Game review: The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II game review and buy LOTR game

This RTS game promises naval battles, new special powers, and the option of creating customizable heroes.

BY A CORRESPONDENT

31 March, 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

Released on March 2, EA's real-time strategy companion to the popular Lord of the Rings series has met with a more than favorable response, with some gamers calling it the best RTS game ever made. Set mainly in the northern regions of Middle-Earth, it centers on the battles that were fought (but never featured in the movies) alongside the primary war involving the Fellowship, that the movies revolve around. These battles are hinted at in The Return of the King, where we hear that while Frodo journeyed on, and Aragorn rallied the men of Gondor and Rohan, Middle-Earth was fighting on several fronts. Two extensive campaigns take us through the elven dominion of Rivendell, the burning and conquest of the Shire, through Mirkwood and its spiders, as well as the dreaded Paths of the Dead among several others in a gripping sequence that promises to have players riveted with its excellent graphics and controls.

Fans of Microsoft's Age of Empires series will find themselves right at home in this game, which allows the player to select which side he is on: with the elves and dwarves (the good guys), or the goblins and monsters (the baddies). Each campaigns includes eight fascinating scenarios that rank high in terms of quality and attention to detail and graphics. Some riveting moments include the sacking of the Shire (while the Green Dragon Inn burns), Tom Bombadil's dance and demise, and a fiendishly cackly Goblin King.

Skirmish options allow players to modify game settings and pit selected factions against each other as the play against the computer.
In addition, there is the vast War of the Ring mode where the player must gradually gain control of the tactical map. Various sections of middle-earth can be conquered as the player chooses in this mode.

Players can pick from factions that include the Elves, Dwarves, Men of the West (Gondor and Rohan), and the Goblins, as well as other evil factions. An advantage this game has over the BFME I is the possibility of naval battles. Also, resource allocation in this game works differently from its predeccesor, in that the player gains more resources with an increase in map control. The game also allows new special powers, such as Watcher in the Water, Flood, and Tom Bombadil.

Another interesting feature of this game is the option of creating customizable heroes, with his/her own unique appearance, skills and
abilities.

The game is supported by Windows and Xbox 360, and can be played in both single player and multiplayer mode. System requirements include a 1.6 GHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, a GeForce 3 or higher Video Card, and at least 6 GB disk space.