The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2
by Electronic Arts
Our Price: $93.74
Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days
Buy Used: from $24.89 (click here)
Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: Electronic ArtsFormat: CD-ROM
Release Date: 2006-02-28
Platform: Windows XP
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Product features:
- Real-time strategy game based on the Lord of the Rings film trilogy
- Control massive armies across the vast world of Middle-earth
- Build a landmark castle; create hero with all-new customized RTS units
- Fight on either the side of good or evil; powerful new A.I. system
- Single or multiplayer gameplay modes
Video Game Reviews of The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2
Customer Review: in a word - disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Well this game has pretty good multi-play and that is about the end of the PROS. The CONS are many so far as I have seen. First the price I see on Amazon says like $93.61 or something and I'm scratching my head like is this is Martian Kronars or Dollars? Did I fall asleep like Rip Van Winkle and wake up and my currency has been devalued to pennies for each dollar or what is up with that?!
More CONS include AI levels are missing and how they impact your solo play. If you choose EASY the computer plays like he is simpleminded and almost never attacks and simple sits in his own camp waiting for you to attack him when you are ready. If you choose Medium, you'd better be a mean fighting expert because he will rush you with sets of troops getting progressively harder with each wave until he breaks your camp down. From what I can see there needed to be about two more levels like Easy+ just like Easy but not a COMPLETE stoop. There also needs to be a Not quite Medium level where the computer sends waves of troops to attack but takes a breather every now and then to let you rebuild from the onslaught.
Other Cons include the view is pretty well zoomed in by default and you CAN ZOOM in MORE if you want your nose pressed against the Towers and walls to work on that crosseyed thing BUT sadly there is no option to ZOOM further OUT to see the whole camp. Instead you are left resorting to people yelling "They're attacking the camp!" and a tiny golden ping on the minimap to hint at what you wish you could have seen if ONLY you could have zoomed out and not been quite as Surprised as the guy who was yelling for help "They're attacking the camp!" "They're attacking the camp!" becomes a common thing if you are playing medium.
More CONS is custom maps. Found one of several custom map sites like http://bfme2.heavengames.com/ but sadly nobody on this site seems to be able to stop boasting about their custom map long enough to explain exactly where do WE PUT these downloaded maps to ACTUALLY use them so we can know for ourselves how awesome and brilliant you were...
All in all a good game if you are interested in just playing the campaign through once and finding someone human to play a few rounds against multiplay via Hamachi or something. Skirmish is toast with the lack of AI levels 1 too easy 2 too tough (difficulty 1.4 and 1.6 would have been a huge plus but no luck) Maybe they could use the windfall from their $93.61 to see it in their massive budget to slap a few useful AI levels into this game. Nah - never gonna happen.
Play-testing people. You know QA!? It's all about spending the few weeks actually letting actual gamers play with your software before trying to SELL it.
Description of The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2
Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II gives you a chance to experience all that Middle-Earth was meant to be. Delve deeper than ever before into the fictional world of Tolkien, as you wage war in the North. Assume command of the most storied civilizations in all of Middle-earth history, the Elven and Dwarven armies -- or if you prefer, fight on the side of Evil to aid Sauron in his conquest. Fight with or against heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings films! Control battles with all-new enemy AI, melee combat, and unprecedented tactical fidelity Build anywhere brings creativity and strategy to base building and battlefield dominance Control the entire war with a high level Risk style meta-game Larger-than-life naval battlesStrategy Games
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