The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 137
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 137
  3. Negative: 15 out of 137
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  1. NateStC
    Oct 22, 2012
    1
    Hands down one of the worst games I have ever played. The combat is as clunky as it gets, and there is no balance whatsoever to it. If you're looking for a game where the mechanics make no sense and a frustrating player experience, then this is exactly what you're looking for.
  2. ShaqFuMaster
    Aug 20, 2013
    4
    XBox 360 Co-Op Player Review
    My friend and I bought this to play co-op. This is our thoughts about it.
    Pros: -Fun to play with friends. -New LotR story is entertaining if you are a fan -Nice to see fresh faces instead of the usual cast you would play in a LotR game -Overall fun hack-n-slash with RPG elements to add flavor -Each player receives their own loot from chests and such.    XBox 360 Co-Op Player Review
    My friend and I bought this to play co-op. This is our thoughts about it.

    Pros:
    -Fun to play with friends.
    -New LotR story is entertaining if you are a fan
    -Nice to see fresh faces instead of the usual cast you would play in a LotR game
    -Overall fun hack-n-slash with RPG elements to add flavor
    -Each player receives their own loot from chests and such.

    Cons
    (Tried to focus more on technical cons)
    -No save button or easy way to activate the auto-save when you need to quit mid-level. This is the biggest problem we're having. My friend and I both started characters together but the game claims we are both at different points in the game and therefore won't allow us to play together unless we wish not to save our characters anymore.
    -Lacks menu options depth
    -No changing controller layout
    -Split screen is only vertical. No horizontal view.
    -One early scene is unbeatable because the area won't load and we can't fast travel out of the area to reset it. Have had to reset our characters twice because of it.
    -Cut scenes won't load. Screen will go black with background music and then eventually will load but everything becomes disabled. Can't even pause game. Have to shutdown and restart.
    -Text like "Waiting for Player..." and quest objectives or tutorials won't disappear off of the screen. Takes away from the already small screens in vertical split.
    -Backpack is nice and expansive but the tough to navigate or sort. Also lacks certain elements you see in RPGs.

    Overall, the technical issues we're having with the game are taking away from the experience. We want to like it more, just not fun when you have to replay the first several chapters over and over again because the game says that one player is not at the same point as the other player, even though they are the same level and have all their gear from the last time you played.    … Expand
  3. marcelgermann
    Nov 7, 2015
    4
    Lord of the Rings War in the North
    ist kaputt, die Speicherung von Daten funktioniert nicht wie gewünscht, so musste man bestimmte Kapitel komplett von vorne spielen und die Checkpoints wurden so platziert, dass auf einmal alle Gegner nach Spielstart verschwunden sind und ich wieder das komplette Kapitel wiederholen musste. Es gibt keine besondere Story, im Spiel kann man sich zwischen    Lord of the Rings War in the North
    ist kaputt, die Speicherung von Daten funktioniert nicht wie gewünscht, so musste man bestimmte Kapitel komplett von vorne spielen und die Checkpoints wurden so platziert, dass auf einmal alle Gegner nach Spielstart verschwunden sind und ich wieder das komplette Kapitel wiederholen musste. Es gibt keine besondere Story, im Spiel kann man sich zwischen dem Waldläufer, Zwerg oder Zauberin entscheiden, so kann sie heilen und die anderen sind stärker, jedoch gibt es hier nichts neues, die RPG Elemente sind langweilig, da das leveln keine besonderen Fähigkeiten bereithält. Die Kämpfe sind anspruchsvoll, jedoch eher wegen der schlechten Balance, die Ki-Kameraden helfen minimal, stehen im Weg rum und sterben, wenn man beide nicht schnell heilt muss man den Kampf wiederholen oder man stirbt beim Versuch sie zu heilen aufgrund der hohen Gegnermassen. Im Coop kann das Spiel Spaß machen, Orks töten und looten.    … Expand
  4. KingOrfeo
    May 27, 2023
    0
    Absolutely love this game, what's even better is that you can play with friends as well. I reckon this is my second favourite Middle Earth inspired game, with Conquest being my favourite.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
28
#28 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 48
  3. Negative: 7 out of 48
  1. GameCritics
    Feb 22, 2012
    40
    I might have had less aggravation if I had a dedicated group of other players to go through the game with from beginning to end, but I wouldn't ask any of my friends to pay full price for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Thankfully, since War in the North was released after Dark Souls, before Skyrim, and on the same day as Uncharted 3, there's a good chance the game is already in the bargain bin for a fraction of the MSRP.
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  2. Xbox Achievements
    Feb 15, 2012
    60
    Lord of the Rings: War in the North is fine for a few hours of jolly good fun, but once you realise that the game has played its hand early and really has nothing else to offer then the lustre is soon lost. Poor AI, boring combat and pointless quests all add up to a disappointing game that would be better off dropped into the fires of Mordor.
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  3. games(TM)
    Jan 29, 2012
    50
    This isn't too bad for a couple of hours of button hammering with two friends. [Issue#118, p.112]
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