The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 362 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 201 out of 362
  2. Mixed: 106 out of 362
  3. Negative: 55 out of 362
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  1. Garnog
    Nov 5, 2011
    9
    I am going to amend my previous review and up it a point, due to some misunderstanding on my part. Concerning your AI teammates in single player, the AI takes care of its own so you don't need to micromanage them (though you CAN manually distribute level up points if you wish). The more I play this game the more I love it, though I must admit the first hour or two didn't impress me. ItI am going to amend my previous review and up it a point, due to some misunderstanding on my part. Concerning your AI teammates in single player, the AI takes care of its own so you don't need to micromanage them (though you CAN manually distribute level up points if you wish). The more I play this game the more I love it, though I must admit the first hour or two didn't impress me. It does get much better and Snowblind deserves better than some of the negative/mixed reviews I've seen. Keep in mind that this game is more oriented to action than classic RPG, though you can adjust stats and skills to customize your character. I can see now after having played for many hours that it would be so much more fun with human teammates rather than bots. Gonna try multiplayer in a week or so just to give the rest of the world a chance to catch up. For Tolkien fans , this is a must have.… Expand
  2. axman151
    Nov 4, 2011
    10
    Everything an avid RPG fan would want in a game. With highly advanced co-op play, and an amazing combat system, mixed with decent, upgrade able characters and a good story-line, this game is a MUST play!
  3. jkapp
    Nov 3, 2011
    9
    An unexpected gem in the array of very much anticipated games coming out this year. Buying this game will mean immersing yourself in one of the most imaginative, fantastical, majestic and magnificent realms of fantasy ever created. With full license to all of Tolkien's books, from The Silmarillion to The Lord of the Rings novel-turned-trilogy, as well as the movies, Snowblind Studios doesAn unexpected gem in the array of very much anticipated games coming out this year. Buying this game will mean immersing yourself in one of the most imaginative, fantastical, majestic and magnificent realms of fantasy ever created. With full license to all of Tolkien's books, from The Silmarillion to The Lord of the Rings novel-turned-trilogy, as well as the movies, Snowblind Studios does an excellent job of providing you with a deep narrative that runs simultaneous to Frodo's near impossible quest. In the process of doing so, the people at Snowblind also enrich your experience with Tolkien's world by providing deep lore and believable characters that the player may interact with (favorite among them for me is Radagast the Brown). Combat itself, the meat of any action game, is well done and provides enough entertainment that you will be more than happy to do multiple playthroughs (as I am doing now). While they could have added more variety in attack animations, such as left click (LC), LC, right click (RC) or LC, RC, RC, LC, the ways of customizing your characters from being a staff wielder or staff + sword wielder (Lore-master), 2-hander, duel wielder and/or bow + arrow shooter (Ranger) and 2-hander or sword + board and crossbowman (Champion), along with the loot system/reward system for quests, all provide enough interest to prevent the monotony that occurs with common action games. Indeed, the idea of integrating action with that RPG looting system is ingenious. But that is not the only RPG elements you may expect in this action-RPG. Character development is also a key component, and every class has different talent paths, assuring no one will be the same. For instance, on my first playthrough, I played the Elf Lore-master, a sort of semi-mage and/or support character. Generally I would have been expected to take the support route, but since at first I was soloing it, I instead chose to transform this "glass cannon" into a melee heavy, spell heavy killing machine. The result is that, while I could have had a skinny Elf throwing up "bubbles" to shield from ranged attacks and healing, or a puny Elf who flashes bolts of energy (?) from behind the roars of a Dwarf Champion, I instead became a knight-like Gandalf rolling and blasting her way into combat whilst hacking and smashing and severing limbs off with my sword and staff. The result in multiplayer was that my damage could compete with that of a Dwarf or Ranger.

    Of course, despite all the great things, a game can always be better. For War in the North, improvements could be in the looting system, where more magical items are more common. One disappointment is that even after spending five minutes fighting those massive trolls, the rewards were often mediocre and non-magical on normal difficulty. Instead, most of your equipment is white and has little effects on them. Additionally, in single player, the game is a one-person show, as the A.I. is useless outside of annoying the enemy and reviving you. As mentioned, more animations and variety could have been put into the melee, because the constant use of skills without drowning yourself in power potions does not open up until much later--and then only for those who have invested in the Will stat. But don't let these minor nuisances take away from this otherwise brilliant game. Instead, I recommend you find a buddy or two, each buy the game, and go have some great fun in arguably the greatest fantasy products of the imagination to exist.    … Expand
  4. mattycakes13
    Nov 2, 2011
    8
    I've given this game a solid and unyielding score of 8/10 on one condition: you must have two friends to play with. The cooperative play of this game is undoubtedly what makes it worth playing and to pick this hoping for an engaging single player experience would be at best, a terrible idea. What drives a worthwhile single player rpg is a focused, well-developed narrative and a feelingI've given this game a solid and unyielding score of 8/10 on one condition: you must have two friends to play with. The cooperative play of this game is undoubtedly what makes it worth playing and to pick this hoping for an engaging single player experience would be at best, a terrible idea. What drives a worthwhile single player rpg is a focused, well-developed narrative and a feeling that your actions and decisions leave a discernible mark on the game's world - both are thing this games is lacking entirely.

    The cooperative play however allows you to abandon any pretense of narrative or impact and allows for some good old fashioned hack'n'slash goodness. The combat system, although sometimes repetitive, is continually freshened up with an abundance of weapons, decent leveling system, and an above-par fighting engine that rewards timing and delivers visceral battles complete with decapitations and plenty of blood. The three characters are extremely well balanced and you'll find that your trio will never feel as though one player has the advantage in battle. Teamwork is often essential to survival, especially in the later stages of the game as well as in the challenge levels. Needless to say, the combat is the game's driving impetus and coupled with a few friends makes for an exhilarating time.

    The level design is extremely linear but in a game where you and your friends will simply be itching to hit the next battle, the lack of exploration works to your advantage. The environments are well-realized and expand on the aesthetics realized by the films. Each location has a unique feel, offers plenty of loot and presents the player with new and exciting opponents. The game is marred, as mentioned, by a repetitiveness caused in part by a lack of customization and character abilities. It would be nice to see a broader range of upgrades, abilities and special moves in a game that focuses so much on combat. Other things that dampened my experience were the occasional glitch and troublesome always-on voice chat that could use a push-to talk option at the very least. All in all, I would definitely recommend War in the North to anyone looking for a solid, well realized and genuinely fun co-op experience to blast through before Skyrim hits next week.    … Expand
  5. Bronnen
    Nov 1, 2011
    8
    This game, while it is an Action RPG, focuses a lot more on the action aspect than the RPG. Sure there are RPG elements, cool weapons, cool armour, you can level up, sidequests and all those fun things, but at its core War in the North is an action game.

    The combat is smooth and simple, and while it is a little repetitive to start off, soon you unlock special attacks and moves that break    This game, while it is an Action RPG, focuses a lot more on the action aspect than the RPG. Sure there are RPG elements, cool weapons, cool armour, you can level up, sidequests and all those fun things, but at its core War in the North is an action game.

    The combat is smooth and simple, and while it is a little repetitive to start off, soon you unlock special attacks and moves that break up the simple button bashing.

    The graphics, while not incredibly, are pretty enough that you won't feel the need to criticize them.

    By biggest problem with this game is the AI.

    The AI does a decent job of working with you if you choose to play offline, but more often than not I found them off in the distance, ignoring the group of enemies wailing on me and beating one single enemy into submission.

    Thankfully the game has very few bugs and runs very smoothly on my middle-end pc. I highly recommend this game to Action fans and LOTR fans.    … Expand
  6. SpectralAnubis
    Nov 1, 2011
    8
    Snowblind studios built it's name on console action RPG's. They haven't wandered from that path. They've left their mark on the gaming industry. Kudos to you Snowblind, this really is a nice gem. War in the North brings a 3 person co-op style of gameplay. The players have a choice between three different characters. Each with three skill trees and a multiple number of abilities. All threeSnowblind studios built it's name on console action RPG's. They haven't wandered from that path. They've left their mark on the gaming industry. Kudos to you Snowblind, this really is a nice gem. War in the North brings a 3 person co-op style of gameplay. The players have a choice between three different characters. Each with three skill trees and a multiple number of abilities. All three characters can either go melee or ranged during combat. Primarily there's two basic defensive moves, block and dodge. There's other abilities that can further defense. The games merits rely on the charming Tolkien lore which only enhances a unique and plausible storyline. Warner Brother's has really done a excellent job with expanding Tolkien's universe in various media outlets. Artwork is amazing, the plain fluid motion of the camera is flawless. Middle-Earth is painted with a darker brush, there's a gritty and grainy feel to the game. My only peeve with the game is that the two hardest difficulty settings aren't unlocked until completion of a play-through.

    Snowblind studios delivered easily a worthy pickup both on consoles and PC. 8/10    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Computer Games Online RO
    Jan 30, 2012
    68
    War in the North is a hack and slash with some RPG elements and co-op, all assembled around one of the most beloved media licenses today, but with all this going for it, it simply doesn't manage to stand out. Sadly, it's just another product that tries to blend some popular elements, but with no true support or personal identity.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    70
    Attractive world of Tolkien's imagination brings "forgotten" adventure of three heroes aside from the main story – the true magic of the game is hidden in the 3-people cooperative play. [Christmas 2011]
  3. Games Master UK
    Jan 12, 2012
    70
    Not without issues, but as The Lord of the Rings games go this is much better than most. [Feb 2012, p.84]
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