The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II (Xbox 360, 2006)

Return to Middle-Earth with The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II for PC. In this sequel to the critically acclaimed The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth, the focus shifts to the North. With 3 new factions –- Elves, Dwarves, and Goblins -- players lead their armies to victory, with the aid of new heroes, weapons. Based on battles that were hinted at in the Tolkien books and film adaptations, this jam-packed sequel offers 16 new campaigns and 40 skirmish maps, guaranteeing months of exciting gameplay. Protect the Elven city of Rivendell from an invading Goblin army. Make those meddling Hobbits pay and destroy the Shire.

Pros: I've read many forums giving this game praise. I can't stress enough, if you're an avid RTS gamer or have played them in the past, You need to pick up this game. It won't let you down! It's really fun to play using Xbox Live and the built-in VoIP chat. And yes, the control scheme does work... Even the single player is fun, as it takes stuff from the books that parallel what you see in the movies. This game is remarkably fun. I had my doubts at first, but the control scheme was setup very well and it hasn't lost my interest yet. Either way, playing a Stategy game on the console is really fun, especially since you can kick back and play from your favorite gaming chair or couch.

Cons: Yes, the performance is a slow at times, but it's a very complex game, both visually and gameplay-wise... the fun factor far outweighs the performance slowdowns.

Concept:Take the warcraft engine and set it in Middle Earth.

Graphics:The graphics on this game really demonstrate the power of the Xbox 360. There can be hundreds of units on screen at once but every single unit has its own little details. For example, if one unit has low health it will appear thin and wasted. The special effects are superb also. Watching the Balrog breath fire all over your enemy base is a once in a lifetime experience... until you tell it to do it again. There is only one flaw with LOTR's graphics. I noticed a lot of slowdown in the tutorial and when there were hundreds of units being blown into the air.
I would give the graphics a 9 out of 10.

Gameplay:This is where the game excels. Good graphics are a nice touch, but it's the gameplay that makes or brakes the game. EA did a great job with porting the keyboard and mouse interface over onto the Xbox 360. The controls, while they do take some time to learn, are fluid as can be. Buildings all require actual strategic and tactical placing. You also need to coordinate your units very well. So be warned, if you expect to just rush the base, do not buy this game.
The gameplay gets a solid 10/10.

Entertainment: Another important quality of a game is how fun it actually is. I'm happy to say that LOTR:BFME II is one of the funnest games I have ever played. It will definitely keep you entertained for years. It is also easy to learn so you don't need to be an RTS vet to play this game. The game of course includes a single player mode but the real fun is online. There are several different types of online play including capture the flag. Add to this team matches and over 40 maps to choose from and you've got yourself a solid title.
I give the entertainment a 10 out of 10.

This game is going to revolutionize gaming on the console by successfully introducting a fun-to-play real time strategy game for consoles.
Over and over, game developers have tried to bring strategy games to consoles and until now, they all failed miserably.
It was so bad, that many said that consoles would never have strategy games like PCs.
Well they were wrong!
The game is fun to play, highly strategic, and a blast to play on XBOX live.

The LOTR series has given gamers several different genres to play around with. Real Time Strategy has become one of the more interesting thanks to Battle for Middle Earth II. For the first time you can be practically any race you want to be and battle to decide the fate of Middle Earth. The single player will keep you busy for awhile but the real story here is the online multiplayer which will pit you up against other players in the world ready to stomp your armies into the ground so you better use the single player for practice a lot before you even think you can go out and dominate. Graphics are decent. Controls could use some work. It is hard to find the time to make a variety of different attacks when battle occur so quickly. But after enough practice you can get used to the learning curve. Downloadable content also keeps the game going longer so that's a good thing if you decide to buy it. LOTR and RTS fans will obviously see it as a must have. Everyone else should Rent before you Buy. 4/5

This game is probably the best movie and book based game out there. It doesn't just go through the movies, it also has a lot of more content that wasn't shown in the film. You can play as the heroes of the film ;Frodo Baggins, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, and many more from the books. you can also play the villains from the film ; Sauron, Nazgul, Goblin king,and many more that were from the book and never introduced in the movies.

You can play good or the evil campaign. They both have different powers and so do the heroes and villains in the game. All the races are in the game and can be controlled; Dwarves, Orcs, Elves, Humans, Goblins, Spiders, and Hobbits.
The game does have Xbox live and i really do recommend for the $15 its going for.