<P> Playing within the universe of The Lord of the Rings was appealing to a number of reviewers, which found that it generally increased the game's entertainment value . PC Gamer shared this sentiment, calling Lord of the Rings "arguably the best fantasy universe ever", and GameZone asked the question, "What self - respecting Tolkien fan can be without this title?" The results also pleased 1UP.com, which was convinced that fans of The Lord of the Rings could not afford to miss purchasing the game . Game Revolution complimented the game's merge with the Lord of the Rings universe, observing that the franchise's mythology and the game's frenetic battles came together in a very satisfying bundle . The integration of The Lord of the Rings into a video game satisfied Game Informer, and the magazine predicted the game would be "another winner for Electronic Arts". </P> <P> Despite positive reactions, reviewers brought up several issues with the game . The British video game publication PC Gamer UK was unhappy with the game, claiming that Electronic Arts chose to release a formulaic game because it was a safer choice than taking The Battle for Middle - earth II in another direction . PC Zone agreed with this view, claiming that although the game looked impressive, it took a by - the - numbers approach towards the real - time strategy genre in a "mindless sort of way", concluding that "in no way is it anywhere near the game we hoped for ." The game's multiplayer portion disappointed GameSpy, which found it too unbalanced compared to the heroes, whom they considered to be too strong . Eurogamer considered the game to be of average quality, noting that there were no truly redeeming qualities . </P> <P> Electronic Arts announced on July 27, 2006 that its EA Los Angeles studio would be releasing an expansion pack to The Battle for Middle - earth II titled The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle - earth II: The Rise of the Witch - king . It was slated for release during the 2006 holiday season . The game, produced by Amir Rahimi, promised players the opportunity to fight in wars that precedes the events of the Lord of the Rings novels . The Rise of the Witch - king adds a new single - player campaign, new units, a new faction, and improved features . Its story follows the Witch - king of Angmar's "ascent to power, his domination of Angmar, and eventual invasion of Arnor, Aragorn's ancestral home". The game was sent to manufacturers on November 15, 2006, and was released on November 28 . </P> <P> On January 9, 2011, Electronic Arts announced that the online game servers would be shut down on January 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360 format of the game . The PC version of the game was shut down on December 31, 2010 . Electronic Arts noted that their discontinuation of support for the game was partly because the licensing deal with New Line Cinema (holders of the Lord of the Rings license) had expired, which led them to no other option than to shut down all online services for the game . </P>

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