Heroic Achievements

Xbox Live® means different things to different people. For some, it is a perpetually raging battlefield where the world's toughest cyber soldiers test their reflexes in tournaments, matches, and events ranging from real-world sports games to war simulations to fantasy escapes. For others, Xbox Live Marketplace is where it's at for music, video, and game demo downloads.

Let the battle begin!

Regardless of your leanings, there is one facet of the premiere online gaming service that can be used and enjoyed by all. That feature is the achievements system.

Every title published for Xbox 360™ has its own unique set of achievements laid out by the game's creators. Depending on the type of game, you can unlock and earn up to 1000 points through various feats of mastery. These accomplishments can vary greatly between genres.

Some of the more common ways to unlock an achievement are:

• Finish the single-player story mode
• Complete the game on the hardest difficulty level
• Play X amount of games, online or off
• Perform feats of mastery (three-pointers in basketball, headshots in first-person shooters, etc.)
• Find every collectible or secret
• Finish every optional side mission or quest

Ultimately, it's up to the developer to break down the total number of gamerscore points and assign them to different achievements for that game. As you pass each in-game milestone and accrue more points, you may unlock secret achievements that are only revealed to you when a required action is performed.

This element of mystery rewards players of a persistent and adventurous nature and encourages them to explore every nook and cranny laid out before them.

Join us as we take a look at some spoiler-free in-game achievements and explore the many gameplay possibilities ahead of you.

You never really liked those nasty hobbitses anyway, did you?

Being a Hero
The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II has 38 different achievements that you can earn. The most anticipated relate to the story line. Specifically, you can earn achievements for completing certain story goals. If you're playing the good guys, then you must defend Rivendell, clear the High Pass, cleanse the Ettenmoors, reclaim the Blue Mountains, and perhaps secure the Grey Havens to earn the achievements that accompany these, and other, goals.

It's not just the good guys who earn achievements, however. In Battle for Middle-earth II, you also have the option of playing as the evil hordes. When playing on the dark side, you earn achievements when you destroy Lothlorien, pillage Erebor, crush Rivendell, and, best of all, scour the Shire. You never really liked those nasty hobbitses anyway, did you?

The developers didn't play favorites when setting up the achievements. Whether you're feeling heroic and brave or dastardly and mean, you still earn rewards for a job well done. You earn an achievement if you complete the entire Good campaign, and another when you complete the entire Evil campaign. You get another still if you complete the Good or Evil campaign without a single hero dying.

Charge!

Multiplayer Achievements
One of the most interesting elements that Xbox 360 brings to Battle for Middle-earth II is its multiplayer capability. The achievements reflect a desire to encourage people to compete online against their fellow Lord of the Rings fans. You earn an achievement when you win your first multiplayer King of the Hill game, and another when you win your tenth. The same holds for the other multiplayer modes: Capture and Hold, Resource Race, and Hero vs. Hero.

The true gold, however, comes when you earn the achievement known as "The Hobbit and the Troll." In order to get it, you have to win a game against someone at least twenty places higher than you on the Leaderboards. Better practice up before you attempt this one. You can practice in the single-player Skirmish mode and even earn an achievement when you win your first Skirmish game.

Fire!

Anti-Achievement Awards
Not every achievement rewards you. The developers of the game do not hold your hand. If you screw up, you earn achievements that let everyone know just how badly you failed in your quest to save or destroy Middle-earth. For example, if you lose ten multiplayer matches in a row, you earn the achievement called "In Need of a Lesson."

While playing single player, if you lose either the Campaign level or the same Skirmish map three times in a row, the game drops a special achievement on you. The first asks the question, "Did You Read the Manual?" The second advises, "Try a Tutorial."

It doesn't hurt (too much) to have a little negative reinforcement to balance out all the rewards you get. If you're going to be a true hero, you have to learn to take the lumps as well as the applause.

Article by Angel Leigh McCoy

• The Battle for Middle-earth II official site.
• Electronic Arts official site.