Posted on: April 24, 2020

Brawndo

Games: 29 Reviews: 3

Don't trust the Bishop

This was my first strategy game on the family computer that we bought at Costco in 1997, so I was excited to see this on GOG. It holds up pretty well but isn't very challenging once you understand the economic mechanics. The economic side of the game is better done than the combat, which has few tactical considerations. No formations, special abilities, or flanking - the player with more troops with better weapons usually wins. The AI is brain dead in combat so you can block their troops with tankier melee units and just shoot them to pieces with archers who have unlimited ammo. In my opinion the best part of the game are the AI personalities. I still remember them fondly after all of these years. The Knight, Bishop, Baron, and Countess are all fully voiced and have interesting and different playstyles. For example, the Knight favors attacking but is bad at economics and defense, relying on mostly palisade forts, while the Bishop favors huge stone castles and wealth but his armies are mostly peasants and bowmen.

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Posted on: March 29, 2013

evernostalgia

Verified owner

Games: Reviews: 4

Nice Historical Hybrid

Lords of the Realm 2 is one of those "good old games" I actually have played when I was younger. There's a nostalgia component here, mainly thanks to the wonderful soundtrack by Keith Zizza. The songs stuck with me years after, keeping this game in the back of my mind, and after playing it again, it doesn't disappoint. Unlike a lot of games of the era, LOTR2 does a good job of easing you into the more complex stuff. You start off on a small map with one opponent, and a good economy. Basically your goal is to conquer other counties, and ultimately capture your opponents. You'll switch between maintaining your economy through farming and labour; and, the fun part, engaging in battles. Battling is a primative form of RTS gameplay. There's no groups, no formations, no issuing orders while the game is paused. It takes some getting used to, especially if you've played accomplished RTS titles like Myth 2. The nice thing is, a lot of the maps feature bridges and forests where you can plan a strategy. With the right amount of planning, you can decimate an army 3x your size. Some minor complaints, the computer players don't seem to need to keep their population happy, or fed for that matter. You seem to be the only one tied to this constraint. Also, the computer will illogically end an alliance with you when the final computer nation is near extinction. They break the fourth wall just so they can gang up on you because you're the human player.

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Posted on: February 15, 2014

Muz

Verified owner

Games: 75 Reviews: 2

A great memory, a great game.

When I got my "new" 4x speed cd-rom for my 486 machine, this was the first game I used with it. A fantastic RTS with a great soundtrack and great gameplay that to this day I consider one of the best. It is as enjoyable now as it was then.

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Posted on: October 10, 2017

FruitPie

Verified owner

Games: 551 Reviews: 9

Still good!

The original Total War games. LOTR2 in particular is still holds up great to this day, even if it lacks some customization features from the first game.

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Posted on: April 15, 2023

misiu_mp

Verified owner

Games: 136 Reviews: 1

Gem of the 90s

A lot of good memories from the childhood and the game doesn't disappoint in the age of today. Really fulfilling strategy game based on a turn based economic and strategic view and real time battles featuring smart use of terrain and sieges. The only annoyance that was visible already at release date is the somewhat simplistic pathfinding in the rts mode.

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