Thoughts, not a review. Whereas we would typically write a complete review on a game we’ve played, we’ll refrain from doing so if we were unable or unmotivated to complete it. Another scenario might be that the particular genre the game falls into is simply not our cup of tea, but we gave it a go anyhow. This, in effect, lets you know that what follows isn’t an entirely well informed opinion. In fairness to the game, our thoughts are therefore less formal, less definitive than a review which would assume that we’ve judged the game as a whole, not a part, and the genre is one we’re familiar with.

I hate real-time strategy (RTS) games. “Hate” is a strong word, but there’s likely no other genre of videogames that I find less appealing. I can’t pinpoint precisely why. After all, I do enjoy small doses of strategy cross-pollinated with more traditional genres. Even during the genre’s heyday (think Command & Conquer) I wasn’t more the cursorily interested. Playing these games seemed like more of a chore than fun: harvest resources, harvest resources some more, build a base, build some troops, harvest more resources, get attacked, build your base again, build your troops and this time around some assault vehicles, go attack, get wiped out, harvest some more resources, repeat. Boring.

But along comes Battle for Middle Earth II (BMEII) for the Xbox360 and I’m compelled to give RTSs another shot. Why? Well, for starters, I’m a fan of the movies. I’m not a fantasy nut by any means, but the Lord of the Rings trilogy was fantastic. So, thematically, I was sold on the idea. Also, there had been a fair deal of hype about the control system in the game that apparently implemented on the traditional console controller the most intuitive and workable compromise from the traditional mouse and key board used to best control an RTS.

I was immediately pleased that the game largely did away with the most redundant aspect of an RTS: resource management and collection. In BMEII you simply build a resource providing structure that, unless destroyed, will constantly pump out the in game currency required to build your structures and build your armies. In the case of Elves, you send a builder to build you a money tree (not the actual name) and that’s it; from that point forward it will constantly produce currency all on its own. For that matter, you can build as many money trees as you wish, albeit the more you build the less fruitful each subsequent one will become. I think that’s called “gameplay balance” or some such nonsense. So far, so good.

I began my re-introduction in baby steps and played the two in game tutorials. These were great, feeding you itty bitty bits of gameplay fundamentals, one after the other. The controls were indeed clever and intuitive, although I did find it somewhat jarring at first that the cursor was fixed always in the centre of the screen; rather than watching the cursor first move slowly in any direction and then pick up speed before moving about the map, your perspective bolts in any direction as soon as you touch the left stick. As it turns out, this is perhaps the best way to effectively zoom about the map, and it only gets better after you’ve barfed twice due to vertigo induced nausea (just kidding). In reality, most PC RTSs are a one button game: most functions can be completed with the mouse’s left button. BMEII captures that one button ethic quite well: most things can be accomplished by pressing the A button. Mind you, menu systems are accessed through the triggers and directional pad, and more advance tactics through the bumpers. All in all, the hype seemed to be accurate.

The game proper also does a good job of easing you into the tactics and gameplay. In the first level you’ll only ever be facing off against a few bands of enemies here and there. As the levels progress, more complexity is added, but not too much. I was pleased to see that the game is objective based and lists said objectives for your review. Also, the level design is quite forgiving and you’re typically not at a loss as how to approach a situation.

The game looks great on an HDTV too. Character models don’t look so hot up close, but this is a given taking into account the genre: the game has to be able to display hundreds of unique units at a time whilst doing battle. The maps themselves are refreshingly multidimensional with rivers running in deep crevasses, hills elevated above the lower playing field offering strategic advantages, and, most impressive looking of all, bodies of water that can be traversed by boat. The levels also look decidedly high-def if, of course, you’ve got yourself an HDTV.

But alas, the honeymoon ended by the third or forth level. I was required to recruit the help of dwarves to defeat a dragon king that had claimed their home as his own. By this point I had been introduced to the nearly complete set of features and gameplay elements, in a nutshell, but was not quite up to the task to handle it all. As soon as things got hairy in the lair, I fumbled with the controls and things fell apart. I thought I was commanding my respectable little army wisely, but my efforts were in vain; either my little dwarves were suffering from shell shock or they were simply in an unsalvageable situation, because they seemed to ignore my well thought out - scratch that: poorly planned and asinine attempts at anything resembling - strategy and flailed uselessly against one big dragon and a whole bunch of spider thing-a-ma-jigs. If it would have made them feel any better, I would have told them that I too was flailing uselessly with the controls, trying to access some well hidden super power that would miraculously save their day. No one saved their day: they’re all dead.

That was it for me. I commanded what few troops remained to retreat to our well fortified base so that I could build them back up again and go out an another assault. That never happened. I pretty much spent the rest of the time defending against waves of opposing forces. I suppose, if motivated, I could have continued on and made a concerted effort at a comeback, but I wasn’t.

Ultimately the controls, as well implemented as they were, would have taken some more time to grasp comfortably in all their complexity. Having said that, considering I’m not a fan of the genre to begin with it was pretty remarkable that I stuck it out as long as I did. For RTS fans, this is likely a great game worth buying. But if you’re into RTS games, one would assume you’ve already got a PC to begin with, the platform on which most RTS games call home. And since BMEII is already on the PC with superior controls, why would an RTS fan bother with the Xbox360 version?

Makes ya think.