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CRAZY addictive!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I got this game for Christmas and I have to say that's it's just insanely addictive! It's TONS of fun! It's sort of like Warcraft III, but with the Lord of the Rings characters, so you have about a dozen or so heroes from the story at your disposal as you make your way through Middle Earth and witness the story unfold.

You can play as either Gondor and Rohirim or Isengard and Mordor. The "skirmish" gameplay (solo or multiplayer) is quite fun, but the campaigns....wow. I got about 3 hours of sleep last night because I couldn't put it down. I mean, you get to the battle at Minas Tirith and how do you simply go "ok, time for bed"? I don't think so... By the way, it took me a good 20 hours of gameplay just to GET to the battle at Minas Tirith.

And the detail - watch as your rangers hide in the woods and ambush the enemy, or as the Oliphant (Mumakil) falls and crushes nearby troops, or as the mountain trolls bat at opposing forces and your troops literally just go flying across the screen!

The actual actors voices from the films also makes the game that much more enjoyable. It's sort of like experiencing the movie on your own all over again.

I haven't played a computer game this much fun in years. I highly recommend it.

Very Fun Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: July 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is a lot of fun. There are four armies: Rohan, Gondor, Isengard and Mordor. Mordor is my favorite because the point of playing as Mordor is to make really big units and kill all the wimpy and pathetic foot soldiers. A lot of people think Mordor is the weakest army. Whoever started that rumor has never played a skirmish. In the campaign, Mordor is the weakest because you only play as mordor later on, when things get tough, and the lack of heroes can be troublesome. Of the four armies, Isengard is the toughest for me because it involves nothing but foot soldiers, 1 type of Calvalry, and siege weapons. In this way, you really need 80% of your army to be foot soldiers.
Rohan and Gondor are very similar. Gondors Tower Gaurds are strong, and the archers can pick off units from the walls, but the real strength of Rohan and Gondor is in their calvalry because they can run over enemy foot soldiers. The forces of good are really defensive because they have a wall around their castles, and they can build Trebuchets on their walls. The forces of good also have more heroes the the evil armies. Gandalf's Istari Light can kill the nazgul in one shot.

Good, although shallow, RTS

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: December 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Battle for Middle Earth is a fun game, but it is a short-lived experience because the game is ultimately shallow with regard to strategy. This tends to make each successive battle too similar to the previous, which causes tedium relatively quickly.

For one thing, the technology tree, if you can call it that, is virtually non-existent. Your structures must mature or "level" through sustained use before certain technologies or units become available, but that is the extent of the evolution. This is compensated somewhat by the requirement of applying each technology to your units or structures individually--they are not applied automatically by virtue of having been researched as in most other RTS games--but this still does not provide much diversity.

Secondly, I can find no use for infantry, the bread and butter of most strategy games. Aside from the occasional specialty troop, such as the pikemen, infantry are far overshadowed by cavalry and archers. Every map in the campaign can be beaten more easily with an army based on cavalry and archers than one with wasted space used on infantry, and this is true of all factions. In fact, on medium difficulty I cleared every map using fully-upgraded archers almost exclusively.

However, for the short amount of time it holds your attention (in my case, two weeks) it can be engrossing. The fact that your untis level and have their battle statistics tracked throughout the game is a good feature. It does, however, point out the unbalance towards cavalry and archers as most holdover batallions from mission to mission will be these types.

Also, Evenstar and One Ring powers are an excellent addition to the arsenal. In fact, when and how these powers are used are usually the deciding factors in how a battle plays out.

In short, I gave this game four stars because there are enough innovations to warrant it, the graphics are well done and the game is virtually bug and lag free. But I do not believe this game will take up space on your hard drive for too long.

Good game with Caveats

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This will be a scanty review but I wish to comment on something that is most important, at least to me. Yes, this game does a lot of things right...great graphics, sound and music, playability, etc. But realize that the game is of the real-time strategy genre--where you have to collect resources and build things which make other things. Once you build those things (fighting units), you have to send them off to demolish what the computer player (or human player) has created. So, it's definitely a game where logistics come into play and you are required to point and click constantly. So, make sure you like that kind of game. If you do, and you like the LOTR theme, you will like this game. One thing I don't like though--it's completely unrealistic and annoying, is how catapults are way to powerful in this game. The computer will build lots of them, and I mean almost total catapult armies and things will get difficult for you. In this game catapults move fairly fast and can receive more damage than they should, so you will discover that destroying catapult factories is your best bet. In my opinion, the catapult imbalance somewhat ruins the game.

WARNING - DO NOT BUY A USED GAME

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: February 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Warning, if you buy a used copy of the game and it has been registered, you will not be able to play multiplayer.

Only buy a used copy of the game if you want to play with yourself.

I bought one copy at full price. I bought a second copy used to put on a second computer to play against my nephew. I called Electronic Arts and they said they could do nothing. I need to buy a new game, unless I pay them $10.00 for a new key so I can use my second copy, which I already paid for.

Battle for Middle Earth

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: January 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Battle for Middle is a definite must-get for all Lord of the Rings fans.I think best part of this game are the missions. I still haven't finished them all- I'm still working on the Black Gate- but I can definitly say that is one of the neatest RTS games I've played. Some of the missions are easy but there are a couple real hard ones to get through, especially Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith (those elephants are really difficult to kill. The first time I tried it, they wiped out my entire Rohirrim army).

A genuinely cinematic RTS experience

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: February 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth is a game that largely succeeds in capturing the epic scope, look, and feel of the Peter Jackson movies. It is not without flaws, but these are forgivable and easily overlooked when you get into the heart of the action. My general impression of the game is that the title is fitting to a degree seldom seem in the RTS genre.

BFME focuses on exactly what you might expect- the clash of the forces of Middle Earth at varied locations, many of which are taken verbatim from the movies, but some of which appear only in literature. The four playable factions- Rohan, Gondor, Isengard, and Mordor- feature units and structures that are instantly recognizable to anyone who has seen the films. There is little micromanagement, as buildings can only be built on specified camp areas, and resource gathering is done by structures rather than units. However, this doesn't mean you can ignore your base- buildings gain veterancy that allows production of superior units or more resources. Losing veteran structures can very well mean losing the war.

Not only are the graphics visually representative of the movie look, but they function and behave like them too. Cavalry can run over foot infantry like so much grass, Mumakils charge into a dangerous frenzy when badly wounded, and Nazgul make devastating flyby attacks. Troops cower and run when something big (e.g. a Balrog) comes charging at them. Many units have special capabilities that add both uniqueness and strategic depth, such as the troll's ability to pick up and heave rocks at enemies. Heroes are likewise unique, critical to success at higher levels, and offer many interesting abilities. The voice acting, sound, and visual effects are all of the finest quality. Of particular notice is that many of the original cast members did voices for the game.

There is a limited degree of freedom in the single play game, in that many objectives are optional and there is a 'living map' mode where you can choose areas to attack. At some points in the campaign you are drawn to pivotal events (e.g. Frodo entering Shelob's lair) that loosely follow the Tolkien script. This is where some purists might cry foul, as it takes pretty significant liberties with the plot. You don't have much choice in fulfilling the main objectives, either, so Gandalf is going to have to walk out of Moria after putting the Balrog in its place. Then again, it is kind of fun to do something different, rather than just replaying the story as we know it.

The interface, music, and overall production values are superb. BFME uses the C&C Generals engine, though the gameplay and quality is generally (no pun intended) superior. The game is exceptionally stable- I've played it for at least 40 hours, and it has not crashed a single time. This is literally unheard of in my (extensive) gaming experience. Unit balance is well done, with good balance of numbers vs. quality for the various races.

Pluses aside, there are a few problems with the game. Units move around as squads, in a manner similar to the Total War series (though with far fewer units in general). On occasion, however, I've had individual men get stuck on buildings, rocks, or nothing in particular. The AI is also rather deficient, often attacking stupidly despite taking heavy losses or sending piecemeal forays at heavily guarded areas. It doesn't seem to know how to use the (very handy) light or dark powers to good effect, and units in general don't respond to being shot at by archers. Additionally, when there are many units on the screen performance can take a serious hit. I had to turn down detail several times to make the Minas Tirith level run decently.

I must also say that the single play campaign is a bit too easy and forgiving. You can resurrect dead heroes at any citadel, so in any mission where you have one, it's really hard to not have the hero continue the campaign. If you're at all good at RTS type games, you'll soon have a crack corps of veteran units that simply can't be defeated, no matter how many hordes the enemy throws at you. I also dislike the look of upgrades in general- the glow weapons and armor take on looks silly, even if it does clearly identify such troops. Many campaign missions also suffer from repetitive objectives- just go out and kill them all. There are a few surprises, but not as many as I'd have liked. Fortunately, all of the areas are unique rather than randomly generated, which adds diversity to the look of Middle Earth.

For those who are interested, there are skirmish and multiplay modes. These add the rather amusing ability to play as good vs. good or evil vs. evil, and you can pick most of the campaign areas to wage multiplayer warfare. The tactical aspect of the game is interesting enough to make this fun, but I've so far found the campaign to really be the meat of the title.

If you enjoy the LOTR movies and like real time strategy games, BFME is a must-have. Even if you're not that big a fan of the series, the cinematic quality of the game is really something that must be seen to be be believed. LOTR: BFME is also a great strategy game in its own right, and certain to bring many hours of enjoyment.

An enjoyable and well-made computer game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: January 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth is a very enjoyable game. The game gives a wonderful feel of the immensity of Tolkien's fantasy world. The World Map's graphics are good but the battlefield graphics could be slightly enhanced. I have had problems with certain units disappearing entirely except for the weapons they are carrying. While they are still possible to use it is difficult to find them.

The gameplay is very enjoyable and follows the story quite well. The important battle maps have been modeled entirely on the sets of the movies, lending a ciematic feel to the important story missions. The use of heroes greatly improves the gameplay by allowing the player to have units that are strong enough to stand up to several enemy battalions and hold off an enemy to rebuild an army or settlement. The recruiting of troops is broken up into battalions of five fighting men. Units may be leveled up and to carried to other campaign missions allowing you to overpower enemies easily in some cases and in others entirely neccesary for survival.

In many ways this game is like any other RTS. However, there are few tactics involved and much of the campaign is made up of battles that you must fight to push the story forward. In saying that there is little strategy I mean that the player simply points the units in the right direction. Flanking and rear attacks mean nothing and the only extra unit formation is the wedge, which increases the damage of a charge.

One gameplay improvement that I am happy to see is that resource gathering is much less tedious than that in other games. The buildings used to collect resources are different for every country but do almost the same thing. There are no units needed to collect resources (although some may be created) the building simply collects the resources.

During the campaign, each battle won allows the player resources, which inrease the food collected by structures during all campaign scenarios, or power. Power allows the player to buy special powers that can be used during battle to affect the outcome. Some powers include summoning elves, summoning the witch-king or giving certain heroes extra powers.

I recommend this game for any fan of The Lord of the Rings because of the way it accurately follows the story and allows the player to play the role of important characters as well as cammand countries. For an advanced player looking for a great RTS I would say that the game lacks tactics and that it might be wise to look elsewhere for that type of game.

A little left of heaven

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: January 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is almost perfect with a few flaws. First and the most obvious is the pop cap. With good you can only have 150 and evil 300. This means you won't be seeing 200,000 orcs at Minas Tirith. Also Mordor is weaker, the orcs are not good. In the movies you see the orcs beating the crap out of the Gondorion Soldiers but here its the opposite. Thats about all the flaws, the good things are great graphics, great soundtracks, great battles. The voices and energy for the characters are great, same for the heroes, very smooth if you have a good computer, online is great... I could go on forever, anyway, if you get this, which you HAVE TO you will be playing forever.

A good game, but....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: July 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I really liked this game, but they are several flaws that stop this game from being great.

The single-player missions were fun, especially for the side of good. In the good missions, there was alot more diversity. Not only did you have the big battles, but you also had missions involving the heroes. The missions also followed the movie pretty good.

Also, you don't build buildings like typical RTS games. You capture a plot of land and they give you so many spaces you can build on. So if you capture a castle spot, you can get up to 16 slots or so to build (depending on what faction you are playing).

the basics of the missions were a chance to power up your heores. They all start at level 1, but as you increase to a certain level (10 is the max), you get other special abilities that that hero can use. Aragorn has the power of the sword master, healing units around him, or calling in a small band of the Army of the Dead. Gandelf has a lightning attack, a shock attack, and an even stronger type of shock attack. Gimli and Legolas also have very cool special attacks. Also, each mission you can gain either an increase in resources (you get a percentage increase), command points (the command points you have the more troops you can create), or power points. Power points give you other special powers such as elven archers and rohhirrim horseman for a short time to you use for attacking or defending. There is alot of content in this game and several missions to play.
As for the evil side, you only get 2 heroes and most of the powers you get are for resource production as you win with sheer numbers instead of strength. Saruman's abilities also aren't very good and most of the warriors you can build are either too slow or too weak. But, when you get enough power points, you can summon the Balrog. He is very strong. When he is summoned, he damages any units and/or buildings close by. He can do a short flight which damages anything around him when he lands, use his whip, and has a powerful flame attack which levels buildings in seconds. He also looks cool. For the most part though, I found the battles pretty repetitious on the evil side which got a little boring. As you play, you will see other little things that are annoying.
The graphics were good and the sound (the voices were of those from the movies) was also very good. The cutscenes were ok, but nothing great.
As for skirmish mode against the computer, you have several maps and 4 side to choose from. As you win a battle, you get allocated points. Everytime you increase a level, your starting units change and you get stronger units to begin with until you max out at level 10. You can either play a level 1, 5 , or 10 computer opponent in which they will start with those better units. It keeps track of your wins and loses and how long you played each side. It is pretty challenging so far ( I have only played leveled each side up to level 2 while playing level 5 opponents).
Haven't played on-line yet, but they have had many different tournaments and you can see your rank on the web-site. If you can get ranked high enough, you will be invited to the big tournament.
Overall, I have enjoyed this game alot and plan on playing skirmish mode alot more to see what all happens. But the SP for both side is very long play you have the mp, so lots of gaming for your buck. I definitely reccommend it.

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