The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

E3 2003 - Hands On

The last chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is coming to consoles in Return of the King. The demo I played was of the Minis Tirith Wall scene in the upcoming film, and already the game looked to be shaping up nicely. The action was intense, and the game made nice use of interactive objects. The game will feature seven playable characters (three starting and four hidden) including Gandalf, who was in the playable demo. The game featured the same hectic combat system of its console predecessor, The Two Towers, with some nice improvements. In the demo build, it was much more necessary to interact with items and environments around you. For example, at one point you maybe fighting a dragon, and then you’ll have to run over and order troops to launch a catapult at an adjacent tower. The game will also feature two-player co-op gameplay, a feature which was sorely missed in The Two Towers.

The game is set to release on the PS2 this fall, along with the release of the film.