For those that enjoyed RPG’s like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, or perhaps for those that played the previous LOTR game on the Xbox 360, War in the North will feel similar in some regards. War in the North is set in the LOTR Middle Earth universe, but unlike the games mentioned above War in the North has more of an emphasis on co-operative gameplay. While I played the majority of the game in solo mode, clearly it is an experience meant to be played with others. In this case, up to two other players can join you as you embark on your journey to the North. Unlike many RPG fantasy games, War in the North has more of an emphasis on melee combat and teamwork. The choices you make in the game have no real moral consequences, and frankly do not impact the outcome of the game as much as I would have hoped. Otherwise, much of the War in the North gameplay involves basic LOTR ground war combat. But before I get too ahead of myself, let me briefly outline the games plotline.
War in the North tells the tale of an unlikely threesome of LOTR characters in their quest to prevent Agandaur, one of Sauron’s most feared lieutenants, and his forces from overtaking the North. All of this is taking place while Frodo, Gandalf, and the rest of the well-known gang are well on their way towards their quest to Mount Doom. So you, along with your unlikely band of heroes, must protect the North as the One Ring travels South into Mordor. That is the basic plotline of War in the North in a nutshell. There is a little more to it than that and there are some twists along the way. Yet, that is about all I will get into without giving too much away.
On the surface, the War in the North storyline is sufficient and provides a nice backdrop; however, it never managed to engage me like the books, films, or even previous LOTR games did. I felt disconnected with the characters and the story never really dug too far deep into the characters background or how this threesome came to be. The story simply takes a back seat to the real enjoyment in the game which is mowing down enemies.
When you first fire up the game, you are given a choice to play as one of the three main characters, each with their own set of strengths, weaknesses, and of course weaponry. Eradan, the Human Ranger, uses a bow and sword to take down enemies. He is an adaptable character who can use a two handed sword, shield, dual wield weapons or a bow. Eradan also has access to some stealth abilities where he can sneak up on enemies. Next is Farin, a dwarf who hails from Erebor. He is primarily a brute strength melee warrior, but he can also use a crossbow and attack enemies from a far. Farin can also attack multiple enemies at once and mine for gems. Finally, Andriel is a mage, but she can wield two swords at once and level up in melee attacks. Her character also supports defensive and offensive magic and her magic is also used to support Eradan and Farin as it can be used to heal and protect them in battle. She also has the ability to create potions from alchemy ingredients that you may find.
I used Farin for the majority of my experiences with War in the North, because in many ways he reminded me of myself. He is cranky, not too tall, husky and a strong bugger. So in many ways I found myself relating to him more so than the other characters in the game. As you progress along you encounter familiar characters from the LOTR books and films. Yet as I mentioned it is completely different storyline and the game is much grittier that previous LOTR games. Much of that certainly has to do with the “Mature” rating which is a first for the video game franchise.
The game is a fairly linear experience. You, along with your fellowship, proceed from one area to another taking down enemy after enemy. It is a fairly repetitive experience, but I certainly found some enjoyment in using teamwork and blunt force as me and my fellow team members took down the hordes of enemies. Much like a tactical shooter, you can command your fellowship to do certain things in the game. Whether they are attacking or just following you, the game does a simple yet effective job at allowing you to control your team when playing solo.
Using each character’s arsenal of attacks is quite satisfying. The controls in the game are fairly easy to pick up, but it does become a bit of a button masher and can feel clunky at times. All characters have light and heavy attacks. They can also sprint, dodge, and by using the D pad they can use a health potion, a power potion or call upon an ally to attack.
You play in a third person view and I found that you can feel somewhat detached from the action at times; however, for the most part the game has a frantic pace which fans of previous LOTR games will undoubtedly enjoy. In addition to mashing away and taking down one enemy after the other, War in the North does offer up a decent amount of variety. There are fetch quests galore which burn up some of the single player experience and the character upgrades give the game some replay value. As you progress along in the game, you upgrade your character and that is one of the elements that I really enjoyed. Each characters attributes can be upgraded along with their weapons. New weapons can be purchased and there are other in-game collectibles that are enjoyable elements to a game that without them would be very average.
The RPG elements are nicely executed; however, it never really felt like my decisions strongly impacted the game. I also found the game guides you a little too much as the appropriate responses seemed far too obvious. There were also no moral dilemma decisions to be made either. I felt that there was just no connection with the characters this way, which is something you cannot say for other RPG’s EA has published in recent years. It really makes me question why the RPG elements were included at all.
At the end of the day, gamers who pick up War in the North will enjoy the online and offline co-op gameplay. This is where the game truly shines. Trudging through the game with a buddy is enjoyable and quite a challenge at times as well.
As far as the visuals are concerned, War in the North is about what I expected, which was not as much as other titles. That being said, the game did feature some animations and visuals that were at times quite stunning. The cut-scenes are nicely presented and some of the game’s environments are fantastic looking. Yet for the most part War in the North barely holds a candle to other games on the Xbox 360 such as Gears of War 3 and the upcoming Modern Warfare 3. While it may be unfair to compare War in the North to such great titles, the fact remains that the bar has been raised and War in the North does not meet the benchmark made by other developer’s Xbox 360 games.
Despite some of the negatives, there are some positives to be found within. Some of the environments are very well done and offer lots of detail, while the lighting effects are step it up a notch or two. Some of the battle scenes also manage to do the LOTR franchise proud and much of that has to do with the scenic landscapes that accurately represent how Middle Earth was portrayed in the novels and movies. The scope and size of the environments is impressive and the draw distance is equally as notable. The character models also look fairly good with a nice mix of different characters and detail. All are easily recognizable. They may lack some facial expressions but all in all the characters look decent.
Technically speaking, the game runs very smoothly and there are no major framerate issues to be found. You would think with so much going on on screen at once, the game would slow down to a snail’s pace. To its credit, no such slow down occurred and there was very little to no clipping found. All in all the games graphics engine is fairly strong.
The music in War in the North is solid and sounds as if it was taken directly from the LOTR movie soundtrack. The music creates a terrific atmosphere and there is no doubt you are playing a LOTR game. It does have a tendency to become repetitive as some of the battles can last for quite some time. Nevertheless, the music is perfectly suited for the game and only adds to that authentic LOTR feeling. The character voices on the other hand were a bit of letdown. They sound adequate, but I would have liked to have heard far more in-game chatter from the characters in the game. Other sounds in the game such as the swords clanging, armies cheering, bowstrings tightening, and bombs exploding all sound good and are very effective. Here is where the audio truly excels. It is hard to pinpoint any one stunning sound effect as so much is going on during each and every battle. Bottom line, the developers did a great job re-creating some of those battle noises heard in the movie and most fans will be pleased.
Overall, Lord of the Rings: War in the North is not as good as many other holiday games currently on the market, but it isn’t that bad either. The slick visuals and enjoyable co-operative gameplay should be enough to satisfy those who pick up the game. On the flip side though, the repetitive gameplay, lack of character development, and tacked on RPG elements move the game closer into the average Xbox 360 game category.
