to beat it but it certainly was not impossible. Part of the fun in this game is how hard it is, and if your such a fan of lotr, then you could see that your playing as the main characters which do fight alot of damn orcs in the books. that is all.
November 30, 2012 at 3:06 am
you mispronounced “legolas”
November 30, 2012 at 3:09 am
Legawlus??? Thats how you pronounced it Mike. Bite your tongue sir bite your fanboy tongue and sit up straight! How dare you insult elf kind! I can only guess you keep the company of dwarves. The Dr. has spoken.
November 30, 2012 at 3:15 am
And further more the PS2 controls suck formaldehyde dipped raccoon balls! Those first two movie based games made me realize how if I ever had to face off with actual orcs I would be vanquished. The Dr. is mad thinking about this.
November 30, 2012 at 3:18 am
Mike…
When the Witch-King appears, don’t go down to ground level! Stay on either one of the cliffs and just go to his end of the battlefield while at that elevation. It makes shooting him down honestly the easiest part of the level. I’m sorry, but your conclusion to go down to the ground when the Witch-King appears never even occurred to me.
Anyways… it might surprise you to learn that RotK on the Gamecube is one of my favorite games of all time. I acknowledge a few of the flaws you point out, but I just adore the game overall. I can’t count how many times I’ve beaten it.
November 30, 2012 at 3:18 am
“The Lord of the Rings trilogy? was three books.” Why does he say it like that. But I agree with the concern. Why is one book three films?
November 30, 2012 at 3:26 am
LOL You forgot the third game!
I don’t see part 1 of 2 in the title. And no indication for that at the end so feel free to say i’m wrong but i have reasons to say that.
Aside from that i totally agree, i remember totally them games, but because they suck so much, i don’t even know what force has brought me to finish them 100%. Probably the ring of power…yeah.
And i totally agree on the hobbit second trailer, here in Italy it’s even worse they chose dubbers that sucks ass, you must check the italian second trailer, i’m gonna watch it (with some doubts on it) in english.
January 1, 2013 at 3:44 am
I find this review somewhat funny because I played all of those Lord of the Rings games when I was a kid and didn’t have any issues with them. Hell, I even beat Fellowship of the Ring on GBA and that game was a glitchy load of ass. There’s actually a game ending glitch in Fellowship on GBA unless you know how to work around it (it’s in the Mines of Moria). Anyways, in Return I had more trouble with the Ghost King and escaping him than the elephants. I also had gotten Legolas and Gimli to max levels and stats. I would also like you to review The Hobbit game because The Hobbit game was great.
November 30, 2012 at 3:27 am
Wait…
“The witch king comes in, riding his NAZGUL” ?
The dude IS a Nazgul.
…sorta.
I think you meant fellbeast instead.
Heh, i guess i wouldnt mind so much if you didn’t go so all out to show us you’re SUCH a huge fan of Tolkien. I’d expect you to know this~!
Ah well, as for the Hobbit movie… yeah i hope this doesnt turn out to be the next Phantom Menace either…
But screw that! It’s gonna be awesome!
November 30, 2012 at 3:40 am
Nice review man. I had the two towers but I remember getting bored with the same hack and slash over and over. I think there was a PS2 game based on the first book rather than the movies that I recall enjoying more but I think I was in the minority on that one. Might be worth checking out but who knows how it holds up.
November 30, 2012 at 3:43 am
The battle of pelenors field is a really easy level and the reason you are doing it wrong is because you are standing underneath the Witch King you can go the far left of the cliff and fire from upstairs instead of going down the cliff when you killed the mumakil.
November 30, 2012 at 3:44 am
Nice one Mike! I never actually tried these, ended up getting Star Wars Bounty Hunter on GC instead and it has a very frustrating stage like that one near the end. I may just suck at the game though but I can’t seem to beat the prison stage.
I’d love to see what you think of the other LOTR games on GC. I really wanted to get the Hobbit game but never got around to it.
November 30, 2012 at 3:48 am
I hope he does a second part reviewing The Third Age and The Hobbit. I’ve actually played The Third Age, and I didn’t like it very much at first. It’s very odd for me to say too, because I am a serious RPG fanatic, but the gameplay in The Third Age took so much getting used to that I didn’t enjoy or appreciate the experience until many years after it came out and playing it a second time, and even then I only found it slightly entertaining.
November 30, 2012 at 3:52 am
I have both games for the gamecube and I played them both to death, specially The Return of The King. My advice would be to grind a little bit, I remember that having all the right power ups (go for the multi arrow / piercing upgrade) makes that level a piece of cake.
Anyhow, nice review Mike keep it up!
November 30, 2012 at 3:59 am
You had to know that games based off of a blockbuster movie are going to suck ass. Wasn’t there a LOTR game on SNES back in the day? I’d be interested to hear how that is.
November 30, 2012 at 4:04 am
Enjoy my video guys! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUdfs7WndJs&list=UUTYPVl2J_hh4XLrGKMTFj9Q&index=20&feature=plcp
November 30, 2012 at 4:09 am
These LoTR games remind me of Batman: Dark Tomorrow for its awful camera angles and the way the main characters run. Have you played Batman: DT @Mike? You’ve got to do a video review of it. It’s one of those “so bad it’s good” games.
November 30, 2012 at 4:11 am
Hi
Going to get ubergeeky here but technically LotR is six books, but they are released in either one large volume or broken down into three volumes.
November 30, 2012 at 4:15 am
The Third Age is pretty good.
November 30, 2012 at 4:20 am
Hey Mike,
).
I really, really love those two games, especially “The Return of the King”, so I was really excited to see this review. I am also concerned about the three “The Hobbit” movies, just like you I hate the slapstick ending of the second trailer. BUT Peter Jackson is one of the best directors in world History, in my opinion, so he will not fail.
Now to your game review part. I could not disagree more with you about the controls in this game. The combinations of the moves are very easy to learn and easy to remember. Everything I see is you pushing the A Button on the controller, although you can kill the stronger opponent (the ones with the green bar floating over their head) with just one combination. Maybe the controls are much harder on the gamecube, than on the PlayStation2 (I played the GC version twice and the PS2 version like 500 times
Nonetheless I liked the review very much and I am looking forward to see more videos of yours.
)
(sorry for existing mistakes, my English is not perfect
November 30, 2012 at 4:22 am
Damn Mike, I think it’s time you take on an angry video game nerd title of your own for these reviews, cuz for a moment there during this review you were truly channeling what it means to be an angry nerd. I played a few of the LOTR games on PS3 and I’m sad to report they were shit. But, back to the subject at hand, this was one of your more entertaining reviews. ” Motherfuckin Games With Motherfucker Mike” has a nice ring to it. Haha. On a side note, my wife was poking fun at my nerdiness just the other day due to my flambouyant rant over the Hobbit being broken up into three films, when the subject matter is about a third of what comprises the LOTR trilogy. Sure hope they don’t fuck it up!
November 30, 2012 at 4:24 am
Tolkien intended LOTR to be one book as well or a 2-book volume incl Silmarillion at the most. You’re a fan, but don’t know this? This can not be an argument for skepticism over turning The Hobbit into 3 movies. The lack of pages on the other hand, could.
November 30, 2012 at 4:34 am
Yeah, LOTR was initially supposed to be one book but paper shortages caused it to be split into 3 books.
Also the Hobbit films aren’t splitting one book into 3 films. The third film is going to be using the Tolkien supplemental materials, so the Hobbit is still really 2 films with the third being basically a supplemental film to tie it into the LOTR series.
Anyway, thanks for the review. Good timing
November 30, 2012 at 4:45 am
On another side Note this Wiki on Christopher Lee and The LOTR has some interesting facts. http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Sir_Christopher_Lee
November 30, 2012 at 5:15 am
The controls must be better on PS2 because I have to say, I’ve had Return of the King on playstation since it came out and I’ve never had that problem. You also get used to the camera, and not every game has to have the same camera style, look at the original Resident Evils or Project Zero. Zelda doesn’t set every standard for games.
Also, themustardtiger is right, if you complain about the co-op AI, then get a friend to play it with you. The reason there are more characters following you around is because it was built for co-operative play. Again, not every game has to be single player oriented, like how some nowadays focus moreso on multiplayer. And the catapult stage in Minas Tirith really isn’t that bad, I never found myself hugging tight ledges on castle walls and trapsing up every tower, I don’t even know how you kept getting to all those places.
For it’s time, Return of the King was highly enjoyable. All I have are fond memories, and when you keep saying “how could they release this?” well, it’s because the game isn’t unbeatable, in fact The Black Gate, one of the last levels, is one of the most enjoyable, again cause you get to hack and slash at enemies. If from the play style you haven’t picked up that it’s a hack and slash game, I would encourage you to widen your horizons of gaming genres. I mean, come on dude, I beat this when I was 12.
Also, I didn’t notice you mispronounced Legolas. I did notice you kept calling Oliphants “giant elephants” though, something every real LoTR fan should be aware of.
November 30, 2012 at 5:22 am
LOL Nice review,I felt like you when I played this back when it came out.lol i love raging! hahahah good review!!
November 30, 2012 at 6:08 am
I agree that there are some pretty frustrating moments in both of these games. But to this day, I still believe that these are two of the greatest movie based video games ever made. Most games based on a movie are absolutely terrible. I still play these games. Having a second player on “Return of the King” is so helpful also. You should get James and film a playthrough together.
November 30, 2012 at 6:26 am
Nice job Mike, I just registered so I could tell you how your comments about Gimli looking like shit had me rolling! hahahahaha
November 30, 2012 at 6:29 am
The PS2 versions of these games must have been a lot better, because I don’t remember being frustrated at all playing them. Of course, I played them co-op with a friend. I definitely don’t remember having any poor control issues. And man, those GC graphics are ugly
November 30, 2012 at 7:07 am
in the mumaky stage i got a few questions….. why didnt you use the lances to faster kil the elefants? did you have the swift of justice combo (A x 5) or warriors and oecs bane? it makes killing realy easy! and why did you have to get down to shoot the wich king when you can kill it from the top? and if you have many problems in the first time you pass the stage why no using legolas hiper charged triple arows? the isue of the controler is your own mine works fine
November 30, 2012 at 7:07 am
@ TheMonkeyWrench
Not every game has to have the same camera style, but the should be as invisible as possible. Having a player compensate for that draws attention away from the game. When games that get this right clearly stand out from others, such as Zelda. The camera style of the original Resident Evils were due to technical limitations, although I do like the effect because it was a horror game.
Again, co-op AI should be as invisible as possible and should not require the player to compensate. If that stage was built for co-op play, then it was not designed properly for all target audiences.
As far as Return of the King being highly enjoyable. I’ve never played it, but I’ve played Fellowship of the Ring for the XBOX and that game had a bug in it that prevented me from continuing the game. (I called the distributer and I still couldn’t get a refund.) I have fond memories of the levels in the Shire, but how could they release it like that? Return of the King may not have a bug the prevents the user from continuing, but how long must a player endure before he starts thinking that the game is impossibly hard?
November 30, 2012 at 7:25 am
Mike, supposedly the reason for dividing it into three films is because Jackson is not only basing it on the novel, but also on the notes made by Tolkien himself
(and because of more profit, of course!) There’s other things we should be worried about though, like the 48FPS. Let’s see what that will be like, both in 3D and vice versa. The second trailer made me think more about The Hobbit than the first one though, due to the original trailer’s very dark tone. This new trailer had some more lighthearted visuals, (SPOILERS) like when the dwarves greet Bilbo and visits him to talk to him and Gandalf and have dinner. I also liked the fact that it had a few shots of the scene where the fellowship hides in the trees from the wolves, and Gandalf casts his fire spell. And then there was the scene with the goblins and the fellowship, chasing each other on the mountainside. I liked all that, but I see what you mean about the slapstick ending. I also read that Gandalf will be GIVING the sword Sting to Bilbo. Maybe not even inside the cave. I don’t see any reason for changing the story like that lol. (SPOILERS END) Do you?
Stay creative,
- Lukas
November 30, 2012 at 7:57 am
November 30, 2012 at 8:19 am
I hate it when, like you said, the game play is so annoying you don’t want to play it any more… and yet you find yourself pushing forward through the crap just to finish the damn thing. At least that’s what I do ha
Great video Mike
November 30, 2012 at 8:30 am
I played Return of the King on PC. I remember it was very good game but ridiculously hard at certain moments. Mission near the end with the stand-off when you had to give Frodo time to get to Mt. Doom was unbeatable.
November 30, 2012 at 8:31 am
I’ve the ps2 version of the return of the king for some weird reason. The game is pretty terrible, but got few laughs out of it while playing co-op.
November 30, 2012 at 8:32 am
This game was and still is excellent, on xbox that is.
November 30, 2012 at 8:38 am
Mike, the movie is going to be in three parts because it also incorporates a lot of notes dealing with The Hobbit that Tolkien made about it.
Also, remember, while the there are three books, there are six parts to the story.
November 30, 2012 at 8:41 am
The pc version was brilliant and the ps2 one was fine, you just ignored the blue dot on the wall map where the catapult was (and really, two towers are confusing), the witch king can be hit from the cliffs, not just the ground and all in all this is one of the better film based games.
November 30, 2012 at 8:52 am
Also, there was a game based on the first film.
November 30, 2012 at 8:59 am
good job motherfucker!
November 30, 2012 at 9:10 am
I played The Two Towers and Return of The King games on the Playstation and i must say that RoTK is one of my favorite games on the PS2. I played it a lot with a friend of mine and we had a lot of fun with this game.
November 30, 2012 at 9:29 am
I have it for PS2 based on friends telling me it was better than the other two. The game is wretched, putrid. It isn’t better on PS2. I think some people just are better gamers and have better thresholds for annoying things than we do. It was a turd.
November 30, 2012 at 10:19 am
This review gives a very false impression of the games, especially on ‘Return of the king’. Why do you play as Aragorn the whole time? The stage that gave you so much trouble is much easier as Legolas, especially when you unlock the right skills.
These skills will also help you to survive in the battlefield longer. Blocking hits at the right time, countering attacks and landing combos was so much fun in this game. And if you time it right, your attacks will be charged (that’s right, they charge if you play it right – no offense though), making it even easier to take down the elephants or the witch king. Also, you do NOT have to run directly to the witch king in order to hit him… you can easily shoot him from the cliff where the catapults are.
The fact that archers are constantly firing at you while you try to take down those elephants requires you to time your shots well if you want to rely on your bow. It’s not easy but I never felt like it was an unfair challenge. And I guess your controller is broken, one of my older controllers also has some problems with its L and R buttons – the game control itself is actually well done.
November 30, 2012 at 10:39 am
thank you thank you mike for doing this video its great that you made this review especcialy in the great franchise that is the lord of the rings
keep on loading these if you can please do harry potter video games review
November 30, 2012 at 11:14 am
Not much of a “review”. It’s more like a Look at or crappy Let’s Play. I loved Return of the King. I didn’t have any of the control issues you had at all. Finally, why show LotR The Third Age at the beginning if it’s not part of the “review”?
November 30, 2012 at 11:32 am
I used to have The Return of the King on PC… and I never beat the stupid elephant part. I had a hard time with the ghost level too, but not enough to rage quit yet.
November 30, 2012 at 12:50 pm
LOL Mike I had the same problem with those levels but after a year or so I beat both games and it was GLORIOUS XD
November 30, 2012 at 12:59 pm
“Nazgul” refers to the riders themselves, but there are times in both the movies and the books where the word seems to be applied to the flying dragon-like things they ride. It is confusing. It makes more sense that it should refer to the nine ring wraiths. “Nazg” means ring, and I suppose the suffix “-ul” means “them” as in the ring’s inscription, so Nazgul could be “They of the ring”? That’s just a guess, I’ve never studied Tolkien’s languages. Adding to the confusion, I doesn’t seem that Tolkien ever gave a proper name to the dragon-like creatures. Wikipedia has a few words on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazgul#Steeds “fell” is just an adjective, though. He could just as easily have called them “terrible beasts” or some similar thing.
As for how to pronounce Legolas, I’m guessing Mike read the books before seeing the movies and got attached to how he chose to pronounce it. There’s nothing in the three books to indicate where the emphasis should go. Until the movies, there would be no way to know how Tolkien intended for it to be pronounced, unless you study Sindarin and how many people have the time for that?
I think there’s sufficient material to easily support three more movies. They probably could have gotten two movies per book from the LotR trilogy if they had chosen to and we can see even from the Hobbit trailers that there’s going to be a lot of material that wasn’t in that book. I’m pretty sure the guy on the sleigh drawn by rabbits is Tom Bombadil. That’s just one example. As for the trailer’s ending, there’s a good deal of humour in the book, I don’t see it as a problem. I have faith that Peter Jackson will produce another masterpiece, in the case of the LotR trilogy, everywhere the movies departed from the books, I preferred the movies’ version. The elves showing up at Helm’s Deep is probably the most notable example.
I played Return of the King (PS2) when it was new, I though it was pretty good.
November 30, 2012 at 1:25 pm
I have the Two Towers game for the GC, and I agree with pretty much everything you said about it, but at the time I was so psyched about the movies I really wanted to like it. There was some fun to be had especially with friends, but it did seemed like it could’ve been a much better game with a little more tweaking and development. Oh yeah, and I didn’t mind you not talking about The Turd Age, who cares. Very entertaining review; keep’em coming!
November 30, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Easily Mike’s best review, good work. I particularly agree with everything he said in the beginning about his doubts about The Hobbit movie – spot on…
November 30, 2012 at 1:56 pm
I was trying to figure out why some of the comments were bitter or uptight, and then it dawned on me…they’re all after the one true ring. Give it up guys. Your nerdly laments are no match for the depths of Mount Doom.
Nice review Mike. It was pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed the Gandalf bits.
November 30, 2012 at 2:21 pm
You really should review that hobbit game! I had so much fun with it when i was younger and it’s in my opinion pretty entertaining.
November 30, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Could just learn the combos Mike.. instead of needing the game to constantly tell you how to play it.
November 30, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Actually, The Lord of the rings was one novel, not three separate books, a lot of publishers like to publish them in 3 books, but Tolkien intended it to be one novel.
November 30, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Mike, in ROTK you don’t have to use the trebuchets to destroy the seige towers, you can just shoot them down with Gandalf’s magic. After the elephant level, it just gets even harder, the next stage is the final battle in the movie and you have to kill some of the officers (guys with green health bars) to advance. Only problem is, the officers only come out when they want to and you have 20 or 30 grunts trying to assrape you while you’re waiting. I never got past that stage. I rage quit on the level with the door in Two Towers too. Here’s to hope that Hobbit part 1 isn’t a fail.
November 30, 2012 at 4:29 pm
I don’t agree with the reviewer. These games were really good back than, especially The return of the king. Of course you don’t enjoy it playing alone. These games ment to be played with a friend, otherwise it’s really hard and frustrating. For example the stage where you have to shoot down the Oliphants, your pal can watch your back till you should the fuckers down.
I don’t know about the controls on Gamecube, but i didn’t have any problems on the PS2. The combos were easy to learn.
Again.. challenging, but with a friend (and with a couple of beers) it’s a nice game.
November 30, 2012 at 4:31 pm
The Hobbit! review The Hobbit
November 30, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Even though The Hobbit is just one (quite short) book, it has a lot of content. Lord of the Rings has too much description, but not enough action. The movie translates description easily and focus on the action. Also, PJ is using all kings of appendix to fill in the blanks of the movie.
November 30, 2012 at 4:59 pm
I think you’re being too pessimistic about The Hobbit Mike, based on what I’ve seen and know about the movie, Peter Jackson is doing everything he can to recapture the magic of The Lord of Rings movies, trying to take us back to Middle Earth one last time. The up side of The Hobbit being divided up into three movies is they can cover a lot more of the events from the book, I seriously doubt that The Hobbit will even come close to being a Phantom Menace.
November 30, 2012 at 5:02 pm
1. You could learn the combos OR look them up in the pause menu… or just have the game hold your hand the whole time, but don’t complain when you have to do that. It’s different in Arkham City because there’s usually ONE specific move/combo you want to use on each enemy, but the combos here are up to you as to how you want to use them in these games.
2. If you don’t use the combos, even the easy as hell ones to remember or by button mashing, don’t whine that it takes too long to kill certain enemies, because especially when you get a lot of high-ranked kills in a row, you do more and more damage faster and faster, reducing your time to kill enemies.
3. Yes, the design of the Pelennor Fields level is somewhat confusing, but really, it’s hard for you to remember that the view of the mumaks is flipped? Also, it really doesn’t take that long to kill them, although I will say that it seems that the GC controls are worse than the PS2, which I played these games on.
I loved this games when they came out, but even though I still like them now, I recognize that they’re flawed and frustrating in some ways (Helm’s Deep is one of the most annoyingly frustrating levels I’ve ever played), but don’t assume that the game is shit or poorly-designed just because you’re not good at it and it doesn’t hold your hand.
Albeit, The Third Age was pretty much a bad Final Fantasy clone.
November 30, 2012 at 5:05 pm
Oh and by the way, why do you assume that The Hobbit movies are going to suck based on a *trailer*? Did the marketing team make the movie? Then again, Mike mostly seems to have a hard time understanding how things work, so I can see why he would think that.
November 30, 2012 at 6:07 pm
I think your controller might be busted. I never had that problem with the bow on the NGC. I also played ROTK last summer on PC, and it worked fine.
It’s funny you’re pointing out that level, since that WASN’T the level me and my friends were stuck on for ages. The level after the fight on the wall of the white city…that fucking level, where you had to protect civilians! Man of man.
ROTK is actually one of the BEST hack-n-slash games of all times, and machinima agrees with that (i remember one of their top 10s). I understand that you spent so much time explaining your frustration about these levels, but that might scare viewers away from the game, and that is a shame. Atleast recommend it to try it, because some levels (especially the one before the black gate!!!) are awesome and epic. I remember playing that last level over and over…till no orc was standing.
And the third age. F that game! Here is what i remember playing that game just days after its release:
After 2 hours of fighting on Helms Deep – retrying i must ad – i get to this area with the first savepoint since the loooooong, agganizing fight. Next to this savepoint is a chest. I thought “Lets open that and save”. But NOPE: as i open the chest, it spawns TONS OF ORCS, cause me to die, CAUSING ME TO DO HELMS DEEP AGAIN!
I will never forget how mad i was at that game. This is why WE HAVE CHECKPOINTS!
November 30, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Maybe it was because I was young and less angsty, but I have fond memories of both games. I played the third age for 10 minutes couldn’t stand it. The other two however, especially the third, one of my favorite co op games of all time. Play this with James its a hell of alot more fun with a buddy. I never knew the combos, but I kicked ass at this game (def makes for a better playing experience) That catapault though . . . that was my first rage right there lol. You got to get to the last level though that is the best one (two towers), maybe not since you don’t seem to enjoy the gameplay. Owell
November 30, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Ok Mike, I am not a Tolkien expert by any means but I do know a fair amount about the books.
You can pronounce Legolas however you want, however I do feel the way you pronounce it sounds a bit awkward. If I had to guess, Tolkien’s pronunciation would have been the same as it was in the films.
The ring wraiths are also known as the Nazgûl. The Witch-king of Angmar is their leader. If I remember correctly, the dragon-like creatures that the Nazgûl ride are referred to in the books as “fell beasts”.
November 30, 2012 at 6:45 pm
I rem3ember playing this for my ps2!! It was an epic game
November 30, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Mike! Everything you said about that damn mission I agree with! You definitely dug up a lot of old painful memories about that fucking game. Love the review. Keep em coming!
November 30, 2012 at 7:01 pm
When did graphics on the Gamecube not looking like ‘real life’ become a problem?
Ease up there Mike.
November 30, 2012 at 7:03 pm
I know that with so many comments here you probably wont even read mine but that level in Return of the king wasn’t the hardest, the next level it even tougher, still its a coop game and playing it with a friend is really cool. My friend and I where able to bet it after a lot of trouble.
November 30, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Ive been watching James and Mikes videos for years now since like 06, I never mad an account until today because I hated this video so much lol. The two towers and return of the kings games were awesome! sure it had some dumb problems like the camera angles but almost all games did back then! you also never mentioned the 2 player mode which is the best part it made the game way less difficult. idk I was just really disappointed u had so much hatred toward these games just cuz they are hard.
November 30, 2012 at 7:51 pm
The Return of the King game sucked ass!!! I played it on the Xbox and the controls were as fucked as described here. I got my ass kicked by the ghost kind guy and it was set on easy! when I finally got past him, I could never escape the crumbling cavern! the gameplay sucked that bad! plus the portion of the game where you play as Sam protecting Frodo, you’ll be right next to him yet it’s game over because the nazgul got him because “you weren’t protecting him.” mediocre movies with great action in the battles, but shitty games
November 30, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Mike, those were some great reviews. The ending had me laughing pretty hard!
I usually just avoid movie-based games altogether. They often try so hard to imitate the movies they are based of of that they get too complex…not to mention predictable. Still, I look forward to what you have to say about those other two Tolkian Gamecube games and what you think of The Hobbit movies when they come out.
November 30, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Gotta say I have all these games and there not as bad as you make them seem. The fixed camera angles are a problem but are you telling me you cant remember a few button combinations. It was like you were trying to hard to hate these games and honestly the movie looks good but I do agree with it being strung out to 3 I though maybe 2 would be fine. All in all this is probably one of your worse reviews yet.
November 30, 2012 at 9:23 pm
The unresponsive bow issue seems to be a game cube only thing, as I didn’t have this problem when I played the game on PS2. When I bought my first PS2 it came with this trilogy, and I remember spending two months of weekends mulling through terrible camera angles and leveling up my characters. These games were a massive pain in the ass, but they’ll always hold a special place in me for being the first games I ever played on a sixth-gen console.
November 30, 2012 at 10:46 pm
Thanks for the LOTR review Mike; please keep them coming! I enjoyed Return of the King when it was released for the PS2. But I was playing co-op. Why don’t you use Orc Bane and Uruk-hai Bane? Infinite killings in perfect mode… This game was more on the easy side I felt, though a bit tedious with certain objectives. Once you’ve got the rhythm it’s an addicting competition for the most perfects and the highest overall score.
I do recall a few camera restrictions, nothing with the controls. I remember a responsive feel.
November 30, 2012 at 11:04 pm
hah! That was a good review.
December 1, 2012 at 1:33 am
I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who got near the end of the game and ragequit. Makes me feel better about it now.
December 1, 2012 at 1:48 am
excelent review mike. it really is a shame that like so many movie based video games , LOTR also had to be one of them. I’m also a big fan of the original LOTR Trilogy. undoubtably one of the best films ever made. what you said about The Hobbit I absolutely agree with. after seeing the trailer and knowing that it’s split up into 3 films , I dont think it was completely neccessary especially since it was suppose to be only 2 films. and I am worried that Peter Jackson may even screw this film up. although , I would rather see a movie made of The Children Of Hurin if they cant make The Silmarillion. I would love to see if they can depict Morgoth effectively on screen.
I do have to add a small error Mike. you said that the flying beast that the Witch King was riding was a Nazgul. the Nazgul is the ringwraiths and the Witch King is the leader. those flying creatures are known as the Fellbeast or Hell Hawks. Gandalf called them Nazgul Birds. the word Fell in the Fellbeast is an adjective for fierce or cruel.
well , I think I know what Gandlf would of said to the makers of this game : “fool of a took! throw yourself in next time to riddle your stupidity!”
December 1, 2012 at 1:49 am
I meant to say like so many bad movie based video games. god I hate typos.
December 1, 2012 at 2:12 am
Hahahaha nice review, but come on! it wasn’t that bad! It was hard sure, but I remember playing the Two Towers when it first came out and having a lot of fun, then I became really excited when the return of the king was announced. The thing with the Return of the King is that you have to level up a lot to complete the levels. I remember having a really hard time with the elephant level, but then I went back and re played a few levels and well, at the end, you become so powerful that I could kill one elephant with 2 super arrows haha, and also I remember trying to remember every single combo, I really love this games xD
December 1, 2012 at 2:32 am
Ive never played that game so I cant be sure, but your controller issue may be that you have to push the button down fully untill it clicks to make your bow come out. I remember playing stuff on gamecube where id have a similar problem and it would annoy me since i would want to just flick the trigger lightly to do what I wanted.
nice review mike, you should take a look at lord of the rings conquest next. I remember being so hyped for that game, thinking it was gonna be epic like battlefront 2. i sure was wrong, one of the biggest dissapointments ive had in more recent gaming
December 1, 2012 at 3:07 am
I loved these games on PS2. The combos, kill moves, and special abilities were super fun to use, and controls were really responsive. It seems that Mike was complaining about the variety of challenges that made the game so intense and great. It was just the right amount of challenge. Using the counter move during combat is what made it a lot easier, kind of like Assassin’s Creed’s battle mechanics.
These games were definitely the best movie to game adaptations ever made. I know I’m not alone in thinking this because both of these games got somewhere around 9/10 scores on IGN. The PS2 versions are the way to go though.
December 1, 2012 at 3:18 am
Oh, and I’m confused as to why anyone would be inclined to have doubts about the Hobbit movie, at least when considering how the trailer looks. It looks spot on! I don’t know why Mike would criticize it because it doesn’t seem to evoke the old cartoon. It should be compared to how the original trilogy looked and felt, and in that context, it appears to make a seamless return to form.
As to the apparent worry over its slapstick nature: It is based on a book that was geared towards children more so than The Lord of The Rings, and it stars mostly dwarf characters. Jackson will no doubt bring some weight and seriousness to the story, but the comedic and somewhat silly nature of this movie should not be surprising.
December 1, 2012 at 3:26 am
I haven’t read any Tolkien since the nineties, but I’m pretty sure that Nazghul are the wraiths, not the wyverns.
December 1, 2012 at 3:36 am
uncolober, actually, those things are “fell beasts”, Dragons and wyverns are far too majestic to be such things.
I also really enjoyed these games, and I’m looking forward to the “Hobbit” films (three of them, apparently.)
December 1, 2012 at 4:45 am
mike you forgot about the awsome co-op mode..oh and on the play station it’s better
December 1, 2012 at 6:16 am
Oh god I remember the second game, it was hard as fuck!
And the elephant stage was frustrating as hell…
December 1, 2012 at 7:49 am
I played both games – RotK on PC and TT on PS2. I liked RotK more, combat system seemed better and I had a chance to play in coop, which makes the game MUCH better and more fun. I played Two Towers recently, about a year ago, and yeah, that level you mention is hell I had to make a break for a day or two before I finally beat it.
December 1, 2012 at 8:09 am
Well holy sh*t, I didn’t expect to laugh so much, nice work Mike!
You seem to have really got the hang of game reviewing!
December 1, 2012 at 9:55 am
Um, what about hte third game? Aren’t you gonna review it?
December 1, 2012 at 12:12 pm
i still have the return of the king gamecube version.
can’t say that it was that frustated.
i always hated the spider level with Sam.
but ok.
i loved the endless stage modes when you had completed the game.
played it all the times with a friend.
December 1, 2012 at 3:41 pm
@LordJason1986
It was “Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity.”
December 1, 2012 at 6:00 pm
@Belligeron
thanks for the tip. I guess we dont always remember every single line for every movie we’ve seen. you must of had your fair share too I suppose.
also , very nice icon image of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. definatley my most favorite moment from that particular film was the breakfast scene. I have been wanting to buy that movie for a long while.
what I hope to see in January 2013 with Cinemassacre is if James will discuss the new Texas Chainsaw 3D and focus on the rest of the series that he didnt mention like TCM4 & TCM The Beginning. although , I find it strange that this new TCM movie is being released in January instead of 2 months ago.
December 1, 2012 at 6:02 pm
I was really eager to see your review of these games, as I think the latter is a very underrated film tie that shows that at the very least if you can put enough film footage, behind the scenes videos and extras inside you can at least be a worthy purchase for fans.
However I found the review of both games to be very lacking. More specifically with Return of the King, it would have been better to give a full run through of the game’s design rather than focus on particular bits that frustrated you. You could have highlighted the huge increase in characters, the three branching storylines, the unlockable film extras (including the hilarious ‘Hobbits on Gaming’ vid or the interviews) or the fact that a huge chunk of the film’s cast offered voice overs for the game. Hell Ian Mckellin basically narrates the whole thing!
Yes, the Pelenor Fields level is horrifically difficuilt, but I never thought it was ‘unfair’. Really it will be much easier if you just learn the combos. They aren’t that complex (in comparison to any Mortal Kombat game at least…) and once you pull them off a few times they become second nature. They take down the harder enemies in a manner of seconds, and help unlock your ‘perfect mode’ which is a life saver when you’re surrounded, though that’s another thing you ommitted.
It’s a shame this level threw you off, as honestly, the best is yet to come. I’d also highly recommend giving the co-op a go as it makes the whole thing easier and it’s a great way to throw away a weekend.
I hope you revisit these games and give a followup review in the future. Compared to recent, horrific film tie ins like Iron Man 2, Thor and Green Lantern (super hero movies are getting dicked around…) this certainly passes. Two Towers just barely tucks under the average bar, but Return the King edges quite nicely into the realm of a decent game.
December 1, 2012 at 6:05 pm
@Belligeron
are you excited to see the new Hobbit film and do you think that splitting them up into 3 films is a bad idea or a good idea?
also , would imagine The Children Of Hurin as a possible future film considering that The Silmarillion would be too difficult to adapt to screen? or do you think that The Silmarillion also has a possible chance to be adapted?
December 1, 2012 at 6:11 pm
@The Urban Shepherd
well , maybe he should of reviewed something more nostalgic on the same topic like The Lord Of The Rings Volume 1 for Super Nintendo , The Shadows Of Mordor for the Commodore 64 , or something more obscure like War In Middle Earth on the Atari ST. but that’s just my opinion.
December 1, 2012 at 7:08 pm
First of all, as everyone has said, I remember these games being quite fun, and I was about 11 when I played them and beat them pretty easily.
Second, I love how people complained about how much stuff was left out of the film adaptations of Lord of the Rings, but Complain that Jackson tries to indulge everyone with extra material in the Hobbit.
Third, the Hobbit has a far lighter tone than Lord of the Rings, and I’d be let down if it was just as dark, I want it to have a more comedic side, to contrast with the sheer epic scale of the Lord of the Rings.
And finally, why even mention “The Third Age” in this video if you didn’t plan on reviewing it?
December 1, 2012 at 7:53 pm
The Hobbit game was so much fun. I wonder why he didn’t play it. Much more fun than any of the other games he played, though those were fun as well. I think the Lord of the Rings games have been very good altogether. My favorite game has to be Battle For Middle-Earth 2. TERRIFIC real time strategy.
December 1, 2012 at 8:39 pm
so glad i never fucked with those lotr games…
December 1, 2012 at 9:48 pm
This is getting awfully close to an Angry Nerd video…
December 1, 2012 at 10:18 pm
I’ve had some great times with Return of the King on PS2! I think the key here is that not once did I play it single player. Definitely get a friend in on the action and you’ll have MUCH more help, and less chance of getting blocked by AI!
It’s kind of like Dreamcast’s Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles, mediocre game overall, but tons of fun with two players
.
December 1, 2012 at 10:18 pm
(Great review, by the way :p)
December 1, 2012 at 10:21 pm
Spot on with the Hobbit trilogy comment, never has there been such a milking of a franchise. Fingers crossed tho, great to see they got the band back together.
As for these games, screw that mess. Great review tho, lovely to hear you suffer!
December 1, 2012 at 10:39 pm
Sorry, Mike, but I have to call you out on these things.
Remembering the button combinations is a personal thing, and you DON’T have to break out the book when you want to refresh your memory on them. There’s a command list in the pause menu.
The problem you have with the bow not always working sounds like an issue with the controller you’re using. I never had any issue like that; I could always just whip out my bow and take a few quick shots.
Also, regarding the Witch-King…you can shoot at him from the end of either cliff area. You don’t have to go all the way down to the battlefield.
On a side note, those big dragon-like things are called Fell Beasts; Nazgul is another name for the Ringwraiths themselves.
December 1, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Very good review Mike, that was almost as entertaining as watching James.
December 1, 2012 at 11:13 pm
I owned the two towers and the third age. The third age I found to be a piece of crap. The two towers was enjoyable until that defending stage…
December 1, 2012 at 11:27 pm
The hobbit is going to be garbage. Theres not enough material in the book for three whole movies. Not to mention they kept the animals they used for the film on a broken down farm where several of them were killed. NO THANKS
December 2, 2012 at 12:06 am
mike are you a fucking kid grow up and get some fucking patience
December 2, 2012 at 12:10 am
@Radelta
There is plenty of material in the Tolkien-verse to make The Hobbit into a trilogy. And thanks for not mentioning the broken down farm because it sounds like exaggerated heresy anyway.
December 2, 2012 at 1:35 am
Great stuff Mike! I really enjoy your reviews. Keep em’ coming man. As an artist working in the video game industry, I enjoy hearing about the problems you run into with these games; helps me knock some sense into these level designers. Keep up the great work!
December 2, 2012 at 2:56 am
Nice review Mike! I’d like to mention that the PS2 version must be better. I’ve played both Two Towers & Return of the King, a lot of fun – frustrating at times like all games hehe. But I haven’t tried game cube.
December 2, 2012 at 3:04 am
But I really think RotK is a very fun game to play, specially when it’s done with a friend. Is classic hack and slash, and very hard at times. Reminds me of Gauntlet a lot. They may be frustrating games, but that doesn’t mean they are bad. To anyone reading, I really recomend playing that RotK game with some friends. You won’t regret it, I assure you.
December 2, 2012 at 3:21 am
I recomend the PS2 version though. DS 2 Works so well for these games.
December 2, 2012 at 4:57 am
Mike, I liked your review, but I’d like to see your take on LEGO Lord of the Rings. It sticks to the films extremely well, only deviating in order to deliver the occasional sight gag. It’s hilarious and awesome at the same time. Hell, they made tossing Gimli into a game mechanic.
December 2, 2012 at 5:37 am
I love all these games, dude. Probably because I played them as kids, but they’re still crazy fun to me.
December 2, 2012 at 7:07 am
nice job Mike !
December 2, 2012 at 7:48 am
this game looks way too hard making it a chore/job instead of entertainment. hard games suck.
December 2, 2012 at 9:27 am
I agree the the one-book-takes-three-movies? decision as being worrisome. I don’t have high hopes. I think you have the patience of a saint to have gotten through those levels. I really enjoy your reviews so I hope you keep it up, Mike!
December 2, 2012 at 11:18 am
Why would anyone be “cautious” about the Hobbit movies? So there was a bit of levity at the end of the 2nd trailer. So what? Go re-read the book. You’ll notice that the feeling and atmosphere set in ‘The Hobbit’ is MUCH more lighthearted and less dire than the LOTR trilogy. The “slapstick” scenes in The Hobbit movie will not e out-of-place.
As for having three movies for one book, I say again: so what? Has Peter Jackson ever steered you wrong? I was beyond amped when I heard that it was going to be a trilogy. More Middle-Earth is always a good thing.
Also, come on Mike…”Lee-go-lass”? That right there damages your credibility either way.
December 2, 2012 at 11:30 am
Truthfully I think the LoTR games were great! I have the gamecube one’s and I really didn’t find anything to be really hard. Yeah the games was a bit annoying but it was a lot of fun.
December 2, 2012 at 11:42 am
The reason why The Hobbit movie is going to be 3 movies is because it is not just The Hobbit. It is also going to be The History of Middle Earth and rumors of some other works.
December 2, 2012 at 11:48 am
Mike = AVGN#2
December 2, 2012 at 12:04 pm
I beat the game on PC, it was easier with mouse and keyboard. About the Witch king part of the return of the king: You can shoot the witch king from the end of the cliff, you do not have to run down to the field again. It is far easier this way