the lord of the rings war in the north ps3 review

If you play solo, you’ll have to keep an eye on your A.I. But, instead there are some issues that at first felt small, but later became more and more frustrating. The repetitive battles would work if the game had more of an arcade focus. Levels aren’t particularly interesting either, and the general gameplay involves entering an area with enemies, fighting off said enemies (which allow you to progress), moving forward, and doing it all over again until the next cutscene kicks in place. Nearly everything you encounter in the first level returns throughout the game, at least in some form. The biggest downfall in the game’s combat is that it’s quite repetitive. Yes, this is a mature game, and there is plenty of blood to keep the adult in all of us satisfied. It feels great to finally see the head of an orc lopped off, or a goblin’s legs ripped apart. There is a basic system to chain attacks together that lead to a bloody takedown. The magic user has some helpful spells, including the ability to provide protective cover from incoming arrows or bolts. The ranger is better at – you guessed it – ranged combat, while the champion is best throwing around his two-handed axe in the heat of battle. War in the North technically has RPG elements, but this is really a combat-heavy game, meaning about 80-90 percent of your in-game activities involve slaying hordes of orcs, trolls, goblins, spiders, and other creepers. In many ways the game looks like it’s a direct spin-off of a Peter Jackson film, but it’s important to understand this doesn’t follow the story of any of the three films instead, it takes the very difficult task of creating a unique story to run alongside the existing narrative. The game looks and sounds quite good, considering there was very little hype surrounding War in the North, and while it never exactly oozes stark LotR style, it does provide plenty of fantasy-inspired ambiences that even Bilbo Baggins would appreciate.

In addition to adding some life into an otherwise slightly dull cast of characters, Belleram can provide some assistance in battle, where at the press of the button, he’ll swoop into outdoor battles and topple any enemy of your liking. They are joined by other characters from the Lord of the Rings universe, including the great eagle Belleram. The trio doesn’t run through their quest completely alone. This journey takes them to familiar settings like Barrow Downs and Rivendell, along with some new surprises. War in the North follows a small three-party member fellowship, including a human, dwarf, and elf, on the hunt for on one of Sauron’s warlords. While we wait for Jackson’s retelling of the Hobbit, we are given the chance to re-enter Middle Earth through War in the North. The characters were incredibly deep, each with their own approach to the adventure, their own personal struggles and fears, and they all generally wanted the same thing: that little ring destroyed once and for all. Tolkien’s masterpiece collection of books about a Hobbit, a fellowship, and a journey that still gets us excited to relive every step. The Peter Jackson films painted an appropriately epic portrayal of J.R.R. Since War in the North carries that Lord of the Rings title, there are tremendous expectations as Middle Earth is one of the most beloved fantasy settings. It’s an action-RPG that features relatively simplistic, yet enjoyable gameplay, character development and progression, and a narrative that is enough to satisfy the part of us still stuck in our childhoods. Lord of the Rings: War in the North brings us back to those after-school sessions of gaming with your buddies, but that’s not to say this mature-rated game is at all for kids. But, that is of course no fault to the developer as Frodo and company had one of the most epic adventures ever created for the fantasy genre.

Set in the Lord of the Rings universe, this game doesn’t follow the same story from the books or movies, but instead it runs alongside that main narrative in what feels like a much, much less important quest. Chances are if you grew up playing videogames with friends after long school days, and you long for a time when a couch served as a fortress for hours upon hours of gaming goodness, you are going to appreciate Snowblind Studio’s latest co-op offering.

The lord of the rings war in the north ps3 review