Insanely Addictive, Minorly Annoying
Pros:
Gameplay, Depth, Campaigns, Graphics, Movie License
Cons:
Computer is sometimes annoying, easy to lose track of heroes
The Bottom Line:
This game is extremely fun and deep. You'll find yourself playing for hours on end.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
The Lord of The Rings, The Battle For Middle-Earth came into the stores with high expectations. It didn't disappoint, bringing fresh and fun gameplay and creating an immersive campaign. A truly great game.
GAMEPLAY:
This game is fun as s***. You can chose from 4 different civilizations (Good Gondor and Rohan, Bad Isengard and Mordor) These civilizations bring different units and strategies into the game. The Good side relies more on heroes and upgrades, while the evil side focuses on numbers and sheer force. Units can "level up" by gaining experience that comes with dispatching foes. This brings strategy into the game (go with fewer, more upgraded units or with more, less exp. units? i find the former better) Also, the game features "power points" ,with each player getting one every time he kills a certain amount of enemies. With these points you can buy special powers for that civilization. It brings a whole new dimension to the game. Also, there are some building limitations to this game: you cant build anywhere you want. Most people find this annoying: I like it. The A.I., for the most part, is good, though I had some problems with it. First, the computer sometimes seems to "cheat" a little. You will usually find yourself outnumbered on any difficulty above easy and, like me, will notice that the computer always seems to come up with more units than you do. Also, the computer seems to know exactly what you're doing before it even happens. Plus, on Hard, the computer is friggin' tough. Other than those minor things, the gameplay is solid.
SCORE: 18.5/20
GRAPHICS:
No questions here. These are some fine graphics. When you observe an evil Slaughterhouse, you can actually see the orc bringing the meat up and placing it on the rack. Units and buildings look gorgeous, making graphics a huge strength of this game.
SCORE: 10/10
ONLINE:
Online play is very smooth and is very fun. A chat room is provided and if an ally bails on you, you get his units, his base and an expanded command limit. Sweet. Easily one of the most immersive aspects of the game.
SCORE: 10/10
CAMPAIGN:
Whew. The good people at EA Games really scored here. This might just be the best campaign I have ever played. The battles make you feel like you are in the movie; fighting the battles. They look just like they do in the movies. Just play Helmsdeep, Minas Tirith or The Black Gate and you'll see what I mean.
SCORE: 15/15
OVERALL:
This game is intense, fun, and immersive, and also immersive. You'll find yourself up until 4AM routinely. And you'll LIKE IT, DAMMIT!
53.5/55
