A couple of weeks before Peter Jackson`s Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released on cinema last December Electronic Arts (EA) shipped its PlayStation 2 game with the same title. Saying that this title grabbed the attention of console gamers around the world would not be an exaggeration. It was arguably one of the top PlayStation 2 action titles last year with sales over the Christmas period proving the point.
Now, several months later, EA has finally brought this bestseller to the Nintendo GameCube. Rumour has it that a PC port is on the horizon, but more of that at a later stage. Having only played the PlayStation 2 title a handful of times, I will discuss the GameCube version as a separate title and not as a port.
Despite its name, The Two Towers deals with the events of the first two movies of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, anyone looking for a faithful reproduction of the movies should beware since the game cuts out many of the important narrative sequences.
In EA`s defence, this is marketed as an action title and not as an adventure or even a role-playing game. Also, it must be remembered that to cram all the events of both movies onto a single game disc would not be possible.
Bar the first mission in which the player takes on the role of Isildur and the second mission that takes place before the fellowship is formed, the player can choose to play either as Gimli, Aragorn or Legolas.
During each mission, the player gains experience points according to how effective the player`s attack combinations are in killing the enemies. At the end of each mission, your experience points will be tallied up and, if you have enough points, your character will gain a level. The player can also purchase additional combination attacks for that specific character.
Strictly speaking it is not necessary to complete all the missions with each character, but it is strongly recommended as more powerful characters unlock the many film extras featured on the disc. In fact, the extras that can be unlocked in the game are a must-see for any fan of the movies. For example, reach level five with any character and you get to see an interview with the actor playing that character. Additional goodies include exclusive photographs of the movies, character-specific missions and even a secret character if you complete the game.
Graphically the game excelled beyond my expectations. The scenery is beautifully done with some of the environments truly breathtaking.
On a slightly negative side is the roaming camera view that is used during game play. Every now and again, the camera is stuck at such an angle that you either cannot see directly in front or behind you. This only happens enough to become only a minor annoyance.
The game features so many movie cut-scenes that it is truly dizzying. The integration of the cut-scenes and the game play is done extremely well. One moment you are watching the movie and then suddenly you are part of the action.
The game controls are also very user-friendly with the player quickly being able to get the hang of attacking and defending. Attack combinations are relatively easy to do, but when the action is thick and fast, it is sometimes better to revert to your default speed attack.
There are some missions where the action scenes are spectacular with the good news being that there is no lag on the GameCube.
If you are looking for a multiplayer feature in The Two Towers, you will be disappointed since this is a strictly one-player affair. However, the upcoming Return of the King features multiplayer support as well as the ability to control a host of extra characters that include Gandalf.
Overall, The Two Towers is a must-have if you are an action or Tolkien fan. While it does not really stay true to the spirit of the book, it identifies enough with the movies to be forgiven its sins. With Return of the King promising to be an even better title than this one, we are in for a bumper year.
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