Battle for Middle Earth II  Preview for Xbox 360

- Tim Mellish, " Cloud890 ", Senior Editor

Friday, May 05, 2006

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Title: Battle for Middle Earth II .............................................. System: Xbox 360 .............................................. Genre: Real Time Strategy .............................................. Publisher: Electronic Arts .............................................. Developer: Electronic Arts .............................................. Release: 07/07/2006 .............................................. Online: Yes .............................................. ESRB: Teen (T) .............................................. Released for the PC earlier this year, Battle for Middle Earth II was EA’s second venture into the RTS world of the Lord of The Rings. The game was well received in the PC world and with more and more games being ported over to consoles, it was only a matter of time before someone attempted to bring an RTS to a next-gen console. In the original Battle for Middle Earth, EA was constricted in what content they could use from the LOTR world. The only content EA was permitted to use was that from the movies. While there is a good amount of content there, it didn't satisfy EA or gamers entirely. EA made a smart decision for their second title and actually bought the rights to both and books and the movies. This means they have free reign to put whatever they want from Tolkien's universe into their games. Not only are players going to travel to locales not touched upon in the movie, but also get to command a wealth of different races. In the end it’s the fans that reap the most rewards. With that said, players have a total of five different races to choose from in Battle for Middle Earth II, with each offering its own set of distinct advantages and disadvantages. The Men of the West, the Elves, the Dwarves, the Goblins, and the forces of Isengard and Mordor will all be playable races within BFME II. Each presents a unique way to approach the RTS game and gives players a wealth of different options and playing styles. If you are the type of person who loves to build up a strong defense, then the Dwarves are for you. But if you are in favor of quick attacks and completely bypassing the defenses of your enemies, then perhaps the Goblins will better fit your style. It will take time before the player finds the race that suits him or her best, but each looks like it will be a blast to play. But the fun doesn’t stop there. In addition to the different races, players will also have the opportunity to craft their own ¨hero¨ unit as they see fit. Warcraft III was the first mainstream game to bring the concept of hero units into RTSs. EA is simply extending this idea into BFME II. At the beginning of the game players will be given the opportunity to craft the physical appearance of their hero as they see fit, and from my experience with the game the creation process looks like it offers up a good amount of creativity. Once this is done, the special abilities of the hero are assigned and he or she is ready for action. As your hero levels up, more abilities are unlocked or previous ones are enhanced. It’s pretty standard stuff, actually. I'm skeptical though if this will add a new amazing element to the RTS gameplay. We've already seen hero units used in Warcraft III, and Blizzard used the hero units in as many ways as possible. I truly wonder if EA will find a new mechanic for them in this game. The other gameplay feature new to BFME II is base creation. Luckily, the game lets you build wherever you wish, so the chance to construct some truly impressive landmarks is there. But it is specifically the castle creation and how it ties into the whole base building that looks like it will be truly rewarding. Each base starts out with a central building that can best be referred to as the "castle". From here players will be able to build walls for their base, effectively being able to create defenses however they see fit. Each of these wall sections can be upgraded with a number of various additions. Depending on your race, walls can become a great weapon or a great defense. There is even a hint of the sandbox effect since the ability to create these bases is truly up to the player. Probably the biggest concern on all gamers’ mind right now is how is the game going to play. Remember this is an RTS, and RTSs require an insane amount of moving troops, designing attacks, and ultimately micro-managing the forces under the gamer’s command. Normally, this is done with the use of a mouse and keyboard. Quite honestly I don’t think there is a better way to play an RTS, and when the announcement came that Battle for Middle Earth II was headed to the Xbox 360 I naturally believed that a mouse and keyboard would be standard. The Xbox 360 does have two USB ports so this RTS port could certainly work if a keyboard and mouse were for the 360. However, EA is going in a much more radical and riskier route by using the Xbox 360 controller. Until I actually get my hands on the controller and try it out myself, I will be skeptical. Console RTSs have never worked in the past. Starcraft 64 was nowhere near as good as Starcraft on the PC. I wouldn’t be surprised if after the game’s launch that the hard-core gamers will simply plug in a keyboard and mouse instead of relearning the controls on the Xbox 360 controller. But you also have to give EA credit for trying something new. Here’s to hoping it works out in the end. Multiplayer is where the real appeal of RTSs is apparent. Sure it is fun to beat the computer on the hardest difficulty, but there is just something about there being a human mind behind the opponent that makes the experience that much more thrilling. So naturally with the large online community of Xbox Live, this is one place where Battle for Middle Earth II could truly flourish. EA is also going the extra step to include some new multiplayer game types for Xbox Live. So far the three EA is willing to tell us about are: King of The Hill, Capture and Hold, and Hero versus Hero. EA hasn't given any information out about these modes beyond their names but one can probably guess what will happen in each mode. King of The Hill will have players vying for a certain part of the map. Whoever holds it longer wins the round. Capture and Hold might be along the same lines as King of The Hill, except involving a castle structure, and Hero vs Hero will obviously allow gamers to test out their hero units against anyone who dares challenge them. Each should prove interesting to test out online. While all this sounds great, in the end it comes down to whether or not EA will be able to bring the RTS gameplay to a console system. It is no easy task, but luckily the game they are porting does offers up hours of enjoyment. It is not nearly as deep as Starcraft or Warcraft and that lack of complexity should help EA more than hurt them. It is going to be interesting to see how this game plays out. Look for it in September of 2006.

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