Lego Lord of the Rings represents the best of what’s become a somewhat routine format. There’s no question that Lego-series developer TT Games has nailed how to craft a world full of humor, collectibles, and things to smash: this journey into Middle-earth has all the fixings with a few minor improvements. But overall, this retelling of the movie trilogy (complete with dialogue soundclips) never quite excites.
Story missions sport the same design as every recent Lego game: you scoop up items for cash, hunt down hidden goodies, and solve simple puzzles (occasionally with an A.I. partner). At times those seemingly easy puzzles feel obtuse, their solutions unclear — a problem that’s hurt previous Lego games and hasn’t been tweaked or improved here. Though the fact that you get a full range of characters to control — including everyone’s favorite bipolar bad guy, Gollum — dulls the sting.
The large collection of heroes, particularly when the entire Fellowship is together, makes for unwieldy character selection in mid-battle. It doesn’t help that the characters often change places in the selection wheel, so you can never count on where Gandalf, Legolas, or anyone else will show up. Similarly annoying is aiming Legolas’ unwieldy bow in the middle of a fight (a common requirement); as a result, he’s the hero we enjoyed playing as the least.
The Shire is one of the open cities where you’ll find tons of collectibles, unlock playable characters, and smash things for no good reason.Between the linear story missions, an entire open-world Middle-earth is yours to explore as pretty much every character from the films. You’ll find plenty of fetch quests to take on, item designs that the blacksmith can craft, and secrets to uncover. More importantly, you get a uniquely Lego-ized perspective on Tolkien’s fantasy world. The eerie swamplands of the Dead Marshes, with its thick fog and unsure footing, exude more atmosphere than almost anything we can remember in other Lego games, and even with the characters’ plastic sheen, this Middle-earth can be quite striking.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in a game without many is TT Games’ decision to focus less on humor and more on drama. This approach creates an odd tone throughout the game, as silly little Lego characters deliver weighty speeches and the movies’ heavy score overwhelms scenes that would otherwise elicit giggles. You’ll still have some good chuckles — particularly at traitorous Boromir’s death by banana — but more often than not, the comedy is kept in check. Despite the off-tone retelling, though, Lego Lord of the Rings succeeds in being the most authentic and complete LOTR videogame to date.
C’mon, we can trust him, can’t we?PUBLISHER: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment • DEVELOPER: TT Games • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in local co-op only • ACHIEVEMENTS: Half easy, half slog • COST: $50 • RELEASE DATE: November 13, 2012
+ Bricky Middle-earth is a cool place to explore.
+ The most faithful videogame retelling of the movies yet, supported by film dialogue and music.
– Same old Lego-game formula.
? Still no online co-op, after all this time?
