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EA Announce LotR: Battle for Middle Earth II for 360

K

Katana_Strikes

Member
EA Announces the Lord of the Rings, the Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360; Players Can Now Command the Epic Battles of Middle-earth from Their Living Room Couch

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Jan. 13, 2006 -- Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS) today announced that the highly anticipated PC game, The Lord of the Rings(TM), The Battle for Middle-earth(TM) II will make its exclusive console debut when it ships in Summer 2006 on the Xbox 360(TM). Players can now command epic Middle-earth battles presented in spectacular high-definition from the comfort of their very own couch. To add to the intensity of the experience, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 is the first game in The Lord of the Rings(TM) series that will be playable over Xbox LIVE(TM)(1). Players will be able to challenge friends online and engage in intense, action-packed real-time battles.


"Living these cinematic battles in high-definition with stunning surround sound, all from the comfort of your living room couch on the Xbox 360, is an extraordinary experience," said Louis Castle, VP of Creative Development at EALA. "Adding the ability to battle it out with friends via Xbox LIVE is also really exciting."

Based on the PC version of the same name, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 will bring players into the heart of Middle-earth to live the battles seen in the blockbuster New Line Cinema films and classic J.R.R. Tolkien literary fiction. The game boasts a new and intuitive console-specific control scheme that will allow novice players to enjoy the game's signature strategy gameplay while giving expert players the flexibility needed to engage in a deeply complex strategy experience. Players will directly control hundreds of units in an attempt to defeat enemy armies, conquer new lands, and seal the fate of Middle-earth.

Developed at EA's Los Angeles studio, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 offers players a new depth of The Lord of the Rings fiction never before explored in an EA console game. The game makers at EALA have brought The Lord of the Rings world to life in accordance with an agreement with The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises that grants EA the rights to develop games based on the books, in addition to a separate agreement that allows for games based on the New Line Cinema films.

The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 has not yet been rated by the ESRB and the PC version is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about either game, please visit: www.bfme2.ea.com. For information about all of EA's games, please visit EA's press site at www.info.ea.com
Click to expand...

Wasn't expecting that one...
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Surprising. The controls must obviously be an area of focus for this to work well..colour me sceptical, but I hope they can change my mind.
 
K

krypt0nian

Banned
Not sure how well I'll like this without an excellent control scheme. But its a cool announcement.

Greyhavensawaits.jpg
 
K

Katana_Strikes

Member
More info...

The Xbox 360 version, designed in-house at EA Los Angeles, features what is being touted as a unique and intuitive control scheme by the studio's Vice President of Creative Development, Westwood co-founder Louis Castle.

"People will want to say, 'this is a port,' and well, it is and it isn't," Louis Castle told Gamasutra in an exclusive interview. "It's actually a re-imagining of the core compulsions that the PC games had, and in a way that's inherently intuitive to a console controller. It's a huge undertaking, and we've got a fairly large team working around the clock to make it a quality product."

The exact details of this new control scheme have yet to be revealed, nor has the proposed release date, and EA is remaining tight-lipped for the time being.

"We're not treating it as a mouse, it doesn't have a big complex display, it really is native to what you think of with camera movement and navigation for a console game," continued Castle. "And I can leave you to imagine from there."

Additionally, the game will feature Xbox Live support, including voice over IP and a number of Xbox 360-exclusive modes, including FPS-favorites "Capture the Flag" and "King of the Hill," though in a real-time strategy setting.
Click to expand...

Apparently there will be some screenshots later today...
 
open_mouth_

open_mouth_

insert_foot_
hmmm.... RTS can be done pretty decently with the 360 controller, but the developers have to be clever to make it work right. Controls are everything in a game like this.

edit: dang, EA is behind the Xbox 360 big time. I think it's in EA's best interest if the battle between the PS3/360 is a tightly fought one (with huge marketing expenditures by both sides to expand the market).
 
O

Outcast2004

Banned
VERY interested to see how this plays out. It'l be nice to have a HD RTS on a big screen lik eI have in the living room.

Now give me Age of Empires 3 on the 360, dammit!
 
B

Ben Sones

Member
I'm interested but skeptical. I've been playing the beta of the PC version, and it's very good, but also fast-paced and pretty clicky. It doesn't seem like a particularly good candidate for a console RTS for those reasons, but maybe they have some great idea that will make it all work.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
Wow, EA is just churning out games. I personally am burned out on RTS games. I think its a dead genre ... but if they can make this work, more power to them.
 
S

Shiggy

Member
krypt0nian said:
oh bullshit.
Click to expand...

Maybe I expected too much after seeing Kameo [I`m talking about the Xbox version, not 360), but this doesn`t really differ too much from this gen grafics, imo.
 
K

Kasra

Banned
Looks damn beautiful.


It'll be interesting to see what the controls are like. Hopefully I can get my hands on it at E3.
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
Looks hot. And I think even more hot in motion. I wonder when we'll get a trailer.

BTW, what's with the 360 love at EA recently? Fight Night demo + CES keynote, and now this.
 
W

Wollan

Member
I loved C&C & Red Alert on the PSOne.
Im more picky today though regarding control schemes and whatnot so Im very interested to see how this develops.

Though I don't really think you can do a rts(on console) without a Revolution controller(m/kb is a nono).
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
just give me USB mouse and keyboard support EA and all will be good.

and it looks nice in that "REALLY nice PC shots" sort of way.. though not quite was I was hoping for from next-gen.
 
K

Kasra

Banned
Chittagong said:
Looks hot. And I think even more hot in motion. I wonder when we'll get a trailer.

BTW, what's with the 360 love at EA recently? Fight Night demo + CES keynote, and now this.
Click to expand...



Maybe they've decided that it's time for a couple of American companies to retake the industry?

Or maybe they just like money.
 
3

3rdman

Member
BTW, does anybody remember this nugget?

Xbox_360_93_500.jpg


I don't know about you guys, but for me this would be more than enough as far as KB support is concerned.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Chittagong said:
Looks hot. And I think even more hot in motion. I wonder when we'll get a trailer.

BTW, what's with the 360 love at EA recently? Fight Night demo + CES keynote, and now this.
Click to expand...

EA has been pushing Xbox Live more than MS.

Fifa demo
NBA Live demo
Madden demo
NFS MW demo
Fight Night demo
Upcoming Burnout Revenge demo
Plus 480P & 720P Trailers with assorted goodies to dowload for each game over live marketplace.

EA seems to like the Live marketplace because it allows them to bypass retail headaches and send content directly to the consumer.
 
open_mouth_

open_mouth_

insert_foot_
what *if* they use voice control for RTS games to make selecting hotkey groups easier? Or for special magic commands?
 
T

TheDuce22

Banned
I dont know about anyone else but at least one EA demo convinced me to buy the game (NFS). I wonder if they track that stuff. :)
 
G

Gattsu25

Banned
This is fucking huge news

we need this game to succeed in the hopes that it paves the way to legitimate RTS games on consoles
 
D

DenogginizerOS

BenjaminBirdie's Thomas Jefferson
Shiggy said:
Maybe I expected too much after seeing Kameo [I`m talking about the Xbox version, not 360), but this doesn`t really differ too much from this gen grafics, imo.
Click to expand...

Then I would say, "Lazy EA" and not "XBOX 1.5" because EA is at fault for what you think is underwhelming, not the X360.
 
G

Gattsu25

Banned
DenogginizerOS said:
Then I would say, "Lazy EA" and not "XBOX 1.5" because EA is at fault for what you think is underwhelming, not the X360.
Click to expand...
Actually, I would say Bad Shiggy because you're comparing an action/ adventure to a RTS in terms of unit and terrain detail
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
Wakune said:
This is fucking huge news

we need this game to succeed in the hopes that it paves the way to legitimate RTS games on consoles
Click to expand...


It's an EA game, with a popular license on a system (360) that has no other games like it. It's going to be a big seller. But not because its a great game, or because it's a popular genre.


----


PS. If you want to know what EA can do with RTS, play 'Armies of Exigo' on the PC. A horribly dull, bland RTS. Pretty graphics, but nothing that leaves you impressed as far as gameplay or story.
 
D

DonasaurusRex

Online Ho Champ
well considering you only need gandalf if your gondor, and you only need the ganksquad of lore if your rohan id say this will translate quite well to a controller scheme.....mordor and isenguard are facked though.
 
K

Katana_Strikes

Member
ToxicAdam said:
PS. If you want to know what EA can do with RTS, play 'Armies of Exigo' on the PC. A horribly dull, bland RTS. Pretty graphics, but nothing that leaves you impressed as far as gameplay or story.
Click to expand...

Or just play the original BfME.

Dull, dull, dull!
 
S

Shiggy

Member
DenogginizerOS said:
Then I would say, "Lazy EA" and not "XBOX 1.5" because EA is at fault for what you think is underwhelming, not the X360.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't, because it should say that it looks like it could be done on Xbox 1.5.
 
V

VALIS

Member
This is probably my biggest desire in video games - RTS on the consoles! More! More! Please more!

I bought AoE3 last month. My PC is about a year and a half old. P4 2.4ghz. 1gb RAM. Radeon 9100 card. Not state of the art, but certainly not a dog, either. 60 seconds in, froze and crashed. Disabled virus scanner. Disabled other background apps. Made sure I had the newest Direct X. Reboot and tried again. Froze and crashed. Then I had to argue with the EB clerk I was returning the game because it didn't work, not because I didn't like it.

So, again, anyone who's listening: More RTS on the consoles please, just as long as they're not dumbed down! More more more! :D :D :D
 
W

Willy Wanka

my god this avatar owns
It looks pretty good graphically but I've never been a big fan of RTS on consoles and the first game was utter bollocks so we shall see.
 
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