'LEGO The Lord of the Rings'
Warner Bros Interactive
Sony PlayStation 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS Vita)
$49.99
ESRB rating: Everyone
Review rating: 4.0 stars
Just like playing with the toys themselves, the LEGO video game franchise is a great way for adults and kids to spend quality time together. Now that "The Hobbit" movie has reignited interest in the epic fantasy series, it's the perfect time to experience an abridged version of the events that follow by playing "LEGO The Lord of the Rings."
This game follows the major plot points of all three Peter Jackson "LoTR" movies from the opening battle with Sauron to the casting of the ring into the lava! One welcome new feature is the addition of actual dialogue from the movies, adding authenticity to the story. Although this removes the humorous vocal nonsense the series is known for, the game is still very amusing.
I thought that "LEGO Harry Potter" expanded the series in new directions, but the size of "LEGO LoTR" is huge! There is so much to explore after crossing the Brandywine River that it seems overwhelming. Fortunately, a glowing blue path always leads to the next mission so players won't get lost, and the ability to ride horses lessens the distance between areas.
New to the series is the ability for each character to carry up to eight items that are used in combat, puzzles and crafting. Some items can be handed to other characters to use, and there is also a shared inventory of up to 84 items just in case a character's limit is reached. Handy new tools ranging from fishing poles to deadly weapons can be crafted when the correct combination of items and the necessary blueprints are collected.
Further advancements to game play include the collection of Mithril bricks through quests, instead of gold bricks hidden around each level. Mithril bricks can be smelted by the Bree blacksmith and forged into very powerful items. No matter where you go in this game, there's something fun to do!
"LEGO The Lord of the Rings" offers deeper game play than past installments, which makes it fun to play alone or with friends.
'Call of Duty: Black Ops II'
Activision
Microsoft Xbox 360 (PC, PS3)
$59.99
ESRB rating: Mature
Review rating: 4.0 stars
I had my doubts about the "CoD" franchise when it changed from WWII to modern combat, but the new era has exceeded my expectations! Sadly, Activision is content to sit on its laurels and churn out slight variations of the same title year after year using the same outdated gaming engine. With "Call of Duty: Black Ops II," the developers didn't change the actual game play, but at least they changed the way the game is played.
Fortunately, the storyline isn't as convoluted as we're used to, as it follows the exploits of father and son. David Mason is a Black Ops soldier in the year 2025 who's hunting down a dangerous terrorist who plans on unleashing a major cyber-attack upon the free world. He enlists the help of his father, Alex Mason, whose story is set in the 1980s and is told through flashbacks.
Like previous installments, most of the single-player action is aimed at players with short attention spans. It's full of non-stop explosions and gunfire from brain-dead enemies whose strategy resembles that of zombies with guns: shoot, duck, advance. That's why the new strategic Strike Force mode is so welcome.
In this cool mode, players control their entire force rather than one unit. This means they can rise above the battlefield to view the action and issue orders to different squads. Also cool is the ability to jump into any unit and control them in first-person mode. Some levels task players with simply defending an area while others include escorting convoys and rescuing hostages.
Another welcome addition is the advanced zombie mode where players play through several levels of increasingly dangerous waves of undead enemies. I like how players can open new areas and buy more powerful weapons, but I hate how the lava or fire on the ground adds annoying and unnecessary obstacles.
Nevertheless, when you add in the complex, twitch-based multiplayer modes that the series is known for, "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" becomes a great value.
'LEGO The Lord of the Rings'
Warner Bros Interactive
Sony PlayStation 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS Vita)
$49.99
ESRB rating: Everyone
Review rating: 4.0 stars
Just like playing with the toys themselves, the LEGO video game franchise is a great way for adults and kids to spend quality time together. Now that "The Hobbit" movie has reignited interest in the epic fantasy series, it's the perfect time to experience an abridged version of the events that follow by playing "LEGO The Lord of the Rings."
This game follows the major plot points of all three Peter Jackson "LoTR" movies from the opening battle with Sauron to the casting of the ring into the lava! One welcome new feature is the addition of actual dialogue from the movies, adding authenticity to the story. Although this removes the humorous vocal nonsense the series is known for, the game is still very amusing.
I thought that "LEGO Harry Potter" expanded the series in new directions, but the size of "LEGO LoTR" is huge! There is so much to explore after crossing the Brandywine River that it seems overwhelming. Fortunately, a glowing blue path always leads to the next mission so players won't get lost, and the ability to ride horses lessens the distance between areas.
New to the series is the ability for each character to carry up to eight items that are used in combat, puzzles and crafting. Some items can be handed to other characters to use, and there is also a shared inventory of up to 84 items just in case a character's limit is reached. Handy new tools ranging from fishing poles to deadly weapons can be crafted when the correct combination of items and the necessary blueprints are collected.
Further advancements to game play include the collection of Mithril bricks through quests, instead of gold bricks hidden around each level. Mithril bricks can be smelted by the Bree blacksmith and forged into very powerful items. No matter where you go in this game, there's something fun to do!
"LEGO The Lord of the Rings" offers deeper game play than past installments, which makes it fun to play alone or with friends.
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