Real time strategy games and consoles haven't always gotten along. The problem has always been an issue of control, with keyboards providing for many more control opportunities than your standard gamepad. But with the upcoming Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 on Xbox 360, EA's looking to change that.

Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 features a new control scheme. The left analog stick controls cursor movement, the right controlling camera. A button is the proverbial button to rule them all, controlling troop selection and placement. The right trigger pulls up a command bar, which presents the various options available to the selected troops. Meanwhile, the left trigger selects every unit on screen, with a double tap selecting every unit on the map, making troop-wide orders a snap.

After this brief explanation, I was given an opportunity to put the controls to the test. Selecting every unit on the map, my troopers were directed to destroy an Elven Tree House. Once the army had arrived, selecting a specific unit from the vast army and providing a direct order was as easy as holding down the right trigger and selecting the Cave Trolls unit.

Though my hands-on time was brief, I was very impressed with how simple and intuitive these controls were after just a few minutes. Issuing orders, both to the army at large and specific units, is a breeze, rectifying many of the previous problems with console real time strategy titles. And with 16 single player missions and 39 multiplayer missions spread out among 5 different game types, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth 2 looks to be solid in terms of both control and gameplay.