I thought that the first game was great, but Battle For Middle Earth 2 is bigger, better, and more badass in every way that you could imagine. Say what you want about EA, but I do not think they get enough credit for what a great job they did with the Lord of the Rings license and this game is a shining example of that.
5 The Lord Of The Rings: The Battle For Middle Earth (82) One can't help but think of the potential of a great RTS experience when watching the epic LOTR battles unfold during the films. And while it's not a perfect translation, EA's PC game shines as a worthy adaptation with its large scale battles and elaborate, appealing gameplay. My lord of the rings battle for middle earth 1 will not work on my lap. Hi, I have installed my game to my computer, played it, and uninstalle. Does anyone know if you have to have a dvd playable computer, I know i.
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (DVD-ROM) - PC. Electronic Arts. Electronic Arts. 4.2 out of 5 stars. Windows XP / 2000 / NT. Windows XP / 2000 / NT. 4 offers from $105.95. The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 - PC.
The Books or The Movies?
One of the coolest aspects of this game was that EA went all out with the licensing for this game. It is not just based on the movies or the books, but actually features locations and characters from both. This is truly impressive and at the time it was released I would say this was the most comprehensive collection of Lord of the Rings stuff any game had seen. Battle For Middle Earth 2 features some really cool characters and locations that did not make it to the silver screen.
I See You!
The presentation has that EA polish that you would expect. From the characters, the locations, and especially the soundtrack everything has an authentic Tolkien vibe to it that I really do appreciate. The production values of this game are sky high and it makes you feel like you are in these heated battles. The only disappointment I have is the create a character option. While you can level up your character and improve them and make them a formidable warrior. The aesthetic options are sadly greatly lacking in this mode.
Good or Evil?
Battle For Middle Earth 2 features two blockbuster single-player campaigns for you to sink your teeth into. You can play the good campaign which centers around an attack on an elf sanctuary and a bad campaign where you are helping Sauron destroy the forces of good. Each campaign will get you heavily invested in what is going on thanks to its great storytelling. As a big fan of The Lord of the Rings, I found both campaigns to be very enjoyable, but I did prefer the good one, but only just.
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Taking A Risk?
There is another really cool game mode that is called The War of the Ring. This is like the board game Risk where you have a large map and you are trying to conquer it. The game still has the RTS battles, but there is more going on now. I had a blast playing this with one of my friends as we had a game that lasted for ages as we both were trying to take control of the land. You can also play this mode in single-player and I even found the AI to be a fun challenge as well.
What You Would Expect
I will say that the core gameplay has not been radically changed. You still have your various factions with a few new ones added in. You can build various things on the battlefield such as bases which is much easier to do than in the last game. The actual battles are a great deal of fun you have your units, heroes, and so on, and deciding what to do and when to do it really is the key to giving yourself the best chance of victory. Overall, I found the gameplay to be challenging, but also very rewarding. It does have a fair bit of a learning curve, but I felt that the game did a great job of explaining everything to me as I was playing.
I had a great time with Battle For Middle Earth 2 and think it is a truly outstanding sequel to a game I already liked. It is so improved over the first game that as good as that was, it kind of makes it redundant. As in all honesty, if you are new to these games, I would recommend skipping the first and coming straight into this one here. It is one of the more fun and accessible RTS games I have played and they really do utilize the Lord of the Rings license as well as they could have.
Pros:
- It captures the world of The Lord of the Rings perfectly
- Lots more content over its predecessor
- Two awesome campaigns to play
- The War of the Ring mode is awesome
- It is a ton of fun to play with a friend
Cons:
Lord Of The Rings Game Battle For Middle Earth 2 Download
- It does have a bit of a learning curve
- I wish the campaigns lasted just a tad longer