By Matthew Scott Hunter
‘Lord of the Rings: Aragon’s Quest’ (E10+)
The journey to Mordor
***
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Wii
In “Aragon’s Quest,” the epic “Lord of the Rings” trilogy gets the shorter, Cliff’s Notes treatment courtesy of diminutive sidekick Samwise Gamgee (voiced by Sean Astin from the films). As Sam tells the tale to his children, you get to play as the Ranger who would be king, and according to Sam, the war against Sauron’s forces was a lot easier than you probably remember it. Pretty effortlessly, Aragorn can hack and slash his way through waves of Orcs and Uruk-hai, gradually earning upgrades to make the task even easier. Ultimately, the entire trip to Mordor only takes a few hours.
However, what Sam lacks in the narrative skill to convey the perils of his adventure, he makes up for with tremendous scene setting. Many of the books’ most memorable locales are faithfully re-created as expansive levels, filled with NPCs to talk to and side quests to partake in. The Shire, Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Fields are all rendered very much the way they were in the movies and are a pleasure to explore. It’s just a shame the combat has to be so overly simplistic. Even the occasionally unresponsive motion controls are not enough of a hindrance to keep you from consistently feeling overpowered. And the addition of Gandalf in co-op play multiplies this problem tenfold. If you think Sam’s tale makes Aragorn into an unstoppable superhero, wait ‘til you see what he does for the wizard.
‘Scooby-Doo! And the Spooky Swamp’ (E10+)
***
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Wii
In a spooky swamp, not far from Mystery Inc.’s ill-chosen location for a headquarters, Scooby and Shaggy happen upon a witch, who’s cooking something that smells delicious. Fear quickly gives way to gluttony, and the pair agrees to find the last two ingredients for her concoction. Thus, it’s time for the whole gang to split up and look for clues. Control of Freddy, Daphne and the rest can be switched on the fly, depending on whose unique skillset is required for the puzzle at hand. There’s a lot of repetitive brawling with generic villains, but the mysteries are engaging enough — and the controls simple enough — for younger players to enjoy.
‘Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole’ (E10+)
***1/2
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Xbox 360
Airborne combat gets a feathery twist in this latest computer animated movie tie-in, based on the “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” book series, where you spend all of your time in the sky as a warrior owl. Unlike most dogfighting games, you seldom use ranged attacks in “Guardians,” instead having to swoop in on your target for a direct talon assault. There isn’t much variety to the combat, but there is to the missions, which include protecting baby owls and pursuing an escaping bird. It’s a lot better than the brain-dead mini-games in most kid-movie tie-ins.
‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ (E10+)
***1/2
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Nintendo DS
While “Brave and the Bold” was best as a co-op experience on Wii, the portable iteration is purely a single-player game. However, a quick tap of the touchscreen allows you to easily switch between the caped crusader and his assortment of colorful sidekicks, and frequently switching from superpowers to utility belt and back again keeps the sidescrolling, beat’em-up action fresh. CV
