Once you have put the disc in and got things underway you will be treated to the opening of Fellowship of the ring, narrated by Cate Blanchett. Then its on to the last stand of men and Elves against the all powerful Sauron which you actively take part in. Needless to say that this game is incredibly faithful to the Peter Jackson movies and all audio, save that of minor characters, is taken directly from the films.The story of the one ring is explained and then you are put in charge of Frodo and Sam in the Shire.With the film soundtrack playing and the Shire to explore at your leisure, you will suddenly wonder if the rest of the game can live up to such an epic opening. The answer is yes. While some, like me, will quite happily wander about Hobbiton collecting Studs ... MoreOnce you have put the disc in and got things underway you will be treated to the opening of Fellowship of the ring, narrated by Cate Blanchett. Then its on to the last stand of men and Elves against the all powerful Sauron which you actively take part in. Needless to say that this game is incredibly faithful to the Peter Jackson movies and all audio, save that of minor characters, is taken directly from the films.The story of the one ring is explained and then you are put in charge of Frodo and Sam in the Shire.With the film soundtrack playing and the Shire to explore at your leisure, you will suddenly wonder if the rest of the game can live up to such an epic opening. The answer is yes. While some, like me, will quite happily wander about Hobbiton collecting Studs and hunting down special Mithril Blocks...others will be determined to see just how big this Lego themed Middle-Earth is.Of course this is no Skyrim. But such freedom and detailed environments will gain your attention. And if you are a fan of the movies you are going to be very impressed. You can have a walk along to Bree if you wish but the first mission will stand in your way and its hard to ignore it, when you know that it details Frodos' flight from the Shire and his first encounter with the Nazgul. The whole of this Lego condensed Middle-Earth is open for exploration. Take a walk to Mount Doom.If you have played any previous Lego games then this is the best. The controls are responsive, the animations incredib.

If you have played any of the other LEGO games for Wii, you will not be surprised here. It is the same foundation as the rest, but with a distinct LotR twist.Differences that are better:- Unlike LEGO Star Wars, the characters controlled by two players can travel as far away from one another as they wish.- In "Free Play" mode, you can select ANY character, not just the seven with which you start. This is useful, as there are a lot more special abilities in this one.Differences that are no so good:- For all of the quests that lead to Red Bricks, you need to craft something of Mithril. The bad part of this is that it is a multiple step process: 1) be assigned the quest; 2) find the pattern; 3) obtain sufficient Mithril Bricks (works the same as the Gold Bricks in ... MoreIf you have played any of the other LEGO games for Wii, you will not be surprised here. It is the same foundation as the rest, but with a distinct LotR twist.Differences that are better:- Unlike LEGO Star Wars, the characters controlled by two players can travel as far away from one another as they wish.- In "Free Play" mode, you can select ANY character, not just the seven with which you start. This is useful, as there are a lot more special abilities in this one.Differences that are no so good:- For all of the quests that lead to Red Bricks, you need to craft something of Mithril. The bad part of this is that it is a multiple step process: 1) be assigned the quest; 2) find the pattern; 3) obtain sufficient Mithril Bricks (works the same as the Gold Bricks in L:SW); 4) travel to Bree to get the blacksmith there (is this really the only blacksmith in Middle Earth) to craft it; and finally 5) take it back to the person who assigned the quest. You now have the ability to BUY the Red Brick. If they at least gave a hint as to where the pattern could be found, it would make it more enjoyable.- Using items that you have made or found is too labourious. If they grant a special ability, and you have them, it should automatically equip them, instead of having to search through the "Treasure Trove" to find the item with the right abilities.

Finally, someone has done a Lord of the Rings game right. Finally, someone has created a game that captures the epic sweep of Peter Jackson’s movies, the battles, the struggles, the fellowship, the adventure. Someone has created a game that takes on the great figures and huge events of Tolkien’s story, but that doesn’t abandon the little people or the details either.Of course, it’s a bit unexpected that this most faithful of adaptations is constructed around chunky Lego minifigures and virtual plastic bricks, and that it’s one rolled out with a wink and a chuckle rather than hushed reverence and spellbound awe, but then that’s always been the Lego way. Lego Lord of the Rings does for Middle Earth what Lego Star Wars did for the whole Skywalker Saga, what ... MoreFinally, someone has done a Lord of the Rings game right. Finally, someone has created a game that captures the epic sweep of Peter Jackson’s movies, the battles, the struggles, the fellowship, the adventure. Someone has created a game that takes on the great figures and huge events of Tolkien’s story, but that doesn’t abandon the little people or the details either.Of course, it’s a bit unexpected that this most faithful of adaptations is constructed around chunky Lego minifigures and virtual plastic bricks, and that it’s one rolled out with a wink and a chuckle rather than hushed reverence and spellbound awe, but then that’s always been the Lego way. Lego Lord of the Rings does for Middle Earth what Lego Star Wars did for the whole Skywalker Saga, what Lego Harry Potter did for Harry and Hogwarts and what Lego Indiana Jones did for Raiders and its sequels. In fact, it does it even better.The basics are as usual. The main story sequences are effectively simple platform levels with a little combat, a lot of objects to break and studs to collect, and a few, fairly straightforward puzzles. Each Lego character has specific abilities, whether it’s Sam growing plants and lighting fires, Gimli smashing certain surfaces, Gandalf levitating objects or Legolas shooting arrows and walking tightropes. Most of the puzzles revolve around one character using their abilities to circumvent one barrier so that another character can have a chance to showcase theirs, and it all has this smart,.

This game is fun, but a bit more difficult and longer to complete than prior Lego games that I've played (Star Wars and Harry Potters). I'm about 65% complete - finished all story modes, a couple of the free plays, and got most of the white bricks at Middle Earth. Here are my thoughts so far:- Hearing the actual voices from the movies can be very exciting (e.g. "my preciousssss" (actually captioned with multiple s's)), especially if you are a fan of the movies- As mentioned by other people, the screen is dark. I had to turn up the brightness to almost 100%- The new map functions take a bit of time to figure out and get used to- Like other Lego games, some bugs still exist. Characters still get stuck or fall into darkness sometimes- The biggest bug with the game is ... MoreThis game is fun, but a bit more difficult and longer to complete than prior Lego games that I've played (Star Wars and Harry Potters). I'm about 65% complete - finished all story modes, a couple of the free plays, and got most of the white bricks at Middle Earth. Here are my thoughts so far:- Hearing the actual voices from the movies can be very exciting (e.g. "my preciousssss" (actually captioned with multiple s's)), especially if you are a fan of the movies- As mentioned by other people, the screen is dark. I had to turn up the brightness to almost 100%- The new map functions take a bit of time to figure out and get used to- Like other Lego games, some bugs still exist. Characters still get stuck or fall into darkness sometimes- The biggest bug with the game is switching between characters. There are several tasks requiring you to switch back and forth between Legolas, Sam, and Gollum. But in single player mode, instead of switching the current character to a desired one, it sometimes switches to the idle character in another location, even if that character was not the one you wanted to switch into. This means if you are climbing on a cliff (e.g. Mount Doom), you keep falling off and will need to start over- Jumping can be very difficult sometime, and when combined with the bug mentioned in the previous point, can be extremely frustrating- Unlike other Lego games I've played, simply having the right characters may not be enough to finish a free play. In some level.

Lego Lord of the Rings is the latest in the series of Lego titles made for the Xbox 360. In my opinion it is the best of them so far, and the standard has always been high.Lego LOTR manages to combine classic story levels with an interesting and varied open-world environment between the levels.The story levels have to be tackled first in order to open up wider environments, skills, equipment, and characters in the rest of the game. These levels work through the whole LOTR story, introducing characters as they go along. The levels have save points within them, so it is possible to return to a level and not have to repeat too much gameplay.The story levels, once completed the first time, can be played again in Free Play as part of the open world part of the game. In ... MoreLego Lord of the Rings is the latest in the series of Lego titles made for the Xbox 360. In my opinion it is the best of them so far, and the standard has always been high.Lego LOTR manages to combine classic story levels with an interesting and varied open-world environment between the levels.The story levels have to be tackled first in order to open up wider environments, skills, equipment, and characters in the rest of the game. These levels work through the whole LOTR story, introducing characters as they go along. The levels have save points within them, so it is possible to return to a level and not have to repeat too much gameplay.The story levels, once completed the first time, can be played again in Free Play as part of the open world part of the game. In addition to the Free Play levels, the open world offers a whole variety of other things to do - quests to find and create objects, characters to locate and unlock, mini-games to get collectible items.The gameplay elements are interesting and varied. Each character has particular skills and equipment they can use, and these are all used to help solve puzzles throughout the game.The gameplay is challenging while never too frustrating - 100% completion and 1000 Xbox 360 achievement points are all very much within reach. It offers many hours of gameplay, all the while showing progress towards full completion. It is a game that has a lot to offer existing Lego game fans and new players alike, and I highly recommen.

I have two boys (age 10 and 12) who love Lego and love the Lord of the Rings. When we found out this game was being developed, they could hardly wait for it to arrive. I have to admit that I was pretty excited myself. My kids already have all the other Lego Wii games except the Rock Band one, so we can compare this game to the game play in the other Lego games. If you're familiar with any of the other Lego games, most of the game play is similar, but they've added or changed a few things:1) There are now quests. After you complete the typical levels, you can approach various minifigures throughout the map and receive a quest. Most of the quests involve getting an item for the minifigure. My kids like these as they were able to beat all the levels within a matter of ... MoreI have two boys (age 10 and 12) who love Lego and love the Lord of the Rings. When we found out this game was being developed, they could hardly wait for it to arrive. I have to admit that I was pretty excited myself. My kids already have all the other Lego Wii games except the Rock Band one, so we can compare this game to the game play in the other Lego games. If you're familiar with any of the other Lego games, most of the game play is similar, but they've added or changed a few things:1) There are now quests. After you complete the typical levels, you can approach various minifigures throughout the map and receive a quest. Most of the quests involve getting an item for the minifigure. My kids like these as they were able to beat all the levels within a matter of days, so it continues to keep them busy much longer.2) There is now a concept of day and night in the map/hub. Certain characters or items are only available during the day or night. You can easily toggle between day and night, but it still adds a new complexity.3) There are multiple hubs and they're constantly changing and evolving.4) The characters now have an inventory that they can acquire items and carry them throughout the game.5) This is now the second Lego game with actual dialogue (Lego Batman 2 being the first).Finally, if you're familiar with Lego games, you'll know that there are "bugs", or as my kids call them - "glitches", where the screen will freeze and there will be a loud.

From the time I started playing the LEGO games, all my friend and I could say was how awesome a LEGO Lord of the Rings game would be and we weren't let down. I had this pre-ordered as soon as possible. This is one of those games where buying it on a different system could've led to a few more characters, but that is only if you ordered ahead of time and used a code to purchase it with X-Box. You get all your favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings movies (not the Hobbit, just in case you're wondering, but we can hope that gets a LEGO game too) and several versions of some of them, as well as more famous characters that might not have had a big part in the movie such as Gloin, Gil-Galad and the like. There is a lot of stuff to get in this one, some fun extras ... MoreFrom the time I started playing the LEGO games, all my friend and I could say was how awesome a LEGO Lord of the Rings game would be and we weren't let down. I had this pre-ordered as soon as possible. This is one of those games where buying it on a different system could've led to a few more characters, but that is only if you ordered ahead of time and used a code to purchase it with X-Box. You get all your favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings movies (not the Hobbit, just in case you're wondering, but we can hope that gets a LEGO game too) and several versions of some of them, as well as more famous characters that might not have had a big part in the movie such as Gloin, Gil-Galad and the like. There is a lot of stuff to get in this one, some fun extras to find and nothing is too easy to get. In past LEGO games like Batman or Harry Potter, you're pretty much able to go where ever you want from the start, which at least for me resulted in getting a lot of stuff between levels and having nothing to do at the end. In this game you can't wander in to areas any farther than you've progressed in the game. I thought that feature may bother me, but I found that it extended gameplay so that I didn't have most of what there was to get before I reached the end of the game.Some of the things to get include:Red Bricks (typical of the games, your multipliers, disguises and a few fun extras in this one)Mithril Bricks (kinda like gold bricks in other games except you craft items.

For those familiar with Lego Star Wars and Lego Indianna Jones, it is a nice change. First, instead of a long hall that leads to levels and the "bank" of characters to buy, you have to travel to those locations by exploring Middle Earth. Also the characters are wandering around and are rather expensive, these, as well as the levels, are visible when you pull up the map. Before you can explore freely, you can only play as a few charecters that are availible during certain times during the adventure, and also, you have to play the levels IN ORDER, so watch where you step, because me and my sister were playing and walke right into a level without even trying. For those who have never played before, there is a lack of instructions in the booklet, so this will have to ... MoreFor those familiar with Lego Star Wars and Lego Indianna Jones, it is a nice change. First, instead of a long hall that leads to levels and the "bank" of characters to buy, you have to travel to those locations by exploring Middle Earth. Also the characters are wandering around and are rather expensive, these, as well as the levels, are visible when you pull up the map. Before you can explore freely, you can only play as a few charecters that are availible during certain times during the adventure, and also, you have to play the levels IN ORDER, so watch where you step, because me and my sister were playing and walke right into a level without even trying. For those who have never played before, there is a lack of instructions in the booklet, so this will have to do. A= Jump B= Attack (Hold down to aim with the bow) C= Swithes Character Z= Hold to build, Tap to pull levers and turn cranks. Hold to access backpack where you can get items and use them. += Pause You can also buy Mithril items that do speciel things that I won't elaborate on. It can get a little confusing at first, but it is very fun and entertaining. You can play as many of the caracters from the movie(And the book). The levels are a little dark, but you can turn up the lighting. As well, there are many people scattered around the map that will reward you for going on quests and retreving items for them.

I'll preface this review by saying I'm a more serious gamer, not a parent playing with a kid. If you are thinking of buying this product for anyone younger than maybe 7 or 8, beware that this game might be a little too complicated for them at times.This is one of the few games I've ever preordered; given that I'm a modest LoTR fan and consider the Lego Star Wars games among some of the most entertaining games I've ever played, it was a no-brainer. Now that I'm done with the story and about 60% done with the game overall, I can start by saying I don't know any reason why someone couldn't enjoy this game. Realistically, if you liked the movies and like any of the Lego video games, this is a fairly must-buy.However, I don't know that I'd recommend that everyone buy it ... MoreI'll preface this review by saying I'm a more serious gamer, not a parent playing with a kid. If you are thinking of buying this product for anyone younger than maybe 7 or 8, beware that this game might be a little too complicated for them at times.This is one of the few games I've ever preordered; given that I'm a modest LoTR fan and consider the Lego Star Wars games among some of the most entertaining games I've ever played, it was a no-brainer. Now that I'm done with the story and about 60% done with the game overall, I can start by saying I don't know any reason why someone couldn't enjoy this game. Realistically, if you liked the movies and like any of the Lego video games, this is a fairly must-buy.However, I don't know that I'd recommend that everyone buy it for the Wii. I'll get to that later.The story mode is entertaining, particularly since it isn't quite as linear as some of the other games were (take Star Wars, for example, where you basically just went from door to door to get to the next level). I love open-world games and appreciated the opportunity to run around Middle-earth in between story levels. As other reviewers have mentioned, the Lego element really adds to the story. The humor is certainly there, which anyone with some semblance of a sense of humor can appreciate. Obviously it's a little kiddish, but I still laughed quite a bit. They did add some elements from the books and/or deleted scenes into the story, as well, so it wasn't simply a line.

I love almost all the Nintentendo Wii lego games but this one is very difficult to see in some of the scenes (very dark and murky). I had to keep my setting on to the brightest to see it in places. Otherwise it's very similar to the others in that there are many drawn out battles but also a lot of surprises and fun. As usual there are the things you save up and the gaining of levels and the different abilities for different characters. For example the fairies can use archery and the dwarfs(trolls?) can smash things up. Great for kids-- though, like some of the others, there are parts where help will be needed for younger ones.Its also a plus that the base is the Hobbit village where there are many extra details & side quests to go on. Great rainy day game and ... MoreI love almost all the Nintentendo Wii lego games but this one is very difficult to see in some of the scenes (very dark and murky). I had to keep my setting on to the brightest to see it in places. Otherwise it's very similar to the others in that there are many drawn out battles but also a lot of surprises and fun. As usual there are the things you save up and the gaining of levels and the different abilities for different characters. For example the fairies can use archery and the dwarfs(trolls?) can smash things up. Great for kids-- though, like some of the others, there are parts where help will be needed for younger ones.Its also a plus that the base is the Hobbit village where there are many extra details & side quests to go on. Great rainy day game and overall I'm glad i bought it.Biggest new plus is the talking with the character voices. Biggest drawback to me is the artwork is murky and too small of drawings in some battle scenes-- but not all. [If we ever get another one like the LEGO Star Wars for Wii, i will give it a 5 plus.I haven't encountered any of the glitches that others complained of so maybe they've corrected them.ps. Ive only gotten thru about half way through so far, so i may have an update if my opinion changes.pss Im not a skilled video gamester but just a mother