Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 Collector's Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a big fan of real-time strategy (RTS) games, I found this game to be a bit more than the average base-building, resource-collecting fare. To be sure, there is a lot of this kind of activity required in the game, but it is presented in a way that does not seem bland or too conventional. The game does not break a lot of new ground for the genre like, say, Dawn of War or Rise of Nations, but it does offer an interesting spin.

Gameplay: There are a few options here that should keep most players preoccupied for a while. First, there is the campaign mode that allows for play as either the good or evil side. Each of the campaigns have eight scenarios which for the most part are your standard base-building, land-conquering variety. Overall, the missions are well done and are a great introduction to the other gameplay options. Another gameplay mode is the War of the Ring. This is a mix of turn-based and real-time gaming in which factions try to take over a map of Middle Earth by moving armies around. It is a very well-done gaming mode that should allow for a lot of replayability. Thirdly, there is a skirmish mode as well as online play. The game comes with several maps, but unfortunately there is an overabundance of 2-player maps and a shortage of larger maps (only one 8-player map).

Each of the six playable races (men, elves, dwarves, Mordor, Isengard, and goblins) feels unique enough to offer a range of gameplay options. Each has several units, many upgrades, unique powers, various heroes, and other perks. Also, the game ships with a "create-a-hero" template that allows you to create your own in-game hero. This options, while a good idea, is rather limited in regard to the appearance of your hero. Heroes are better implemented in this game than in other RTS games (like Warcraft 3) and can level up without having to hunt down "creeps" or perform other distracting tasks. I assume that a future patch will adjust some of the heroes so that they are better balanced against each other.

The gameplay itself is very frenetic and engaging, and on medium and higher difficulties, the fighting starts early. The game's AI is generally good and will make it a point to destroy your buildings at every opportunity, along with your units. Occasionally, I've witnessed a few lapses with the AI, such as cases in which enemy units were not immediately noticed and attacked. Otherwise, the AI holds its own in most fights.I've only noticed a few flaws in the game, but they are worth commenting upon. First, buildings and walls are far too weak and easily destroyed. Since games are won or lost based on your resource and unit output, it's a shame that a few infantry units can destroy an upgraded fortress in seconds. Of course, lesser structures like farms go down even quicker. Also, the game is not really geared toward epic siege warfare, which was one of the great things about the movies. Walls are not only weak but they are far to expensive to be practical and are difficult (perhaps impossible?) to repair. Additionally, the resource model encourages you to spread your farms apart for maximum benefit, so there is little possibility of having a compact, well-fortified, walled-in base. A patch could correct much of this (such as the strength and cost of buildings and walls), which would allow for more strategic and tactical possibilities such as siege warfare (requiring actual siege weapons) and turtling. There is naval warfare in the game, which is generally done well. However, very few maps allow it.

Graphics: This is a great-looking game. Lots of attention to detail in the environment as well as in the models. Unit animations, explosions, magical effects, weather, and other visuals are very convincing. The cutscenes for the campaigns are based on the game models and some wonderful paintings. The animations are not quite as dramatic and visceral as those of Dawn of War, but they are nonetheless quite good. And there are a lot of them. It never gets old seeing Tom Bombadil punching foes in the face or summoning the terrible wrath of a Balrog. Even common occurrences, such as Roharrim cavalry mowing down infantry, are always good for a smile. The game does require a decent computer to get the most out of the visuals. I have a mid-range machine (P4 3.0ghz, 1GB of RAM, Geforce 6600GT) and still get a bit of lag when there are a lot of units fighting on screen. However, EA went the extra mile on graphics, and it really paid off.

Sound: Everything is in order in this department. There are a lot of spoken sound-bites for each of the races, along with appropriate sounds for monsters, weapons, building construction, explosions, magical effects, and so on. The epic music from the movies plays in the background to set the atmosphere. All of the auditory elements of the game serve their purpose well.

Replayability/Technical Issues: The game should have a decent shelf life for RTS gamers, assuming that EA supports it with patches and an occasional bonus map. A map editor is available for download at the official website (www.bfme2.ea.com). The manual that comes with the game is decent, but the in-game tutorials are better. The game has been pretty stable for me with no installation issues. It did crash twice between turns in the War of the Ring mode. However, this was no big deal since I had been playing for several hours and had recently saved the game.

Overall, if you like RTS games, this is a good purchase. The Collector's Edition comes with a bonus DVD that has vignettes about how the game was made, cutscenes, the soundtrack, and a few other things. Also, this edition includes a few bonus items such as a dragon and extra maps.It's probably worth the extra dollars for anyone who liked the movies.

Overall rating: 4.25 stars

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Product Description:

In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, the sequel to the critically acclaimed RTS game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth you now have the chance to experience all that Middle-earth was meant to be.Given a new agreement with The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises that grants EA the rights to develop games based on the books, in addition to a separate agreement that allows for games based on the New Line Cinema films The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II will introduce players to depths of the fiction never before explored by EA.With all new content from J.R.R. Tolkien's original fiction, delve deeper than ever before and engage in new battles that go beyond the award-winning movie trilogy. Wage war in the North and assume command of the most storied civilizations in all of Middle-earth history--the Elven and Dwarven armies--or fight on the side of Evil with heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings films. Defend or overtake never before seen lands such as Dol Guldur, The Misty Mountains, and Mirkwood as you unleash powerful new weapons and abilities--summon dragons, cause volcanoes to erupt, or bring down a cataclysmic lightning strike.But beware, with greater power comes greater adversity. Your enemies, commanded by a powerful new AI system, possess a greater tactical edge and more powerful spells. Will your armies have the fortitude to persevere? New races, places, heroes, and battles from books & films

Command all the races of Middle-earth with three all new factions including Elves, Dwarves, and Goblins.
Win the war in the North single-player campaign with all-new story that takes you to places and battles of Middle-earth previously unseen.

Customization, Command, & Control

Build your own landmark castle with fully customizable and upgradeable fortresses and walls.
Create your own hero with all new customized RTS units that are your avatars in-game.
Control battles with all-new enemy AI, melee combat, and flanking, adding unprecedented tactical fidelity.

This special Collector's Edition also includes:

Exclusive Bonus DVD in High Definition (HD) Mastered in HD for the ultimate high resolution experience on your PC or HD TV
Entire musical score features original music created exclusively for The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II
In-game cinematics and trailers in high resolution and surround sound
"The Making of The Battle for Middle-earth II": The story of the team behind The Battle for Middle-earth series including never before seen videos and exclusive interviews with key development team members
"The Art of the Game": The ultimate collection of artwork created for the game, including hundreds of cinematic paintings and key pieces of concept work
Exclusive In-Game Content. All new fire-breathing Dragon on the battlefield, this impressive unit can only be controlled by players who purchase the Collector's Edition
Special graphic treatment for "create-a-hero" units identify Collector's Edition gamers during on-line play
Multiple exclusive maps including signature locations from The Lord of the Rings films, such as Weathertop and Argonath
Two-sided, 11-by-17-inch Exclusive Campaign Map Poster
Gorgeous high resolution map of Middle-earth created exclusively for the game--"Good" side lists out all the campaign locations from the good campaign while the "Evil" side lists out its campaign locations and descriptions
The perfect companion piece while playing the Good or Evil game missions
A rebate coupon for savings on a new NVIDIA graphics card

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Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar Special Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was in closed beta for a short time. I have a pretty critical view on where I spend my money and I don't like paying for a game that is released unfinished. This is the first MMO I have beta'd, out of five, where I continued on into retail.

LOTRO has had one of the smoothest launches ever, has made tough calls early in maintaining player economy, is selling a well polished product day one, and has already announced the first expansion (FREE) for June.

The beginning levels are fun and different for the various races, making for good replayability/alt characters. Players are rewarded beyond simple killing for exploration of areas, use of skills, etc in a way that makes players actually PLAY their characters rather than worrying about how much exp/hour they can make. Mindless grinding will get a player levels, but only by playing, exploring, and using their character's abilities will they gain full character development. Many skills have effects that are not in the description or are synergetic with other skills that the hack-n-slash/low attention span player will miss.

MMOs have a hard time balancing familiarity with originality. Turbine has walked a tightrope between accuracy and playability and IMO has done a fine job.

Perhaps the biggest lure is that there is MUCH more of Middle Earth that will be coming over the years and getting to experience the process is something I look forward to.

Specific to the SE items, they are nice if you like "making of" info and want the soundtrack. The in-game item and map are underwhelming and should not be the reason you pay extra for the SE.

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Product Description:
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is an authentic recreation of Middle-Earth. In this massive multiplayer online game, you'll explore legendary lands & interact with famous characters like Gandalf and Aragorn. Create your own heroic story as the Fellowship embarks on their quest to destroy the One Ring. Defend the Free Peoples against Sauron's evil minion, the Nazgul Witch-King. Adventure solo or forge fellowships, battle hideous monsters and rise to fame in the most epic MMO ever launched. Collector's Edition contains: FREE subscription, 128-page manual, cloth map of Middle-Earth, digital art book, exclusive figurine, exclusive in-game items: "Cloak of the Peace Keeper" +2 Peace Morale Regen. Create items both legendary and mundane -Farm in the Shire or forge weapons and armor in Thorin's Halls; craft arms for the fight against the Dark Lord Sauron, or enjoy more peaceful activities like cooking and farming Meet and socialize with thousands of other players and fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's works -- chat & interact at the Prancing Pony in Bree, the Green Dragon Inn in the Shire, or any of the many other social centers throughout the land Experience hundreds of quests while you journey through Middle-Earth -- swim the Brandywine River or make your way through the mists of the Old Forest

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Lord of The Rings The Return of The King Review

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(More customer reviews)Having just come from Comic-Con where it was available for visitors to play, this is a great game.I've greatly enjoyed the Two Towers game, but this one beats it hands down.The graphics are superior in every way: The environments are rich and natural (wait until you see Minas Tirith in flames) and the characters are much more detailed, even down to fabric and hair texture.The fights are just as engaging as in Two Towers (cave trolls everywhere!) and as in TT the original actors' voices are used extensively.
But here's the best: There is team play!You and your significant other (who obviously wouldn't be your significat other if they didn't love LOTR) can now play right along side of your character.Legolas and Gimli back to back fighting trolls as the city burns around them!(And in one full screen -not some disorienting split-screen.)
Sorry, you will have no choice but to buy this game - and you will never see the light of day again.

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Product Description:
Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King brings the incredible adaptation of the classic Tolkien novel to life. Become the heroes who determine the fate of Middle-earth as you defend Middle-Earth and destroy the One Ring. Return to Middle-Earth in the only Video game based on the epic final chapter of the highly-acclaimed movie trilogy!

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The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II Review

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(More customer reviews)When I gave up computer gaming for the cheaper and more simple world of console gaming I had one regret- stratgy games. They are my alltime favorite form of video gaming and I knew that they were next to impossiable to find and translate on a console. The last real time stratgy game I remember on a console was a port of Red Alert 2 on the old Playstation. When I heard LOTR Battle for Middle Earth was coming to the 360 I was hopfull but still afraid it wouldn't work- but I was happilly wrong. The controller works GREAT- not quite as good as a mouse but it is the next to the best thing. In fact one can argue that the camera control works better witht he 360 than the pc.
All that aside this is also just agreat game. It is very balanced and a lot of fun. The cpu is smart and tough and gives quite a challange to you. But of course the real deal is this game on Xbox live. It is a lot of fun and there is a lot of challange. I cannot reccomend this game enough. I just now pray that the upcoming C&C game will also be on the 360. PLEASE ea make it so.

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Product Description:
Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth II allows you to continue the adventure as you battle the forces of Mordor. Wage war in the North and assume command of the most storied civilizations in all of Middle-Earth history: The Elven and Dwarven armies. You can also choose to fight on the side of Evil with heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings films. Defend or overtake never before seen lands such as Dol Guldur, The Misty Mountains, and Mirkwood as you unleash powerful new weapons and abilities - summon dragons, cause volcanoes to erupt, or bring down a cataclysmic lightning strike. Create your own hero with in-game avatars & customized RTS units

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Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition Stratego Review

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(More customer reviews)We are always on the lookout for fun strategy games for two players. Sometimes chess is just a little more thinking than we feel like doing and we find that some other strategy games, like Risk, just aren't as much fun with only two players. Enter Stratego, not as lengthy and mentally draining as chess can be and made for two players. The game does involve some strategy and we have alot of fun trying to outwit and outguess each others manuevers. I also love it because sometimes I can actually win unlike chess!
The Lord of the Rings version is a great idea. There are three variations of play. First, normal play as in classic Stratego where pieces move traditionally and object is to capture opponent's flag, using more recent rules where 10 is highest ranked piece though. Second, special powers game where some of the characters like Legolas, Gimli, Sauron, etc. have special movement abilities or powers bestowed on them. Third, special mission which plays like special powers but with the added element that Frodo has to reach Mount Doom and destroy the ring with dire consequences for the white team if he is captured or for the dark team if he succeeds. If you have multiple players you can also form two teams to play.
As for durability, I rated it at four stars. The board and plastic castle pieces seem very sturdy and should last forever. The storage platform for the playing pieces was flimsy cardboard though and the sides were slit so it falls over scattering the pieces. We taped the sides and that solved the problem but you don't really need to use the storage platform for the game pieces at all. You could just keep the pieces loose in the game box or put them in plastic bags. Also, be aware that there are forty pieces per player and they come blank with a sheet of stickers to apply to each, so you will need to stick 80 stickers total on the pieces for the initial set up.
One final tip! If your opponent is like mine and does victory laps around the living room with his arms in the air screaming the lyrics of Queen's We Are the Champions anytime he wins ANYTHING, you know he has to be taken down. I recommend Ed's Stratego site on the web as a good place to pick up strategy tips from some serious and experienced Stratego players for this. Please note though that they are following the older versions where 1 is the highest ranked piece, so adjust accordingly. Have fun!!

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Product Description:
Command your favorite trilogy characters as you strive to control Middle-earth. This game combines classic Stratego gameplay with exciting The Lord of the Rings adventures. Use memory, cunning and luck to capture your opponent's ring and win the game. Play with up to two players.

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Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, this is a portable game. Portable games are not meant to live up to console games, and they don't. However, the can still be immensly enjoyable, and this game is a prime example. Why? Well, I'll tell you.
This is a sequel to last year's Two Towers game. So the gameplay is very similiar, but with some welcome tweaks and gameplay differences that add to the game. Here are some examples:
The characters attacks have more animation. (What I mean by this is that their attacks have more moves) All you do to attack is press the B button of course, but unlike in the Two Towers, your character does more than one monotonus motion. This is a very welcome tweak to gameplay.
While this is only a little thing, you can see reflections in the water of your character. This adds to the realism of the game greatly.
Do you remember in The Two Towers when you could heal at any time with your active skill of Herbal Healing? This was convenient, because in the midst of a fray, if you were getting low on health and had enough Spirit Points, you could heal with the press of a button. To do that in this game, you must have Kingsfoil herbs in your backpack. If you have no herbs, you can't heal. (In turn, healing does not deplete spirit points any more). I suppose this makes the game more realistic, but it also makes it much harder.
Okay. I've listed the three major gameplay changes. Now to tell about the game.
It follows the plot of the movie very closely. You go to Orthanc, the Paths of the Dead, Gondor, Mordor, and many more places. If you play as a different character, you get different levels. Here are the players you can play as.
Aragorn. The best hand-to-hand fighter in the game. Those who have played the Two Towers remember his two-sword capability. He still has that in this game, but it is no longer a passive skill.
Legolas. The best fighter, period.
Gandalf. While Gandalf is not the best fighter, he is the funnest character to play as because of the places he goes, namely Gondor.
Gimli. Sadly, Gimli is one of the worst fighters in the game. Howver, you will probably want to play as him, because he was not a playable character in TTT
Frodo. Frodo I think, is the second funnest character to play as. (He goes to Mordor!!)
Eowyn. Why in the world would anyone want to play as her?
While this is mainly an action game, it has some interesting role-playing elements to it that are not on the console version of the game. You can pick up and equip items that you find along the way. These items include various types of weapons, armor, shoes, gloves, helmets, and many other things. You really do have to pay attention to this. It is critical to beating the game. When you kill an orc, he might drop something. Stand on the item and press the R button to pick it up. It will be put inside your backpack, which is accsessible with a press of the Start button. If you find an item which is better than what you are using, put it on!! (Press the A button and choose Equip) You can also sell items at forges for gems.
In this game, the more orcs you kill, the more experience points you earn. When you earn enough experience points, you will be able to upgrade your strength, accuracy, defense, health, and so on. You absolutely must know how to do this, and do it throughout the game. If you don't, you will never beat it. This is how it works: To the left of the screen, there is a little bar that gets filled with green as you kill more orcs. When you kill enough, you will hear a sound and the green stuff will be gone. Here is what to do. Press the start button to go to your backpack. When you are there, press the L button. You will be taken to a screen that has all your attribute listed. (strength, accuracy, health, defense, and courage). Use your directional pad to raise there numbers. (Tip: The only attributes that you really need to raise are your Strength and Accuracy. Every once in while, put some points in you're defense and health. Never even bother with courage. In fact, sometimes just put all 5 points in strength. The more strength you have, the less hits it takes to kill enemies. This is crucial. Accuracy is also crucial. The more accurate you are, the less likely it is for your opponent to block your attack.) When your done, hit the R button again to go to the Passive and Active skill screen. Passive skills are like attributes, always in affect. Active skills are active, and you press the A button to use them. These are usually long range attacks, magic attacks, and power-ups. (Jeeze, I'd love to just give an entire walkthrough of this game, but it would take a lot more than 1,000 words!!)
However, here are the downfalls of the game.
1: I wish they had made it a bit more like the console version, where you can use both a sword and a bow. As Legolas, you can only use a bow. And it is very unrealistic the way he just goes Toing..Toing..Toing.. Time after time, and never runs out. And as for everybody else, there long range attacks are active skills, and drain spirit points.
2: It is much, much harder than the Two Towers ever was. Some parts can be downright maddening, to the point where you want to just take a sledgehammer to the whole thing. But calm down, take a break, come back later and try again. You will get past it eventually.
But now I must cut short this review. If I ever get ahold of any cheat codes, I will revise the review with them. This is an awesome game, and a must have for a portable gamer. If you are a console gamer, get the PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube versions, which are even better.

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Product Description:
Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King lets you join in the adventure of the classic fantasy trilogy. In this final chapter, you'll fight to help destroy the One Ring, before its corrupting influence becomes too powerful.

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Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This game is really really fun to play!I bought it the day after it was released, and I still haven't been able to put it down.It is such a great improvement over Two Towers that you'll be hooked as well.The story itself centers around 3 different paths: Gandalf as he defends Minas Tirith from another Helm's Deep-sized army, Frodo+Sam on their journey to Mordor, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli as they travel through the Paths of the Dead, to Minas Tirith, and so forth.The levels themselves are beautifully rendered, and the addition of weapons in specific environments really makes for a completely new feeling game.The controls are much more detailed, so now if you get surrounded you can easily engage multiple enemies at a time.And finally after all the complaints about it not being in Two Towers, you can also play Co-op with a friend!No more having split screens, you both play on a normal sized screen!This game also features the option to play online, but since I don't have the capabilities to do so, I can't really review that part.The only thing stopping me from giving this 5 stars is that some of the levels are incredibly hard, even when set on easy.I guarantee that you'll go through each level a few times before you beat it.All in all this game is definitely worth the money and your time, so I recommend that you purchase it.

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Product Description:
Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King brings the incredible adaptation of the classic Tolkien novel to life. Become the heroes who determine the fate of Middle-earth as you defend Middle-Earth and destroy the One Ring. Return to Middle-Earth in the only Video game based on the epic final chapter of the highly-acclaimed movie trilogy!

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Lord of the Rings The Return of the King Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I being a huge fan of "The Lord of the Rings" movies and video games, cannot wait for this game to be released. Basically, if you liked "The Two Towers" (which was released on all systems), you will love "The Return of the King"!! This game will have three major story branches and up to 9 or 10 playable characters (some being secret characters which you will have to unlock). In this game you not only play through one strict story line what ever character you choose, you now can play as Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee and follow through their footsteps, the player can lead an army through the Dead Marshes as Aragorn and in doin so, raise the army of the dead, and the player can also play as Gandalf the White(about friggin time) and slay orcs on the walls of Minas Tirith. Just about everything from Two Towers has been improved and put into this upcoming game. Probably the newest feature I am most excited about is the new Co-op mode. That's right, now two people can play through the game together(they should have put this in "The Two Towers)!! And also just like almost every single sequel they have improved the graphics greatly. I hope this review was helpful to you.

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Product Description:
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King brings the incredible adaptation of the classic Tolkien novel to life, on your game system!

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BATTLE FOR MIDDLE EARTH 2 - WITCH KING Review

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(More customer reviews)This game has a lot of traits like the Age of Empire games, you build a city and surround it with walls, attack an enemy with units base on the type you're attacking. For ex you won't attack buildings with archers, you have to hit them with siege weapons, attack cavalry with pike man and so on. Recourses are base on how much land you own, take the Elves for example, you build the life trees and they cover a small area, you stack too many in the same area they won't generate very much gold, but the more area you spread them out over the higher your income per second is. You can create your own heroes and change the way they look.
The game overall is a good game, there are a lot of things they could improve on like the fact that you have to take a whole wall section out to repair a small part of it.

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Product Description:
Platform:WINDOWS XPPublisher:ELECTRONIC ARTSPackaging:DVD STYLE BOXRating:TEENLord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-Earth II: The Rise of the Witch-King expands the universe Tolkiem created. This expansion pack to the fan favorite game series lets youmand the rise of evil in Middle-earth while experiencing the epic battles that took place before the films. Be the leader of an evil faction and lead an invasion of the peaceful kingdom of Arnor home of Aragorn's ancestors. To fully experience the evil side of Middle-earth gamers can now play as the all new Angmar faction in skirmish multiplayer and War of the Ring modes.Features:Innovative new units will help to tell the story of the evil Witch-King's rise to power domination of Angmar and invasion of the great kingdom of ArnorUpgraded Create-A-Hero features - The new roll class boasts additional weapons and armor for more customizationWar of the Ring the risk-style meta-game offers upgraded army persistence a new siege dynamic on the Living World Map and unified territories that serve as major control pointsIncludes all-new content from Tolkien's original stories delving deeper than ever into the story behind the award-winning movie trilogy System Requirements:Operating System: Windows XPOn-Line Compatible: YesRequirements : Windows XP (32-bit) with Admin rights1.6 GHz Intel Celeron D/Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP/Sempron or greater.256 MB RAM or more8x or faster CD/DVD drive6.0 GB free hard drive spaceDirectX 9.0cpatible; Video card must be AGP or PCIExpress have 64 MB or more memory.DirectX 9.0cpatible (Sound Blaster X-Fi series rmended).

Get 67% OFF

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Review

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(More customer reviews)For a true Tolkien fan, this game is a masterpiece. It focuses on hack and slash action (nonstop, except cutscenes) based on the first two new line cinema movies.
Graphics: Player models are good, sometimes funny to look at though. The game beautifully blends scenes from the movies with the graphics from the game.
Sound: Soundtracks from the movies, combined with all the original actors voicing the characters. Dolby Digital 5.1 makes this a realistic experience, swords clashing all around you. It doesn't get much more like the movie than that!
Story: Exactly as Tolkien made it. The game is told by Aragorn talking to Eowyn (I think) and telling her of his adventures.
Gameplay: Excellent, I couldn't be more pleased with the tremendous action that makes you feel like a part of the Fellowship.You upgrade your weapons (and life) and earn more moves by purchasing them with upgrade points that you earn after each level. The better score you got in the level, the more upgrade points you recieve. I would have liked for the game to not be so restrictive. Some of the time it feels like an old fashioned side scroller, for you can only move left and right, even though the "real" world is still untraversed.The parts which allow you to move freely are small, I would be more pleased if the game allowed you to go more places.
Replayability: Excellent. This game is beat on "easy" in very little time, but you can unlock a bonus mission and a secret character with more playing. There is no multiplayer :( I would have liked cooperative.The thing I like about this game most would be that whenever I feel in a "Tolkien" mood, I just put in the Two Towers and enjoy the storyline and action sequences over and over again.
Great game! Kept me by the TV for a long while, but rent if you have any doubts about it.

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Product Description:
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers action-adventure game allows players to take control of the trilogy's action heroes--Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli--with other members of the fellowship taking an active role during gameplay. Players battle a variety of Orcs and square off against vicious boss monsters including the Cave Troll and Saruman. A tactical gameplay system encourages players to react quickly and be strategic with their selection of characters, weaponry, and combat moves.

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Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Hi I attended this years E3 festival. For those of you who don't know what it is it is an expo type thing(just trying to sound simple) where gamers come from all over and get together where they show off new game systems and various sorts of games. It's a gamers dreamworld. You also get to play some of the new games atthings called game stations. I also happen to beLotr(Lord of the rings) freak.I stood in a long line to aquire this bit of information that I will share with you. I found this stuff out at E3.
One ring to rule them all... Based on New Line Cinema's epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings?, The Two Towers? video games will integrate cinema and gameplay to deliver an epic interactive experience. In the game, players will be able to relive the most memorable movie moments from the first two films, "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers."
EA's first The Lord of the Rings action adventure game will allow players to take control of the motion picture trilogy's action heroes: Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, with other members of the Fellowship taking an active role during gameplay. In The Two Towers, players will battle a variety of Orcs and square off against vicious boss monsters including the Cave Troll and Saruman. A tactical gameplay system will encourage players to react quickly and be strategic with their selection of characters, weaponry and combat moves.
Middle Earth comes to life in spectacular detail. Set in over 16 mission locations, each environment will have a close visual correlation to that seen in the first two films. As a backdrop to the action, the game will feature Howard Shore's Academy Award-winning musical score.
Electronic Arts has secured the exclusive worldwide licensing rights to create games based on New Line's epic trilogy. The Two Towers will be the first in an ongoing series of The Lord of the Rings games.
Key Features
Three playable characters: Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (Gandolf is also available in the GBA version).
Third person action/adventure gameplay with an emphasis on tactical sword fighting.
Hundreds of unique combat animations.
Battle five boss monsters from the first two movies, including the Cave Troll and Saruman.
Sixteen levels consisting of memorable movie moments from the first two films.
Face the evil forces of Sauron in over 10 environments from the movies, including the Mines of Moria and the walls of Helm's Deep.
Musical score taken from Academy Award-winning The Fellowship of the Ring.
Multiplayer modes allows for up to four-player gameplay via the GBA Link Cable (GBA only).
I can't wait for the game 5 Stars but I wish I could give six or more.

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Product Description:
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers lets you experience the intense action of the classic novel & new movie!

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The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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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!

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The Lord of the Rings: Tactics Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been skeptical about the LotR games since I bought the PC version of Fellowship of the Ring -- not a bad game, but definitely not what I was expecting.I waited a couple of days before opening this one because I was preparing myself to be let down.Wow!Was I wrong...

LotR: Tactics is a turn-based, combat-centric strategy game based on the movies more so than the books.If you leave all the geeky fact-checking behind (trust me, I know how difficult that is... the LotR movies without Tom Bombadil???Arwen with a sword???) and just concentrate on the game, you'll get much more enjoyment out of it.

There are six playable heroes - Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Sam, and Frodo - that appear in the Fellowship portion of the game, some are required for certain missions, others are selectable.I haven't played the other side yet, but you are also able to run the game playing the evil forces (cool!).Each character has skills that can be upgraded by purchasing buffs between battles, and all characters have access to a common pool of items you can purchase.Each character is ideally suited for one specific purpose, but mastering the game requires knowing the right combinations of skills that will accomplish goals fastest.

The combat system is pretty straightforward, as is the movement system.It is imperative to master movement strategies, as this will determine what skills and attacks are usable in various situations.Characters typically move 3 spaces per turn, but may have their movement limited by the movement of opponents or other characters.When a player character moves into contact with an opponent, the move ends for that character, which may impact other movement for the round.Because the game simultaneously moves all players/opponents, the axiom applies that the best laid plans go out the window when the battle starts.

After moving, a character can elect to attack, use an item, or make use of a skill.A melee attack can be waged against an opponent in base-to-base contact with a character, while a missile attack (bow & arrow or thrown object) can be waged against remote targets, subject to line of sight.Any character can use an item purchased between battles, but forfeits the right to an attack on that turn.Just so, skills may be used in place of an attack, with a wide variety of results, based on the character performing the act.The skill may be a special attack, a magic spell, a performance booster for one or more characters, or a special ability (Legolas and Aragorn can do light healing and provide fear resistance bonuses to allies).Each skill use requires action points (AP), which each character has to a certain degree.Controlling AP use is almost as important as monitoring character health.

Unlike real-time strategy games, the turn-based format is fantastic for a handheld console.RTS would require a larger view area or constant panning, with little time to actually enjoy the game.The turn-based design allows the player to get a larger scope of control with a big-picture mentality.It also gives you the essential time you need to link movements and skills together.Fans of CCGs will quickly master the integration of these skills into unique and devastating combinations.

The controls are very easy to grasp, and the tutorial does a fantastic job of showing you almost everything you need to play the game.Graphics are excellent, despite a couple of comments I've read elsewhere.Try using the joystick to zoom in and out on characters, or to rotate your battlefield view; make sure to scan the battlefield for terrain features, layout of obstacles, and premium sniper positions for your archers.

Game play roughly follows the advancement of the story, interspersed by clips from the films.I haven't purchased any UMD-based movies yet, but if the picture is as crisp as the clips in the game, I'll be out picking up some titles this weekend.

Finally, keep in mind that the name of the game is "tactics."This should be enough to remind you that it centers on combat, uses only items and skills related to combat, and features playable content only related to battles.

I've had this game for five days now, and have stopped only to sleep and let my battery recharge (much to the chagrin of my wife).To this point, I have only played the hero missions, but I'm preparing to go back now and play as Sauron's minions.Should be a blast.Don't hesitate: pick up this game!!!

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Product Description:
Lord of the Rings Tactics puts players in the universe of Middle-Earth, for adventures that go beyond the books and films. This tactical RPG game lets players guideAragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Gandalf and Sauron, among others. In turn-based action, you'll use your strategic abilities to gain advantage over the enemy and determine the future of Middle-Earth.Simultaneous turn-taking in single and multiplayer

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The Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria Review

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(More customer reviews)Turbine did a great job with this expansion.

They added two new classes: the warden and the rune keeper. I was happy with concept behind the classes.

The warden is a mix between the champion(melee AOE DPS), and the guardian(tank). Great solo class! They are officially a tank class, but again, they have decent DPS as well. They have a "gambit" system. What this is, is when you click skills in a certain succession, you will come up with a certain special skill to use. It's good to memorize the gambits and what skills get them to pop up. Some heal, others do extra damage, still others give better blocking, etc...

The rune keeper is a fairly advanced class. I thought it was a lot of fun, but there is a bit of a learning curve - especially if you are new to the game. That said, once they come into their own, they can be great ranged DPS(second to the hunter), and great healers(second to the minstrel). There is a range bar that goes both ways. The more it climbs one way, the more the skills get powerful. The reverse is true as well though. If you are blasting things with your DPS skills, your heals will be weaker(some will not even be available) - and vice versus.They overhauled the graphics a bit. I noticed they looked sharper right away.

I like the new legendary items. Even if you are one who likes to race to the max level, you can still continue to advance because the items also level up as well. As they level they get more powerful.

Next is the new areas themselves. I have only been playing a few months, so I am not an authority in this area. That said, many of my kinsmen(guild mates) have been there. They say the graphics are really awesome, and give you a real sense of being in an underground ancient civilization. They also commented on how enormous and how epic the place felt.

As far as PvP - or PvMP in this case, They revamped and did some balances to the Moors. The moors, for those who don't know is the Ettinmoors. There is a instanced area where players fight against monster players and also do quests/objectives in a very large valley. The valley is a lot bigger than AV (Alterac Valley from WOW).

I want to point out one thing that was true before the expansion, and continues to be now: the crafting. The crafting in this game is very well thought out. It's not perfect(besides we all have different definitions of that anyway), but it is fun and relevant. I can buy items that were crafted that are pretty much in the same ball park as PvP and raid items. This makes for a decent player economy. It's not as complicated as EQ2, but more so that WOW, IMHO. A good happy medium if you will.

Anyway, as a long time 3+ year WOW player who recently moved on, I can really appreciate this game, and the great job they did on the expansion.
If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings, or simply love MMO's with a good but not stiflingstory, then this is a good place to invest some time into.

*edit 2/27/09*

I still love this game. In fact the soon to come book 7(free content update) will open up all of Lothlorien! They wanted to release this content with the expansion, but decided to hold off as they only wanted to release it when it was refined and done well. I can really respect their attention to detail.As for Moria, I am loving it! It really is epic and well done. There are many different "environs" in it so you don't get bored with the same ole same ole. If you haven't yet gotten it, or were thinking of getting back into the game, now is a great time to do so!

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Product Description:
The 2007 PC MMO Game of the Year returns with an all-new breakthrough title! The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria drops you into the dark majesty of the world beneath Middle-earth. Explore a truly vast underground environment like you've never seen before. Battle the terrors of the Nameless Deep with new legendary items that evolve and grow in power as you do. Experience the dread and wonder of Moria as one of the new Rune-keeper and Warden classes. Achieve greatness as you seek to claim the knowledge and power lost for generations! This Complete Edition includes the original title Shadows of Angmar, all content updates, plus the Mines of Moria expansion.

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The Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth Anthology Review

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(More customer reviews)We multiplayer with and against each other and have a blast doing it... My sons and I are huge fans of the LOTR series and these RTS games are the most enjoyed and most played in my house....

... for those concerned about Vista OS compatability, we have had no issues. We solo and multi on two vista and one xp computers without any issues.

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Product Description:
Command the legendary heroes and armies of legend in Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth Anthology. Your goal is to step into a new world, one taken from the books & films. 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! Includes Battle For Middle Earth I & II, plus the Rise Of The Witch-King expansion.
Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth features:Single-player story campaign takes you to previously unseen Middle-Earth places and battles -Dol Guldur, The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood Control battles with all-new enemy AI, melee combat, and flanking, adding unprecedented tactical fidelityExtend your battlefield with larger than life battles at seaCreate your own hero with in-game avatars & customized RTS unitsUnleash powerful new weapons and abilities - summon dragons, cause volcanoes to erupt, or bring down a cataclysmic lightning strikeLord of the Rings -The Rise of the Witch-King features -Lead an evil faction's invasion of Arnor, home of Aragorn's ancestors Play the new Angmar faction in skirmish, multiplayer, and War of the Ring modes Upgraded Create-A-Hero features -New roll class boasts additional weapons and armor, for more customization War of the Ring -A Risk like meta-game offering upgraded army persistence, a new siege dynamic on the Living World Map and unified territories that serve as major control pointsAll-new content from Tolkien's original stories, delving deeper than ever into the story behind the award-winning movie trilogy

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The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)(I deduct one "overall" star because the game's launch had a lot of multiplayer tournament problems.Those appear to have been resolved in the recent v1.02 patch which you will download automatically the first time you sign on.)

Gameplay:
BFME2 is what I would call a "true real-time strategy game".In most RTS games (e.g. Starcraft, Age of Empires) you are really playing a "real-time tactical game".You must focus a lot of effort on directing your troops at a micromanagement level, telling them who, exactly, they are supposed to shoot at, one guy at a time.

The BFME series has simplified this by creating "batallions".Instead of building archers 1 at a time, you'll build them 15 at a time and they come out as an organized batallion.You cannot tell your 15 archers to focus fire on 1 enemy unit, you can only tell them to fire on another batallion.The details of how they direct their fire is up to them.The time you aren't spending directing fire can now be spent on executing a bigger plan.

Consequently, BFME2 is one of the very few RTS games that rewards multi-pronged attacks and flanking.Units get a flanking bonus for attacking enemies from behind and the fact that you don't need to babysit every single fight means you can leave one battle to go start up a second front somewhere else and not worry so much about the fight you aren't watching.

BFME2 also introduces a new resource model which greatly rewards map ownership.Rather than fighting over piles of resources and ignoring the other 90% of the map like most RTS games, BFME2 has resource collection spread across the entire map.The more you control, the more money you get.Factions have been completely re-balanced to accomodate this -- in BFME1, the human teams could not match Mordor in an open land war but in BFME2, they can.They need to, if they want any money!Singleplayer:
BFME2 covers portions of the war that were not covered by the movies.The first mission of the Good Campaign has you fighting off Goblins around Rivendell, for example.

Single player has 4 options:
- Skirmish, the usual you-vs-computer battle mode.
- Good Campaign.
- Evil Campaign.
- War of the Ring.This is a new and improved version of the "living world map" they had in the first game.They fleshed it out and now it's more like a free-form game of LOTR Risk.You and the other players start off in various sections of middle earth and conquer the map any way you choose.Battles can be resolved RTS style or automatically (Civilization style) and this mode also has multiplayer support (one War of the Ring game could take a very long time if you resolve every battle in RTS mode!)Playable sides:
- Dwarves.Dwarven units tend to be slow but tough.They aren't big on cavalry but their infantry is very good.They gather resources with mines and they can also use these mines for travelling -- enter one mine and pop out at any other mine, anywhere on the map!This gives dwarves a good ability to hold ground once they've taken it.

- Goblins.Similar to dwarves in that they can build mines and use them for travel.Goblins are a "spamarific" species, though, with a lot of large batallions of inexpensive but brittle troops.They do, however, have some very, very fast units and are excellent for hit-and-runs.

- Mordor.Not entirely unlike the Mordor from BFME1, but minus the free troops.Mordor has poor defenses and plays best as a very aggressive team.As Mordor, you need to push your opponet early and keep pushing while you upgrade to better units and work on more resources.Mordor lacks the mobility of the goblins and dwarves and lacks the speed of the elves but they do have a great ability to flood the map with orcs.

- Isengard.Similar to the Isengard from the first game, you rely more on strong infantry with strong upgrades.Similar to Mordor, this is a good team for someone who likes to take a strong offensive.Warg Riders give Isengard some good cavalry but it's usually the Uruks that form the real destructive force of any army.

- Elves.Elves are fast on their feet with especially good archers.They can be played offensively or defensively with pretty good effectiveness.Try to use your fast feet to keep the enemy pinned in while you build up for the kill, or play defensive and work on leveling up some of your powerful archer heroes.

- Men of the West.This team is basically Gondor + Rohan from the original game.Human infantry is pretty strong, especially in shield-wall mode and they can do a good job of soaking up damage while your archers do the real hurting.Humans also have pretty much the best cavalry in the game, making them quite lethal at either hit-and-runs, or for backing up a strong infantry army.Other new stuff:
This game adds "stances" and some new unit powers.Stances allow all units in the game to decide if they want extra damage at the expense of lower armor, or higher armor at the expense of lower damage, or a balance.Human Swordsmen in the defensive stance with shield wall activated are extremely tough.If an enemy is banging on your buildings and ignoring your units, set your units to aggressive stance and teach them a lesson.Conclusion:
All of this adds up to become what is, I suggest, possibly the best RTS game ever made and I've played a lot of them.

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Product Description:
Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II gives you a chance to experience all that Middle-Earth was meant to be. Delve deeper than ever before into the fictional world of Tolkien, as you wage war in the North. Assume command of the most storied civilizations in all of Middle-earth history, the Elven and Dwarven armies -- or if you prefer, fight on the side of Evil to aid Sauron in his conquest. Fight with or against heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings films! Control battles with all-new enemy AI, melee combat, and unprecedented tactical fidelity Build anywhere brings creativity and strategy to base building and battlefield dominance Control the entire war with a high level Risk style meta-game Larger-than-life naval battles

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