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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.
Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 42 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 47 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >
Game Info
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts LA
Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy
Players: 8
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Release Date: December 6, 2004
Summary
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth is an unprecedented real-time strategy game that delivers the epic scope and depth of J.R.R. Tolkien's amazing world. You are in complete control of the epic battles as depicted in all three installments of the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. From waging all-out combat among Middle-earth’s vast armies to controlling your favorite heroes while managing the resources of your side, the fate of a living, breathing Middle-earth is in your hands. Built upon the acclaimed "Command & Conquer Generals" 3D game engine, The Battle for Middle-earth allows you to command the forces of light or darkness in two separate campaigns. You'll have to choose your forces wisely, since each army has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. Complete with all of the epic music, actor voices, and other film assets seamlessly integrated into the game, The Battle for Middle-earth offers a truly memorable entertainment experience. Command the heroes and armies of Middle-earth in over 25 missions based on all three films. Control one of four unique sides, each with its own playing styles, resource management, and base-building techniques. [Electronic Arts]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II
Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameSpot Guide
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Detroit Free Press
Middle Earth isn't a strategy game for hardcore fans, but it's a well-thought-out, well-designed, well-animated entry. And the atmosphere, visuals and sounds from the movie trilogy definitely make that simplicity both welcome and worthwhile.
Read Full Review >Worth Playing
Perhaps the best RTS I have ever played, despite the fact that the source material bores me to tears.
Read Full Review >DailyGame
The production and sheer addiction make it easy to overlook the occasional camera problem.
Read Full Review >GMR Magazine
A spectacular work with an attention to detail that rivals the Peter Jackson films upon which it's based. [Feb 2005, p.96]
GamePro
Simplicity works both and for against BFME: on one hand it's appealing to the less hardcore, on the other it may leave those who enjoyed more complex games like "Kohan II" yearning for a bit more.
Read Full Review >Pelit (Finland)
Great! The AI issues that plagued the European review version are long gone. Last year's second best RTS. The only thing lacking is modelling the morale of the troops. [Jan. 05]
Computer Games Online RO
The overall result is excellent and probably this game together with "Rome: Total War" and "Warhammer 40k" represent the best of the RTS genre these days. Unfortunately, the system requirements proved too high sometimes, the AI had its bugs despite its quality, and this is why Battle for Middle Earth will not be one of the greatest RTS games in computer games history.
Read Full Review >RealGamer
With its ease of accessibility, it will appeal to most fans of the film with the exception perhaps, of only the hardcore strategists out there.
Read Full Review >Gamers' Temple
If you take a step back and try to pull away the The Lord of the Rings veneer, you’ll find that BFME is a competent strategy game in its own right. Add top quality production values and you have a game that holds up to the ideals and excellence of its license.
Read Full Review >PC Gamer
What it lacks in complexity, it more than makes up for with intense action and ease of lay that consistently draws you back for more. [Feb 2005, p.48]
Inside Gamer Online
Experienced players may be somewhat annoyed by the limited AI and rudimentary base building, but those drawbacks won't stand in the way of a surprisingly compelling game.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
It's fun, fast, and simple without being dumbed-down. [Jan 2005, p.134]
Warcry
The plain gameplay, awkward balance, and poor optimization are flaws to be sure, but they are offset by stellar graphics, sound effects, and voice acting (all of which make for a very immersive atmosphere).
Read Full Review >GameBiz
A good balance of entry level strategy and hardcore strategy and tactics.
Read Full Review >3DAvenue
Although you can perform the usual pan, zoom and rotate camera functions with your mouse, the camera just never feels comfortable, forcing you to constantly tweak on the fly further adding to your tasks.
Read Full Review >Jolt Online Gaming UK
Despite its problems, BfME easily stands up to the extraordinarily high standard of RTS titles that we’ve been treated to this year.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
And while it doesn't achieve the same epic sense of scale as Jackson's movies, it's still an engrossing and well-made real-time strategy game that captures the essence of J.R.R. Tolkien's wondrous world.
Read Full Review >IGN
The focus on combat is great, I just wish the combat had been as sterling as I had imagined it would be. The small number of units just doesn't provide the depth that I was hoping for.
Read Full Review >Armchair Empire
For hardcore strategy gamers Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth is a visual and aural feast but low on actual strategy since battles almost always descend into attrition.
Read Full Review >GamerFeed
Even though the missions may sometimes seem like an exercise in patience than of strategic might, this is still a great looking game that is a great experience to play.
Read Full Review >G4 TV
Though hardly a tactical marvel, Battle for Middle Earth delivers an exciting, fast-paced experience that successfully captures the feel and mood of the films.
Read Full Review >Computer Gaming World
A decent RTS that makes great use of a movie license. [Feb 2005, p.90]
games(TM)
The sheer scale of some of the battles is awe-inspiring, and with the same resource collection and unit creation system as the popular C&C games at the core of it all, there’s little fuss and you’ll be confidently laying siege to Helms Deep after just a few hours. [Jan 2005, p.109]
Read Full Review >AceGamez
While perhaps lacking in real variety, base and resource management are at least handled in a way that prevents dragging the game down into tedium.
Read Full Review >Next Level Gaming
So how do the graphics look? Well I must say I was wholly unimpressed.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
While veteran RTS players may have some nits to pick with the relatively solid gameplay, those same fans of The Lord of the Rings series should find that the game shines as a playable re-creation of Tolkien's work.
Read Full Review >Eurogamer
Would be an impressive game even if it weren't based on Lord of the Rings. It's a clever and well-constructed strategy title with plenty of innovation of its own, and a genuinely great use of the franchise. Easily the best of the Lord of the Rings games to date.
Read Full Review >Sydney Morning Herald
Much of the complexity of other real-time strategy titles has been stripped away to keep the game approachable and the pace lively, but it is disappointing that computer opponents are suicidally dim.
Read Full Review >Times Online
The interface is largely invisible, having been dramatically streamlined to make this a more intuitive experience for newcomers to the RTS genre.
Read Full Review >Total Video Games
An epic game that captures the spirit of the films excellently. Fans of RPG's will enjoy the experience, whilst those who love the subject material will take delight in the smaller details and back-story progression that the game offers.
Read Full Review >1UP
Arguably, it's good to have an RTS that is easy to jump into, but the economic systems and battle tactics might be too lightweight for some. Regardless, though, outside of starting your own New Zealand special effects company, no game will bring you closer to the battles of The Lord of The Rings.
Read Full Review >Yahoo! Games
Although its approach may irritate some purists, the movies' army of fans will lap it up.
Read Full Review >PC Format
While LOTR: BME has the makings of a great strategy title with its "Kohan II" fixed-bases and unit regeneration elements, the lack of consistency in the campaign, mixed with its more generic elements, make it a difficult game to love. [Christmas 2004, p.103]
Read Full Review >Play.tm
But it is the simplicity of the gameplay that is both a boon and a curse. For while BfME will appeal to many causal gamers or LOTR/RTS fans looking for some light entertainment it will seriously disappoint all those people who have been patiently waiting for the chance to lead the forces of light against the hordes of evil in a satisfyingly deep and engaging strategy game.
Read Full Review >My Gamer
A thoroughly enjoyable game, but it’s not going to turn the RTS genre on its ear.
Read Full Review >ActionTrip
The Battle for Middle-Earth is not a story-driven game. It is simply a collection of different chapters in the history of Middle-Earth that you'll have to finish to defeat the other side. You get no explanation why you need to undertake certain actions or get involved in specific missions at a certain stage of the game.
Read Full Review >Game Revolution
The Battle for Middle Earth will not make you a part of the films any more than you were when you watched them, nor is it an RTS of incredibly epic scope. Instead, it is a solid, fun, slightly dumbed-down RTS.
Read Full Review >Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
Beneath the flash, the sampled voices, orchestral score, magnificent landscapes and monstrous animation lies a mess of inexplicable design decisions, bizarre mechanics, Fisher Price strategy and a strange disregard for Tolkien's story... It doesn't love the source material as much as you or I. And that's the biggest frustration of all. [PC Gamer UK]
Read Full Review >Boomtown
Too lightweight to be a truly great RTS. Instead it's an amazing looking diversion that won't tax an intelligent player very much. A missed chance at something very special.
Read Full Review >eToychest
Typical EA first in the sense of unrelenting polish and presentation, of production values meant to wow you with glitz and glamour at every turn. Typical EA secondly in the sense of a don’t-rock-the-boat, stick-with-the-formula game that offers nothing new aside from a few odd bugs I’ve never seen in an RTS before.
Read Full Review >Computer Games Magazine
May not be the reinvention of the wheel, but it's certainly the best "Tolkien game" to date. [March 2005, p.70]
Gamer.tv
Faithful to the movie where it counts, but it's also fun and accessbile, even for non-RTS fans.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 47 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Chris L. gave it a9:
This game was awesome. It's worth it. Much better than its sequels. It's a familiar world that you can furthermore explore (If you watched the movies).
Dillon N. gave it a10:
This game is awesome. You know exactly what to do and hot to do it. It gives you a really good tutoriul that doesnt just tell you how to play it, but it also sums all the movies up so you know what you are fighting for. The game is awesome!
Framikaze gave it a6:
Good graphic.The possibility of using many kind of units it's wonderful but...the gamplay it's repetitive and so boring.
Carl gave it a10:
sipley the best game ever great grapics and sounds this game is the best game in the world!
Sam gave it a10:
Excellent game.
Andy G. gave it a10:
Best pc game ever!
Kurt gave it a9:
The game does have some minor flaws, but the multiplayer aspect is outstanding. Get a friend or two to play along with you and it will be an instant classic.
