The Lord Of The Rings The Battle for Middle-earth II [PC]

Most of the mode is actually pretty darn fun and it works well as both a single and multiplayer (both co-op and competitive) experience aside from a couple of problems. The biggest of these is that it's way too easy for an enemy general to get behind your lines and simply run from territory to territory claiming new lands while your own army simply chases behind. The problem is, it happens too often and there's no consequence to getting caught doing it. When you do manage to completely surround an invading army and attack, there's little to no penalty to the cornered rat. Should that leader lose the battle and their armies, he'll simply be transported back to the nearest territory, which unfortunately means the front lines of the war which ends up penalizing the player that catches him. While the offending simply gets to add new armies to his hero and immediately rejoin the fight, the player that had to chase him down is stuck back in their own territory several turns away from getting back into the fight which usually results in yet another hero sneaking by to capture more territory. It's unfortunate that destroyed leader heroes aren't removed from the game when killed without an adjoining territory to retreat to after the battle. It would create more consequences and even open up more strategic opportunities. Killing an important hero should mean something.

Over all aspects, Battle for Middle-earth II is a visually impressive experience. Whether you're looking at some of the impressive units, monstrous and wonderful set-pieces, lustrous ice terrain and water, spectacular special effects, or wonderful animation, it's hard to come away disappointed. They've done some major upgrading from the original title and it shows whether you're invading The Shire with a hopping whooping horde of goblins or defending the town of Dale and Citadel of Erebor from a massive Mordor attack. Almost all of the in-game menu systems are slick aside from the tiny chat box in the multiplayer lobby and gigantic bottom interface in War of the Ring mode (though it can be minimized).

Likewise, sound is also spectacular. Many of the sounds are recognizable from the movie and the new ones added for this sequel are just as good. The gibbering of goblins and burr of the dwarves are all well appreciated. Add the spectacular movie soundtrack on top and your ears will never get tired of what they're hearing.

Closing Comments
Battle for Middle-earth II is proof that EA was serious about getting back into the good graces of serious RTS fans. There's a lot to experience with this entry into the series including three new factions, a redesigned base building mode, some awesome new powers, terrific improvements to the engine, a tighter campaign mode, and both skirmish and War of the Ring. This might actually be a detriment to some players who liked the simplicity of the first game, but I'm quite pleased. It's a pretty traditional RTS, but it's also a very good one.

What makes me happier is that there's very little for me to say that's particularly bad aside from some gripes with War of the Ring mode and some occasional issues with multiplayer. EA has created a game on a scale big enough to feel part of Middle-earth and managed to keep the gameplay under control at the same time. There's still room for improvement, but nothing big enough to keep me from endorsing it. This is the Lord of the Rings RTS I was hoping for the first time around.

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