The best of the LoTR trilogy games, which, for me, defined all I wanted a solid hack n slash to ever be. Extremely solid
For me, this game defined everything a hack n slash should be- easy co-op play implementation, solid and fair combat, and a nice amount of other bits and pieces to keep the game from feeling [i]too[/i] much like a mindless button mash.
But the combat was fantastic, this was a game that was great to play for beginners, the combat system was incredibly easy to pick up, x for quick attack, triangle for a heavy slash, square for parry, R2 to finish floored enemies, and holding L1 brought out your bow, which aimed for you, so there wasn't any messing around trying to hit people. It was so fluid, you felt like you could pretty easily string together a parry, break the enemies shield with a heavy attack and then quickly finish them off with a few rapid attacks followed by a finishing move or an arrow to the back.
That said, the game wasn't really particularly easy, even on easy mode. Not all that long ago, I had a go at a couple of levels on my PC version, and died quite a few times, not usually from combat, but from failing timed objectives, such as taking down the oliphaunt's by running between the battlefield firing catapaults before merry was trampled. It's little bit's of variety like that which made the game so good, it understood it had a solid combat system and wasn't afraid of showing it off, but you almost always had something else to think about than just killing the next enemy.
For it's time, it seemed pretty much top of the pack, and (although the second game of the series was similar in terms of combat) it did feel like it really made the perfect hack n slash. If you look at other console hack n slash's, ones that came after this, a lot of them seem to have taken a fair few leafs out of this one's book, for example the Eragon videogame, which had a practically identical combat system.
Of course, credit goes to the second game for the bulk of the combat, but this one did everything just a little bit better, and, although the visuals and the fact I played it so much when I was younger stopped me really wanting to get into it again, I still think it might be worth a go if you haven't played it and either like LoTR or hack n slash's, because it is one of the most polished hack n slash's ever, and probably the best action LoTR game ever.