"The REAL battle for middle Earth"

Ive been a longtime fan of Battle for Middle Earth, so when I heard that BFME2 was coming out I couldn't wait. Hoping they would fix certian things and add a wack load more, I wasnt dissapointed when it came out.

GRAPHICS - 8

If you have a top of the line computer, then the graphics in this game will awe you. The landscapes look really nice, the new water effects add a nicer tone to the game. The units and buildings are really detailed as well. Although I've noticed with some units they look like something out of War Craft, mostly dwarf units and the Half Troll for the Goblins.

SOUND - 10

Its Lord of the rings, how much better can you get when it comes to a musical score? Add in some voice overs, some interesting sound effects and you have a great sounding game.

GAMEPLAY - 9

Its like a normal RTS game, it uses the battalion method of grouping your units. You can also set formations with some units. You can go so far as to do company level movements and positions with your units by holding both the left and right mous buttons. Also the introduction of the new Planning mode is something worthwhile for more complex tactics. Even though, I never really use it. I don't like how my units run off and persue the enemy when I want them to hold their ground. There is an option to hold ground, but then your units don't auto attack. The main problem with this is your archers. Also the new addition of Navel combat is something to be worked on either in future patches, expansions or a 3rd instalment.

STORY - 8

The story follows the events in northern middle earth. The war between the Goblins, Dwarves, and elves. With a decent narrative telling of the missions before and after them.

MULTIPLAYER - 10

This is one of the few RTS games I play online, and for good reason. It has its issues but overall its fun and addicting.

SPECIAL FEATURES - 7

Map Editor is a bonus if you like making your own maps. Its fun and has quite a few options to mess around with.

Create a Hero is a really nice new addition to the game, however I was a little dissapointed with the fact that there is a limited ammount of selection when it comes to appearance of the heros. Also the Troll CAH, acts like the rest of the CAH's in the fact that it can only attack 1 enemy at a time right now. Also as far as I know there are no unlockable thats people keep talking about, cept maybe this "King Kong" unit that I cannot confirm. The special powers and stats portion of the CAH's is nicely done I must say. SOme more abilities would be nice however.

War of the Ring mode is interesting as well. Its set up like the game RISK except with the Middle earth map. You can choose to auto resolve battles or play them yourself which is interesting. Caus eif you know you will lose if you auto do it, then you can play it and maybe win.

OVERALL - 9

It has issues, the largest being the .DAT error some people get, which can be fixed. Some people also get the infamous "death of all your units after 3:30" even when they do not have a pirated version of the game.

Also the game has some balanceing issues, which will be fixed with patches later on in the life of the game. As well you can get user made mods that change a lot with the game

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/13/06