After so many licensed properties have received the LEGO treatment in recent years, it's easy to blow them off and assume a new game won't bring anything different to the table. But in the case of LEGO The Lord of the Rings, developer Traveller's Tales has crafted something of a culmination of its efforts over the years. Yes, there's still some serious familiarity in the gameplay, but the journey to Mordor with Frodo and company is also the top digital LEGO experience to date.
Spanning the story of all three films (based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels), LEGO The Lord of the Rings jumps around a bit from character to character, as needed. You may spend one chunk of the game dodging Ringwraiths with Frodo and Sam, or face off against Saruman as Gandalf. All of the important moments from the films are presented, and frankly, the subject matter is handled with a level of seriousness unseen in prior LEGO titles. The familiar dialogue is taken directly from the movies, with only the occasional sight gag to keep things interesting (or family friendly).
While the gameplay is — for the most part — fairly standard smash-and-collect LEGO game fare, there are enough new ideas here to keep things fresh. The aforementioned battle with Saruman, for example, is partially played from a first-person perspective. And more impressively, the open-world structure really works; taking on quests from city hubs or just riding around the vast countryside, checking out the wonderfully interactive environments, is a blast.
Collecting LEGO pieces in Lord of the Rings — and bashing apart structures — is actually a worthwhile effort. You can purchase tons of new characters to play with in Free Play mode, and each character has specific abilities and inventory systems. Switching back and forth between those party members adds some interesting gameplay, like hurling Gimli into a cracked wall to clear the path. The inventory setup is intuitive, even allowing the combination of items to succeed at a task. Unfortunately, exploring with a friend is a hassle, as the co-op play is only local. The lack of online play seems like a glaring misstep.
The bottom line. LEGO The Lord of the Rings may feature some familiar gameplay, but the open-world structure and dedication to the source material make it the best LEGO game ever made.
of 5
Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later, 1.4GHz Intel processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB VRAM
Features dialogue from the films. Big open world. Tons of characters.
Some familiar LEGO gameplay. No online co-op play.
