Back in the early-mid 2000s, licensed games were a dime-a-dozen. While there were real standouts at the time, the market was absolutely flooded with movie tie-ins, and not all were of equal quality. For everySpider-Man 2andStar Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, aFight ClubandSimpsons Skateboardingwas right around the corner. But that only made the best stand out even more, and EA’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersandReturn of the Kingare prime examples.
Released in 2002 and 2003 respectively,The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersandThe Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kingwere EA-published hack-and-slash games that let fans play through the events ofPeter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy. Remembered fondly for their accuracy to their movie counterparts and the ability to control a variety of iconic characters, EA’sLord of the Ringsgames still stand the test of time two decades later, but an official remaster wouldn’t go amiss.
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It’s Time To Remaster The Lord of the Rings Two Towers and Return of the King
Released in 2002,The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towerswas developed by Stormfront Studios, a relatively unknown developer who often assisted other EA projects such asMaddenandPGA. Covering bothThe Fellowship of the RingandThe Two Towers, this title takes players all the way from The Shire up to Helm’s Deep, encompassing every thrilling action set piece along the way. Throughout the game, players can choose fromGimli, Aragorn or Legolasto play as, each with their own unique weapons and abilities. Between each level, players could increase their chosen character’s health and unlock new combos.
In 2003, EA released a direct follow-up inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Instead developed by EA Redwood Shores, which went on to become Visceral Games,Return of the Kingis widely considered to be the better game of the two, with far more characters to choose from, a longer campaign duration, more replayability, and a more complex progression system.Return of the Kingalso had one big advantage over its predecessor in that it allowed for 2-player co-op.
With much more ambitious level design,Return of the Kingmanages to capture the scale and essence of its movie counterpart extremely well. This is only reinforced by the game’s impressive visuals and sound design, with environments and character models looking as realistic as possible for 2003. Due to its faithfulness to the source material, and its high level of accessibility,The Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kingquickly became a childhood classic for many, and it’s still fondly discussed today.
It’s about time thatEA remastered itsLord of the Ringsgames. With the two titles already standing the test of time fairly well, it wouldn’t take much effort for EA to remasterThe Two TowersandThe Return of the King, with a simple up-res to HD. Fans aren’t looking for a fully-fledged remake; they just want to be able to easily play the games from their childhood with modern visuals and sound. None of their gameplay needs to be changed, as after all, their simplicity is what made them so accessible and beloved to begin with, allowing friends to just hop in straight away with no lengthy tutorial. It’s money that’s just lying on the table, waiting for EA to pick it up.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersandThe Return of the Kingare available on PS2 and Xbox.
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