Even with all the lore Tolkien fathered, this blood-boiling adventure stands up for itself in fluidity and mechanics.
User Rating: 9 | The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth PC
Electronics Arts really set its goals high when it embarked on creating "The Lord of the Rings: the Battle of Middle-Earth", a RTS journey through both the LOTR movies, the lore, and the imagination of its creators, adapters, and fans. As with any journey, there are ups and downs. But even more frighteningly mind-boggling was the freedom and the courage even the scrawniest kid sitting behind his computer could feel as he sent Ents burning into black crisps or watching as entire legions crumble before the might of...well, anybody from Pippin to Saruman, if you want. The game was a smidgen too short, I must confess, and some missions were either repetitive or too easy. This may not satisfy the gamer focused on constant attention but was enough for my gaming appetite as I obtained more and more 'powers' (summoning eagles, ents, creating blood frenzies, the army of the dead, balrog, etc). I loved upgrading units to a nigh-invincible status. Watch as your mouse-clicks send towers crumbling, a Balrog flailing, and the fate of a world shaped. This is a journey you thought you could never ever change but wanted to when you watched LOTR. The question in BFME you have to ask is really 'what if'. What if Helm's Deep had fallen? What if Boromir had not died? What if... The list goes on. The doors are open for your every wish. For once, you can be the Lord of the Rings...the Lord of the Heroes...The Lord of Evil...The Lord of Gondor...The Lord of Orcs...The Lord of Hobbits...anything. Do I have to repeat myself? Anything.
