Product Details
 | The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth |
| List Price: | $19.99 |
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Product Description
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth is an epic campaigns where the goal is to control all of Middle-Earth! Wage all-out combat against either the forces of good or the armies of evil, controlling troops and managing resources. The fate of a continent is your hands!Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #3344 in Video Games
- Brand: Electronic Arts
- Released on: 2004-12-06
- ESRB Rating: Teen
- Platforms: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.50" h x 5.50" w x 7.50" l, .70 pounds
Features
- Real-time strategy game based on the Lord of the Rings film trilogy
- Fight on either the side of good or evil by commanding one of four groups
- Control massive armies across the vast world of Middle-earth
- Create new heroes and customize the abilities and powers
- Single player and online massively multiplayer modes
Editorial Reviews
From
the Manufacturer
Experience Middle-earth like never before in
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth, the first The
Lord of the Rings game that puts you in command of a real-time,
open world. Control the legendary heroes, massive armies, and epic
campaigns of Middle-earth in over 25 missions based on all three films
of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. From waging all-out combat
among the vast forces of good and evil to controlling your favorite
heroes and characters to managing the troops and resources of your side,
the fate of a living, breathing Middle-earth is in your hands.
Key
Features
- Fight the epic, sweeping battles from the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings film trilogy from a whole new perspective--as commander of hundreds of soldiers and creatures.
- Control massive armies and interactive battlefields across the vast world of Middle-earth.
- Lead the forces of good or evil by controlling one of four unique groups, from the Riders of Rohan to the forces of Sauron, each with its own playing style, resource management, and base-building techniques.
- Take command of strategic territories across a highly detailed, 3D map of Middle-earth and turn the tide in the battle to control The One Ring.
- Forge new heroes, customize their abilities and powers, then lead them into battle where they'll gain experience and rank in their quest for victory.
- Watch your armies come to life as they express emotion--from anger to fear to triumph--when reacting to events and their surroundings.
- Make smarter and faster decisions in the heat of battle with an all-new intuitive, streamlined interface that gives you contextual control of your forces and structures.
- Challenge fellow rulers online in massive multiplayer battles.
Customer Reviews
Almost perfect
The game has incredible
graphics, I'll definitely give it that. EA had to write some new music
to match the game better, but it blends seamlessly with the existing
movie soundtracks. Loading times aren't too bad either, and are usually
accompanied by a small introction to your upcoming mission.
Gameplay
itself is very fun. At first when I heard about the minimized
interface, I got a little nervous because I was worried about not having
enough control over the units. To some extent this is true, but I've
found it doesn't actually get in the way as much as I thought it would.
For the most part it serves the purpose I believe EA intended - the
player spends less time staring at the bottom of the screen and more
time focusing on the battles.
The forces are fairly balanced for
the most part. For example, a batallion of Rohan cavalry can be a
serious force to reckon with against archers or infantry, but if they
come across some Isengard pikemen they'll have met their match. Mumakil
can do all kinds of damage, but aren't so strong against archers armed
with the flame arrow upgrade. A lot of people say that Mordor is a
little bit weaker than the other forces, and I'd have to agree to some
extent. However, some good strategy can make up for it. Likewise,
Gandalf can be a little too powerful once he reaches the higher levels
of veterancy, but there are counters against him as well.
The one
thing that really bugs me about the game is the population cap. In the
movies, the armies are huge. By having a limit of 200 or 300, you can
only have 20 to 30 batallions. That's really not so much, and definitely
not enough to recreate to any degree the enormous battles of the
movies. Fortunately, there are ways that more advanced users can raise
the population cap, but it's still a very annoying thing to have to deal
with.
Overall, this is a wonderful game. I would recommend it to
anyone, even for the rather high price. Nevertheless, don't expect this
game to completely give you large-scale feel of the battles in any of
the movies.
FANTASTIC Game
EDIT**: I've been playing the
game for several days now, and I can say that it has lived up to all of
my expectations (see preview below). While you can't control as mnay
troops as in Rome:Total War (we may need to look for a LOTR mod in the
future), BFME has its own little niche, and it's a very nice one at
that. Inevitably the comparison to RTW will be made, but these are two
very different games. In RTW, you can control thousands of low-poly
troops, but in BFME, you control hundreds of very high poly soldiers,
each with very detailed animations and emotions. Yes, the emotions are a
nice part of the game.
The graphics are beautiful- they really
bring the Middle Earth world to life, especially with the settings maxed
out. Howard Shore's score also adds a great side to the game, with some
additional remixing that sounded quite good. Voice acting was also
pretty good, although you can tell in some parts that they didn't really
use Viggo for Aragorn.
Gameplay; I like the new use of
veterancy, which puts a crimp on players who rush to build every single
building possible, and just pump out units. Cavalry in the game is very
powerful, so you'll need to group your men into the right formation.
Formations do give some help in BFME, although flank attacks and
tactical maneuvers are unheard of, unlike RTW. All the battles are
faithfully recreated, including a mission to defend the fellowship and
Lothlorien from marauding Moria orcs (one of the scenes cut from the
extended edition of FOTR). The Helms Deep mission is fantastic- it
brings all the rigor, stress, and excitement as portrayed in the movie
and books.
The heros are a hoot to use; especially Gandalf, who
seems a bit overpowered. A pity the completed Sauron model cannot be
played, and in general, it seems that the forces of Evil have fewer
Heros than the forces of Light.
The single player campaign
missions are very delightful; you can basically replay the steps of the
Fellowship or of the Dark Lord, but of course with your own little
additions. The multiplayer maps are wonderful, with maps taken from all
the geographical locations in middle earth.
Conclusion: A very
enjoyable RTS game, that fully immerses you into the ME universe. My
only gripe is that the Command Points threshold is set too low, but you
can mod the particular file to change that. However, the low command
points number was probably set at that level to prevent gameplay lag; at
the Battle of Care Andros, with several hundred troops on screen (and
despite have 1 gb of PC-4200 ram) I experienced some lagging effects.
Sprint, don't run to get your copy NOW! What are you doing wasting time
reading my review? Get it! :P
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To
say that Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth looks amazing would
be an understatement; it looks fantastic and unbelievably good! I am
highly anticipating its release on November 15th, and based on what the
EA team has shown us thus far, it looks like all of their hard work has
come to fruition. Based on an upgraded version of the C&C: Generals
engine, LOTR:BFME brings you into the Middle Earth universe in glorious
3-D, with the capability to zoom-in onto the battlefield for those
intense hand-to-hand melees. Of course, there will be those detractors
who suggest that BFME is nothing but Generals ported into Middle Earth;
in some ways, that's true. A lot of the great features of Generals are
retained in BFME, and then some. The EA team has added unique touches,
as well as a greater emphasis on tactics, rather than the massed tank
rushes that most RTS players are used to. In addition, there are a
multitude of unique features and immersive environments that make BFME
really come alive.
First, the maps and general gameplay. Gone is
the traditional style of RTS with big menus that take up the lower half
of your screen. In its place is a context-driven menu, which takes up
far less space, and allows the player to bask in the beauty of the BFME
engine. It looks extremely intuitive; by clicking on a building, 6-7
options will form in a circle around your cursor, allowing you to just
move the mouse slightly to select an option. Base building appears to
consist of 6-7 buildings built on pre-fabbed sites inside a protective
wall, with additional buildings being allowed to be built outside of the
wall. Each of the buildings is true to the movie, and conceived in
enormous detail that really lends to the atmosphere. For instance, the
Orc slaughterhouse, Orc pits, Warg ranges, and Gondorian archery range.
Zooming into the slaughterhouse, you can see the orc butcher cackle with
glee and rub his hands together as he whistles for a cow to come up the
ramp. He kills it, and carries the steak to hang on a rack outside. Or
in the pits, you can see the head Orc prodding the mud with his rod,
bringing up a `baby' Orc/Uruk-Hai that slides down the ramp and gets a
sword and trudges out. Or at the Warg range, you see an orc clamber onto
a Warg, and walk out of a corral. At the Gondorian archery range, the
splendid architecture of the once Numenorians is visible in the smallest
bricks. You can actually see Gondorian longbow men practicing inside
the courtyard, shooting at targets and such. You can play as Rohan or
Gondor or Mordor or Isengard; not sure about the Easterlings though.
Second,
the units are true to the movie and fashioned in great detail.
Buildings can be upgraded with earned points to achieve veterancy and
thus pump out more advanced units. The Gondorian archery range can
produce regular longbow men, but as the building is upgraded, it can
produce say Faramir's rangers (which are a bit like the American
pathfinders in C&C: Generals), and what look like upgraded rangers
with stealth ability. The Gondorian barracks can produce regular
footsoldiers on level 1, but when upgraded to level 2 and above, can
procure the more elite Fountain guards. The forces of evil are generally
like the Chinese in Generals; infantry is either really cheap, or free,
and orcs are continually coming out of the pits with no extra help from
the player. There are of course, hero units as well! Units seen so far
include Gandalf, Eomer, Theoden, Faramir, and Aragorn. No word yet on
evil heroes.
Third, the EA team has decided to add a bit more of a
tactical element than was present in Generals. While a group of
Gondorian infantry can easily defeat a horde of orcs, (and when they do
win, they break out into cheers, thus giving a +1 to their attack), they
run away or quake in their boots at the mere sight of a mountain troll
picking up a tree to smash them into the ground. That fear subtracts a
-1 from their attack. Even the elite Fountain guards with their pikes
are no match for the mountain troll and his ad hoc tree-club. But you
can group your men into having the archers stand on the inside, while
surrounded by Fountain Guards, and thus easily take down a troll. It
also looks like you can fully recreate the sieges at Helms Deep and
Minas Tirith, and play on the Fields of Pelennor.
Fourth, one
item that is a nice carry-over from Generals is what appears to be
Generals points. If playing as Mordor, and you kill 100 Gondor soldiers,
your catapaults can fire the heads of those unfortunate men at your
enemies for an added attack bonus. Or, you can call in Eagles or Nazgul
to pick up hapless infantry and dash them into the ground. Probably the
most interesting Generals unit is the Balrog, which looks extremely
powerful at the moment. Not only can he stomp around and crush the
peons, but he can crush a unit into ashes, shoot fireballs from his
mouth, and with his very appearance, burn everything around him to a
crisp.
If you're a fan of the movies and RTS games, this is
definitely one game that you do NOT want to miss! Place your pre-order
today! And no, I'm not a plant, just an overly excited fan with too much
time on his hands.
Ignore the
nay-sayers. BFME is fun, strategic, and beautiful
Before receiving Battle For
Middle Earth this Christmas Eve (gotta love that darling girlfriend), I
had read quite a few dismal reviews for it. In case you've read the same
BS, I'm going to attempt to clear some things up for you so the
nay-sayers don't bump you away from a great game. So.... The biggest
complaints people have had about BFME are:
1. Not enough unit
types
2. No strategy
Heh. Wrong and wrong. ---- First off:
There are plenty of units spread out between the four playable races in
Battle For Middle Earth. If people have a problem with exactly how many
units are in the game, they should take it up with Tolkien Enterprises
and not the game's developers. EA was only allowed to play off of
characters that were in the movies. And I'd say they did a damn good job
mustering all they could with a limited rights license. // Mordor and
Isengard are crawling with different units, but low on heroes. Gondor
and Rohan may not be the most well rounded when it comes to troop
variations, but let me tell ya: Gondor has Gandalf (his powers are truly
awesome to behold in this game ) and then Rohan is chock full of
heroes. They have Theoden, Eowyn, Merry, Eomer, Gimli, Aragorn, and
Legolas. So it all evens out. I don't care who says what about 'shortage
of units'. - They're all there. There are plenty of formations and
combinations to try when it comes to the troop equation.
The
second blundering re re misconception that some reviewers have had, is
the whole "Yeah it looks cool, but it's light on strategy" tripe. Dear
reader, please listen: This game has every bit as much strategy as Rome:
Total War, Age of Mythology, or the beloved Warcraft III. These three
aforementioned titles are the games that people keep comparing BFME to
when complaining about what they deem to be "lack of strategy." In BFME,
you need to use the same kind of strategies that you would use in R:TW,
Warcraft, or Age Of etc. - You need to strategically choose which
troops to attack which sortie with, you need to choose where and when to
use magical abilities, you need to balance your base between
fortification and upgrades, you need to decide when to launch severe
assaults and when to buckle down and build up, you need to put your
troops in different formations for different attacks, and you need to
decide when and how to expand throughout the map and take various
outposts in order to attain more resources etc. I don't know about you
but I'm seeing plenty of strategy here. I`ve even heard several geniuses
say, "Yeah, well in R:TW you can flank, but in BFME you can't."
**Attention** Just because Battle For Middle Earth doesn't have a fancy
'Flank Button,' doesn't mean that you don't use the technique of
flanking. God forbid if everything isn't pre-programmed for these
people. Its called Move your troops around your enemy with queued mouse
clicks, and then hit them from the side or behind. Not exactly rocket
science. And, I'm sorry, but what the hell is so strategic about
Warcraft 3? - You fight using large forces of troops supplemented with
magical abilities... gee, that sounds familiar... It's the formula for
just about every RTS game that's ever been made. BFME follows this
formula too and it's a lot of fun. And BFME is also the first RTS game
I've ever seen to successfully employ a fun siege feature. In BFME,
you'll find yourself holing up in your base with an opening and closing
gate while the enemy tries to scale the walls and knock in the doors
with battering rams etc. You need to place defenses on your walls, man
it with archers, and choose when to open up and bring the fight to your
foes. Now I have to say, on EA's part, they did some damn fine designing
there. And most importantly: they made it FUN.
The game's
graphics, as I'm sure you've heard, are great. The only thing you need
to worry about there is updating your drivers, getting the patch that's
coming out in January, and not cranking your settings too high. This
game is a resource hog. I'm playing it on a Pentium 4, 3.0ghz cpu with
512mb 2700 ram and a geforce fx5200 card. I have it on 1024 resolution
with the detail set to medium. It looks great and it runs great. Even
though my computer meets and exceeds the requirements, the frame rate
gets demolished in the bigger battles if your settings are too high. So
that's something to keep in mind. But even so, on medium setting, there
is nothing to complain about. Gorgeous and fun effects. Gee, there's
that word fun again.
The sound/music is great too. Top notch. The
din of battle is great in this game. Clanging, thudding, explosions,
cheering and screaming etc. They really did a great job of capturing
that chaotic clamor of the movie battles. - And the music is pulled
straight from the films as well, so you know it's awesome. Remember in
The Two Towers when Gandalf arrives with Eomer at Helm's Deep and they
charge down the hill into the waiting sea of Uruks? Well the really
beautiful and bittersweet sounding song that's played at that part in
the film is called Forth Eorlingas. What's cool, is that in BFME, you'll
be charging into battle and that song will come on... you know - the
long drawn out and eerily beautiful vocals? Yeah, well, that song will
sometimes start to play as you charge towards the enemy ranks throughout
the game. It is rather chuff and inspiring, if I may say. This game is
fun and oddly moving in a way. Especially if you're big into the films.
Nicely done.
As for the actual gameplay: You traverse the
storyline from the side of good or evil and follow the events of the
movies. But the cool thing here is, you get to play ancillary (secondary
or extra) battles where you get to build up armies and villages and
fight skirmishes. The storyline from the film is played out in full, but
interspersed with all sorts of fun additional battles along the way.
BFME is a long game. There is at least 20-30 hours of gameplay here with
the storyline alone. And after you complete the story modes, you get to
go back and fight skirmishes with the AI and also with other LOTR geeks
like myself, online.
BFME is a fun ride. You get to relive 3
great movies through some great RTS action/gameplay. Plenty of strategy
and plenty of fun. Lots and lots of fun. Once again EA proves to us that
it's possible to take a massive movie license and make a great game out
of it. Anyways, take my word for it: This game does not disappoint.
Order this bad boy and go have yourself a bloody-guts good time in
Middle Earth.
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