Lord of the Rings: War in the North - Xbox 360

I just finished my first play-through last night and I have to say that LOTR - War in the North delivered a very exciting and satisfying gaming experience (although I do wish it could have been longer).There have been some negative comments regarding the linear game progression as well as not having a deep RPG experience. While true, I actually found this to be a refreshing departure from the RPG's that I usually play. War in the North is focused heavily on action, with less attention paid to side quests, party management, and character interaction (there are some of these elements, but not nearly as prominent as classic RPG's). The story develops at a fast pace and to accomplish your goal you have to hit often and hit hard.The graphics and visuals are excellent. The developers did a fantastic job with the environment, it really has a Lord of the Rings feel to it (visiting Rivendell was awesome...the same overall look as the movie). The character graphics are top notch as well. Trolls abound in this game, and they look just as they should....I swear, I could almost smell their hot, fetid breath as they tried to pulverize me into the dirt!In addition, this game delivers a fun and exciting combat system. As a Ranger (my first play-through), you have the ability to use a bow as well as a two handed weapon or dual wield. Switching between ranged and melee weapons is very easy. Fighting in melee is visceral and fast-paced. The combat is very fluid, with the ability to dive and roll, relentlessly attacking from all sides, from one enemy to the next. As you chain together attacks and perform critical hits, you enter hero mode which deals more damage and gains more experience the longer you can keep attacking (this leads to some very exciting fight sequences).The fighting is graphic and intense, with the ability to sever your opponent's limbs or head with a final blow that is very realistic and satisfying. Believe me, diving from one enemy to the next, raining down blow after blow, and severing limbs left and right is not something I will soon tire of (hey, what can I say...it's me or them, and this is war after all). The graphics hold up throughout combat...for example, after severing an orc's leg, he falls lopsidedly to the ground clutching his stump in agony. I never found the fighting to be repetitive or boring. With weapon skills, standard attacks and heavy blows, you can become a powerful force of destruction.The inventory and leveling system is well balanced and fit in with the scope of the rest of the game. Set items were implemented particularly well. Bonuses are gained based on how many pieces you are wearing, so you don't need to find the whole set to see a boost in stats. I was able to attain 5 items of a six item set and it substantially boosted my dexterity, damage, and armor.All in all, I had a lot of fun playing this game. I do wish it was longer, but I will enjoy continuing with the Ranger on the Heroic difficulty, and look forward to checking out the other characters as well as co-op. If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings and can appreciate a more action oriented RPG, I highly recommend it.

After the huge disappointment of LOTR: Conquest a few years back, I wondered if the Lord of the Rings franchise had said farewell to its glory days. Fortunately, War in the North fights tooth and nail for its rightful place among the best of current-gen RPGs.While I was skeptical upon seeing early screenshots, the developers ended up hammering out some truly impressive visuals--with a few exceptions, the characters, environments, and animations are brought to life in crisp, vivid detail and textures. The voice work is above average, and the sound effects and music are close to cinematic; every time an orcish hammer came crashing down on my head, I could almost feel it through the bass. The combat is quite enjoyable; though it could have used a bit more variety within each character's repertoire, this is remedied by the fact that there are three character classes, each with its own abilities style of combat. And the loot--a staple of RPGs--is done very, very well; tons of stuff can be picked up throughout the game, giving you plenty of options for customizing your character's look and abilities. The game is also a good length, clocking in around 12 hours for a single-player campaign playthrough. While that's not necessary long for an RPG, this was one of the few games that entices me back for a second (and third) playthrough to try out the other character classes (I stuck with one the entire time). There's also a good deal of replayability in the horde-mode-like challenge maps, which allow random bouts of orc-slaying. The hack-and-slashing is pure, unbridled, mindless fun, as it should be.Among the downsides to this game was its pretty strict linear progression. Being that the story wasn't confined to the films, the developers could have allowed a more open-world approach, letting players blaze their own trail a bit more, in both the game's main plot as well as individual maps. While the environments are pretty to look at, it was a shame there couldn't have been more exploration. And while you're given the freedom to return to previous levels/outposts to trade, repair items, etc., you're still led through the main story thread on a clearly-defined invisible road. And, while the two challenge maps are great, it would have been nice (and easy on the developer's end) to throw in a few more, especially from the films, like Pelennor Fields, Moria, and the Black Gate.Overall, I think this is a game fitting of the LOTR name, and easily the best Lord of the Rings game that's been developed to date (and I've played them all). It was a great idea to build a game around a storyline parallel to Frodo's quest; while LOTR: The Third Age did it first, War in the North does it best. I love RPGs, and I believe this is one of the best out there right now, especially for Tolkien/fantasy fans. Now that Skyrim is the RPG to beat, if the developers land the sequel they deserve, I'm sure they've got what it takes to carry this franchise to further greatness the second time around, since their first foray was so very well done.