Having human players enhances the action on-screen. This is partially due to the computer-controller AI being somewhat lackluster. Playing with friends, online or offline, is the optimal way to experience War in the North. The entire game has been built around 3-player cooperative play. From there, the developers fill in the gaps. Gandalf briefly speaks of an evil in the North that was thwarted by a handful of heroes. Now, you may be wondering where all of this came in and how it could possibly be labeled as “canon.” It’s pretty simple. These fiendish forces are led by Sauron’s chief lieutenant, Agandaur. Although there will be instances where you cross paths with the original fellowship.Įradan, Farin and Andriel have decided to venture to the northern lands to stop a growing evil. Your group of three will be going to the North while the well-known iconic conflict is simultaneously occurring in the South. Better yet, this all takes place in a different setting than the books (for the most part). The settings all reflect the kind of environments you’d expect to jump off the pages of Tolkien’s great works. The time has finally come to immerse yourself once again in the wonderful lore of Lord of the Rings. Middle Earth is a setting we haven’t seen much of lately in GOOD games. Middle Earth is a setting we haven’t seen much of lately in games. It just depends on which direction you want to take them and where you want to specialize in terms of combat. They all have their own strengths, but they are still able to partake in all forms of combat. He also has a crossbow for those distant enemies. He likes to get up close and personal with his axe (or hammer if you find one), dealing large amounts of damage. Finally, there’s Farin the Dwarven Champion. Fire off spells from a distance or provide an aura of safety (known as Sanctuary) to provide cover from incoming projectiles. Andriel is an Elven Loremaster and plays just like you’d expect a mage to conduct battle. His play style forms the way you want it to through the dispersion of experience points in a skill tree. Later on, he can be upgraded to dual-wield two one-handed swords. He can take quick, consecutive shots with his bow as well as devastate opponents with his two-handed sword. Moving on past orc blood and limbs, the combat can be personalized depending on the character you pick. This is the presentation Lord of the Rings’ games needed. Wars are violent, especially when a majority of the combat ends up in close quarters with nothing but sharpened steel. Does this sound a bit sadistic? Maybe to some, but this is a WAR. The combat may become repetitive for some over time, even with the upgrade system (more on that in a bit), but the joy of piling the severed bodies of your foes is something this war has been missing when it visited consoles before. As previously stated, this is a hack ‘n slash game. Shoot on ocr in the face a few times with the ranger’s bow and it’ll take some weight off their shoulders. Strike an enemy with the dwarf’s axe repeatedly and he’s bound to lose a leg, arm or head. War in the North takes your basic hack ‘n slash gameplay and adds the ever-so-satisfying dismemberment aspect to the formula. This is a war full of death and destruction, as made clear in both the movies and literature, and as such the game should reflect that. Only two reasons for the mature rating are found on the back of the box: “Blood and Gore” and “Intense Violence.” The sheer brutality of this game is something unseen for LotR fans that have played the previous installments and, I must say, it’s about damn time. Sexual themes and strong language are nowhere to be seen in the rating description. This is clearly evident by the M rating, a first for the series. Snowblind Studios set out to separate this title from previous Lord of the Rings games. The three must journey North (as the title gives away) to face a new threat to protect the other adventure happening with Frodo. While you’ll still see original and recognizable characters, three new heroes make up the tale being told this time around: Eradan, Farin and Andriel. Lord of the Rings: War in the North pulls a majority of the focus from the fellowship we all know well from the books, movies, and other game tie-ins. The best part? It’s made by the same studio that brought us the wonderful titles Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norath. Now, here we are in the year 2011, and a new Lord of the Rings RPG/hack ‘n slash game has made its way out (coincidentally, LotR will be back in the movie industry as well with The Hobbit releasing next year). Once the movies came to an end, the games followed suit. What’s that? Aragorn’s Quest you say? Never heard of it. Lord of the Rings games have been noticeably absent from the gaming industry for some time now.
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