The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth

[Cheesemonger]

Never minded EA all that much. I buy games for content, not publisher.

 

As for BfME, buy if you want it, Don't buy it if you don't. Simple as that, if you have the money, and have nothing better to do, buy it, play it, sell it on Ebay if you hate it. I normally Do the last one, substituting Selling on Ebay, for keeping it and playing it every once in a while.

[valdir]

Unfortunately it'll come to the point where you HAVE to buy EA games because they're the only publisher on the market -- if this monopoly is allowed to continue.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

My, my, my...

 

You know, since there aren't a dozen other publishers you can buy games from. Sounds like someones just a self loathing EA fanboy. :lol:

 

And yes, despite the fact it OMG DIDNT FOLLOW THE BOOKS (heh, its based on the movie) Battle For Middleearth is a fun game.

 

And _Atti_, just look at Armies of Exigo. That game would've been fun if it had just used the Warcraft license, rather than copied everything Warcraft 3 did and done worse. :whistling:

[Ancalagon]

I love it and hate it. Hate it that it shows no respect for Tolkien's universe, but since it's based on the movies, that's excusable. Hate it because I hate EA, and EA has no soul when it comes to making games, they just push out crap content for the masses just to make money (but, that's what it's all about, isn't it?).

 

Love it, because (though I haven't played it) who wouldn't want to totally screw with the universe of Tolkien? I know, that deep down inside every hardcore (no matter HOW hardcore) Tolkien fan, resides the urge to totally screw with Tolkien's world. It's like using the Dark side of the Force, because you know it gives you power and it will be fun... ^_^

 

I mean, who wouldn't want twenty something Ents, and a thousand Elven warriors to fight at the Black Gates against the forces of Sauron? Or, for that matter, use Balrogs when laying siege to Minas Tirith? It's terrible because of the disrespect for Tolkien's universe, but it's tempting because it's a "what-if this had happened" type of game and places an absurd amount of power at the players command.

[valdir]

EDIT- Nevermind.

[_Atti_]

Unfortunately it'll come to the point where you HAVE to buy EA games because they're the only publisher on the market -- if this monopoly is allowed to continue.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And _Atti_, just look at Armies of Exigo. That game would've been fun if it had just used the Warcraft license, rather than copied everything Warcraft 3 did and done worse. :whistling:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Armies of Exigo could have been a good game..(however i havent played it so i dont know if its really that bad as you say) it had unique ideas,gameplay...

but after it was decided that the publisher will be EA than a lot of things changed..

you know they must have told them to make something sellable...for ex:wc3 clone..they als o gave them some nice deadlines..great..

btw Armies of exigo was developed by hungarians..

[Abramul]

Oooh, project for the Entish Engineering Corps:

Determine the feasability of rerouting a river to flow through the Black Gates of Mordor. If possible, implement this plan.

[loveme4whoiam]

I has a distain for EA just as much as the rest of you, but i'll resist temptation and not go off on one. Oh, go one, then, maybe a small one... *begins screaming obscenities at the first object which catches his eye, which turns out to be the central heating boiler. After a hilarious if slightly pathetic five minutes, lovme4whoiam runs out of breath, and slumps down into the buttock-moulded chair* Much better. Now, on to the matter at hand.

 

I have a distain(sp?) for all so called "strategy" games, since the very definition is incorrect. It would be stretching the issue to call them Real-Time Tactical games, as to my mind including a "archers do more damage if they fire from above" feature isn't tactics. I have disliked all of Westwood's offerings, and this one proves no exception. I agree that it has butchered Tolkien's vision of Middle Earth, but thats what you get for giving the license to Ea... As for the game itself, it cannot hold a single merit up to redeem itself in my eyes, expect possibly that is has pretty graphics, although not nearly as good as Rome: Total War. In fact, you could all do me a big service. Uninstall your copy of BFME, take the disk, take it down to your local Gamestation/PC trade-in centre, and get Rome instead. You will do yourself and the world a favour if we, gamers as a whole, can convince developers to stop making games that were only innovative 10 years ago.

[Dunedain]

I agree that Rome total war is just an amazing, the total war team have made the probably the best RTS up to date which has a little bit of everything.

 

lol but i was just asking if BFME was any good or if EA had screwed it up i didnt want everyone swearing and insulting EA(no matter how entertaining it might be) but i guess i kinda of asked for it since whenever EA is mentioned on these forums everyone goes beserk lol quite funny. ;)

[Peregrine]

Tried it, wasn't too impressed. It was decent fun, but not at all worth buying at full price (borrowed a friend's copy). As far as storyline is concerned, who cares, it's just a game. Look at it as an alternate reality if you have to, or just ignore the single player game and play multiplayer. My complaints are with the gameplay itself:

 

 

* Countless times my units would ignore targeting orders/special attacks and just beat on the closest enemy. What's the point in being able to issue orders if they're rarely followed anyway?

 

* Units have no facing, a terrible flaw in a melee-heavy game. Many times I ordered a mounted charge against a retreating enemy formation. But somehow the pikemen are just as effective when overrun from the back, and my entire attack died for nothing.

 

* Unit AI is pathetic at best. A mounted charge should not stop completely on reaching the first enemy in its path. But that's what they do, instead of continuing the charge and smashing the enemy formation. Mounted archers are completely useless because they refuse to stand off and attack from range. I guess they'd rather charge and club things to death with their bows, and then sit there and wait patiently while the enemy smashes back.

 

* Buildings repair/build way too fast. There's almost no point in destroying them because they'll just be back if/when your attack force leaves. Even if you breach a castle wall, if you don't win the game immediately that wall will be back in 15 seconds.

 

* Unit experience is near-useless. No non-hero unit is ever going to survive to get above second level.

 

* Heroes are horribly unbalancing. Gandalf is especially bad, with multiple huge area attacks that will kill all their targets 90% of the time. And the ability to research a constant effect power that gives them double damage and double recharge rate is just the final bit of overkill.

[Slaiv]

omg plz... you dont need a lotr license to make a fun game...PLz!

its just easier to cash the golden cow than to come up with something new and original..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And who said a game has to be completely canonical to the writings to be worthy of the license? Or fun, for that matter?

 

Anyway, I haven't played it yet. But I'll still pick it up when it's $20.