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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)
Encyclopedia
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 cross-platform
video game based on Peter Jackson
's New Line Cinema
films The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The title was one of the top selling console titles of 2002 and 2003, and was widely praised for its seamless transitions from actual film footage to interactive game play.
The game was developed for PlayStation 2
and Xbox
by Stormfront Studios
, and published by Electronic Arts
, who also published a version of it for the Nintendo GameCube
. In 2003, EA released the sequel The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
.
, Gimli
, and Legolas
(although Isildur
is playable on the first level then unlocked once players complete the Tower of Orthanc level), (Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf
, Frodo
or Éowyn
in the GBA
version. Gimli is also unlockable in multi-player mode) in a series of missions, many taken directly from either The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring or The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Other missions, such as Fangorn Forest, are original pieces within the films' setting.
Two Towers boasts many enemies from Goblins
to Uruk-hai
. Also Trolls and Wargs make their respective appearances through the progression of the game. The majority of levels end with a final more powerful boss enemy which the player must defeat. In the console version of the game, Merry and Pippin are not featured at all apart from cutscenes and references during the narration, and Sam has a few lines but is never shown onscreen. The game does not show Frodo and Sam's journey either. NPCs on the Game include Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, Boromir, Frodo, Elrond, and Haldir. These appear only in cutscenes or fight alongside your player during certain levels.
does battle with many orcs and after the level is completed, a cutscene shows how he defeats Sauron
(though he does not truly perish) and takes the One Ring
. Isildur is influenced by the Ring and refuses to destroy it when he has the chance. This is really a training level. Next, Aragorn
and the hobbits approach Weathertop
, a hill about midway between the Shire
and Rivendell
. They camp on the hill, but are attacked in the night by the Ringwraiths
. Aragorn successfully drives them off, but not before Frodo is stabbed with a Morgul-blade.
After reluctantly agreeing to detour through Moria
to continue the Quest of the Ring, the Fellowship travel to the Gates of Moria. Traveling through snow, rocky terrains and eventually marsh
y grounds, the companions make it to the Doors of Durin, but are soon attacked by the Watcher
. After slaying the creature they continue into Moria. In a chamber in Moria, the Fellowship finds Balin
's tomb. Soon after entering orcs
can be heard rallying towards the room. After holding their ground and slaying many orcs, a cave troll arrives, but the collective efforts of the team defeat it; Frodo is speared in the chest by the troll, but he is saved by his mithril coat. The nine companions manage to get to the exit, but on their way to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm they are confronted by Durin's Bane, and Gandalf sacrifices himself to allow the others to get out of Moria.
The Company of the Ring pass by Amon Hen and are ambushed by a large party of Uruk-hai
—a stronger, faster breed of orcs that can travel without hindrance in sunlight. The Fellowship is broken up during this battle, with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli slaying as many of the enemy as they can, and Boromir
being left alone to defend the hobbits. Sam and Frodo
escape, Merry
and Pippin
being captured by the Uruk-hai, while Boromir is overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. He is slain by Lurtz, the leader of the Uruk company, before Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli can reach him. After avenging their comrade's death, the three set out to find Merry and Pippin. Aragorn uses his skills of tracking to trace the Uruk-hai that captured Merry and Pippin to Fangorn Forest
. Deep in the forest they encounter a white wizard. At first they believe it to be Saruman
before realising that it is Gandalf
, who they thought had been killed in Moria.
Meanwhile, Saruman's legions of Uruk-hai and Orcs ravage the countryside of Rohan virtually unchecked, burning and killing at will. Saruman has provided his evil forces with an explosive mixture, which, when lighted, causes massive damage. Uruk-hai Berzerker Bombers, some suicidal individuals with this concoction strapped on their back, join the army rushing through Rohan destroying towns and villages. Aragorn and the Rohirrim must stop this destruction and save the villages of the Westfold. Saruman sends more of his forces to crush the resistance of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf at the gap of Rohan. This time, the armies include warg
s. Along with their riders, wargs are extremely difficult to kill without sustaining a great deal of damage.
Aragorn, Legolas,and Gimli manage to survive all this and join the remaining forces of Rohan at Helm's Deep
for the Battle of the Hornburg
further aided by the Lórien Elves led by Haldir and sent by Elrond. They are able to hold off the Uruk-hai but the attackers blast a wide hole in the wall using the explosive devices invented by Saruman, a "blasting-fire". After the wall is breached, hundreds of Uruk-hai and other orcs flood inside the walls of the fortress. After sending the women and children deeper inside, one of the three main heroes is tasked with defending the door to the inside. Defeating many enemies and even disabling a dangerous catapult
, he succeeds in defending the door. It is revealed that the door to the Great Hall is being assaulted as well. After battling and nearly managing to repulse the attack of multiple Uruk-hai warriors, common orcs and archers, two cave trolls are sent in to destroy the door once and for all. But this last ditched attempt to win the battle fails. Gandalf comes with Éomer and his men and save the day. The end of the battle of the Hornburg is also in the start of The Return of the King video game.
Tower of Orthanc is a bonus level, not relevant to the story, in which Saruman gathers all the forces that remains under his command and unleashes them upon the player as they climb the 20 levels of Orthanc. After the player fights through many orcs, Uruks and Trolls he confronts Saruman. But the rogue wizard uses his magic to teleport and escape, leaving the player stranded at the top of Orthanc. Once you complete this level with any character, you will unlock Isildur at level 10.
Sierra Entertainment
and Electronic Arts
got halves of the rights for each work: Sierra got the book adaptation rights, while EA got the movie adaptation rights. However later in 2006, EA also obtained the book rights, in time for The Battle for Middle-earth II
.
Due to higher availability and easier programming, the PlayStation 2 version was developed and released first, in October 2002, later Xbox and GameCube followed on December 30 of the same year.
A Windows
version was planned, but was canceled. It included nine minutes of film footage from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that was not present in any film trailer or PR release, and since the game was available a few weeks prior to the film debut, playing the game was the only way for fans to see those clips early.
Included in the Two Towers was extra bonus media. This includes interviews with Viggo Mortensen
, John Rhys-Davies
, Orlando Bloom
, Elijah Wood
, Ian McKellen
, and Peter Jackson
, a making-of featurette, and some concept art.
gave Two Towers a Fun Factor of 4.5 out of 5.0, and Game Informer gave it a 9.25. Stormfront and EA won the 2003 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
It was later followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
in 2003, which improved many aspects of the game and added a multiplayer mode, new playable characters like Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Sam and Faramir.
IGN, rated the PS2, Xbox and GameCube versions 8.3, 7.6 and 8.0, respectively, they noted the vivid graphics, the well-implemented beat em' up gameplay, the RPG-style elements and the transiton from FMV to in-engine cutscenes, in terms of flaws, they noted that the game was actually hard, that the Xbox version was the same as PS2 and there were only 4 characters to choose, but in conclusion was lasting due to its extras and leveling up. Despite rating it .3 less than the PS2 original, they concluded that GameCube was the best version.
Overall, it is one of the few cases a movie tie-in video game has got favorable reviews, as many of them suffer from rushed schedules and pressure from the film studio.
The game sold very well, and entered the reduced price ranges of all three systems.
Cross-platform
In computing, cross-platform, or multi-platform, is an attribute conferred to computer software or computing methods and concepts that are implemented and inter-operate on multiple computer platforms...
video game based on Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
films The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The title was one of the top selling console titles of 2002 and 2003, and was widely praised for its seamless transitions from actual film footage to interactive game play.
The game was developed for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
by Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios
Stormfront Studios was a video game developer based in San Rafael, California which had one of the longest creative histories in the industry. In 2007, the company had over 50 developers working on two teams, and owned all its proprietary engines, tools and technology. As of the end of 2007 over...
, and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
, who also published a version of it for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
. In 2003, EA released the sequel The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 cross-platform third-person hack and slash video game based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The game was published by EA Games and developed by EA Redwood Shores and...
.
Gameplay
Two Towers allows players to portray AragornAragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
, Gimli
Gimli (Middle-earth)
Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....
, and Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
(although Isildur
Isildur
Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
is playable on the first level then unlocked once players complete the Tower of Orthanc level), (Aragorn, Legolas, Gandalf
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
, Frodo
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
or Éowyn
Éowyn
Éowyn is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, who appears in his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings. She is a noblewoman of Rohan who describes herself as a "shieldmaiden".-Literature:...
in the GBA
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version. Gimli is also unlockable in multi-player mode) in a series of missions, many taken directly from either The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring or The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Other missions, such as Fangorn Forest, are original pieces within the films' setting.
Two Towers boasts many enemies from Goblins
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
to Uruk-hai
Uruk-hai
The Uruk-hai are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth. They are introduced in The Lord of the Rings as an advanced breed or breeds of Orcs that serve Sauron and Saruman...
. Also Trolls and Wargs make their respective appearances through the progression of the game. The majority of levels end with a final more powerful boss enemy which the player must defeat. In the console version of the game, Merry and Pippin are not featured at all apart from cutscenes and references during the narration, and Sam has a few lines but is never shown onscreen. The game does not show Frodo and Sam's journey either. NPCs on the Game include Gandalf the Grey, Gandalf the White, Boromir, Frodo, Elrond, and Haldir. These appear only in cutscenes or fight alongside your player during certain levels.
Synopsis
The first level, the Slopes of Mt. Doom, sets the player in the final battle of the Siege of Barad-dûr. IsildurIsildur
Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
does battle with many orcs and after the level is completed, a cutscene shows how he defeats Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
(though he does not truly perish) and takes the One Ring
One Ring
The One Ring is a fictional artifact that appears as the central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy novels. It is described in an earlier story, The Hobbit , as a magic ring of invisibility. The sequel The Lord of the Rings describes its powers as being more encompassing than...
. Isildur is influenced by the Ring and refuses to destroy it when he has the chance. This is really a training level. Next, Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
and the hobbits approach Weathertop
Weathertop
In the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, Weathertop is a hill in the Eriador region of Middle-earth, the southernmost and highest summit of the Weather Hills...
, a hill about midway between the Shire
Shire (Middle-earth)
The Shire is a region of J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, described in The Lord of the Rings and other works. The Shire refers to an area settled exclusively by Hobbits and largely removed from the goings-on in the rest of Middle-earth. It is located in the northwest of the continent, in...
and Rivendell
Rivendell
Rivendell is an Elven outpost in Middle-earth, a fictional realm created by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was established and ruled by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth...
. They camp on the hill, but are attacked in the night by the Ringwraiths
Nazgûl
The Nazgûl are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
. Aragorn successfully drives them off, but not before Frodo is stabbed with a Morgul-blade.
After reluctantly agreeing to detour through Moria
Moria (Middle-earth)
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Moria was the name given by the Eldar to an enormous underground complex in north-western Middle-earth, comprising a vast network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls or 'mansions', that ran under and ultimately through the Misty Mountains...
to continue the Quest of the Ring, the Fellowship travel to the Gates of Moria. Traveling through snow, rocky terrains and eventually marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
y grounds, the companions make it to the Doors of Durin, but are soon attacked by the Watcher
Watcher in the Water
The Watcher in the Water is a fictional creature in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium; it appears in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of The Lord of the Rings...
. After slaying the creature they continue into Moria. In a chamber in Moria, the Fellowship finds Balin
Balin (Middle-earth)
Balin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He is an important supporting character in The Hobbit, and is mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring.-In the books:...
's tomb. Soon after entering orcs
Orc (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, Orcs or Orks are a race of creatures who are used as soldiers and henchmen by both the greater and lesser villains of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings — Morgoth, Sauron and Saruman...
can be heard rallying towards the room. After holding their ground and slaying many orcs, a cave troll arrives, but the collective efforts of the team defeat it; Frodo is speared in the chest by the troll, but he is saved by his mithril coat. The nine companions manage to get to the exit, but on their way to the Bridge of Khazad-dûm they are confronted by Durin's Bane, and Gandalf sacrifices himself to allow the others to get out of Moria.
The Company of the Ring pass by Amon Hen and are ambushed by a large party of Uruk-hai
Uruk-hai
The Uruk-hai are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth. They are introduced in The Lord of the Rings as an advanced breed or breeds of Orcs that serve Sauron and Saruman...
—a stronger, faster breed of orcs that can travel without hindrance in sunlight. The Fellowship is broken up during this battle, with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli slaying as many of the enemy as they can, and Boromir
Boromir
Boromir is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings , and is mentioned in the last volume, The Return of the King....
being left alone to defend the hobbits. Sam and Frodo
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
escape, Merry
Meriadoc Brandybuck
Meriadoc Brandybuck, usually referred to as Merry, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured throughout his most famous work, The Lord of the Rings....
and Pippin
Peregrin Took
Peregrin Took, more commonly known as Pippin, is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Pippin is introduced as a Hobbit who plays a major role as one of the companions of Frodo Baggins, in his quest to destroy the One Ring.Peregrin was the only son of...
being captured by the Uruk-hai, while Boromir is overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. He is slain by Lurtz, the leader of the Uruk company, before Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli can reach him. After avenging their comrade's death, the three set out to find Merry and Pippin. Aragorn uses his skills of tracking to trace the Uruk-hai that captured Merry and Pippin to Fangorn Forest
Fangorn forest
Fangorn in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium, was a forest located in the fictional world of Middle-earth and was the home of the tree shepherds, the Ents. It was named after the oldest Ent, Treebeard or Treebeard after it. Tolkien did, however, state that there was confusion about the two...
. Deep in the forest they encounter a white wizard. At first they believe it to be Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
before realising that it is Gandalf
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
, who they thought had been killed in Moria.
Meanwhile, Saruman's legions of Uruk-hai and Orcs ravage the countryside of Rohan virtually unchecked, burning and killing at will. Saruman has provided his evil forces with an explosive mixture, which, when lighted, causes massive damage. Uruk-hai Berzerker Bombers, some suicidal individuals with this concoction strapped on their back, join the army rushing through Rohan destroying towns and villages. Aragorn and the Rohirrim must stop this destruction and save the villages of the Westfold. Saruman sends more of his forces to crush the resistance of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf at the gap of Rohan. This time, the armies include warg
Warg
In Norse mythology, a vargr is a wolf and in particular refers to the wolf Fenrir and his sons Sköll and Hati. Based on this, J. R. R. Tolkien in his fiction used the Old English form warg In Norse mythology, a vargr (often anglicised as warg or varg) is a wolf and in particular refers to the...
s. Along with their riders, wargs are extremely difficult to kill without sustaining a great deal of damage.
Aragorn, Legolas,and Gimli manage to survive all this and join the remaining forces of Rohan at Helm's Deep
Helm's Deep
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, Helm's Deep was a large valley in the north-western Ered Nimrais .The valley was described as being blocked over its entire width by the natural series of hills called Helm's Dike and behind that lay the fortress of Aglarond or the Hornburg, at the...
for the Battle of the Hornburg
Battle of the Hornburg
The Battle of the Hornburg is a fictional battle in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings. The battle pitted the forces of the Wizard Saruman against the Rohirrim under King Théoden, who had taken refuge in the mountain fortress of the Hornburg at Helm's Deep...
further aided by the Lórien Elves led by Haldir and sent by Elrond. They are able to hold off the Uruk-hai but the attackers blast a wide hole in the wall using the explosive devices invented by Saruman, a "blasting-fire". After the wall is breached, hundreds of Uruk-hai and other orcs flood inside the walls of the fortress. After sending the women and children deeper inside, one of the three main heroes is tasked with defending the door to the inside. Defeating many enemies and even disabling a dangerous catapult
Catapult
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during...
, he succeeds in defending the door. It is revealed that the door to the Great Hall is being assaulted as well. After battling and nearly managing to repulse the attack of multiple Uruk-hai warriors, common orcs and archers, two cave trolls are sent in to destroy the door once and for all. But this last ditched attempt to win the battle fails. Gandalf comes with Éomer and his men and save the day. The end of the battle of the Hornburg is also in the start of The Return of the King video game.
Tower of Orthanc is a bonus level, not relevant to the story, in which Saruman gathers all the forces that remains under his command and unleashes them upon the player as they climb the 20 levels of Orthanc. After the player fights through many orcs, Uruks and Trolls he confronts Saruman. But the rogue wizard uses his magic to teleport and escape, leaving the player stranded at the top of Orthanc. Once you complete this level with any character, you will unlock Isildur at level 10.
Development
As the Xbox and GameCube were already launching at the time of release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, a multiplatform title would be impossible for the new generation; this was the main reason many scenes from Fellowship of the Ring were added to this game adaptation of the second film.Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
and Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
got halves of the rights for each work: Sierra got the book adaptation rights, while EA got the movie adaptation rights. However later in 2006, EA also obtained the book rights, in time for The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, abbreviated BFMEII, is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is based on the fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien and its live-action film trilogy adaptation...
.
Due to higher availability and easier programming, the PlayStation 2 version was developed and released first, in October 2002, later Xbox and GameCube followed on December 30 of the same year.
A Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version was planned, but was canceled. It included nine minutes of film footage from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that was not present in any film trailer or PR release, and since the game was available a few weeks prior to the film debut, playing the game was the only way for fans to see those clips early.
Included in the Two Towers was extra bonus media. This includes interviews with Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies is a Welsh actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for playing the charismatic Arab excavator Sallah in the Indiana Jones films and the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
, Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
, Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
, Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
, and Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
, a making-of featurette, and some concept art.
Reception
GameProGamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
gave Two Towers a Fun Factor of 4.5 out of 5.0, and Game Informer gave it a 9.25. Stormfront and EA won the 2003 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
It was later followed by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 cross-platform third-person hack and slash video game based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The game was published by EA Games and developed by EA Redwood Shores and...
in 2003, which improved many aspects of the game and added a multiplayer mode, new playable characters like Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Sam and Faramir.
IGN, rated the PS2, Xbox and GameCube versions 8.3, 7.6 and 8.0, respectively, they noted the vivid graphics, the well-implemented beat em' up gameplay, the RPG-style elements and the transiton from FMV to in-engine cutscenes, in terms of flaws, they noted that the game was actually hard, that the Xbox version was the same as PS2 and there were only 4 characters to choose, but in conclusion was lasting due to its extras and leveling up. Despite rating it .3 less than the PS2 original, they concluded that GameCube was the best version.
Overall, it is one of the few cases a movie tie-in video game has got favorable reviews, as many of them suffer from rushed schedules and pressure from the film studio.
The game sold very well, and entered the reduced price ranges of all three systems.