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Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king, The

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7.8 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 20 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Los Angeles

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: November 28, 2006

Summary

Full of new content, including an entirely new faction, a completely new single player campaign, and additional units for all six existing factions, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, The Rise of the Witch-King, allows players to explore the evil side of Middle-earth. The all new single player campaign's innovative new units help to tell the story of the evil Witch-King’s rise to power, domination of Angmar, and invasion of the great kingdom of Arnor, home to Aragorn's ancestors. To fully experience the evil side of Middle-earth, gamers can now play as the all new Angmar faction in skirmish, multiplayer, and War of the Ring modes. Experience a whole new depth of strategy and upgraded War of the Ring and Create-A-Hero features. Create-A-Hero's entirely new Troll class boasts additional weapons and armor that will allow players to have even more freedom in customizing their game play. War of the Ring, the risk-style meta-game, offers upgraded army persistence, a new siege dynamic on the Living World Map, and unified territories that serve as major control points. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

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...

Games Radar (in-house)

A few months ago, "Company of Heroes" was a lock for RTS of the year. With Rise of the Witch-king, we're on the verge of flip-flopping. Seriously.

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AceGamez

An essential purchase, as it increases the longevity of the original and more importantly improves on it, to make the whole experience of Tolkien's world feel even more complete.

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ActionTrip

One of the most commendable aspects of the expansion pack is the inclusion of a revamped version of the War of the Ring turn-based mode.

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GameZone

Witch-King may not leave that same sense of wonder as when the original Battle for Middle-earth II launched, but it is – nonetheless – a challenging game that offers a new look at the rich tapestry of Tolkien’s world.

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Pelit (Finland)

Just like its predecessors, BfME is probably the most fun RTS at the moment. I liked the Witch-King campaign, but the new and improved War of the Ring still feels like a war of randomly moving chess pieces. [Dec 2006]

Jolt Online Gaming UK

Although RotWK certainly doesn’t justify rushing out and purchasing the original if you don’t already have it, BfME2 fans who can put up with the micromanagement and fancy some new challenges will find plenty to love here.

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PALGN

There's no reason why you shouldn't purchase this if you already have the original. While it could do with some improvements in areas, the experience is still fantastic.

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Game Informer

War of the Ring mode offers more persistence for units and greater movement allowance, and with the addition of the Thrall Masters and other useful evil units, this is a good expansion pack that does more than just hold the fort.

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PC Zone UK

With the War Of The Ring turnbased campaign also receiving some minor though effective tweaks, this is one add-on pack you should snap up like a slavering Warg. Amazing what's possible when consoles don't get in the way, isn't it?

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GameDaily

Although it doesn't entirely change the game around, this expansion makes enough improvements, allowing gamers to get lost in Middle-earth all over again.

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IGN

The additions and fixes to War of the Ring mode make that style of play a much more inviting option this time around. There are still some AI issues on the strategic map and using navies needs to be an option, but overall, War of the Ring should bring plenty of hours of entertainment.

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GameSpy

An excellent expansion that does exactly what an expansion pack should do -- add in new stuff while improving the core gameplay. The game remains a bit over- reliant on micromanaging special powers and hero units, but for fans of The Battle for Middle-earth II's gameplay style, the expansion pack is a must buy.

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Yahoo! Games

A must-have for fans of the original game. It adds enough new stuff and fixes enough old stuff that you won't want to miss it.

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Worth Playing

A fantastic expansion. It does everything right, fixing some troublesome bugs, adding new units and a new faction, and continuing the story without completely destroying the original good-versus-evil concept that has been the staple of the Lord of the Rings universe.

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Strategy Informer

It carries that rare trait of success where many expansions suffer miserably and leave many gamers in despair.

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PC Format

A solid expansion for fans of either the game or the backstory, but not one capable of breathing new life into its tired predecessor. [Jan 2007, p.67]

GameSpot

The Rise of the Witch-King is a fairly standard expansion that adds a brief campaign centered around one of the more enigmatic characters from the movies.

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PC Gamer

More LOTR action is always welcome, be aware that Rise doesn't add a whole lot on. [Feb. 2007, p.67]

Computer Games Magazine

With Rise of the Witch-King, EA has officially left precious few licensing stones unturned. [Mar 2007, p.64]

Armchair Empire

For those gamers that were fans of the original from a single player aspect, Rise of the Witch King doesn't really add that much more such it should grab your attention. For die-hard Lord of the Rings fans, the minimal content additions will likely be enough.

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PC Gamer UK

Ultimately, Rise is meant for the BFME hardcore. [Christmas 2006, p.74]

Detroit Free Press

Unlike the original game, which offered the freedom to choose sides, this expansion pack forces players into the dark shoes of Sauron's henchman.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bao V. gave it a10:
The campaign missions are much better than BFME2. I love what they did to War of the Ring and Create-a-Hero too.

Mathew E. gave it a10:
This is probably one of the best expansion I have played since AOM titans. Provides great game play and a nice new in-depth campaign.

Holly J. gave it a3:
Rise of the Witch King is pretty fun for the first hour, but the repetition starts to get to you after a while, not even the great graphics can keep you interested.

Glenn K. gave it a2:
An uninspiring rehash from an unispired game. You'd be most wise to avoid this so called expansion pack.

Kelly J. gave it a2:
Sadly, I was very disappointed by ROTWK. The missions felt very bland and short. The new units are nice, but with so many factions already in the game, they start feeling more of the same. I guess I was expecting this expansion to be over the top, but really it just fixes a few bugs and looks pretty. I guess if you're a die hard LOTR fan this is a must have otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Flak K. gave it a1:
A classic example of a game that put all its cards on the table in its previews and trailers but had squat to show for it when it came time to pony up. There are a couple improvements (new units, some poorly designed missions), but not enough to make you feel as though you got your moneys worth. The only thing good I can say is that the game has decent graohics, but that is expected in todays games. In the end I would say that you should stay away from this game especially if you dont have the original yet which would mean you would be shelling out $40+ of disappointment.

Mike J. gave it a10:
This game is amazing! It's the best expansion pack to come out in a very long time. The new faction alone makes it worth $30, but then they have an awesome campaign and lots more.

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Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king, The

Game Info

Summary

Also On Metacritic

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases