There was an army bred for a single purpose, to destroy the world of man.
The game begins with the opening portion of The Fellowship of the Ring, explaining the origins of the One Ring. Instead of being bombarded with your usual menus and crap, the video almost seamlessly translates into the in game graphics, and you are thrown right into the middle of the battle at the foot of Mount Doom, as Isildur. As you bash your ways through the legions of orcs that infest the battlefield, the Dark Lord Sauron himself graces the battlefield, and in true bad ass style proceeds to bash your men around, including Isildur's father, the King. The game reverts back to a cutscene at this point and then back to the movie, when Isildur removes the ring from Sauron. From this point, the game progresses into the actual Two Towers section, where Aragorn is explaining to Eowyn who they are, and how they got to where they are. You are thrusted into battle at the Weathertop as Aragorn, and must protect Frodo from the Ring Wraiths. After a fierce battle and some more movie and game footage, the story progresses to the Gates of Moria, where the game truly begins. It is at this point where you choose which character you would like to use for each mission, out of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.
The gameplay is very reminiscent of the almost vacant beat ‘em up genre. The Two Towers features the raw power of Golden Axe, mixed with the style and combos of Devil May Cry, with the much prized Tolkien license. You must fight your way through seemingly endless hordes of orcs and other creatures, until you meet a rather large boss creature, who proceeds to beat your ass down. Fortunately, some levels mix things up, by making you protect innocents, doors, or even the battlements of Helms Deep. At the end of each level, you are presented with a level-up screen. This screen evaluates the way you finished each of your opponents off, be it Fair, Good, Excellent or Perfect. Each rating boosts your experience and level a different amount. You are able to buy new combos and abilities with your experience points, and as you level up, you are able to purchase from a wider variety of moves, as well as increase the strength of your weapons and yourself. My advice is to stick with one character through each run of the game, as a weak character in a later stage is going to be absolutely pummeled.
There are 3 characters to choose from. Legolas is an expert archer and lighting fast, but slightly lacking in the hand to hand area. Gimli packs a mean punch with his axe, but couldn’t hit a white whale on a black background with his throwing axes, and isn't the most nimble of creatures. Aragorn has the best of both worlds. He isn't slow, he can fight with the best of them, and still manage to pick off a few orcs with his bow. Controlling the characters is a pleasantly easy experience, thanks to a very tight control method. The game’s camera can be problematic in a few scenes when the action becomes a little too hectic, but is very well behaved throughout the rest of the game.
Those of you who enjoy extras and Easter eggs in their games will be happy to see that Two Towers is chock-full of goodies. Firstly, there are a bunch of documentaries about the game, from Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davies, the creators of the game, and more. Secondly, Electronic Arts have included a slew of concept drawings and pictures from the movies, which the Tolkien fans will appreciate. Add in secret levels, secret characters, RPG style leveling up, and The Two Towers provides for some lastability.
The highlight of the gameplay in Two Towers would have to be the final three levels, all of which take place at Helms Deep. The Helms Deep level is divided into 3 parts. First up is Deeping Wall, where you are placed on the top rung of the stronghold, and must prevent it from being overwhelmed by the Uruk-Hai forces, by kicking their ladders off, and beating the crap out of the Uruk-Hai who manage to make it to the top. Second, Breached Wall takes place when the Uruk-Hai push through the wall. Your mission is to protect the door which houses the innocents inside the castle. Unfortunately for you, suicide bombers are on their way towards the door, and their explosives certainly pack a punch. The Uruk-Hai forces grow stronger in numbers as the battle continues, until they bring out the artillery. If you're fortunate to survive, you'll make it to the third and final part, the Hornbury Courtyard. The Uruk-Hai have broken through another part of the stronghold, and only one door separates them from the innocents inside. Defeat the bastards once and for all!
Stormfront and Electronic Arts have done an excellent job of capturing the look of the movie, and implementing it into the game. Tolkien fans will be happy at the lengths the developers have gone to ensure every last imaginable detail has been included in these environments, especially in levels such as Fanghorn Forest and Helms Deep. The liveliness of the environments is jaw-dropping in the Prologue at the foot of Mount Doom and also in Helms Deep, as the thousands of orcs and humans and elves fighting in the background gives a tremendous feel to help the player know that they're right in the middle of a war. The level of detail on the characters is stunning, the fellowship bear very close resemblance to their real actors, and their costume detail is astounding, especially the clothing and the armour. The orcs and goblins look particularly gruesome. The boss monsters, such as the Uruk-Hai and the Hounds of Isengard also stand out. Finally, the animation is very fluid, especially when fighting, as all moves seem to fit right into place smoothly, regardless of whether they are part of a combo or not.
A lot of work has gone into making The Two Towers sound like the movies, as well. The musical score is compiled from exactly the same tunes used in the movie, which aids in giving the most engrossing atmosphere possible. On top of this, The Two Towers is one of the rare movie to game conversions which uses all of the actors who featured in the film, meaning you get Viggo Mortensen as Aragon, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys Davies as Gimli, Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and so on. Voice work is top notch, as you would expect from the actors who portrayed those characters in the film. Sound effects are chilling, from the clash of metal, to the screams of the Uruk-Hai wanting your blood on his blade.
Unfortunately, as good a game as The Two Towers is, it isn't without its faults. The game is just too bloody easy. I estimated that my first time though as Aragorn clocked in at a measly 5 hours. Of course, to say you have truly finished the game, you must finish it with the three characters, but this can become slightly repetitive. Secondly, there are camera problems, especially in the final part of Helms Deep. These problems are unavoidable, as the camera has a mind of its own, and you cannot control it. Thirdly, the level design is very linear. While you'd expect that from a beat em up game, it’s almost completely on rails. Finally, my last gripe is that a lot of the footage in the Peter Jackson interview was recycled from the DVD - he didn't even mention the game in his part of the video! These things don't bring the game down much, but they do detract from the overall experience.
One game to rule them all
There is no denying that The Two Towers is the best Lord of the Rings game ever. Though the game does have some minor issues, especially with length, it does great justice to the material from which the license comes from. Now, we must hope that Stormfront and EA collaborate on a game for Return of the King.
Loading...
