Electronic Arts announced THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II COLLECTORS EDITION the first ever Collectors Edition DVD release from the highly successful THE LORD OF THE RINGS franchise. The sequel to last holidays critically acclaimed PC game is filled with exclusive THE LORD OF THE RINGS game content.
Scheduled to ship simultaneously with THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II in February 2006, the collectors edition will be available at select retailers for $59.99 and is rated T for Teen by the ESRB.
Expanding on THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH, the new realtime strategy (RTS) game will allow players to engage in heated battles with Elven and Dwarven armies plus heroes and creatures that have never been seen in films.
For the first time ever, THE LORD OF THE RINGS fans will now have access to all the behind-the-scenes details of creating a THE LORD OF THE RINGS PC game. The collectors edition will features:
* Exclusive Bonus DVD with Content Provided in High Definition (HD) * Mastered in HD for the ultimate high resolution experience on your PC or connected HDTV* Entire musical score features original music created exclusively for THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II* In-game cinematics and trailers in high resolution and surround sound* The Making of The Battle for Middle-earth II: The story of the team behind The Battle for Middle-earth series including never before seen videos and exclusive interviews with key development team members* The Art of the Game: The ultimate collection of artwork created for the game, including hundreds of cinematic paintings and key pieces of concept work
Exclusive in-game content includes: * All new fire-breathing Dragon on the battlefield, this impressive unit can only be controlled by players who purchase the Collectors Edition (shown in screenshot above)* Special graphic treatment for create-a-hero units identify Collectors Edition gamers during on-line play* Multiple exclusive maps including signature locations from THE LORD OF THE RINGS films such as Weathertop and Argonath
The collectors edition will also feature an exclusive campaign map poster on two-sided, 11x17 color poster, featuring a high-resolution map of Middle-earth created exclusively for the game. Good side lists out all the campaign locations from the good campaign while the Evil side lists out its campaign locations and descriptions. In addition, it will include a rebate coupon for savings on a new NVIDIA graphics card
We believe weve created something very special with THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II, and our team felt passionate about making a Collectors Edition that is truly special for the fans, said Mike Verdu, exec producer at EA Los Angeles. The exclusive content including the behind-the-scenes footage, amazing concept art, cinematic paintings and sequences, the extensive soundtrack, and access to the unique dragon unit adds new dimension to the gaming experience.
Developed at EAs Los Angeles studio, EALA have brought THE LORD OF THE RINGS world to life in accordance with an agreement with The Saul Zaentz Co. d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises that grants EA the rights to develop games based on the books, in addition to a separate agreement that allows for games based on the New Line Cinema films.
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for videogame systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS, EA, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO. In fiscal 2005, EA posted revenues of $3.1 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. For more information, visit www.ea.com.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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