LOTR: The Battle for Middle Earth II

Pros

• New War of the Ring mode allows for players to expand their combat
• Each battle plays out in a grand scale
• Authentic tone for Tolkien’s world
• Beautiful graphics and score

Cons

• Basic campaigns are lackluster
• Some connectivity issues in multiplayer matches
• Most features closely match similar titles

Game enthusiasts that enjoy a solid real-time strategy and would like to once again delve into the tone and feel of Tolkien’s fictional world of Middle Earth will find a unique blend of features in Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II.

The Lord of the Rings franchise, now combined with the original few installations of the The Hobbit, is enormous and crosses through multiple industries and genres. Those that enjoy this fictional world can find a wide variety of products ranging from comic books and collectibles to high-definition movies and hardback books. To find a new angle for this niche market, EA set out to create a massive real-time strategy lineup of LoTR games including the Battle for Middle Earth saga. After the original title met mixed reviews, Battle for Middle Earth helped to flesh out some of those original issues and provides gamers a unique platform to enjoy their favorite fantasy adventure.

After the original Battle for Middle Earth, it seemed as if there were relatively few places for EA to take their next game, but Battle for Middle Earth II helps to add further depth to this already complex story line. As an alternative to the action that was taking place in Southern Middle Earth, Battle for Middle Earth II takes place in the far northern reaches which opens up the game to quite a few possibilities. Designers were able to able to implement the look and feel of the series, but had much more freedom when it came to exploring new factions, battles, and other important epochs.

When entering into the actual game, those familiar with this franchise are quickly going to notice a few key changes. First, there are now three factions to choose from and two primary campaigns. The three factions are the dwarves, goblins, and the elves with limited appearances from the race of men. The campaigns can be fought as either good or evil, each bent on helping their own cause as the hobbits move closer to Mt. Doom off to the south. Gameplay characteristics have also changed as EA attempted to forgo the use of building nodes which allows for bases to “sprawl” like many other real-time strategy titles.

While the two basic campaigns do feel as if they are relegated to a few cookie-cutter tactics found in many other games, the scope and depth of the universe and the story line more than make up for it. With some new additions to units and maps, anyone that enjoys the prequel will find enough new features to justify adding this game to their library.

Pros

• New War of the Ring mode allows for players to expand their combat
• Each battle plays out in a grand scale
• Authentic tone for Tolkien’s world
• Beautiful graphics and score

Cons

• Basic campaigns are lackluster
• Some connectivity issues in multiplayer matches
• Most features closely match similar titles