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LOTR: BFME 2 Review (360)

D

DodgerBlue

Member
It's only yahoo but it's the first I've seen of an actually review

http://videogames.yahoo.com/gamereview?cid=1951246583&tab=reviews&page=0&eid=468158

Score: 4.5/5

A few snippets

So to the $64,000 question: How are the controls? Not perfect, but still an awesome achievement is the answer. BFME uses every single button on the 360's controller, and could probably use several more if it had them. The camera movement is familiar, using both sticks for complete control, and the A button handles most things relating to movement and attacking. Beyond that, it gets a little more tricky.
Click to expand...

Amusingly, there's at least one area where the 360's controller is easier to use than a typical PC strategy game. The free camera -- which can be rotated and zoomed to suit your pleasure -- seems to suit the 360's dual-stick pad much better than a mouse. Spatial awareness comes more easily, rotation and zoom controls are always at your fingertips, and we found ourselves much more comfortable with the whole concept of a rotating camera on the 360 than we are on a PC.

On the graphics front, the 360 version looks very similar to how it would on a decent spec PC. Yes, the framerate takes a beating on occasion, but this isn't the fatal blow it might be to a shooter. It's a shame you can't pull the camera back a little further for a broader view, but the close-up perspective makes even smaller fights exciting. Influences from Peter Jackson's movies and other classic Lord of the Rings lore are everywhere; it's a very slickly produced package.
Click to expand...
 
K

Kingpen

Member
I'll be picking it up then.... I think the guys from yahoo reviews do a pretty good job most of the time, and the guy that reviewed it also reviewed the PC version so he should know what he is talking about.
 
N

No.1

Member
Good to see it did alright - I'll still wait until a few more review until passing judgement. But it seems they've established a fairly solid control structure, which will hopefully mean we'll see some quality RTS games on consoles in the future.

Bring on CC3 :D
 
KyanMehwulfe

KyanMehwulfe

Member
Awesome news. I've been following this game in hopes that it would herald a new beginning for RTS games on consoles. Coincedentally I actually just blogged this morning about how console gamers should be more open to the idea of giving the genre a chance.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
The controls are well thought out and comprehensive, but the advanced functions are not intuitive. Many commands rely on double or triple combinations of face buttons and triggers or bumpers.
Click to expand...

:|

Some comparative examples of command execution on PC and 360 would have been nice, but I assume this more 'advanced' stuff is much easier on the PC. I applaud EA for trying, but it doesn't sound like consoles will be the homewrecker for the PC/RTS marriage just yet..they'll have another go with C&C, and that's actually one I care about :p
 
McHuj

McHuj

Member
On the graphics front, the 360 version looks very similar to how it would on a decent spec PC. Yes, the framerate takes a beating on occasion, but this isn't the fatal blow it might be to a shooter.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Next Gen. I think this will be common for both PS3 and X360 with regard to ports, especially PC to console ports.

Since this is a PC port, my bet it only runs on one core without any multithreading. EA probably just took the PC game and decide to do the minimal work to get it to run with little enhancements.
 
pr0cs

pr0cs

Member
That's good news, Yahoo has typically been a bit more forgiving in regards to giving game scores but the commentary in the review is certainly favorable.

I'm excited at the prospect of RTS games making their way to the consoles, esp the 360 and XBL. One of my biggest complaints about PC RTS gaming were that unless the game was a stellar selling title it was extremely difficult to find a decent match to play. The unified XBL system makes me think that it will be much easier to find games and gamers to play against. (and the guy warring against you won't have a distinct advantage due to better hardware)

The review didn't mention anything about multiplayer lag, I'd be curious to see how it's handled in this game.
 
S

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
pr0cs said:
The review didn't mention anything about multiplayer lag, I'd be curious to see how it's handled in this game.
Click to expand...

Should be fine, PC version is peer to peer same as live and runs fine.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Frame rate issue should be fine. You aren't directly controlling the fighting, just telling troops where to attack.

Also, the bumper issue sounds a little like learning hotkeys. Just need to reorganize the way you micromanage on the 360. Picking this up tommorrow when it is in, really looking forward to playing the game online.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
There is some more on the second page too:

Of more note than the minor framerate problem is the size of some of the display elements. Some icons and symbols are indistinct on a standard-definition TV; you'll learn them by their position quickly enough, but you might be squinting for a while at first. More than any other 360 game to date, a high definition display goes beyond merely improving the aesthetics.

Multiplayer has also seen some serious attention for this port. BFME II's Xbox Live play is both imaginative and well-developed, and will meet the expectations of PC RTS old hands as well as console-oriented RTS newbs. The range of modes includes traditional long-haul type strategic matches as well as action or objective-oriented shorter games. Obviously a lot of thought has gone into making BFME's multiplayer possible to play in short bursts rather than the more lengthy sessions typical of its PC brethren - some modes include time limits or inherently short-duration rules. In other words, it's more than possible to play in ten-minute chunks.

To produce a console RTS game that equals its PC counterpart is no mean feat, and here Electronic Arts has even surpassed it slightly in some areas. Challenging the accepted conventions of the video game world isn't something one often associates with EA, but pick up this highly polished, innovative title and you'll be more than pleased they pulled it off.
Click to expand...
 
G

Geoff9920

Member
gofreak said:
:|

Some comparative examples of command execution on PC and 360 would have been nice, but I assume this more 'advanced' stuff is much easier on the PC. I applaud EA for trying, but it doesn't sound like consoles will be the homewrecker for the PC/RTS marriage just yet..they'll have another go with C&C, and that's actually one I care about :p
Click to expand...
IGN had a video feature on the conrols last week, you might want to check it out. It should give you a better idea of what they'll be like.
 
Dr. Kitty Muffins

Dr. Kitty Muffins

Member
Hopefully this sells well on the 360 and we some ALOT more console RTS come out this gen.

Lionhead grabbed the Millar brothers (ex-blizzard guys) who were responsible for Goblin Commander. Maybe we will see one from them, especially since Microsoft owns the company now.
 
S

Spider_Jerusalem

Member
Dr. Kitty Muffins said:
Lionhead grabbed the Millar brothers (ex-blizzard guys) who were responsible for Goblin Commander. Maybe we will see one from them, especially since Microsoft owns the company now.
Click to expand...
And don't forget that Ensemble Studios are currently at work on an Xbox 360 RTS, with the scope of setting the standard for control scheme of this kind of games on console. I expected to see something for E3, now I hope they'll show it at X06.

Edit - i found the article:

We're giving RTS games on the console a shot," Goodman continues, "We actually spent a whole year just trying to reconstruct how the controls would work on an RTS game, six to eight people in just a prototype mode where they just were working on actually making it a good experience on the console."

"Because we wanted to focus on just controls alone, we just took a straight port of Age of Empires and worked on that first. Now, the game we're doing for our console has a lot of different gameplay elements, too."

"When they got it to the point where we had Age of Empires up and running, and our people with gamepads could beat the people with mice, then we knew we really had totally reconstructed the control systems."

Goodman believes Ensemble has achieved the Holy Grail of RTS development: "Yeah, and we got there. Our gamepad people could beat our mouse people. The last thing we wanted was to start on a game before we solved that problem. That's the big problem. We put in so much time, and effort, and made a series of little breakthroughs, and got it."
Click to expand...

This should be veeeeeery interesting. They don't directly mention 360, but hey, Enseble is Microsoft, so unless they're developing for the Xboy... :D

(the last bolded phrase will make Borys go nuts :lol )
 
S

snatches

Member
Beyond Anal Gamer Gripe:

As someone who doesn't game on PC, and never has, I hate the fact that this is BFME II....

I consider myself somewhat of a game collection completist, and not being able to pick up the first one for 360 or another console is grating to my sensibilities.

Well, off to go wash my hands three times. Laterz.
 
B

Barnolde

Banned
snatches said:
Beyond Anal Gamer Gripe:

As someone who doesn't game on PC, and never has, I hate the fact that this is BFME II....

I consider myself somewhat of a game collection completist, and not being able to pick up the first one for 360 or another console is grating to my sensibilities.

Well, off to go wash my hands three times. Laterz.
Click to expand...

:lol



I'm the same way :(

CoD2 wasn't too bad, because the game just kicked so much ass. I like sequels like Hitman, where they forego the numbers for a subtitle, heh.
 
Dr. Kitty Muffins

Dr. Kitty Muffins

Member
Spider_Jerusalem said:
And don't forget that Ensemble Studios are currently at work on an Xbox 360 RTS, with the scope of setting the standard for control scheme of this kind of games on console. I expected to see something for E3, now I hope they'll show it at X06.

Edit - i found the article:



This should be veeeeeery interesting. They don't directly mention 360, but hey, Enseble is Microsoft, so unless they're developing for the Xboy... :D

(the last bolded phrase will make Borys go nuts :lol )
Click to expand...



Sounds good but I'm greedy and RTS games are a bit thin on consoles. Hopefully they allow the Millar bothers of Lionhead to work on an RTS game using the same engine. :D

I'm just looking for ways to get more. :)
 
D

Dr_Cogent

Banned
snatches said:
Beyond Anal Gamer Gripe:

As someone who doesn't game on PC, and never has, I hate the fact that this is BFME II....

I consider myself somewhat of a game collection completist, and not being able to pick up the first one for 360 or another console is grating to my sensibilities.

Well, off to go wash my hands three times. Laterz.
Click to expand...

Don't sweat it.

Just be glad you got this if it turns out to be sweet.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Spider_Jerusalem said:
And don't forget that Ensemble Studios are currently at work on an Xbox 360 RTS, with the scope of setting the standard for control scheme of this kind of games on console. I expected to see something for E3, now I hope they'll show it at X06.

Edit - i found the article:



This should be veeeeeery interesting. They don't directly mention 360, but hey, Enseble is Microsoft, so unless they're developing for the Xboy... :D

(the last bolded phrase will make Borys go nuts :lol )
Click to expand...

About time MS starts flexing their RTS muscle, and none better than Ensemble to get the job done. Is this the rumored Halo Forerunners RTS game?
 
KyanMehwulfe

KyanMehwulfe

Member
Ensemble Studios said:
Goodman believes Ensemble has achieved the Holy Grail of RTS development: "Yeah, and we got there. Our gamepad people could beat our mouse people. The last thing we wanted was to start on a game before we solved that problem. That's the big problem. We put in so much time, and effort, and made a series of little breakthroughs, and got it."
Click to expand...
I'll believe that when I see it. Still, though, even if it's just overhype or skewed (eg; doesn't mention dumbed down gameplay), it's still great news.
 
B

bill0527

Member
Dr_Cogent said:
Isn't there supposed to be a demo for this?
Click to expand...

Yes, but after the Prey fiasco... and still having egg on their faces from the constant delaying of SFII and Texas Hold'em from announced release dates... they're not about to even so much as drop a hint as to when you'll get it on the marketplace.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
I've seen BFME2 ads at a variety of sites, and the ad says "demo coming soon", so this is probably as good as it'll get for now in terms of date.
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
I just noticed the Asian version is available at play-asia.com but it has ? next to its region-free status, I dont suppose anyone knows if this is region-free?
 
C

coldvein

Banned
bill0527 said:
Yes, but after the Prey fiasco... and still having egg on their faces from the constant delaying of SFII and Texas Hold'em from announced release dates... they're not about to even so much as drop a hint as to when you'll get it on the marketplace.
Click to expand...

good.
 
B

bill0527

Member
Dr_Cogent said:
I don't remember a Prey fiasco. What is that?

What, because it came out early?
Click to expand...

Prey fiasco:

Developers announce a simultaneous release of the demo on PC and Xbox 360.

PC Demo releases... where is the 360 demo?

3 days later...

Developer states on their message boards that they have no idea what's going on with the 360 demo because it should have been up by now.

A couple of days later...

Major Nelson comes unglued on his blog because he's getting like 500 screaming messages a minute wondering where the Prey demo is at.

Nelson states in a round about way that developers and publishers need to shut their pie holes and stop announcing release dates for their content on the marketplace because apparently you can dig a hole (with your hands) through the Great Wall of China faster than you can get something through the Microsoft Certification process.
 
P

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
YellowAce said:
The PS3 version will be superior thanks to the 6D controller.
Click to expand...


No, no... it WAS superior, thanks to the proper optimization of the fourth dimensional component the game, in its PLAYSTATION 3 edition, already came out like last May. The problem is that the developers of the Xbox 360 version were able to make improvements to their version creating a time paradox. No big deal though ;).
 
S

syllogism

Member
But where the early levels consistently switch from a high of 30 FPS to lows of 25 FPS, the later levels deal out slowdown that actually prevents you from clicking on or controlling anything for a few seconds. It's rough. In the last two levels of the good and evil campaigns the framerate takes a serious beating.
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound like a good port.
 
G

Geoff9920

Member
mankey wrench said:
ugh the graphics doesn't look too hot

i was hoping pc ports would hold up on next gen consoles at least for a while :/
Click to expand...
1. It's an RTS, get used to it. It's not going to be a graphical powerhouse.

2. It looks like the PC game, what's your beef?
 
D

Dunpeal

Banned
The FPs takes a beating? Man cmon, i'm getting worried with the FPS problems on the 360...i hope its because they are PC ports.
 
G

Geoff9920

Member
Wtf, the footage I've seen didn't look like that.

950_0002.jpg


Here's a much better pic of the 360 version, but nice try. ;)

Here's a link to the rest of the pics..

http://www.xboxyde.com/gallery_3444_en.html
 
B

B_Rik_Schitthaus

Banned
I'm so hard for this game, it looks and now sounds fantastic.

Football manager 06 has to a degree convinced me that complex PC games can work on the 360.

14 July UK launch,
 
F

FirstInHell

Banned
Get a grip. Does every thread about a game ported to the Xbox 360 from the PC have to turn into a nitpicking shitfest about graphical quality? If you think the PC visuals are so wonderful and all of the Xbox360 developers are lazy and do shit ports, then sell your 360 (if you have one), go play the PC version on your super gaming rig, and stop crapping up every thread.

Do you people realize that this forum has a reputation one step above that of Gamefaqs?

If you want to make a valid arguement, try posting some valid comparisions before you begin trolling.
 
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