Lotr bfme 2 download windows 10

Well, not really. As visually impressive as they are - in particular Sauron's new servants which include spiders and dragons - they're all still pretty easy to beat and often display the tactical awareness of an under five's football team.

And don't even get me started on the naval battles. There isn't a word in Elvish, Entisli or the tongue of man that could do justice to how just bad they are. The game sparkles with EA's usual veneer, with some impressive visuals and truly gargantuan battles adding real beauty and bite to the proceedings. The story - what there is of it - is fairly entertaining, while heroes have an excellent array of visually spectacular skills that can be used to turn the tide of battle.

What's more, you can also harness the power of the One Ring or the Evenstar depending on your allegiances , with a multitude of defensive and offensive spells available to you, including meteor showers that turn enemy units into paste and humorous yet deadly appearances from Tom Bombadil.

The two story-driven campaigns seem hollow and overly scripted, and at around five hours each, are far too short. Battles seldom feel like desperate struggles or brutal skirmishes and rarely require much strategy. You also can't help but feel that the game's been somewhat dumbed down, as though attempting to appeal to a mass-market audience with its sheer simplicity.

What's more, the dual licences feel utterly under-used, the voice-acting is a shadow of the original's and the build-anywhere feature just makes the game feel like a myriad of other mildly entertaining yet eminently forgettable RTS games that have come and gone over the last few years. However, in no way is it anywhere near the game we hoped for.

What a waste. With Rome: Total War and Star Wars: Empire At War proving just how effective a marriage between turn-based campaign and real-time battles can be, EA LA obviously thought it'd better try its hand at doing something similar.

So, it set about dividing Middle-earth into some 40 provinces, and you must conquer them all or just a specific few if you're pushed for time and become the supreme ruler of Middle-earth.

Sounds great in principle, but once you start playing, you quickly realise just how unwieldy and ugly the campaign map actually is. In fact, it's so clumsy that it feels more like an afterthought than a well-planned feature.

Quite frankly, EA LA shouldn't have bothered. Battle tor Middle-earth II lets you create throngs of elven archers, dwarven axmen, rock-throwing cave trolls, human cavalry, Uruk warriors, and more to dash on ancient battlefields. It's a tad more epic than the whole scooping-water-out-of-the-ocean-with-a-spoon thing when you're sticking your blade in one goblin at a time But, as in any real-time strategy game, before you get your troops, you first have to collect resources and construct production buildings.

It's not a complicated process, although BFME2seems to assume its players have seen some RTS action in the past Within the first few missions, you're already managing multiple menus, heroes, units, buildings, and powers, and you can't slow down the game to think or breathe.

The tutorials, as helpful as they are, don't really prepare newbies property for army-commander duties in Middle-earth. Veterans, however won't have any problems with the campaign. When everything starts kicking in--the controller shortcuts, unit abilities and weaknesses, what buildings produce what, etc. The battles don't take place on generic tiled landscapes. Rather, each campaign mission plays out in wonderfully designed stages created specifically to capture your imagination: Cities shine with waterfalls and statues, docks bum from naval bombardment, and the fortress of Dol Guldur intimidates with its skyscraping towers and obsidian walls.

The different factions Isengard, elves, goblins, etc. And the corpses should be piling up plenty on Xbox Live: Multiplayer offers lots of maps, a couple of first-person shooter-influenced modes see sidebar , and generally smooth play fit only crashed on us once during our playtesting , though the four-player cap and inability to team up against CPU opponents kinda stinks of dwarf breath.

Though Patrick may feel otherwise, I gotta say I think EA did a commendable job adapting the complicated controls of this keyboard-first game to the tight quarters of the controller. In mere minutes I was managing resources and calling out orders with ease.

So it wasn't the controls that made this game hard to play--it was the resolution. Icons, percentage numbers, and other onscreen displays are tiny, which leads to big frustration when you're trying to set up your base. This also has an effect on your ability to distinguish who's who among your units--expect a lot of zooming in to make sure you've selected the archers, not the swordsmen, and zooming out to issue the attack or new position command.

But I do love that, instead of pushing you through the narrative of the books and movies again , the campaign parallels those events by focusing on the obscure War to the North, explaining why the elves and dwarves were missing in action--a treat for any Tolkien nerd. With BFME2, EA makes a noble effort to buck this trend with the controller, but the game has way too much to do and not enough buttons to work with sony, Jay. BFME2's Xbox-level graphics also hurt, and the entertaining, Risk-esque War of the Ring mode from the PC version is gone, so single-player just isn't as fulfilling though I can't say I miss that mode's dull multiplayer variant.

But while the solo campaigns offer familiar RTS missions, the game presents them with a very solid eye for the Tolkien feel--what can I say, it's fun to crush Rivendell. Also, multiplayer features a nice slew of achievement-friendly Live modes, which play into the best reason to get this version: to have an achievement list that reads like Gandalfs resume.

The Lord of the Rings is one of those franchises that you can't help but think of in videogame terms. Fun to a degree? Sure, but it left many fans disappointed in the midst of the flourishing movie franchise.

Battle for Middle-earth II, unlike its predecessor, does most everything right. It takes a beloved franchise rife with potentially great videogames moments and transforms it into a fleshed out, fully formed RTS experience. Half of what makes for a solid RTS, for example, is a rich world to draw upon, and that's something Battle for Middle-earth II certainly doesn't want for. The missions are well crafted both objective-wise and setting-wise, utilizing the vast lore of The Lord of the Rings books to make more some really memorable experiences.

The logistics of the game are all pretty sharp, too. Battles feel truly epic, with hundreds of characters on screen at once, and better yet, the chaos feels controlled though always intense. The emphasis is squarely on the action, with a plethora of units and heroes similar to the Warcraft series at your command.

But, with such an emphasis on action, the strategic element of the game runs in the shallow end. For RTS purists, that can be a bit of a downer, but for the more mainstream audience that doesn't usually delve into heavy strategic games, this is a pretty big boon. Strategy enthusiasts aren't left completely in the dark, however. It's a bit rough around the edges, but if you prefer a little bit more depth mingled with your action, it's definitely a fun diversion from the main game.

And, if nothing else, Battle for Middle-earth II sure does look nice. The scope of the game is pretty huge, and with battles fielding a huge number of units, it'll induce a few moments of nerdish awe. But, like most RTS titles, it looks really nice far away, but when you start zooming in, all the flaws shine through.

This would be a negligible if it weren't for the fact that a majority of the cinematic use in-game graphics, highlighting many of the game's imperfections. It helps all the more if you can recognize the subtle genius in zerging an enemy base with a battalion of LothlA?

Browse games Game Portals. Install Game. They can also construct arrow and catapult towers on building plots around a fortress to provide defensive support and basic protection. Units are classified into one of several classes: infantry, ranged, [4] [5] pikemen, [5] [6] cavalry, [4] or siege.

The item can be used to summon one of two ring heroes for a price of 10, resources, Galadriel and Sauron, depending on the player's faction.

Ring heroes have extremely strong armor and powerful attacks, making them among the game's most over-powered units. The War of the Ring mode carried over from the first game in the series combines turn-based strategy elements with real-time skirmishes.

Middle-earth is divided into territories; players can construct buildings to produce troops only in a claimed territory. During each turn, the player can move their armies into neutral and enemy territories to take control of them. While neutral territories are conquered by simply entering them, enemy territories must be wrested from the other player by defeating them in a skirmish. Troops can be garrisoned in conquered territories to defend against enemy attacks.

When the player chooses to attack another territory, or one of their territories is being invaded by an enemy, they can either simulate the match and let the computer determine the outcome, or play the match by commanding the units in real time. The winner of the skirmish gains the territory, and all surviving units gain experience points. To win the game, players must either control the enemy's capital territory, or take over a given number of territories in Middle-earth. Rohan and Gondor are combined into one faction called Men of the West.

Along with Mordor and Isengard from the first game, there are six playable factions. The troops of Gondor provide a solid offense and defense with standard infantry and archers, and the Rohirrim of Rohan act as elite cavalry.

The Elven archers are effective at inflicting damage from a distance, and their support units, the Ents, can perform a combination of melee and siege attacks, they are often considered the strongest defensive faction due to their strong missile units and powerful 'silverthorn arrows'. Although slow and expensive, Dwarven infantry, pikemen, and axe-throwers are very powerful and well-armored allowing them to prevail in even the longest clashes with enemy troops. A collection of wild creatures and beasts of Middle-earth make up the Goblin faction, this includes goblins, trolls, spiders, and dragons, which are effective in large numbers.

Their only advantage is that the goblin archer and soldier units are cheap to make at only 75 resources and build faster than other basic infantry. Isengard troops are highly trained Uruk-hai under Saruman's command.

Berserkers are used by Isengard as one-man armies that move extremely fast and deal significant damage particularly to enemy buildings and heroes. Additionally, Isengard is the only Evil faction that can build walls. Mordor Orcs have tough armor, making them useful for absorbing enemy damage while stronger units attack enemies.

Trolls contribute greatly to the Mordor offensives, having strong melee attacks and the ability to throw boulders or wield trees like swords. Set in the regions of northern Middle-earth, the game focuses on the events of the War in the North.

Some characters were altered in their appearances, abilities, and roles; for instance, a combat role in the game is given to Tom Bombadil, a merry and mysterious hermit who appears in The Lord of the Rings but does not take part in the war.

Both campaigns focus on the battles fought by the newly introduced factions: the Elves, Dwarves, and Goblins. The Evil Campaign follows an alternative version of the War in the North. Despite heavy resistance, the forest is overrun, with Celeborn slain and Galadriel having fled to Rivendell; even Caras Galadhon collapses under the sheer force of the massive invasion.

The Mouth peers eagerly into the captured Mirror of Galadriel for his next attack, as his Goblins celebrate their triumph over the Elves amidst the ruins of the once-mighty ancient stronghold. The Elven port is destroyed and captured, and the march across Eriador begins; Hobbits of the Shire are chosen as the next target. The Goblins annihilate the well-trained army and kill Wormtongue, taking the Shire for themselves.

Gorkil continues marching west and besieges Fornost, the fortified ruins of the ancient capitol of Arnor. Sauron launches a concurrent campaign east of the Misty Mountains. For the final battle against the Good factions in the North, the Goblin horde and Sauron's forces from Mordor converge at Rivendell, the last surviving stronghold against Sauron in Middle-earth. Eagles, the Dead Men of Dunharrow, Galadriel and her surviving Elves, and the remnants of the Fellowship of the Ring arrive to help Arwen and Elrond, but Sauron having attained full power through recovering the One Ring from the dead Frodo and all his gathered forces enter the battle and completely destroy the remaining Good forces in the North.

The Elven hero Glorfindel discovers an impending attack on the Elven sanctuary of Rivendell. Thanks to the early warning, Elrond's forces in Rivendell manage to repel the Goblins' attacks. Following the battle, Elrond realizes that the Elves and Dwarves must join forces to purge the threat of Sauron's forces in the North. The next battle takes place in the Goblin capital of Ettenmoors, where the Goblin fortress is destroyed, and Gorkil the Goblin King is killed.

After their victory, the heroes are informed that the Goblins, on Sauron's command, enlisted the service of a Dragon named Drogoth who is laying waste to the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains. The heroes make their way to the Blue Mountains and help the Dwarven army defeat Drogoth and his Goblins.

The Dwarves, who have been reluctant to ally with the Elves, eventually decide to come to the aid of the Grey Havens. With the Goblins defeated and all of Eriador pacified, the Dwarven-Elven alliance is tested by Sauron's forces. After a long battle against the Mouth of Sauron's army, Elven reinforcements from Mirkwood led by the Elven king Thranduil arrive and save the Dwarves, defeating the Mouth of Sauron and his army.

The Good forces and its three combined armies overcome the defenses and destroy the fortress, eliminating the last threat in the North. This agreement was complementary to a separate arrangement made between the two companies in That agreement gave Electronic Arts the rights to build video games based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

The new deal gives Electronic Arts the opportunity to create video games with original stories tied closely with the Lord of the Rings universe. During his voiceover session, he noted, 'I always find voice work really fascinating because you are working on one element of your make up as an actor—focusing more intently on one part of your toolbox if you like—in a way so everything seems to go into producing that vocal effect.