it's hard to enjoy games based on third-party licenses and treat them seriously. still, stormfront studios earned the distinction of being one of few developers that could bank success on taking another entity's IP and creating something fun with it. in 1991, stormfront partnered with SSI (the developers of the goldbox games) and AOL to create neverwinter nights, arguably the first graphics-based MMO ever created. they would also develop titles in the Madden series for PC. so what does this have to do with twin towers for the ps2 then?
it may be hard to acknowledge, but gaming up until maybe the xbox 360 era consisted of franchise IPs sharing shelf space and legitimacy with first-party titles. while shovelware became synonymous with third-party games, you'd still have outstanding titles that showcased creativity and craftsmanship comparable to first-party developers. as we entered the 2000s, sterling examples of good third-party titles were few. however, the lord of the rings: the two towers showed that the right development team could make an impressive product that could occupy a unique space at the height and eventual decline of the game rental market, as well as provide the gamer on a budget with a solid contribution to their library. who could do this better than the studio that pioneered a new gaming genre nearly a decade earlier?
at first glance, the lord of the rings: the two towers doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from its siblings in the beat-em-up genre. for the ps2 at least, this game had to compete with god hand, viewtiful joe, devil may cry, crimson tears, and other games that emphasized stylish presentation alongside their well-refined, action-combat mechanics. however, there’s plenty to still appreciate about the twin towers, such as the game’s willingness to respect player autonomy by allowing for mechanics to be introduced and described diegetically. though this choice remains a rarity nowadays, consider the fact that it was 2002 and we were already getting to the point where text dumps and tutorials began creeping their way into a game’s first hour. the twin towers was also appropriately difficult, with amon hen and helm’s deep still being some of the most memorable objective-based missions i’ve played in a beat-em-up so far.
what i think is perhaps most notable about the lord of the rings: the two towers is the game’s pace and momentum. there isn’t much here to demand anything more than perhaps a 6 to 8 hour playthrough and that’s perfectly fine. it feels like the team at stormfront studios were acutely aware of this fact, ensuring that player skill would be the determining factor for the game’s length. there’s little bloat here, and the replayability comes from wanting to challenge yourself or unlock goodies because you’re a little tolkien freak. other than that, its just an extremely lean but satisfying experience, which is why the two towers was the ultimate video game rental title
consider that at this time, the market had variety when it came to consumer purchasing power. you could either buy the game at launch, buy the game used, rent the game, or borrow it from a friend. for those not able to justify a game purchase, rentals were a godsend for many during this generation. however, popular titles like final fantasy x, kingdom hearts, metal gear solid 2, or san andreas weren’t designed to be completed within the 2-3 day rental window that retailers like blockbuster or hollywood video gave to their customers. while risky, one could always go ahead and give the third-party titles a try, in the hopes that the developers weren’t ambitious and trying to do something artistic with the shark tale property. stormfront studios was ambitious though, but they were willing to design a game within the constraints of what the market expected from this kind of game which ultimately makes this title superb within its own little category.
no doubt that stormfront studios would take what they learned from making lord of the rings: the two towers and refine it for forgotten realms: demon stone, which some would argue to be a far more engrossing and fleshed-out game, but it’s still incredible to look back at this game and the time it came out as a unique period during gaming’s growing pains
it may be hard to acknowledge, but gaming up until maybe the xbox 360 era consisted of franchise IPs sharing shelf space and legitimacy with first-party titles. while shovelware became synonymous with third-party games, you'd still have outstanding titles that showcased creativity and craftsmanship comparable to first-party developers. as we entered the 2000s, sterling examples of good third-party titles were few. however, the lord of the rings: the two towers showed that the right development team could make an impressive product that could occupy a unique space at the height and eventual decline of the game rental market, as well as provide the gamer on a budget with a solid contribution to their library. who could do this better than the studio that pioneered a new gaming genre nearly a decade earlier?
at first glance, the lord of the rings: the two towers doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from its siblings in the beat-em-up genre. for the ps2 at least, this game had to compete with god hand, viewtiful joe, devil may cry, crimson tears, and other games that emphasized stylish presentation alongside their well-refined, action-combat mechanics. however, there’s plenty to still appreciate about the twin towers, such as the game’s willingness to respect player autonomy by allowing for mechanics to be introduced and described diegetically. though this choice remains a rarity nowadays, consider the fact that it was 2002 and we were already getting to the point where text dumps and tutorials began creeping their way into a game’s first hour. the twin towers was also appropriately difficult, with amon hen and helm’s deep still being some of the most memorable objective-based missions i’ve played in a beat-em-up so far.
what i think is perhaps most notable about the lord of the rings: the two towers is the game’s pace and momentum. there isn’t much here to demand anything more than perhaps a 6 to 8 hour playthrough and that’s perfectly fine. it feels like the team at stormfront studios were acutely aware of this fact, ensuring that player skill would be the determining factor for the game’s length. there’s little bloat here, and the replayability comes from wanting to challenge yourself or unlock goodies because you’re a little tolkien freak. other than that, its just an extremely lean but satisfying experience, which is why the two towers was the ultimate video game rental title
consider that at this time, the market had variety when it came to consumer purchasing power. you could either buy the game at launch, buy the game used, rent the game, or borrow it from a friend. for those not able to justify a game purchase, rentals were a godsend for many during this generation. however, popular titles like final fantasy x, kingdom hearts, metal gear solid 2, or san andreas weren’t designed to be completed within the 2-3 day rental window that retailers like blockbuster or hollywood video gave to their customers. while risky, one could always go ahead and give the third-party titles a try, in the hopes that the developers weren’t ambitious and trying to do something artistic with the shark tale property. stormfront studios was ambitious though, but they were willing to design a game within the constraints of what the market expected from this kind of game which ultimately makes this title superb within its own little category.
no doubt that stormfront studios would take what they learned from making lord of the rings: the two towers and refine it for forgotten realms: demon stone, which some would argue to be a far more engrossing and fleshed-out game, but it’s still incredible to look back at this game and the time it came out as a unique period during gaming’s growing pains