I reserved this game for the Xb360 launch after reading good reviews from several major gaming web sites.

The game immediately starts in a sort of crash-course adventure, where you are taught how to control three of the 10 characters available in the game.  You have no choice but to spend 15-30 minutes wondering where is the game introduction? What am I doing?  At the end, you sort of start from scratch, with a mission to recover those 3 elemental warriors as well as seven others who will help you in completing your quest.  Later on you'll realize that this was the best option to get you prepared for the rest of the adventure.

The adventure is linear, especially inside the temples; you just keep going forward defeating the evil trolls.  The fights are constant and challenging and with so many warriors in your control, there's almost no repetitive combat.

My favorite part of the game was in the Badlands, where I had the chance to climb on a horse and ride past literally hundreds of computer generated trolls fighting with your soldiers.  Looking closer I could see their health status dropping on both the trolls and the guards, then I got too close and the trolls headed in my direction, and my soldiers behind them, amazing AI!  With all this happening, I also had to dodge blazing cannonballs that spurt dirt and debris when they hit the ground. Then you add the epic background music (from the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Kings Choir) and it felt like I was being part of a scene of the Lord of the Rings movie, you really have to see it to believe it.

All emotion aside (my heart is still pumping from that last paragraph) I highly recommend this game, it's pretty impressive for a launch title.  It's also not that difficult, which is great for younger kids and mature players alike.  The built-in auto-save feature worked effectively by saving your progress immediately after completing an important fight or event.  I never found myself backtracking because of a missed save.

By the way, play this game on a high definition TV if you have the chance and witness the difference in quality, you'll be surprised.

This game offers lots of fun for young and adult audiences.  The Teen rating is too conservative in my opinion; I never saw anything resembling blood in this game.  I guess an E rating would give the impression that this was a kiddie title, a turn-off for some gamers these days, believe it or not.

Anyway, I hope that you find this review helpful.
I reserved this game for the Xb360 launch after reading good reviews from several major gaming web sites. The game immediately starts in a sort of crash-course adventure, where you are taught how to control three of the 10 characters available in the game. You have no choice but to spend 15-30 minutes wondering where is the game introduction? What am I doing? At the end, you sort of start from scratch, with a mission to recover those 3 elemental warriors as well as seven others who will help you in completing your quest. Later on you'll realize that this was the best option to get you prepared for the rest of the adventure. The adventure is linear, especially inside the temples; you just keep going forward defeating the evil trolls. The fights are constant and challenging and with so many warriors in your control, there's almost no repetitive combat. My favorite part of the game was in the Badlands, where I had the chance to climb on a horse and ride past literally hundreds of computer generated trolls fighting with your soldiers. Looking closer I could see their health status dropping on both the trolls and the guards, then I got too close and the trolls headed in my direction, and my soldiers behind them, amazing AI! With all this happening, I also had to dodge blazing cannonballs that spurt dirt and debris when they hit the ground. Then you add the epic background music (from the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Kings Choir) and it felt like I was being part of a scene of the Lord of the Rings movie, you really have to see it to believe it. All emotion aside (my heart is still pumping from that last paragraph) I highly recommend this game, it's pretty impressive for a launch title. It's also not that difficult, which is great for younger kids and mature players alike. The built-in auto-save feature worked effectively by saving your progress immediately after completing an important fight or event. I never found myself backtracking because of a missed save. By the way, play this game on a high definition TV if you have the chance and witness the difference in quality, you'll be surprised. This game offers lots of fun for young and adult audiences. The Teen rating is too conservative in my opinion; I never saw anything resembling blood in this game. I guess an E rating would give the impression that this was a kiddie title, a turn-off for some gamers these days, believe it or not. Anyway, I hope that you find this review helpful.