The Two Towers

[James]

I was gonna rent it, but it's only $20. So I figured I'd like it enough, that I might as well just buy it, instead of renting it only to buy it later.

And it's fun. It's incredibly hard (even on easy mode, I get my ass handed to me a few times every now and then), but it's really fun. Whoever decided a co-op mode wasn't necessary is an idiot, and times when you have computer-controlled allies make little difference, as the characters usually don't do much to help you.

I think the only real downside is how the enemies can really put the rape on you. You end up with a lot of combos at your disposal (you purchase them with experience after each level), but they are often interrupted when trying to attack multiple enemies, which is typically the point of using the combos. The most effective combo is a knockdown and stab attack, which automatically kills the enemy, and any other enemies closeby get knocked down too, allowing you to stab and kill one or two of them before they get back up.

But this singling out of enemies can be a problem with levels where you have a time limit (so far, I've only had one such level). And it's not all that easy, either, since you're always under attack by quite a few enemies. And when you get knocked down, enemies can usually hit you at just the right time to keep you down (this can be later rectified by an attack you can purchase). Enemies who attack with arrows consists of a firefight, where you try to block their shots, and return fire. Problem is, the time between blocking and switching back to a long-range weapon, and the time between equiping your weapon and firing, is way too long, and you'll usually just end up letting yourself get hit just so you can get off shots.

But it's really fucking fun, and for $20, you should go pick it up if you haven't already. Only reason I didn't get this or Return of the King earlier was because I didn't want any spoilers.

[Perndog]

I didn't find it that hard myself..I managed to finish the game with all three characters the weekend I got it, and got perfects on most of the levels the next time I played through.

The last two levels were pretty damn tough, though.

[James]

Well, I don't know what game you were playing. This is the hardest game I've played in a long time. I just died 4 times with Legolas in Fangorn Forest. Fucking Uruk kept attacking me as I was getting up, and knocking me back down.

[Perndog]

Yeah, same game. Only hard at the end, sorry. Unless you're too young to have played Battletoads as soon as it came out. Kids these days can't take games with *real* difficulty.

[James]

Battletoads wasn't difficult, it was impossible.

I mentioned above why I think the game is hard. Maybe I'm just not used to beat-em-ups anymore, but I do think there are a bit of flaws in the gameplay that make it a little harder than it has to be.

This is worth the $20, but not $50.

[Perndog]

The parry button is your friend. Especially once you get Saruman's Bane and Orc Bane; they require a parry to start the combo, and while you're doing it you're invincible to other attackers. Once the animation finishes you can just get back on the parry button. The only drawback with this trick is that you will never get perfect scores and it might take too long on the timed levels.

[James]

I try, but it's not a constant defense. So when you press it, it may block one attack, but you can still get hit by other enemies after the animation is done, and before you have a chance to defend again. And if you try to do the Bane attacks, the other enemies can interrupt that combo just like any other.

It basically ends up being that the majority of moves you can purchase are fairly ineffective, while the rest will only work well against one or two enemies at a time. Against larger groups, it's just a matter of mashing the X button and/or running away, so you don't get swarmed.

[Perndog]

I don't know if they released a new version of the game or what, but I could sit in Saruman's Tower tapping square (parry) for hours without ever getting hit. I can't even say I was good at it, because it was just constant mindless button pressing and it was impenetrable. Even doing a Bane move in the middle of a pack of Uruk Hai they never touched me while I was killing or before I could get back to blocking. I didn't think those could be interrupted, and they never were in the 20+ hours I played.

*shrug*

[James]

Well, I don't know what to tell you. When I do combos, even the Bane ones, they are interrupted by other enemies. When I block/parry, it's only good for one or two attacks, and then between the time it's over, and the time it takes to block again, I get knocked down. So in any battles where I'm dealing with more than 2 or 3 enemies at a time, I'm going to take a lot of damage. Especially when it's a mix of shielded and unshielded enemies.

I also just tried the first Helm's Deep mission. That's really a fucking pain in the ass.

It's just a surprisingly hard game, and it's not really fun when I keep dying 3 times every mission. Maybe I just suck at it, that's fine. But this is the first game I've played in years I've considered to be overly difficult. I might try and see if I can exchange it for something else, or just plain return it. I got it at Wal-Mart, and if I send my mom to take care of it, they might be lenient enough to do it.

At first I thought it was worth the $20. Then I thought it was worth a rental. Now, it's just not worth the frustration.