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

 PC
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
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  1. Games Radar
    73
    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]
  2. Boomtown
    70
    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.
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  3. eToychest
    70
    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.
  5. Gamer.tv
    60
    Faithful to the movie where it counts, but it's also fun and accessbile, even for non-RTS fans.
  6. Computer Games Magazine
    60
    May not be the reinvention of the wheel, but it's certainly the best "Tolkien game" to date. [March 2005, p.70]
    All this publication's reviews

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best PC Game of 2004
22
#22 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
35
#35 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 332 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 282 out of 332
  2. Mixed: 41 out of 332
  3. Negative: 9 out of 332
  1. Sesshomaru764
    Sep 27, 2010
    10
    Battle For Middle-Earth is a really fun and enjoyable game it is very well made and has years upon years of gameplay and has stunning graphicsBattle For Middle-Earth is a really fun and enjoyable game it is very well made and has years upon years of gameplay and has stunning graphics for such an old game. This games campaign will drag you inside MIddle-Earth and allow you to follow in the footsteps of the movies. If you are a Lord Of The Rings fan this is a must get, I have been playing it for some time now and I enjoy it much more then any other game like StarCraft2. It has a few problems because if you have a large monitor for whatever reason doesn't let you start up the game but that can be fixed my going to the EA website and finding the solution to that problem. The people of EA LA are a great game developer and hopefully they will keep up the great job.… Full Review »
  2. Schlafanzug
    Apr 6, 2013
    8
    This is a pretty good game. Playing the multiplayer is fun (even if the AI is stupid), and the Campaigns (Both good and evil) are fun. TheThis is a pretty good game. Playing the multiplayer is fun (even if the AI is stupid), and the Campaigns (Both good and evil) are fun. The only issues I saw were the lack of AI intelligence and that the game didn't go directly with the lore behind it...… Full Review »
  3. kane148
    Aug 7, 2012
    7
    I probably liked this game much more than I should have due to it being LOTR-themed. I found it fun and somewhat innovative, but also at timesI probably liked this game much more than I should have due to it being LOTR-themed. I found it fun and somewhat innovative, but also at times frustrating. Like all unit-cap control-the-nodes games, you'll spend a significant portion of your time on most levels scrambling to defend multiple spots at once while the AI uses its superior numbers and defenses to give you hell. With that said, it is fun to control some of the memorable battles from the movies and to even explore some of the regions hardly seen in the movies or books.… Full Review »
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