The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

 Review

Common Sense Media says

High-intensity play enjoyable for teen LOTR fans.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a violent game, an epic fantasy of good versus evil. The game attempts to let the player join the story, but it lacks the softer aspects of the movie and book. This game has an online option; Common Sense Media does not recommend online play for anyone under 12.

  • Not applicable.
  • Graphic fantasy violence involving all characters, even ones who did not engage in as much fighting in the movie. Grotesque characters as seen in movie, probably not disturbing to teens.
  • Not applicable.

What's it about?

This fantasy adventure game is a sequel to, and improvement on The Two Towers video game. The game provides intense graphics and allows the player to step into the game as any of a multitude of characters. As players advance, they unlock numerous extras about the movie and game, including interviews with the actors and filmmakers, movie photos, and secret missions.


Is it any good?

 

Developers have kept the best features of The Two Towers and improved on it by including new characters, new missions and abilities, and the opportunity to play online as a team. Unfortunately the game is still quite violent. It would have been nice to see the inclusion of some puzzle or exploration tasks that were less dependent on violence.

The game will be very enjoyable for most teenage players, but could be scary for younger children. The violence is very realistic, but at least limited to use in the missions, rather than generalized. Players cannot attack each other or the environment in general. While this game is visually intriguing and lets players become a part of a favorite movie, parents will need to decide if they are comfortable with the amount of violence presented here.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how the game compares with the movie and the book. Which do you like best? Why? How does the violence in the game compare with the other versions of the story?


This review was written by Erik Lande
Adult
April 9, 2008
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 14 year old
October 20, 2009
 
Good game for any age
This is a fun game for all ages not too much blood and gore and no bad language or sex either.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Great Game........
This is a great game. I think it should have a blood warning on the back of the game. I'm not sure, but it looks like blood comes out whenever you hit someone.

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 11 years old
November 15, 2011
 
game boy
was this on gameboy? click help me deicde if you think so read my mind if not.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Three thumbs up
Three thumbs up, much smoother and more realistic graphics than Two Towers

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Good Game!!
Good game... If only it had more context instead of violence.

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Teen, 18 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Its to hard!

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
February 5, 2011
 

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Erik Lande
Topics:magic and fantasy
Platforms:PlayStation 2, Xbox
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Electronic Arts
Release date:September 24, 2003
Price:$45.99
ESRB rating:T

This review was written by Erik Lande

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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