Since the dawn of the RTS genre, gamers and developers alike have found it much easier and more enjoyable to have this specific genre on PCs. Since these types of games require quick response times, and accuracy with your cursor they have remained for the most part on computers. However there have been times where a few brave developers have attempted to take an RTS and put it on a home console. This is the case with EA’s Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II (Simply BFME2 for the rest of this review). With no keyboard or mouse peripherals in sight, the EA development team made an RTS for gamers to enjoy on the Xbox 360. As it turns out the game is actually quite entertaining. The control scheme is not as efficient as it is on a PC, but it gets the job done well.

Gameplay

BFME2 on Xbox 360 is more or less a carbon copy of its PC counterpart; the only real exception being the control scheme. The game will give you a quick overview of how to use the controls, and then you are on your way. Its relatively easy to manage your forces, the “A” button is essentially the main button of the game. Aside from that the “R” trigger, D-Pad, and analog sticks are the only other key method of controls. You can sort through your units by just pressing the “R” trigger while tapping the D-Pad. The “A” button selects your unit, and the analog sticks move your camera. It’s a fairly simple setup to get used to, and definitely improves the state at which RTS’ are played on consoles.

BFME2 features a good single player mode as well as a competitive multiplayer mode over Xbox Live. The single player mode is split into two different campaigns, good and evil. Both of these campaigns include eight unique missions. To top it off, EA has included a skirmish mode where gamers can chose any levels they desire, whether it be from the first game or all new levels from BFME2 and duke it out. In the good section of the single player mode you can play as dwarfs, elves and more. In the evil section of the single player you can control the vast and powerful armies of Mordor and Isengard. Interestingly enough, depending on which side you play on, it’s the reverse for the other. When playing as the evil side, if you attack a certain place, you might have to defend that same location when playing on the good side. Best of all, as you progress through the game you will gain Achievement points that not only add to your ego (You gamers know who you are), but also unlock special characters on both the good and evil sides.

The AI in the game is fairly intelligent, good enough for the average gamer to not feel overwhelmed, and also good enough for the RTS pro to break a sweat. The AI will develop armies of varying units to try and use your weaknesses against you. The best way is to counter with the same. If you can build units that have an advantage over their attacking units, you’ll find it much easier than just mimicking whatever the AI sends at you, and sending the same thing back. In addition to the core gameplay tactics, the game also will give you some very powerful characters. These units can change the pace of the game. They cause more damage, while withstanding more damage.


Clash of the armies

The main problem with the game are the controls. While they are most likely the best method of control for an RTS game on a console, they still don’t provide the precision that a keyboard and mouse give you. This definitely causes the game to play a lot differently than its PC counterpart. While the game was rebuilt for the Xbox 360 controller, the game still kept the irreplaceable aspects of the PC version. The game still wants you to be able to have units in all different parts of the map, and bring them behind enemy units, while at the same time coordinating a full frontal attack. This is almost impossible to achieve using the console’s controller. It takes too long to execute such a move, and lacks the precision that the PC game had. Instead the Xbox 360 game plays out more like a large massive clash between two armies, where you rely on your numbers rather than your tactics. This causes the game to feel radically different than how it was intended to be played. EA did a good job trying its best to recreate this experience, but it falls short.