The Lord of the Rings franchise has had a bumpy ride into videogaming. The first of the 2000’s titles, based on the film of the same name, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, got panned by both critics and the public alike. The following two offerings were almost identical scrolling beat-‘em-up affairs. Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle-earth II distances itself from its questionable heritage by offering an altogether different gameplay experience, falling directly into the RTS genre.
As an Xbox 360 conversion of the hit PC sequel, Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle-earth II had a lot to prove. Not only did it have the onus of proving that EA could produce a good game based on the franchise, but also that RTS games on console could work.
Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle-earth II Gameplay
The game features two campaigns, Good and Evil. Playing through each allows the player to take control of each race available in the title. The number of which has been upped for the console release. Missions throughout the campaigns vary from simple assaults with a pre-determined amount of troops to protection missions, in which you have to construct a base able to withstand enemy onslaughts.
Heroes play a major part of the title’s appeal. To add a level of distinction to the proceedings, each race has a unique selection of Heroes. These can be spawned from the player’s fortress, each with their own abilities and Magic. For example, creating an Elf army stocked with Morwood Archers and adding Legolas’ Train Archer ability to the mix greatly expands the depth available with even the most basic of units.
Plenty of troop types and buildings are offered to each race, and each has their own distinctive strengths and weaknesses. Often, the single-player campaigns can be fought through with simple blind-ambition. However, when taking the title online, expect any opponent you face to fight to the advantages of their race. And to inherently spot the weak points in your army’s infrastructure.
Skirmishes train you for the Multiplayer
A skirmish mode also makes an appearance, which offers a nice – if tired – added attraction. However, it’s a good basis for practice before going online. The multiplayer far excels the single-player offerings. There’s a variety of gameplay modes, including Hero Vs. Hero, in which players must compete with a band of Heroes to kill more randomly generated neutral monsters within a set time period; Resource Race, where each player attempts to reach a pre-set amount of Resources (money) before their competitors; and options for two-to-four player matches.
The only element likely to disappoint would be the apparent difficulty in finding a match. This was difficult at launch. However, now it’s near-impossible. The official game servers were shut down for Windows in 2010 and Xbox 360 in 2011. However, Windows users may still play online using unofficial game servers. Xbox 360 gamers, sadly, have no such luck.
Xbox 360 Comes Close, but PC Excels
Some major issues afflict Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II on Xbox 360. Given the quality of the PC version, you can say in an almost unjustified fashion. Firstly, the frame-rate is simply astonishing at times. Often, when using multiple bands of warriors, such a staggering drop when moving about map will result in button presses remaining entirely undetected. Not quite the precise level of control usually required for RTS games. Also, the amount of troops a player can have under their command is heavily restricted.
Many modern RTS titles impose a limit so as to abolish the old tactic of “build lots, kill lots” that plagued early online matches in the likes of Command & Conquer and StarCraft. However, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II has such a harsh limit that it lends to the belief that the restriction is only in place so as not to bring the frame-rate into any more disrepute.
The graphics are passable, but certainly not in excel on the Xbox 360. Given the ability to zoom-in, up-close-and-personal with any troop on the battlefield is both rewarding and interesting. However, the character models are rarely impressive, and given the likes of Spartan: Total Warrior offered hundreds of equally detailed on-screen models on less powerful hardware, Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle-earth II has little to reason it’s passable nature.
The sound quality is also bordering on the line of average, without ever really being noticeable. Yet, in equal measure, never ill-affecting gameplay.
First to the Battlefield
Being the first RTS game on the Xbox 360, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II had a long window of no competition. While being a fun experience to dabble in on Xbox 360, players of the PC release will do better to look elsewhere. Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II is far from the pinnacle of RTS many will be hoping for. However, there is enough originality here to be considered an interesting aside. EA delivered an entertaining package marred by its host format, but not enough to be pushed out of the running for the best Lord of the Rings game. I mean, if it’s a case of this or The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, retro is always the answer.
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