Ahh Lord of the Rings. The fantasy world that keeps on giving. Lucky for us gamers, LOTR was made into a RTS by EA, who also made the hit sequel to said RTS. This sequel is known as Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth 2. Say that 10 times fast and win 10,000 dollars (not really but good job for trying). Really when you think about it LOTR isn't really cut out for anything so perfectly as being an RTS. I mean 75% of those movies were gigantic battle which we all know equals instant RTS. Now I'm usually very hesitant about ANY game based on a movie but BFME (Battle for Middle Earth 1) impressed me, so I figured I'd give BFME2 a try. Much to my surprise the game was better then its's predicesor by simply improving upon all the minor problems from the first title. That's not to say you won't see anything new in BFME2, far from it.

What will set this game apart, is the multiplayer mode. The multiplayer action at first look seemed like standard fair, another control this control that scenario. However, gamers will have some neat good When you first enter BFME2 you will notice how much better the main menu is, just all around, then the previous title's menu. This time EA used real footage from the movies for the menu and a few cut scenes. This is a definate plus in my mind, as you won't see any sharp geometric shapes sticking out of Gimly's face, except for his beard ofcourse. Almost all of the problems I had with BFME1 have been fixed in BFME2. My main concern was the building system. In the first game you were restricted to small circles throughout the map to build on. While this provide for a new type of gameplay, it was bad gameplay. You couldn't really expand, just find more circles. Lucky for us, EA decided to include the 'build anywhere' feature in BFME2. For anyone who doesn't know what that means, it means you can build.........anywhere. Now for all the new features, this is where the game shines in my opinion. First off, you have a lot more options as far as playable factions go. Instead of just Men, Rohirim, Mordor, and Isengard, you know have Isengard, Mordor, Goblins, Elves, Dwarves, and Men of the West (Men and Rohirim combined). Combining Men and Rohirim may have gotten some flack from LOTR fans but it works quite well from a gaming point of view. What makes each faction fun, is the fact that each is very skilled in one area to counter another faction. For example, Mordor is excellent in the area of siege weapons so they are the best choice for taking out dwarves, who are the best wall/building builders in the game. These unique specialties provide the player with new factors to consider when choosing a faction to play as. You must really think about your style of gameplay before you simply galevant into battle. Another new feature is the ability to build walls. Every race but Mordor and the Goblins are able to build walls, which in turn can support towers, gates, doors, or catapults. Walls are easy to build as they are simply 'click and drag' from a wall "hub" that can be build within your range of a fortress or straight from a fortress. Fortresses are also a new touch to BFME and a very important one at that. Fortresses house upgrades that can be purchased, and also the all important heroes. Each faction has it's own selection of unique heroes. Some famous, some not so famous. For example, the Dwarves have Gloin (Gimly's father), Gimly, and King Dain. Each of these heroes also have special powers of their own which are unlocked through pro-longed use and a level system. The higher rank a hero, the more skills he will have. BFME2 also supports the creation of your own hero. Be it a troll, goblin, orc, man, elf, wizard, you choose whatever you want and customize him to your liking before you thrown him into battle. The last feature I will talk about will undoubtly be the most important when playing either Single Player or Multiplayer. This feature is the ring heroes. In each map you can send out your units to search for gollum who is stealth exploring until you get close enough to see him. Once you've spotted him you may kill him so that he drops the ring. Once dropped, your units may pick the ring up and return it to one of your fortresses. Once the ring is in your possesion you may build your repective ring hero. If you are playing an evil faction this will be Sauron who uses fear and a devastating meteor shower. If you are playing a good faction you will unlock Galadriel who uses a twister to pick up any unit and throw them half way across the map. If these heroes are killed (I say if because it is pretty hard to do) they will drop the ring for anyone to pick up.

The multiplayer in BFME2 is not any worse or better then any other RTS out there really. It's not much different than the single player, just the AI is a little better this time. There were a few connection bugs in the demo but they seemed to have fixed them for the actual game. However, if you host a game, reading the connections screen will take a little getting used to. The first time I saw it I thought I was looking at ancient Mayan or something. As for the single player, it is pretty fun but nothing any normal gamer will go crazy over. In either the good or evil campaign you are taken across middle earth along about 9 missions to rule the world. If playing good, you will destroy Saurons forces in the North. If playing evil, you will destroy any who oppose you really. Locals range from dwarven mountains, evil castles, elven tree houses, all the way to the shire (yay! kill hobbits).

All in all this title is a simple must have for any lord of the rings fan that happens to be gamer. If you are just a gamer then you may want to still look into this title, as it is one of top RTS game out at the moment. Perhaps not the absolute best but it does provide a good amount of variety and wonderful Lord of the Rings content. Plus I mean killing all those hobbits is simply worth the fifty bucks.

ies to look forward to. Each team will have their choice of five character classes, warrior, assassin, priest, mage or archer. Like other games, your success is geared on how you build your team, and work within it. Whoopie, right? Here’s where Ubisoft threw in the curveball. The “Crusade” mode is set over five maps, all players start at level 1 and will progress in level and skills as they are successful or not over the course of the crusade. This should provide some decent action as long as Rambo isn’t on your team. Overall, for me, this will be a “must have” purchase when it hits the shelves. I’m just hoping I’m done with that other game by then…

Reviewed By: Anubis