Best LEGO Lord of the Rings - Xbox 360 Deals

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I never played any of the LEGO games before this, but always thought they looked like fun. They already have LEGO Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean, so I wondered when they were going to make LEGO Lord of the Rings. Being a HUGE LOTR fan, I had to get this.

For the first 2 or 3 hours, I was a little disappointed. I think my expectations were too high due to all the hype. Some previews were saying things like "this isn't just the best LEGO game, it may be the best LOTR game" and how it was going to be open world. One person called it "Skyrim for kids". It's not the best LOTR game...it's too condensed and too simple, and it really isn't what I consider "open world". Yes you can explore off the path and you can revisit locations as you wish, but you can't go too far and you can't for example take a different route to get to Mordor than they took in the book/movies. Some areas are fairly big while others are really small. Rivendell is pretty big, while Bree is like 4 or 5 houses, then when you leave you literally turn a corner, go over a hill, and there's Weathertop.

Once I got about 5 hours in though, I cast aside my preconceived expectations and began just having a blast. The cutscenes are HILARIOUS. I've laughed out loud so many times. It's a really fun game, and addicting. I like how you actually get to play as Isildur and fight Sauron at the beginning, and fight Saruman and the balrog as Gandalf, and get to play as FREAKING TREEBEARD and just step on orcs, and as Faramir and try to take down the oliphaunts! It covers the entire story and lets you play most of the memorable scenes. The fighting is a bit on the easy side (it's kind of like Fable 2 & 3 where you can't really "die", you just lose some money every time, which could have been used for buying new and better equipment), but there are puzzles that have had me stumped. It doesn't hold your hand and show you what to do.

As of this review I'm only halfway through The Two Towers, but seeing as how I haven't been able to find many reviews online I wanted to let people know how it is. If you're a fan, get it. It's a really good game and does the source material justice. There are little easter eggs in there that only big fans would get, like how Tom Bombadil is an unlockable character, and Peter Jackson makes a cameo in Bree (eating a carrot). I'm 30-years-old btw so you don't have to be a kid to enjoy this. Just don't expect "Skyrim for kids" or "the best LOTR game ever", but it's way better than most of the tie-in games that have been coming out in the last few years. I give it a 4/5.

UPDATE: I've now finished the Story Mode. It will take you about 9-12 hours depending on if you try to collect everything, but after you finish it tells you that you're only about 30% done with the game. Now you begin Free Play Mode and can now roam freely around Middle Earth collecting things and doing sidequests. There's also at least one bonus level (that I've discovered so far) that may be the best thing in the whole game...You get to play as Sauron, and the entire map of Middle Earth is now built out of LEGOs, not just the people. It's a lot smaller than in the Story Mode though. You go around with your mace and smash Minas Tirith, Edoras, Rivendell, Lothlorian, Bree, and Hobbiton into little LEGO bricks. The Mouth of Sauron follows you around as your companion. You can send the LEGO villagers flying with your mace...and there are sheep that you can ride around on as you spread your fear. So much fun. Anyway, it's a short game, but fun. The most open area in the game is Rohan/Gondor which is all one field but much too small for Rohan AND Gondor. You can see every landmark (Edoras, Helm's Deep, Isengard, Minas Tirith, and Mordor) on the horizon no matter where you're standing.

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As a grown man in my 20's, I bought this game because I wanted something lighthearted and entertaining to play. I truly love LOTR, still own my Legos from childhood, and own several other Lego inspired video games and this game is already my favorite Lego game. For parents considering purchasing this game, be mindful that the game is intended for children 10 and up. There isn't anything vulgar or too mature for younger children, but I would say that some of the puzzles and objectives may be too advanced for a younger child to figure out on their own. However, if you willing to try the game for yourself, this could be a fun bonding experience.

What you need to know about this game:

1) Prepare to collect studs. Lego games consist of destroying objects throughout the environment to collect studs (think coins) that can be used to purchase additional characters, items (weapons, tools, etc), and unlocks that make the game easier (stud multipliers, quest finders, etc.) These characters and items can the be used during free play to access areas that were not accessible during the main narrative. Ultimately, this system adds a lot of replay value to the game, although it can be frustrating at times because it is sometimes unclear as to what character and item you need to access these areas. There is often a bit of trial and error.

2) Don't skip the cutscences. Even if you know the LOTR by heart and have seen the movies, it really is worth watching these scenes. It is nice that the the producers used the actual voices and dialogue from the films to bring this game to life, but what is particularly great about these scenes are the creative liberties they take. I couldn't help but laugh when the rings being depicted are bigger than the Lego characters' hands or to see Legolas comb Gimli's beard when he wasn't looking. Sure these things are highly ridiculous and inaccurate, but that is part of the fun of this game. Just enjoy it for what it is.

3) You can co-op with a friend, sibling, or spouse. My fiancee and I decided to join forces on this quest and really has been fun for both of us. The nice thing about working with someone else is that we can collect studs and find hidden items much faster because the environments are really large (arguably larger than any other environment in the Lego universe). The other thing about co-oping is that if we both want to go off an explore separate portions of the environments, the screen will go from a full screen (as long as we are close together) to a split screen. This is a good feature because you are not tethered to partner the whole time.

Drawbacks to the game:

1) During co-op, sometimes you'll actually damage your partner as you attack approaching enemies. There is no life penalty for "killing" your partner, but before they respawn, they drop a lot of studs you have collected that will need to be quickly recollected before they disappear. If you trying to reach "True Adventure status" on each level (basically collect enough studs to completely fill a gauge at the top of the screen) this can be problematic.

2) Split-screen can sometimes make it difficult platforming (jumping from one object to the next) because it can be hard to gauge distance and direction. If you fall off the map, you lose some studs. Although, there is an option where you can change split-screen to vertical cut through out the game which could make things easier.

3) The instruction manual for the game (provided in the game case) provides bare minimal explanation of the features of gameplay. Luckily, there are in-game instructions that appear at that bottom of the screen and statues that tell you where hidden items can be found. However, figuring out how to buy items, where to buy items, and how to get to where you need to go next can still be difficult if you haven't played a Lego game before. When stuck, you can always look up how to complete objectives online.

With all that being said, if you are a LOTR purist, then this game may not be up to your standards because it does not depict every nuisance and detail from Tolkien's tale, but if you can accept the game for what is designed to be--an entertaining way to re-experience Middle Earth--then this game is quite fun and worth owning. I am certainly glad I purchased it and I hope others will be too!

Best Deals for LEGO Lord of the Rings - Xbox 360

This is a great game for anybody despite the whole LEGO feel. I'm in my 20s and I'm enjoying the game all the same. It tells the LOTR story that we all love with the dialogue from the movies and the music and all. It has a cool open world aspect where you can explore zones and do quests that I've not seen in a LEGO game before. If you enjoyed other LEGO games or are a LOTR fan you will undoubtedly enjoy this one too. Check it out.

Honest reviews on LEGO Lord of the Rings - Xbox 360

Lego has come so far with these games since they were first introduced. This one has full voice acting, great music, quests, and follows the movies very well. Great fun for the family, had my 6yr old playing with me no problem. Get it, its that good.

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I am a huge fan of LOTR so I was over the moon when this product was announced. However, I have to say that it lacks the simplicity of previous games such as Lego Batman. The open world concept is a bit challenging when you take in the epic story and characters. Essentially you play through the entire story in story mode, and then you may replay parts of the story in Free Play mode. That does feel odd since you are essentially taking other characters where they wouldn't have been in the books. But if you are enormously attached to the books, this game may bother you as it had to make changes in order to accommodate two players at all times. In order to have two players, new characters are introduced or characters may appear earlier than they would have otherwise. The story follows the movie closely, with identical voice acting.

Two of the standout parts of the game are the Ent battle, and when Sam saves Frodo in the orc castle. I enjoyed the novelty of the first, and the puzzles and humor of the latter. The game is rife with humor, a lego trademark. The earlier parts of the game are more of a visual delight, with the elf settlements and Hobbiton. I enjoyed the game much more in this earlier part, then when the landscape became pretty much the same later on. But then, Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite book of the three.

Following Golem through the swamps is one of the most annoying sections of the game, along with some of the battles (the oliphants!). Sometimes it felt like every battle was also a puzzle. Some of these are easier if you have two players, as when you play single-player, the second "player" doesn't play very effectively.

The interface is more challenging than previous games, since now you have inventory. It isn't always obvious how to access your inventory. There are many characters to choose from, and buy, but it's not always easy to figure out how to swap characters. Sometimes the character you swap goes into the player 2 spot. Some puzzles are extraordinarily annoying (certain jumping sequences especially) in a way that I don't recall from previous Lego games. And every major story scene had some annoying battle where you had to do a certain sequence of movements. After the first runthrough, one has no desire to repeat these experiences, especially if many minutes were spent trying to figure out what to do while being killed by a troll repeatedly. Once you know how to do it, there's no challenge it's just rote repetition. Ironically, it's more of a challenge than some previous lego games where battle is just button-mashing, but sometimes when a girl comes home from work, she just wants to button-mash and beat up bad guys.

The game does have lots of tips to help you on your way. There are infinite ways to achieve things. Again, this goes to the lack of simplicity that made previous Lego titles so great. The concept is that in addition to each of the characters having special powers you can also craft and acquire items that give you the ability to do things.

Definitely this game will reach a more adult audience than lego Batman, with the scope of the story and the depth of the horror. Lego of course makes it lighter and less violent than the original. I think that's why Lego chose to make the game more complex, complicated, and wide-ranging.

Overall, I will give the game three stars because unlike Lego Batman, I do not wish to replay every scene to get the maximum score and items. The massive scale and number of things to do overwhelms me, and I actually dread my son asking us to play it again. It just doesn't have the fun factor. We played Lego Batman for months. I don't see the point of playing this game for months. It's too big to appreciate the small victories along the way. it's too difficult to figure out how to replay previous levels. Overall, I just had trouble making the adjustment. Although I do play complex games on my own (like Assassin's Creed, Dragon Age, etc), when I want to play a game with my child, I don't want it to be hard for ME to figure out, because that makes it less fun for both of us.