LEGO Lord of the Rings

I've been a fan of the Lego games since they released Lego Star Wars. Admittedly I've not played them all, only the ones that have interested me (Star Wars, Harry Potter, and not this one). One of the first thing that always stands out in these games is the simple humor that they use in the cut scenes. With this having dialogue from the film I though it may have an effect on the comedy in the scenes as I always felt it's what wasn't said that made them funnier than they probably were. That however isn't the case. Even though the scenes that they have that use the Dialogue don't include the whole dialogue it all fits together really nicely.
Now onto the game-play. As all the other Lego games I've played it feels no different and is as solid as ever. The right analogue stick turn the camera allowing you to get a better view of the scene you're in, this comes in very handy in some of the balance parts of the levels. My only criticism of it however is for me it turns too slowly sometimes. Would have been nice to have an option to change the speed but it doesn't deter from the game-play whatsoever as I've never needed to change the angle in any fight scene so far. The combat flows really nicely with good animations and it's really easy to pick up and play. There are different weapons for each character, mainly what they use in the film, but you can smith items which you can call in for certain characters also to bolster their item attire.
The open wold map is a very nice idea, and you can fast travel to anywhere that you have been previously and access levels from the main map too. In between the story scenes you are roaming through Middle Earth taking in Non Lego scenery that fits really well into the game. I found some scenes to be a bit short (Lothlórien being one of them), and some of the travelling in between areas (The Shire and Bree, although this does allow for a better flowing world in the free roam).
There are also quest in the game. They are both a nice idea and not so nice at the same time. There is no way to track quests once you have spoken to the person who initiates it, and you have to remember what it is they asked you or revisit them if you forget after progressing with the story. The area summary does however let you know how many quests there are in that area and how many you have completed.

The graphics are what you would expect from a Lego game with some really nice scenery to look at. Mordor is somewhere I think has been made to look fantastic in the game, as has many other areas.

The soundtrack is that of the Film, does anything else need to be said about it. Both the Soundtrack and dialogue are very well implemented and I think of a good audio quality.

In summary there is good solid game-play, a very respectable length campaign with good replay value. I'd highly recommend it to any Lord of the Rings or Lego game fan. My favorite Lego game to date.

Audio: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Controls: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Hope I haven't missed anything.

Once you have put the disc in and got things underway you will be treated to the opening of Fellowship of the ring, narrated by Cate Blanchett. Then its on to the last stand of men and Elves against the all powerful Sauron which you actively take part in. Needless to say that this game is incredibly faithful to the Peter Jackson movies and all audio, save that of minor characters, is taken directly from the films.
The story of the one ring is explained and then you are put in charge of Frodo and Sam in the Shire.

With the film soundtrack playing and the Shire to explore at your leisure, you will suddenly wonder if the rest of the game can live up to such an epic opening. The answer is yes. While some, like me, will quite happily wander about Hobbiton collecting Studs and hunting down special Mithril Blocks...others will be determined to see just how big this Lego themed Middle-Earth is.

Of course this is no Skyrim. But such freedom and detailed environments will gain your attention. And if you are a fan of the movies you are going to be very impressed. You can have a walk along to Bree if you wish but the first mission will stand in your way and its hard to ignore it, when you know that it details Frodos' flight from the Shire and his first encounter with the Nazgul. The whole of this Lego condensed Middle-Earth is open for exploration. Take a walk to Mount Doom.

If you have played any previous Lego games then this is the best. The controls are responsive, the animations incredible and the graphics lush and colourful. Middle-Earth looks absolutely stunning and I'm always surprised at how much more the developers can get out of these little plastic figures. Characters are easily recognisable and the cutscenes prefectly represent the movies, with added Lego humour of course.

You can fast travel between the locations you have visited but its enjoyable to walk it, or ride it even. Try taking a goat out of the Shire. Going past the Town of Bree and unlocking Weathertop will allow you to see a large part of the map. The thing is whatever you see is available to visit. Your map will highlight useful locations, quest locations and items of interest. You can even set a coin trail to any objectives or locations you want to visit. Hobbit GPS.

Any Mithril blocks you collect (these replace the gold blocks), along with recipes allows you to craft new weapons, items and armor. These can be accessed through the characters inventory wheel with ease. The thing is if you take a quest on it usually means visiting a past mission in free-play mode and finding the required items etc etc.

Is Lego Lord of the rings a role-play game then? Very litely. You can tackle quests, hunt down hidden caves and so on but the game is very friendly and there is no grinding of any kind. Simply wandering around with the Fellowship is awesome and each character has his/her special abilities. Samwise can grow flowers from patches of soil and light fires with his tinderbox. Merry has a fishing rod and can tackle (get it) a little mini-game when above certain bodies of water.

The missions are more of the same from previous Lego games. Collect the maximum amount of studs per level, find treasure chests and unlock kit pieces. Free-play mode is required to visit older levels with new characters and their special abilities to unlock additional areas and kit. Replay value on this game is very high indeed.

You'll wander from Rivendell to Rohan, buying new characters as you go and taking in the lovely sights of Middle-Earth in all of its Lego glory. The you'll decide to go back to the Shire and unlock some more bits of Mithril that you missed earlier in the game to forge a new powerful weapon...

Yes it gets repetetive but not in a bad way. You are glad to experience Lord of the rings and plod through the game and get them all important achievements.

The best Lego game ever and best use of a film license.

10/10

I'll keep this brief. I have played almost all the LEGO games and this for me is head and shoulders above anything they have done before! I would implore anyone who is undecided to buy this. Let's put it this way, I'm enjoying this far more than HALO 4! 'Nuff said really! Don't hesitate, BUY WITH CONFIDENCE!