Aragorn, Gandalf, Frodo, three fronts of one war, and Peter Jackson's film turned into a heroic brawl.

With no direct preference vote, the detail tells a tale of movie nostalgia. Attachment climbs high, ahead of more than eight games out of ten, carried by love of Peter Jackson's trilogy, and its art style holds up. Fun stays around average. On the other hand, controller feel, the wish to rediscover it, and especially the desert island pick fall low, the last finishing at the very bottom of the ranking. It is the profile of a movie tie-in loved for its world, more than for its own qualities as a game, and whose 2003 mechanics have clearly aged.

Next to other action games, it remains one of the best adaptations of its era, especially in two player co-op.

So, who is it for? For you if you love the Lord of the Rings world and old school brawling with friends. Much less if you judge first on the depth and modernity of the gameplay.