Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (GameCube)

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is by far one of the best games I've played in my life, and even after beating it there is lots of replay value to keep you busy. The graphics and sound are two of the games best qualities, the models look almost exactly like the characters from the movie and the animation is so fluid that there are nearly no instances of slowdown. The actors themselves have recorded all the voice-overs for the game and the music is ripped straight from the movie giving it a cinematic feel that keeps you involved in the action. Controls are very responsive on the GameCube controller that you barely have to push any of the buttons to execute a sword swing or shoot your ranged weapon. The battle system was obviously well planned by Electronic Arts and is one of the best I've seen in a hack and slash game. All the experience you gain is based on the amount of hits or combos you can pull off in a row which is indicated by a circular meter which fills up with each successful hit giving you a ranking of Fair(75), good(150),excellent(200), and perfect(300). After beating a level the experience can be used to purchase weapon and skill upgrades for either one character or the whole fellowship. This also forces players to use the special abilities they gain to get a higher amount of experience each level. Environments are also very detailed and most often there are certain objects that can be used to destroy a whole group of enemies such as piles of boulders, or chandeliers. So if you enjoy short but challenging games or just a fantasy fanatic I recommend you pick it up or at least rent it, but if you're one of those people who get frustrated easily you should avoid this game.