Many RTSes for consoles, but only one to rule them all: Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II.
When talking about a Lord of the Rings game, the first thing you need to point out is its presentation. This is probably the best looking and sounding LOTR game ever. The character models, special effects, and environments all look as good as, if not better than, their PC counterparts. But that should come to no surprise, however, seeing as how the game is on the Xbox 360. The audio is equally amazing, with the same epic soundtrack you have come to expect from the franchise. The graphics may not be better than GRAW, but on its own, they do just fine.
But the real draw to this version of BFME II are the controls and gameplay. The reason that RTSes aren't popular on consoles is because the gameplay is too deep to use the controller fully. When the developers simplify the control scheme, they also simplify the depth of gameplay with it. With BFME II, EA has done a fine job of making an easy-to-use control scheme while still keeping the depth of the game intact, the main reason the series has done well in the first place. You use the left analog stick to move around the map while using the right analog stick to either tilt or zoom in on the map. As for selecting the units, you mainly use the A button all of the time. The difference is that it has different functions depending on how you push it. If you tap the A button, you will select the current building or unit that you highlight, but if you hold it, you will be able to select any number of units you have. The tutorial in the main menu is also helpful for newcomers to the game, with a beginner's and advanced tutorial, though the advanced tutorial isn't that much harder than the beginner's one. Are these controls perfect? No. PC fanboys will say that the controls aren't as precise as they should be on the consoles, though it's a hard point to argue with. Are they the greatest thing to grace the gaming world since Super Mario Bros.? Well...not exactly. The control scheme is a great model, but not everyone will agree that the control scheme will be used in every single console RTS to come. But does it still work? Yes, they do. The control scheme will probably be modeled off of for other games for a long time to come.
But you can't have an RTS without a wealth of options. The amount of game modes available are basically the same, with only a few exceptions. There were two modes cut from the original: Create-a-Hero and War of the Ring mode. Those modes would have added a lot more replay value. But in exchange for those modes, we get five multiplayer modes, with four new modes exclusively for Xbox Live. The only mode ported over from the PC version is the Versus mode, your typical Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch mode. The first exclusive mode is King of the Hill. It is exactly what it says: a mode where you take control of a spot for a set period of time. The second mode is Capture and Hold. You have to capture numerous objectives, a la Teritorries from Halo 2. The third mode is Resource Race. Players have to save up their resources to a set limit while still protecting the resources themselves. The final mode is Hero vs Hero. Every player gets four heroes and has to eliminate the other team while still gaining levels. All of these new modes make BFME II even better than its online mode was on the PC, thanks to Xbox Live's dedicated servers.
With every PC port comes its flaws, though, and BFME II is no different. The biggest problem is the framerate. Many people with 360's may not be rocket scientists, but those people could easily point out that the lag is a pain when in the multiplayer mode with a huge battle going on. Sometimes, you can't even get any button response. It's not completely bad, but sometimes you may wish that EA fixed it earlier on. Another minor problem is that the controls get a little bit touchy at times, when trying to do multiple tasks quickly or trying to move the map around in an epic battle. Any other game would collapse under these flaws, but BFME II's simple control scheme, beautiful presentation, and epic battles help it become the first console RTS of its kind: one that is fun to play. If you're a BFME fan or a LOTR fan in general, there is a good chance that you have picked this game up before you read this review. But even if you are just looking for a fun, deep game that will keep you busy for the summer, LOTR: BFME II is just for you.