Video Game Review: Batman Returns

Batman Returns

Super Nintendo

Back in 1992 there were many different video game editions of Batman Returns to hit the market. A different version for every console out there, I do believe. I happened to own both the NES and the Genesis versions of the game, but seeing as how I did not own a Super Nintendo I never got the opportunity to play the SNES edition of Batman Returns.

Back then I was an avid reader of video game magazines, and I always thought that the Super Nintendo version of Batman Returns looked super cool. It was a side scrolling beat 'em up in the vein of games like Final Fight and TMNT: The Arcade Game.

As much as I always wanted to play the game when I was a kid, I never got the chance. No Super Nintendo, no go. I was ten years old back in 1992. I would eventually get the opportunity to play this game. Little did I know that that opportunity wouldn't come for another fifteen years.

As an adult I was finally able to buy the Super Nintendo I never had as a kid. As a result, you can often find me perusing used game stores on the lookout for fun games that had passed me by in my childhood. Batman Returns was one of those games. I saw it on the shelf for a measly three or four dollars. I hadn't even so much as thought of the game in the longest time. Then I remembered how much fun it had looked when I was a kid. It was a no-brainer. Into the cart this game went.

Once I purchased this game it took me a long time to get around to playing it. This was during the period of my dark drunken years back in the mid 2000's. I have the faintest memory of playing this game on normal, getting my ass kicked, turning the difficulty to easy, and then zipping through the game with flying colors. I never touched it again until now in 2017.

Like I said I had last played this during my lost drunken years. I remembered nothing about the game, other than there being a particularly difficult battle with Catwoman that had given me trouble. Basically it was like I was playing it for the first time.

The first thing to jump out at me was the game's presentation. The musical score to go along with the game's cinematic introduction really got my blood pumping. Everything really matched the tone and the feel of the actual movie version of Batman Returns. The baby crying, the music playing. It was a really great introduction, something that the Sega Genesis probably would have never been able to pull off. It definitely got me stoked to play the game and ready to jump in and start beating some people up.

I played the game on normal difficulty, but I cranked the number of lives up to maximum. I never play games on easy anymore because I consider that cheap. But on games like this that emulate the arcade experience of dying a lot and having to "plug in more quarters" to continue, I never feel guilty turning the number of lives to max. So that's what I did. Once I was all set to play, off I went.

If you have ever played a game like Streets of Rage or the classic TMNT beat 'em ups, you know exactly what to expect here. Playing as Batman, you work your way left-to-right on each stage, beating up your enemies as you go. You can go up and down in the field of play in addition to left and right. Attacks consist mainly of punching your enemies, but you also have an unlimited supply of Batarangs that freeze up your enemies for a second or two when you hit them with one of these. Batman can jump and deliver kick attacks while in mid-air. Hitting jump and the attack button at the same time causes Batman to deliver a cape attack that hits everyone his immediate midst. It is a powerful attack, but it causes damage to Batman whenever you use it.

Like other games that Batman Returns is modeled after, you can collect power ups as you play. You can destroy things like barrels and garbage cans to collect extra health, points, and test tubes. Test tubes are special items that you can use to deliver damage to everyone onscreen. You start each stage with three of them, but you can collect more as you play. Earn enough points, and you are rewarded with extra lives.

I would have liked to see Batman Returns make more of an effort to incorporate environmental damage and attacks into its game play, such as having obstacles like pits and traps you can use to your advantage while fighting your foes. I also would have enjoyed the ability to pick up the enemies' bombs, knives, swords, and things of that nature and use them against them. But it wasn't to be. That was perhaps my lone gripe with the game, a little more depth to its fighting stages.

Not to say that the game doesn't mix things up from time to time. In addition to the main battle stages, every once in a while you will get a stage that is platform-esque in the way it plays out. You control Batman (of course) but instead of punching you can only attack by throwing Batarangs. You also have access to a grappling hook which you must utilize to jump and swing from ledge to ledge and over gaping drops where you are at risk of falling to your death. These levels are the closest thing the game has to offer for platforming action.

There is also a Batmobile stage in the game. This stage is pretty easy, as all you do is drive forward on a pre-determined course and shoot the bad guys that attack you. I had to play this stage a few times because it took me several attempts to beat the game. I never came close to dying on this stage. It is more of a fun diversion than anything else.

Batman Returns if a pretty short game. A little less than an hour, I would say. It closely follows the plot of the movie and doesn't throw any stages in here that wander too far from the source material. Expect to see a lot of familiar foes from the film as the Red Triangle Circus Gang is well represented here. You'll be battling an endless stream of the same clowns, skull heads, fire-breathers, jugglers, and motorcycle riders that you see in the film. Expect there to be boss battles with the Penguin and Catwoman, obviously. The game throws a few other boss characters at you as well, such as the Organ Grinder, the Strongman, and that clown who threatens Selina Kyle with the taser. "Heh heh heh. You missed!" Lol no.

I already mentioned that I liked the game's presentation of the opening scene, but its visual style while you are playing is top notch as well. The game's graphics are big and bright and cartoony. All of the characters are well drawn and easily identifiable. It seems like you fight a lot of the same enemies all the time, but I guess that is to be expected considering how closely this follows the plot of the film. The game's music and sound effect are top notch as well. Batman Returns does a great job atmospherically of retaining the look and feel of the movie.

I found this game to be somewhat challenging. I got my butt kicked the first time I attempted to play it. I barely made it halfway through the game. But the more I played, the better I got. I think it took me four attempts before I finally was able to beat the whole thing.

This is a really fun game. If I had played this as a kid, it would have compared very favorably to all the similar titles that were so popular back then. The lack of multi player is something that could potentially have hurt this game for me, but I mainly play single player anyway so I guess it wouldn't have mattered too much to me.

Games based on movies get a bad rap, but this one is pretty darn good. You can tell a lot of thought and effort went into it. It is very well made from top to bottom. The graphics, the music, the presentation, the game play, the level diversity, the challenge. Plus the game is just flat out FUN! There is something particularly satisfying about the way Batman beats the crap out of his enemies in this game. This would have been one of my favorites as a kid, no doubt. But as an adult, I've already had my fun with it. I played it a few times. I beat it. Into storage it will go. It was short, but it was fun while it lasted. Now time to move on to other games.

Overall:

B

Video Game Review: The Legend of Oasis

The Legend of Oasis

Sega Saturn

As a Sega Saturn owner back in the mid to late 90's I was constantly on the lookout for good RPGs to play. It was a tough search, however. The Saturn was NOT known for producing quality games of this genre. But when I found out that there was going to be a sequel coming to the Saturn for one of my favorite Genesis games, I became very excited.

Beyond Oasis for the Genesis was more of an action RPG in the style of The Legend of Zelda than a typical turn based RPG. But its role playing competition for the Genesis was virtually nonexistent. I didn't like Phantasy Star, and I thought that this game was a lot more fun than the Shining series. If asked to name a favorite Genesis RPG at the time, Beyond Oasis likely would have been it. But overall I was very disappointed that the Genesis didn't have an answer to the Final Fantasy series.

The new sequel for Saturn - Legend of Oasis - would follow closely in its predecessor's action RPG footsteps. It may not have been the traditional turn based RPG I was looking for, but I was okay with that.

This is one of those games where I followed its creation very closely. The internet was in its infancy stages, so I would scour all the video game magazines at the grocery store for news of the game's development. I got super pumped up for Legend of Oasis. Being a Saturn fan wasn't an easy thing. There wasn't much to get excited about. THIS was a big deal for me. In my mind, this game was one of the things that would make being a Saturn owner worth it.

Legend of Oasis came out in November of 1996. I got it as a Christmas present shortly thereafter. I went to work on the game immediately.

As a big fan of Beyond Oasis, the first thing I noticed was how the game had improved in nearly every way possible. The game hadn't lost its graphical touch. Things were still bright and cartoony like in the original game. But things were even more detailed and colorful this time around. Certain areas of the game just looked so LUSH. For 1996, it was beautiful.

The animations were improved from the original game. There was a bigger variety of enemies. The musical score (although it is for the most part pretty forgettable) was an improvement. Even the story was a little more involved this time around.

Even with that being said, the game's story line is not its strong point. This is pretty typical fair here. I just finished playing this game a few days ago and I have already forgotten most of what the story line is about. There is an evil dude. You have to go around to temples and recruit spirits to help you fight him. At the end of the game you fight him and you win. Yay.

There is more to it than that, obviously. This is simply the basic gist. There is a mysterious female character who appears early on and plays a big role in the story line, but I won't spoil that role for you guys. Don't expect too much from the story line, however. It is about as vanilla as you can get.

This game plays out from a 3/4 over the top perspective, similar to an early Zelda game. You can go up, down, left right. You can run, you can jump. You stab with your knife. As the game progresses you collect magic spirits, and you can summon these spirits and use their magic powers to your benefit.

You start out in your home village, which acts as the game's main hub. There are story line and dialogue scenes. You are then sent out to collect the game's first spirit, which is conveniently located in the temple underneath the village. When you traverse the dungeon and defeat the boss, you return to the village with the temple's spirit in your possession.

More dialogue scenes ensue. You are then sent outside of the village to the next temple, where you must navigate the dungeons, collect the spirit, and return to the village.

Rinse and repeat.

Although the game's story line is pretty bland, the real reason you play Legend of Oasis is because it is a lot of fun! I am a fan of the game's beat-em-up style combat, which reminds me a little bit of games like Final Fight or Streets of Rage. There is a lot of strategy that goes into combat. You can't just button mash and expect to come out on top.

The game's overworld is pretty fun and easy to navigate. Explore to your heart's content. There is hidden stuff everywhere. The overworld is pretty small compared to games in modern time, but that is to be expected.

All areas of the game look and feel different. The game does a good job of keeping things fresh for the players. What I like about the environments is that they are all very immersive. When you are in the water temple, things feel wet and damp around you. You can hear the drips coming from the ceiling, the waterfall rushing in the next room. Then when you are in the fire temple, things seem to have an orange-ish hue the deeper into the temple you get. You can nearly feel the heat.

When you are in the sky temple, you feel like you are actually up above everything else. I was always very stressed out when having to jump from beam to beam or platform to platform, knowing that the slightest misstep would drop me all the way down to the main map and cause some major backtracking.

Each dungeon is filled with puzzles and locked doors. Legend of Oasis is definitely not too overly challenging when it comes out to finding out where to go next, but there were a few instances where I had to look online for help. I recall getting stuck a few times back in 1996 when I first played this. Back then I couldn't look online for help, so I had to wander aimlessly for hours on end looking for something I had overlooked. But if you are a cheater like me you can easily use the internet for guidance.

The game takes about eight or nine hours to complete. It is not a very long game. It is not a very difficult one either. But it is very well made. Its fun to play. Its graphics are bright and colorful. The environments are very immersive. I like the combat system. I like being able to explore the overworld and look for hidden items. My only knock on the game is its completely forgettable story line.

My final verdict: this is a very solid and enjoyable game. I don't think many people owned Sega Saturns or have even played this game, so it is probably a very underappreciated one as well. It is kind of sad that more people haven't had a chance to enjoy this game. It is not an all time classic or anything, but I think people would like it.

I liked this back in 1996. It holds up and it is still fun to play in present day times. The Sega Saturn, like its predecessor the Genesis, didn't produce a whole lot of quality RPGs. I will admit that I haven't played every RPG the system has to offer, but from my experience I would have to say that Legend of Oasis is probably the cream of the Saturn crop.

That's not necessarily saying a whole lot, but this is still a very solid game.

Overall:

B

Video Game Review: Mega Man 2

Mega Man 2

Nintendo Entertainment System

Mega Man 2 is a game that holds a special place in my heart. While I had a huge collection of NES games when I was a kid, for some reason I never actually owned a Mega Man game. I did, however, have a friend in the neighborhood who owned the original Mega Man and its sequel - Mega Man 2. It was always a treat going over to his house and playing these games together. We were never good enough to come anywhere close to beating either game, but I still hold fond memories of our time playing. It was fun, but it involved a lot of dying. A LOT of dying.

20 years later I got my hands on the Mega Man Anniversary Collection for the Nintendo GameCube. I played through Mega Man 1 and 2 and managed to beat both games for the first time in my life. But for some reason my progress stalled out after this. I had intended to make my way through the entire series, but I ended up playing a little bit of Mega Man 3 and then never touching another Mega Man game again.

Another 10 years goes by. When I first start reviewing games for this blog, my mind immediately turns to playing and reviewing the Mega Man games. I did play and review Mega Man back in 2015. But since then, I haven't played another title in the series. Once again, it seemed like my progress with Mega Man had managed to stall out.

It is now the year 2017. Two years have passed since I last played the original Mega Man. I actually had to go back and read my old review to see what I had said about the game. And I think a lot of what I said turned out to be very accurate.

I gave the game an A, stating that the only reason it didn't get an A+ is because I remembered liking Mega Man 2 better, so I knew there had to be room for improvement in the series. Now that I have finally gotten around to playing Mega Man 2, I find that to be a pretty spot on.

The game is definitely a big step up from the original Mega Man in nearly every way. Graphically, the game still looks basically the same. Things are perhaps a little clearer and a little more colorful in this game. The stages certainly seem to be much more creatively designed. The music, however, is a large improvement upon the original Mega Man. There are so many iconic themes to be heard while playing this game. This becomes evident right from the game's very opening scene. Prepare to really rock out as you play this game.

Gameplay remains nice and simple. The same basic controls have carried over from the first game. You run, you jump, and you shoot. Mega Man 2, however, offers a few extra features that can really help you if you take proper advantage of them. For example, you earn extra health packs that you can save in your inventory. You can hang on to these health packs and then use them when you find your health running low. If you use this item properly it can really help you in the middle of some of the game's difficult boss battles.

You also earn the ability to generate platforms and ledges that will help make certain areas of the game easier for you to access. All you do is pause the game to enter your menu, and then make your selection from three different platform varieties. These things comes in handy big time, particularly during Heat Man's stage. You can simply generate a platform to appear and rocket you across a large gap. Otherwise you would have to memorize a complex pattern of disappearing and reappearing ledges and jump your way across. I tried to do this for a few minutes on my recent play through, and it did NOT go well. Thank the maker for the magic platform.

The setup of the game is similar to the original's. I think there are more stages, but I could be mistaken. Regardless, you are given the ability to select what order you would like to play the game's stages in. Knowing the boss characters' weaknesses is key to progressing in the game. For example, the Bubble Gun makes quick work of Heat Man, so you want to make sure you defeat Bubble Man before trying to take on Heat Man. Knowing this order will help you greatly as you play. It is not necessary to know the order, however, and you can still beat each stage's boss with your default weapon. Its just a little more difficult this way.

After beating all the robot stages, you then attack Wily's Castle. I had been cruising along until I hit this area. It is the most difficult part of the whole game. There are four or five sections, each one with a new boss character to defeat. The dragon gave me fits, as you have to leap from platform to platform as you fight him. One bad step and you fall and die. If the dragon hits you with his fire, the recoil likely knocks you off the platform and you die. The dragon can quickly be killed with the boomerangs, but it is so difficult focusing on just staying alive that it makes the fight very challenging.

The other bosses are not as difficult, but there is one that requires a very unique strategy to defeat because it is nearly impossible to beat on one life. I don't know if I went about it the wrong way, but my strategy was to make it to the boss, and use my weapon to destroy all the barriers that were protecting the boss's vulnerable spots. Then I would die, and when I would come back the barriers would be gone and I could immediately go for the kill. This required a lot of backtracking and multiple attempts to complete the stage because I kept screwing up so many times.

The game ends with you having to fight each and every robot boss in the game one last time. Knowing the proper order, these enemies shouldn't be too hard to defeat. Dispatch them, and you move on to battle Dr Wily. I found the last segment of the game to be very difficult, and it took me many many attempts before I was finally successful.

Beating the game was a rush and gave me a decent sense of accomplishment. The game dares you to rise to its challenges and then rewards you when you complete those challenges. When I was done with Mega Man 2, all I could think was "Man! I can't wait to play more Mega Man games." That is the sign of a truly great game in my opinion. When I finished Mega Man 1, I was like "okay I am good on Mega Man for a little while." Two years passed before I ever played Mega Man 2, in fact.

So I think it is very safe to say that this game deserves an A+. To me it is the quintessential Mega Man game. When I think Mega Man, I immediately think of Mega Man 2. Not the original game, nor any other game in the series. THIS one. It takes everything right about the original game in the series and improves it tenfold.

Hopefully another two years doesn't pass before I finally decide to play Mega Man 3. I have actually never beaten any of the Mega Man games past 2, so most of this game will be uncharted territory for me. But for now, my experience with Mega Man 2 will be hard to top.

Overall:

A+

Video Game Review: Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire

PlayStation

I have to admit something to you. As I sit down to write this review, I really don't know how things are going to go. Even I can admit to myself: this is a terrible game. But at the same time I still have fun playing it.

The game's story line is probably a big part of that. This game debuted back in 1995. I would say I played this probably somewhere around '96 or '97. I remember being completely in awe of this game's story line. Back then, only the original movies had been released. The prequels were nowhere in sight. Star Wars was considered over and done with. This was the closest thing to a sequel or spinoff we were ever going to get, or so I thought at the time.

The story is told through various FMV (full motion video) sequences. As you play through the quest, you will follow the story line as your character discovers (and must eventually destroy) a hidden Imperial space station where TIE Fighters are being developed with cloaking devices. When activated, these cloaks render the TIE Fighters invisible. Hence then name of the game: The Hidden Empire.

The story isn't too much to get worked up about, but back in 1996 or whenever the hell I played this first, it was a real treat. The acting is pretty terrible in parts, but I consider that part of this game's charm. Really, the best way to look at this game if you are playing it for the first time in the modern era is to come into it with an open mind. Don't take it too seriously. It's fun and it is hokey. Don't expect a great game, but expect to be entertained.

When you are not watching cutscenes advancing the game's story line, you are playing in one of its stages. There are a wide variety of stages in the game, but controls are basically the same. For example, one level has you flying in a straight line and blasting away at TIE Fighters until you make it to safety. The next level has you flying through an asteroid belt, blasting away at enemies and trying to avoid getting smashed between giant chunks of rock.

Basically, all you are doing is blasting away at enemies and slightly steering your ship where it needs to go. Other levels have you navigating your ship through tight quarters. The controls are the most challenging thing about these types of levels. The game likes to randomly make your ship veer off course. All you can do is try to compensate against the game's forces and stay in the middle of the screen. Don't compensate enough and you smash the side you are on. Compensate too much and you can go violently caroming off from one side of the screen to the other.

I really hate those levels. Expect to utilize a lot of trial and error when making it through them. I don't know why they have to make flying the ship in a straight line so difficult.

One level has you riding a speeder bike through a forest, Return of the Jedi style. Another has you navigating a TIE Fighter through a tight canyon.

The game does have levels where you progress on foot. Your character stands in the foreground. You use a button to duck and use cover. You can pop out of cover and fire at the storm troopers who are trying to kill you. Keys to beating these stages are taking advantage of the cover system and not taking unnecessary damage when popping out to fire at your foes.

Although there are many different styles of levels in the game, they all really boil down to the same thing: shooting or flying. Or both. Shooting AND flying.

You don't really have too much control in the game. You can only slightly move your ship in some of the action based stages. Other times all you are doing is navigating your ship down its predestined course to the end of the level. But for the most part all you are doing is moving your cursor around and firing away at anything that moves.

To say that this game is pretty much an interactive movie wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration. The game is very heavy on FMV cutscenes. Pretty much all of the levels move down a predetermined path where you have very little control over what happens on the screen, aside from blasting at enemies and trying to not crash into stuff.

The game's difficulty can be steep depending on how good a shot you are and how good a pilot you are. I recall struggling when I played this game a few years ago. This time, I made it through the game pretty easily. I was extremely lucky though, passing several stages with only the smallest sliver of health left. I wouldn't say the game is too challenging overall, but it does have its moments. Expect to have to use trial and error at several points in the game. Eventually you get good at it and you move on.

Judging the game's music and sound effects, I have to give it props. Pretty much every Star Wars game excels in this category, and this game is no exception. Graphically, things are pretty simple. Many stages you are flying through what look like looping FMV sequences. The effect is odd, but it is not unpleasant. The game is of course a bit outdated visually but again, you have to look at that as part of its charm.

When we put all of the pieces together, we're looking at a very mixed bag. Hence my initial dilemma at the beginning of this review. It really is not a good game. It controls horribly. It is repetitive. You can't say that anything about the game play is innovative. Everything is outdated by today's standards. Even in the acting department. Especially in the acting department.

But as I said, the game has its charms. Perhaps it is just a sentimental feeling because I remember playing this game back in the day when there wasn't any extra Star Wars content outside of the movies. I thought it was amazing back then. Of course some of that sentiment is going to carry over into my thinking when I look back on this game.

When I play this game, I see its flaws and I recognize them. Even as I play the game and realize that I am not playing a very good game, I forgive these flaws. Everyone has a guilty pleasure, and for some reason Rebel Assault II is one of them for me. I like the game. I always have a fun time playing it. Even as I am playing the game and realizing that it actually kind of sucks, I still have a good time.

I don't know if that says something about me or something about the game. I think die hard Star Wars fans, especially the ones that remember the era I was talking about (when this game came out) will understand what I am saying.

Clearly this game is not one of the all time greats. But it is something I can always turn to when I know I want to have a relatively fun time with a short, not so great but kinda entertaining game. While I am at it I could eat some pizza and drink straight from a 2 liter of Coca Cola as I play this game. It would be like I'm a 14 year old kid back in 1996 again.

Overall:

B-

Video Game Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

GameCube

If there is one movie series out there that you'd think would translate well to video games, it would be the Lord of the Rings. While I have only played a handful of LotR games, this statement has for the most part held true.

In the early 2000's I had Lord of the Rings fever. But I was actually late to the party. I didn't see any of the movies until The Two Towers was already out on DVD. I initially thought that it was a children's series and I didn't particularly care to watch any of the films. But I somehow happened upon a copy of the Fellowship of the Ring on VHS (yeah, really) and I decided to give it a shot.

I absolutely loved the movie and became obsessed with everything Lord of the Rings after watching it. Part of me assumed that the video game adaptations of the film would be rubbish (as most movie to game translations are, especially in the 3D graphics era), so I avoided the games for a good while. And then I played The Two Towers at a friend's house and I realized - hey this is actually pretty damn good.

The Return of the King soon hit the theaters. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that there was going to be a video game adaptation of the film. I did my research and read the game's reviews, almost all of which were positive. According to these reviews, the game took everything that was right with the Two Towers adaptation of the film and bettered it. Better graphics, deeper combat, the ability to level up your characters. The game even offered multiplayer support so you could play with a friend at the same time.

Although I never owned the Two Towers game, I liked it from the small sample portion I had played with a friend. And this game was supposedly even better. Now was my chance to be super cool and finally go out and buy a Lord of the Rings game for myself.

I had a lot of fun with the game. I don't remember my exact thoughts from when I played this back in 2003 or 2004, but I know it was a challenge and I know that I liked it. I liked it so much I took it on vacation with me and played through the whole game with my cousin. To this day we still reference our time playing this game. "Easterlings! Orcs! Get them all!!" Man, we got stuck on that level for a really long time.

But as enjoyable as the game was for me, it was for the most part a shallow experience. There are only a handful of levels, most of which consist of fighting through hordes of enemies. There isn't that much variety in the game play. The game is short too. It can easily be finished in a day or two if you are good at it.

It should be no surprise that I quickly lost interest in the game. Assuming I played this last in 2004, that means that it has been 13 years since I last played the game. Would I still like it this time around?

The short answer is: yeah. It's decent.

I feel as if I need to address the production value of the game before I go any further. When it comes to sound effects, music, graphics, the overall look and feel of the game, everything is fantastic. Sure you can say it doesn't look good compared to today's graphics. But does it look bad? No. I think everything holds up pretty well actually.

Throw in some cut scenes from the movies, some voice-over narration work from Ian McKellan, and tons of Easter Egg content (like interview clips with the actors and actresses from the films) and it all adds up to one very involved cinematic experience. In game, the graphics are solid. The characters, the scenery, everything looks like it should from the movies. Again, nothing like what could be produced today. But I think it looks pretty good, all things considering.

Game play itself is pretty easy to grasp. You have a couple of major attack buttons. The weak attack, which is fast but less powerful. The strong attack, which can break shields and deal out more damage - but is very slow. You can block, counter attack, launch projectiles, and use a variety of different button combinations for combo attacks.

Stages are laid out so that you can only control characters who are present in that particular environment in the movies. For example, it wouldn't make sense to have Aragorn battling spiders in Shelob's Lair or to have Frodo taking on the Witch King of Angmar at Pelennor Fields. Most stages give you the choice of which character you would like to play as, as long as it makes sense from a story line perspective. If you are in a battle from the movie where Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are present - the game will let you choose which one of these characters you wish to play as. Each character has his or her own specific strengths and weaknesses. I found it a good idea to just pick the same characters the whole game through. They earn experience and become stronger as the game goes on, so it makes sense to focus on one character at a time rather than use everyone and have a bunch of underdeveloped characters later on when the game gets tougher.

And the game does get a lot tougher. It's difficulty level is probably what I will remember the game for. The game is not particularly long, but what levels there are tend to be pretty challenging. The majority of the stages require 4 or 5 attempts before you finally are able to make it through. This makes the game pretty intense in parts, and also gives you a very rewarding feeling every time you make it through a particularly challenging stage.

I touched upon this a few paragraphs ago, but the game does allow you to level up your characters. Not only do your characters get stronger the more you use them, but you also earn ability points after each stage. You can use these points to assign certain attributes to either the entire party or the specific character you were using. It is obviously cheaper to simply upgrade your own character, but it is worth it in the long run to use your points to upgrade everybody. Because at some point in the game you are likely going to end up using every character in the book.

All this being said, the game is just decent. It doesn't do anything poorly, but aside from the presentation it doesn't do anything particularly well either. If you like mindlessly hacking and slashing your way through hordes of enemies, this game will be for you. If you like slower games that require a lot of thought, maybe not.

The game does a lot of things right. I like that it allows you to play with friends. Although I did not utilize this option on my most recent play through, I had a great time playing with my cousin back in the early 2000's. Again, the presentation is great. I love the graphics, the sound effects, and the musical score. The collision detection in the game has some issues, but for the most part it plays fine.

The game is also a challenge. Don't expect to just breeze through the whole thing on one attempt. A lot of these stages are really tough and will require multiple attempts to complete. And that may be the game's saving grace. If the game had been easier, I probably would have burned through the whole thing in one sit through. And I would have hated it for being so short and easy. The game is still pretty darned short, but at least it challenges you.

Overall, this was a fun game. Short and shallow, but fun. Memorable, however? Not in the slightest.

Overall:

C+