The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II

"Like Warcraft, except MIND NUMBINGLY BORING"

Graphics
While the graphics are good for an RTS, they are hardly high quality for an XBox 360 game. But perhaps the worst part, is the frame rate. I would have preferred a little less detail if it meant smoother gameplay.

Controls
The rotating map kills board control. There is probably more skill required in navigating the map than there is in any other facet of the game. 3-D maps with rotating cameras may look nice, but they just complicate actually playing the game. It also isn't always easy to click that unit you ultimately desired. All in all, RTS are typically built for mouse clicking and keyboards, not controllers with a clunky joystick and a limited amount of buttons.

Sound
This is easily the best part of the game. The music is excellent as can be expected from a LoTR score, and the voiceovers are done very well. What really stands out is the units and buildings warning you of the enemies advances, running, letting you know their health status, etc. It definitely is not a game to be played with the sound off.

Gameplay
It might be because I'm a veteran of Ogre Battle and Starcraft, but this game never really challenged me, although I could see how it would be a bit complicated for someone new to RTS... though more due to buildings and abilities being a bit overcomplicated for little reason (you can get by most stages just sticking to the basics.) Battles are not too strategic, it's your basic rock/paper/scissors (aka Soldier/Archer/Cavalry). Online play at least seems to have more replay value than single player offline.

Overall
It's an RTS. On a system that probably won't get too many more. Any 360 RTS fan will likely pick this up, just like most N64 RPG fans picked up Aidyn Chronicles. The mediocrity MIGHT hold you over, so don't expect greatness even if you mark out for games like this.

The game has an excellent license backing it, so fans of the series AND genre will definitely want to pick this up. But players who are only fans of one or the other are likely to have mixed feelings about the game.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/07