LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS PC Game
LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS Ask just about any gamer for their thoughts on LEGO's video game franchise, and you'll likely hear the same thing again and again: “You know, they're surprisingly decent.” And it's completely true. Given that the games all sport not one but two product licenses and are generally aimed at kids, the competence with which they are put together is often the last thing you'd expect. But at a certain point, defying your audience's low expectations isn't enough anymore, because its expectations have changed. LEGO Lord of the Rings is very much a decent puzzle platformer that's bolstered greatly by its excellent source material, but this may be the last time that being “decent” will be good enough for this series.
Of all the LEGO games, Lord of the Rings makes the clearest effort to trade on the power of the brand it features. Every strand of music and every line of dialogue is pulled straight from Peter Jackson's successful film adaptions, both to the game's benefit and detriment. There's always been a certain charm to seeing simple, creative ways to translate a comic book or feature film into the LEGO universe. That charm is mostly lost here though due to how directly the game apes the movies. Playing through it is more or less like getting treated to a cliff notes version of the trilogy. It certainly has a magical allure to it, but that magic feels borrowed rather than created.
The environments exemplify this duality. As you leave the ornate architecture of Rivendell behind you, with all nine members of the Fellowship in tow and a vast crawl of sun-drenched mountains before you, the nerd chills hit. You actually forget it's a LEGO game until you see a blocky pile of rubble in front of you that clashes with its surroundings, at which point you run right up to it and smash it to bits, delighting in the resultant mini-explosion of LEGO studs and pieces. Both experiences are enjoyable in their own way, but they don't feel connected at all. Instead of a LOTR inspired LEGO world, you get a straightforward interpretation of Middle Earth with some LEGOs lying around.
All the same, there's a lot of Middle Earth to explore and pretty much every region seen in the films is present here in some form or another. From Bag
LEGO The Lord of the Rings
Explore Middle-earth in an epic and thrilling LEGO video game adventure for the entire family! Experience countless dangers, solve riddles and battle formidable foes on the journey to Mount Doom.
End to Pelennor Fields, this is a faithful recreation, and though you can’t explore quite as freely as the world begs you to, it's hard to argue with how it looks and feels. The texture work is stronger than any previous title in the series, but the real stars are the lighting and weather effects. They give the home of the elves an ethereal warmth that feels truly distinct from the searing heat that Mount Doom exudes. Despite not looking very much like a LEGO game, it's tough to complain about the visuals, even with the occasional frame drop or screen tear.
Pretty though it can be, it still plays very much like a LEGO game, for all the good and bad that encompasses. The minute to minute of going around hacking up innocent scenery and not-so-innocent orcs is made fun by the rewarding, if simple feedback you get from doing so. In combat, landed blows have some weight to them, and when you and your foe attack at once, it's handled with neat little clash animations that make sword fights look more choreographed than they are. Even watching bushes or trees rustle as you knock them about is enjoyable, as is the shower of studs that comes after. These little audio/visual rewards turn what might have felt repetitive into something addictive.
Sadly, the game is at its best during these instantly gratifying, mindless moments of button mashing. Some of that joy dissipates once you start solving one of the game's many puzzles. I get that these are supposed to be accessible for younger players, but I think the devs have underestimated how smart kids are. Many of us played games like Legend of Zelda or Dragon Warrior when we were kids, and the generations that have come since only catch on faster. We can do better for them than the linear, thoughtless puzzles present here. Everything boils down to either a pixel hunt or simply choosing the right character to interact with whatever block or device is in the way. It was a good start when LEGO Star Wars first hit, but this approach to puzzle solving has gotten old and stale.
It isn't to say the puzzles are poorly designed or anything, just that they feel rote by now, as does the entire formula. Sure, the controls are responsive, the interface is well designed, and there's a ton of collectibles to tempt you back for free play sessions with unlocked characters, but we've done all this before. “Oh but now we're doing it in Lord of the Rings!” Yeah, and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts we'll be doing it with another huge franchise next year, but that's just a new coat of paint. What the series needs is a brand new engine. I'm not sure what that engine would look like, but I think they've mined this one for all it's worth. The well isn't completely dry just yet, but it's getting there.
THE VERDICT
As a huge LOTR fan, I enjoyed my time with LEGO The Lord of the Rings. It's an interactive guided tour through three incredible films that relives all of the most memorable moments. It lacks some of the unique charm that the series is known for, and the gameplay, while fun at times, is beginning to lose its luster. Fans of the other LEGO games will certainly enjoy it; just don't expect anything you haven't seen before.
LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS PC Game VIDEO Trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxuGSFYm1ls[/youtube]
LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS PC Game System Requirements
OS: Windows® XP SP 3 (32-64 bits) / Windows Vista® (32-64 bits) / Windows 7® (32-64 bits)CPU: (Minimum) IIntel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ – 2x 2000 MHz (Recommended) Quad core CPU 2.7 GHzMemory: (Minimum) 1 GB RAM (Windows XP) / 1 GB (Windows Vista and Windows 7) (Recommended) 2 GB for Windows ® XP, 2 GB for Vista / Windows ® 7 Video Memory: (Minimum) NVIDIA 7600, 7800, 8xxx or better, ATI 1950 or better (Recommended) NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or better; ATI HD3870 or better HDD : 4 GB of free Hard Drive Space
LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS PC Game Install Help
1. Download The game
2. Extract the game
3. Mount ISO file with Daemon Tools ,Power ISO or Magic ISO
4. Instal the game
