The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

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The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
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Cover art
Developer(s)Snowblind Studios
Publisher(s)Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
SeriesThe Lord of the Rings
EngineDark Alliance Engine[2]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360[3]
Genre(s)Role-playing game

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a role-playing video game developed by Snowblind Studios. It is based on the events taking place in the northern regions of Middle-earth in the background of the main story of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, more specifically in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy universe. Players take control of a hero of the war, and are able to play through the game alone or co-operatively with other players.

Gameplay

In a preview article in PlayStation Magazine, it was discussed that players will have skills that are upgradeable, characters that can be customized, and that conversations play out similarly to Mass Effect without the moral ramifications. Each character also has ranged attacks which they can use. Farin (the dwarf champion) has a crossbow. Eradan (the human ranger) has a bow and Andriel (the female elf mage) can cast ranged spells at enemies. All characters also have light and heavy attacks and can roll, block and counter enemy attacks. Players can also issue orders to their AI companions if they are playing solo. There are also hubs in the game which function as points where the party may rest, accept new quests, speak to people and stock up on new supplies. Hubs are towns or villages.[4] Comic-Con 2011 featured gameplay of War in the North.[5]

Each class also has a unique ability. The dwarf for example can mine for gems which can be used for crafting purposes and he can also smash walls down where hidden treasure can be found. The game also features unlockable difficulty modes such as a nightmare difficulty. You can replay through the game and keep all your equipment and skills from the previous playthrough. Dialogue will normally present a few choices where the player can get just the facts, delve deeper into the lore or get optional side quests. The gameplay also relies upon the player working with friends (or with AI companions) to use tactics to defeat certain enemies.[6][7]

Synopsis

Locations

Many locations that are not featured in the movies are in the game. Confirmed locations include the Ettenmoors, Fornost, Mirkwood and Mount Gundabad. Locations from the movies also appear in the game. Players can explore Bree and Rivendell and interact with the characters there which include Gandalf, Elrond, Frodo, Bilbo, Legolas, Arwen and Aragorn. Characters from the books can also be expected to appear in the game. The Ranger Halbarad, Radagast, and Elrond's sons Elrohir and Elladan are confirmed.[8]

Characters

War in The North features three playable protagonists. The three characters fall into three separate classes, Champion/warrior, Loremaster/mage and Ranger/rogue. Characters gain experience by defeating enemies, and will level up when enough experience has been gained. Characters can improve their stats (strength, will, stamina, dexterity), and use skill points to receive or upgrade special abilities.[9]

Eradan
Eradan is the Ranger class, he is a Dúnadan. (From Elvish dún-adan, meaning Man of the West, Númenorean.) He is the most adaptable playable character and can use a two-handed sword, a sword and shield, dual wielded weapons or a bow. Eradan also has access to many stealth abilities which allow him to sneak up on enemies to attack them.
Farin
Farin is the Champion class, he hails from Erebor. Out of all three characters, Farin is the most skilled in using melee weapons, but also possesses a crossbow whcih may be used for ranged attacks. He can also mine for gems.
Andriel
Andriel is the Elven Loremaster class who has been taught by Elrond. She hails from Rivendell. She uses magic as her defense and offense but can also dual wield a one-handed weapon with her staff, which can also be used to melee attack enemies with. Her abilities include offensive and supportive spells but she possesses melee abilities and may be leveled up to become a battlemage if the player wishes. She can also create potions from alchemy ingredients that the player may find scattered around the game world.

Development

System requirements
Minimum Recommended
Microsoft Windows
Operating system Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD 64 X2 4400+Intel Core 2 Duo 3 GHz or AMD X2 5000 or AMD Phenom X4 9600
Memory 2 GB RAM4 GB RAM
Free space 10 GB
Graphics hardware 2006 or later NVIDIA GeForce 8600 or ATI Radeon HD 2600NVIDIA GeForce 2xx Series or AMD Radeon HD 6xxx series or greater
Sound hardware DirectX compliant Sound card

Reception

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North received mixed reviews. Koalition awarded the game 8/10 stating that "The cooperative multiplayer aspect is fantastic and the game is balanced very well".[11] Gamefront gave the game a positive score of 8.5/10 praising the game as being "a successful effort for Snowblind" and stating that "It’s a fun title that you can enjoy with your friends or alone"[12]. IGN awarded the game a "Good" score of 7/10 praising its graphics and level design but criticizing the plot as being bland, the characters as lacking personality and the game suffering from a repetitive gameplay. [13] Gamespot gave a score of 6 out of 10, stating issues such as odd enemy behavior, technical issues with multiplayer and a general feeling of disappointment. [14] On Metacritic the game holds a 70/100 based on 19 reviews for PC and 66/100 for PlayStation 3.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ "LOTR: War in the North begins November 1". GameSpot. 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
  2. ^ "War in the North uses the Dark Alliance Engine". Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  3. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (2010-05-05). "E3 2010: The Big Games List". IGN. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
  4. ^ "Lord of the Rings: War in the North a Co-Op Action Game Worth Playing". Computer and Video Games. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  5. ^ "The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Comic-Con 2011 Demo (PC)". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  6. ^ "The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Hands on". Vgrevolution. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  7. ^ "The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Hands on Preview". GameFront. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  8. ^ "Lord of the Rings: War in the North Beleram Reveal". Gametestlab. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  9. ^ "Lord of the Rings: War in the North Heroes". Snowblind. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  10. ^ "The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Xbox 360". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  11. ^ http://thekoalition.com/2011/11/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north-review-the-best-lotr-game/
  12. ^ http://www.gamefront.com/lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north-review/
  13. ^ http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/121/1211226p1.html
  14. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north/reviews/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north-review-6343817
  15. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north/critic-reviews
  16. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/the-lord-of-the-rings-war-in-the-north

External links

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