The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Reviews

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Written by BuckGB on November 1st, 2011

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While it's admirable that the team had opted to create an original story set alongside the events in the books, you'll wish that they had attempted to take more risks with the project. The characters are bland and lifeless, and the combat, while fun at first, gets pretty repetitive before too long.

The game has few issues, and is so far, a very fun, and quite addicting game, even for someone that has not been a fan of LOTR. The CPU players hold paramount the ability to revive you when you are down, rather than ignoring you and letting you bleed out. They hold their own against hordes of enemies, and the game gets increasingly difficult requiring strategy to defeat many giant trolls or even a colossal stone giant. If you and 2 other friends want a RPG you can co-op through a interesting story, this game is for you, but I can't ignore Skyrim looming, only days away. So for those of you that only have the budget for one or the other, I think Skyrim is the way to go, BUT War in the North should not go unnoticed, and definetly deserves a chance. You never know, it sure surprised me.

None of the features mentioned in this review are particularly unique or even innovative, but they are all very well done. It is extremely rare to find a deep and satisfying RPG that also has fun combat. To find that combination in a licensed Lord of the Rings game is absolutely unique. Playing a good game, and at the same time being able to slay hordes of giant spiders in Murkwood is something you won't want to miss. The narrative of the game isn't terribly memorable, and is awkward at points, but it does the job of putting you into J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful world. To recommend this game to a fan of the Lord of the Rings is a no-brainer. Happily, I don't feel the need to limit my recommendation. Lord of the Rings license or not, it is just a well made, well realized world and a whole lot of fun to play.

I wanted to like this game. I am a big Lord of the Rings fan and was ready to enjoy this experience. I would have been quite receptive to a mindless Dynasty Warriors-style hack and slash, or a Diablo-style dungeon crawler. What I got instead was an unfinished mess that should be played and studied as an example of bad game design, and it didn't even feel like Lord of the Rings. There is no excuse in this day and age for such a buggy mess. I am very sorry to say you should avoid this game at all costs.

Overall, this is definitely the best Lord of the Rings game I have ever played, it gave me hours of enjoyment, and was a really amazing and fun time. The game never really gets boring, even though you are mostly just fighting hordes of enemies. The cooperative multiplayer aspectis fantastic and the game is balanced very well. While it may lack some content from an avid RPGer's standpoint, it is by no means a game you should pass on. This game releases November 1st, 2011 for PS3, 360 and PC, and you should do yourself a favor and take a chance on it!

When War in the North was first mentioned a few years ago, I think a lot of people's first thoughts were of Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Which, unfortunately for Pandemic Studios, was a big disappointment. Fans have been waiting with baited breath for a LOTR title that captured the action and intensity of the movies, while also incorporating a breath of fresh air into the lore. War in the North does both and offers an entertaining romp throughout Middle-Earth. The blend of easy to use combat and RPG elements that won't confuse non-veteran gamers make this the perfect pick up and play title. The simplicity might turn away some heads, but to those people I can only wonder why. Even though you might not be getting a game like Batman: Arkham City or Mass Effect, War in the North has its own sense of style and enjoyability. Just because it's easy to play doesn't mean it's not fun. Remember when games used to be like that?

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