A solid RTS that brings fun with great game play instead of just the use of a franchise name.
Gameplay: All the good elements that made the first game a success are back and improved. The game is not just a click-a-thon where instead of strategy, what counts is your speed with the mouse; Battle For Middle Earth II really rewards how you use each type of unit.
You often will find that fewer and better trained (trained through experience) units are far better than plenty of battalions constantly being created from your buildings.
Placing key structures in key places can also mean victory or defeat. With the introduction of walls the game takes you to a new level of strategy.
Heroes have been improved since BFME. Before, it would be difficult to level your hero up as they were rather weak. Not anymore, you will enjoy them at their full potential as long as you use them wisely.
An extra rewarding addition is the possibility of creating your own customized heroes. Even though the variety on how they look is not that great, it’s a nice feature not found on other RTS games.
Fans of the movies might dislike the fact that the campaigns are not fully based on the trilogy. I missed the Middle Earth map on both campaigns, but the War Of The Ring is an excellent way to give the game a more free-form game play.
Graphics: EA has done an excellent job improving an aging engine rivaling most of RTS that have come out this year. It does have its shortcomings though. Shadows do not look quite right and the system requirements to enjoy the full eye candy at high resolutions are very demanding. I also dislike the fact that widescreen resolutions are not supported. When is EA going to start supporting the growing number of widescreen monitors?
Sound: As in the first game, the soundtrack is excellent. The sound effects in game are very well done and the voice acting is of high quality. Most of voiceovers are very similar to those of our favorite actors we see in the movies.
Value: The good and The Evil campaigns are not really long, but the War Of The Ring game mode, will surely add hours of fun with the game. Once you are tired of the single player part of the game, you can start playing online for countless hours of entertainment. The community base is big enough to keep you busy for a while.
Tilt: I am no Lord Of The Rings fan, but I am a fan of Battle For Middle Earth, and now of Battle For Middle Earth II too. The battles are enjoyable to watch, there is plenty of strategy for hardcore RTS players and the game has improved enough from the first one to make you spend an extra $49 on it. A must have for every Lord Of The Rings fan and for anybody with even a little interest in RTS games.