The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II
A real-time strategy game set in Tolkien's Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II is a 2006 real-time strategy game from Electronic Arts. It follows the 2004 original and draws on Tolkien's novels and films. Players choose between Good and Evil campaigns, with the Windows version launching in March 2006 and the Xbox 360 version in July.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- EA Los Angeles
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Director
- Chris Corry
- Designer
- Jason Bender
- Programmer
- Martin Hoffesommer
- Composer
- Bill Brown, Jamie Christopherson
- Artist
- Matt J. Britton, Adam McCarthy
- Engine
- SAGE
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
The Battle for Middle-earth II is a real-time strategy game that requires players to build a base with structures for producing units, gathering resources, researching upgrades, and providing defenses. Units are used to attack enemies and defend the player's base, and matches are won by eliminating all enemy unit-producing structures. Unlike its predecessor, players can build an unlimited number of structures anywhere on the map, allowing greater freedom in base building. Walls can be constructed within a certain proximity to the player's fortress, and arrow and catapult towers can be built on building plots around a fortress for defensive support. Each faction's fortress is uniquely equipped with a special power reached by purchasing necessary upgrades. The game's HUD, called the Palantír, displays hero units and their abilities, a mini-map, and objectives. Units are classified into infantry, ranged, pikemen, cavalry, or siege classes, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Hero units, such as Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Saruman, Nazgûl, Mouth of Sauron, Arwen, the Witch-king of Angmar, and Shelob, are unique and can be created only once. The PC version includes a Hero Creator. Killing Gollum rewards the player with the One Ring, which can summon Galadriel or Sauron for 10,000 resources.
Plot
The game is set in the northern regions of Middle-earth during the War of the Ring, taking liberties with Tolkien's works and the film trilogy. The story is divided into Good and Evil Campaigns, each with nine fixed missions on Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulty. Narrated cutscenes provide plot exposition between missions. The Good Campaign opens after the Fellowship of the Ring has set out, with Elrond and Glóin planning the War in the North. The Elven hero Glorfindel discovers an impending attack on Rivendell, and Elrond's forces repel the Goblins. Elrond then realizes the Elves and Dwarves must join forces. The next battle takes place in the Goblin capital of Ettenmoors, where the Goblin fortress is destroyed and Gorkil the Goblin King is killed. The heroes then help the Dwarves defeat the Dragon Drogoth and his Goblins in the Blue Mountains. The Grey Havens are attacked by the Corsairs of Umbar, and the Dwarves eventually come to their aid. With the Goblins defeated and Eriador pacified, the Dwarven-Elven alliance is tested by Sauron's forces. The Evil Campaign focuses on Sauron sending the Mouth of Sauron and the Nazgûl to muster wild Goblins to destroy the remaining Good forces in the North.
Development
Tolkien Enterprises granted Electronic Arts the rights to develop games based on The Lord of the Rings books on July 22, 2005, complementing an earlier arrangement with New Line Cinema from 2001. The new deal allowed Electronic Arts to create games with original stories tied to the Lord of the Rings universe. EA Los Angeles developed The Battle for Middle-earth II for Windows and The Lord of the Rings: Tactics for the PlayStation Portable. On November 10, 2005, Electronic Arts announced that Hugo Weaving, who played Elrond in the film trilogy, would reprise his role as lead voiceover talent. During his session, he noted the focus on vocal production as a continuation of the character. On January 13, 2006, Electronic Arts reported that an Xbox 360 version was under development, featuring a control scheme designed by Louis Castle, co-founder of Westwood Studios. The Xbox 360 version promised online play via Xbox Live. Castle expressed excitement about bringing the cinematic battles to the console in high-definition with surround sound.
Release and reception
The game was released for Windows in North America on February 28, 2006, and in the United Kingdom on March 3. The Xbox 360 port followed in North America on July 5 and in the United Kingdom on July 14. A Collector's Edition included a bonus DVD with the full original music score, in-game cinematics and trailers, a documentary titled The Making of The Battle for Middle-earth II, and a gallery of cinematic paintings and concept art. The Windows version received generally favorable reviews, with an aggregated score of 84% on Metacritic. Praise focused on its integration of the Lord of the Rings franchise with the real-time strategy genre, while criticism targeted the unbalanced multiplayer mode. The game received IGN's Editor's Choice Award. At the end of March 2006, it reached fourth in the month's best-selling PC games list, with the Collector's Edition at eighth place. In the second month, it was the 12th best-selling PC game. The computer version received a Silver sales award from ELSPA, indicating at least 100,000 copies sold in the United Kingdom.
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