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

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth is a 2004 real-time strategy game developed for Windows by EA Los Angeles. It is built on Peter Jackson's film trilogy and was the first of several strategy games Electronic Arts produced on that basis.

Technically it runs on the SAGE engine, the same technology EA used for the Command & Conquer series, and it shows — control, unit selection and base building all sit close to the Westwood tradition. Battle for Middle-earth added several things that set it apart, though: bases are not built freely but on predetermined plots, units move in squads rather than individually, and heroes have their own abilities and gain experience.

Presentation is the strength. The game uses short clips taken directly from the films and a number of the original voice actors, including the hobbits and the wizards, so the atmosphere lands. Battles are large, and two armies colliding on screen still looks impressive.

The weakness is depth. The economy is simplified, there are fewer tactical options than in comparable strategy games, and the campaign leans on famous scenes more than on ideas of its own. For film fans that is a plus; for strategy players it is not.

The sequel, Battle for Middle-earth II, arrived on 2 March 2006. Electronic Arts permanently closed the official game servers on 31 December 2010 when its Lord of the Rings licence expired. Online play is still possible today, but only through unofficial community servers — the typical fate of a licensed online game.