Lord of the Rings: War in the North for PlayStation 3

GF Rating

4

Weak

GLITCHES!!!

posted by francisbryan86 (YUCAIPA, CA) Mar 1, 2012

Member since Mar 2012

7 out of 7 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

READ BEFORE PLAYING, just wanted to warn you guys that this game has 3 major glitches that stops story progression dead in its tracks. These glitches can be encountered towards the end of the game, and many people have encountered them. If you come across just one you'll have to start the game completely over, and that's WITH the patch installed. If you Google these glitches before playing you'll be able to bypass them, but I didn't, so I had to unwillingly start a new game four different times:( Other than that, the game is great, it's a good blend of action & RPG. Just be warned.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Fun, but not as fun as it could have been.

posted by Clasteau (SPRINGFIELD, IL) Nov 5, 2011

Member since Mar 2010

12 out of 13 gamers (92%) found this review helpful

Maybe DA:O spoiled me, but I like to equip my entire party and level all their skills, not just the guy I am controlling. And no, you can't switch up in the middle of the action.
They stay true to the LoTR franchise, and I got the kind of story I wanted. But don't give me dialogue options if it's a railroad like this. Just Gears of War it and let me enjoy that story. False control is none at all, and I'd rather see a good movie than have to click to see it when I don't have a choice of the story.
Good story, good villain, nice challenge level killing me just enough to make me try. BUT they need to give you more arrows. For crying out loud, I am a Ranger who spec'd ranged, and I have to count my ammo? What is this, real life? C'mon and let me be a fountain of death already. When the bad guys die, they should spawn arrows to keep me going the way I want to and not make me stand and dodge while the bad guy is at range and untouchable to ONLY ME and my computer controlled buddies unload their ammo. I was penalized for being ranged, and that's wrong. Some of us like being fire support most of the time and dancing at the edge.
Not much of a map layout for your levels. I can see open areas that I can't get to? Never happens on other games. There's always an actual barrier of foliage, water, something. Much like FFXIII, it's a pretty tube you ride in, but unlike FFXIII, you have few options for your party.
Your own equipping is solid and fun, with options. Dual wield? Yeah, sure. Sword and Board? Have at it! Different bows? Absolutely. Gear set bonuses, shoulder pauldrons, rings? Oh, yeah. Again, the only problem is I only equip myself. In that case, go the Diablo route and solo this puppy, teaser.
I enjoyed this, but not enough to keep me away from upcoming titles like Skyrim and AC:R. This could have been a legend built on a legend. Instead, it's a decent filler while you wait for a real gaming icon, unless you haven't already beaten Arkha

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

Enjoyable but game breaking buggy

posted by BigEdward (PFLUGERVILLE, TX) Feb 27, 2012

Member since Jul 2008

6 out of 7 gamers (86%) found this review helpful

All in all, a fun game, very LotR in feel and scope. The biggest problem are the game breaking bugs. I was about 90% of the way thru when a critical boss failed to spawn. After an hour of trying to make it happen, I gave it up and sent it back.

Play at your own risk.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Excellent - Super Fun - Hours of Play

posted by splitrock (LAKE PLACID, NY) Nov 5, 2011

Member since May 2010

7 out of 11 gamers (64%) found this review helpful

I was playing Uncharted 3 for about 3 hours and thought I would try War In The North for a bit. I am many more hours in and cannot stop.

This does justice to the LOTR movies in a big way. I really feel like I am visiting areas I could not in the movies.

The graphics are not the "best" in places but I am starting to feel that isn't everything in games. It is the experience. I love leveling up my character and finding secret locations for each character. Uncharted 3 is okay but it lacks some of these great elements that are so fun in War In The North.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Half done is worse then nothing

posted by ikeredwolf (BLOOMINGTON, IN) Nov 8, 2011

Member since May 2004

2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

This game has been in the works for many years, and on the surface you can see why. The graphics are really top notch and the dialogue though ultimately pointless is well fleshed out. On so many levels this game makes promises that its failed to keep, and the reason its failed is obvious, this is an UNFINISHED PRODUCT, that was rushed to market for who knows what reason. At its heart I think the designers wanted to create a robust game and the markers are there, context guided dialogue, a massive loot system, a healthy balance between melee and ranged combat, with a splash of magic thrown in, and an engaging main story with fun side quests. None of this actually happens. Your characters, with personalities of cardboard cutouts and their dialog choices make no sense and have no influence on the game this drives even the most dedicated to boredom. Loot and there is a lot of loot, and a very small backpack, has interesting names but the exact same graphics, a rusty sword looks exactly like an epic named sword, almost nothing dropped is ever an upgrade, and upgrades that do appear are slight to negligible. Combat what a joke, regardless of what you wield all attack actions have the same interactions, your 1 handed sword lops a head or arm exactly the same as your 2 handed axe, and oddly the same as your 2 handed mace, never mind the mind numbing repetitive attack button mashing. Oh and the side quests are hardly better then fetch quests and bug out at the first opportunity, really how many Elf-Stones have I collected? Obvious bugs like AI pathing, combat hit boxes and quest glitches that any studio finds and fixes are part of the standard release of this game, why not this one? This game is an insult to the franchise, to the games it mimics badly, and to the designers who came up with it. Feel free to play my copy of the game, if you don’t believe me, I’ve already returned it.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Sad disappointment from another over-hype

posted by OneEyeRed (SPARKILL, NY) Nov 5, 2011

Member since Oct 2007

5 out of 8 gamers (62%) found this review helpful

As always rent it for yourself and form your own opinion. With that said, I thank you for your service Game Fly because over the years, you have saved me literally thousands of dollars on over-hyped, craptastic game play. I followed this game from day one of its released news and it was toted as an RPG. While I love hack/slash games and consider the Diablo series one of my absolute favorites, this game fails on so many levels its just not fun for me.

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

Fair Warning!

posted by Jameskoko (SCHAUMBURG, IL) Feb 24, 2012

Member since Feb 2012

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

I am loving this game except for this glitch THAT MAKES IT UNPLAYABLE!!! I really want to give this game a high score but now i cant play it. I have looked online but the only way past it is to start over or join someone elses game who is not that far in the story yet. This is so frustrating and i just want to warn anyone else who rents this cause it may happen to you.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

eehhhh

posted by Gary_V (KENNESAW, GA) Nov 4, 2011

Member since Jul 2011

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

I you don't like to think and push square till your thumb hurts this is for you!

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

THIS GAME IS TO HARD TO PLAY!!!!!!!

posted by surrender316 (CAMERON, MO) Nov 26, 2011

Member since Mar 2011

1 out of 9 gamers (11%) found this review helpful

Let me say first off this game is a good game. IF YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY IT!!! It gets really challaging the farther u get. And it will not let up! the weaker enemies to me get stronger too! but the main boss enemies seem really weak for some reason? They also take longer to beat if your level is not high enough! The reason i put this game at a level 4 rating was because. IT IS TO HARD TO BEAT!!!! I know im complaining about it to much. But it's true!!! I was stuck on a chapter for about 5 days and i still cant beat it! So i decided to send it back and play another game. i kinda felt like i was wasting my rental time! When i could have played another game that was alot more enjoyable! so if your looking for a very competitive game i would suggest this one. If not,Then play something more enjoyable. OH YEAH, the graphics on this game are freaking sweet! pure amazement!!! hope this review helped. PEACE OUT AND HAPPY GAMING!!!!!

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

BUGS Destroy the game

posted by cerebralvision (HAWTHORNE, NJ) Feb 8, 2013

Member since Feb 2013

Got hit by the Mirkwood bug. After spending so many hours playing this game and then the game is unplayable after Mirkwood is such a disappointment. This game doesn't deserve any stars because the game developers refuse to and have never created a fix for the game bug.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

still glitches

posted by ccOR57 (TOWNSEND, MT) Nov 5, 2012

Member since Jun 2010

i would think that they would have all glitches fixed by now guess not. a real downer for a great game up till it glitched

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Fun

posted by kingjack2 (CALIFORNIA, MD) Aug 27, 2012

Member since Aug 2012

it was really fun, i liked the 2- player mode, but the only problem with it is that it was very repetetive but still really good. defently rent before buying.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Gamebreaking Bugs

posted by Bouncingsoul39 (GLENDALE, CA) Aug 26, 2012

Member since May 2011

I'm really disappointed because I really enjoyed this game. It has a great story and is really fun for LOTR fans like myself. I got a 3/4 the way through the game and at the end of the Mirkwood level there was a game breaking bug that would not let me progress through to the next level. I tried reloading and resetting to no avail. I have a fairly new PS3 slim and downloaded the patches.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Very disappointing...

posted by Hazmatology (CORONA, CA) Aug 19, 2012

Member since Aug 2012

Let me start off with a warning to whomever may be considering renting or buying this game. If you love LOTR (heck even like it), then do not waste your time.

Now that that's out of the way here's a pros and cons for ya.

PROS:
-Combat is somewhat fun for the first hour or so
-Currency in the game is reasonable
-LOTR theme

CONS:
-Poor graphics
-Poor audio
-Terrible terrible TERRIBLE voice acting
-Skill tree is awful
-Combat gets very repetitive and boring
-Storyline..meh
-If you're playing solo have fun piggybacking the two AI's around

Overall a disappointment. Thought you'd be glad to see the familiar faces of the movies? Well you would be..if they were a little more recognizable. This game had such potential but it seems like they rushed it.

Perhaps I'm being a bit critical but if I can help at least one person from wasting their time by calling it how I saw it then fine by me. First review after 3 months just to spread caution to whom it may concern..

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

Worse Game Ever! Glad I didn't buy!

posted by friedbanana (VAN BUREN, AR) Aug 14, 2012

Member since Aug 2012

This game is horrible. It freezes every 5 minutes and glitches before you can do anything. Glad I had Gamefly to prevent me from purchasing the worse game ever. This company should be required to refund everyone money that spent hard earned money on something that doesn't work.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

THIS GAME FAILED ME

posted by darkxavier42 (LOS ANGELES, CA) Jul 27, 2012

Member since Jun 2012

I spent about 20 hours in the stupid game and because it saved for me, i'm stuck not being able to get past a part. SCREW THIS GAME, Terrible.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Fun but Glitchy

posted by Kicker10bog (BEECHGROVE, TN) Jul 25, 2012

Member since Jul 2012

The game itself was fun, but there are some glitches. If you run into one of the glitches, go online and join a game and play through where you encountered the glitch.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Fun, but short and easy

posted by overkilled (MABELVALE, AR) Jul 12, 2012

Member since Apr 2007

I love LOTR, but this game even though set in Middle earth is true to LOTR is short and easy.

PROS:
Simple combat
OK graphics
Nice replayability
True to LOTR

CONS:
Short
Once you beat the game you can play through again at the lvl you left off at but It makes the game Easy.
Easy trophies- Got 76% out of 100% on my 1st playthrough

All in all LOTRWITN is a Fun and Simple game but as i said it was incredibly easy. I never died once.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Where to begin..

posted by Aeirou (VIRGINIA BEACH, VA) Jul 5, 2012

Member since Apr 2012

You'd be hard pressed to find a game on PS3 I haven't played, followed, or heard about. That being said, I did not purchase War in the North because of the reported "game breaking glitches" that it had in the release. After almost a week of playing the game and beating it three times (once on every difficulty) I will tell you honestly, I have been stuck in loading screens 3 times in all my play but was always able to just continue on when I booted up.

WitN is not a very hard game, especially when you pick up the tells in fights for when to dodge, block, and hit. The game gets even easier when you move up the difficulty later with your super-powered character. If you like trophies, this game is pretty straight forward and I got the platinum in just over 3 days.

What I found WitN to be is fun. It is a basic Hack n Slash style game, or an arcade styled level game. It also has the potential to be a very social coop game. You can have up to 2 friends join you online through the campaign and mics work great.

People who will enjoy the game are fans of LOTR.

People who are not fans of LOTR wont get any thrill for meeting the cast of Frodo's story nor visiting the areas of the lore. It will seem like any standard Hack n Slash to you.

I've only opt'd to keep 2 games on Gamefly, and this is one of them.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Journey to the War in the North?

posted by BrokenQuest (NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA) Jun 24, 2012

Member since Jun 2012

After playing untold hours of SKYRIM, I wanted a fantasy game with better combat. Being a fan of Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS and the GOD OF WAR series, I thought I'd give LOTR:WITN a try.

Glitches. I played through without a single issue (SP). I have yet to play MP, so my feeling is that either the bugs have been patched... or they are associated with switching between MP co-op and SP modes. Anyway, my game experience was great.

Gameplay. It's a fast game that's challenging without being difficult. I played through in a few sessions over a handful of days and found the gameplay quite addicting.

Ally AI. For me, this is where LOTR:WITN excels. Fighting companions were always responsive, ready to fight, and ready to rush to my aid when I'd fallen. They never wandered aimlessly or came across an enemy without engaging. It's rare that I've played a game where AI allies seemed as good as co-op. LOTR:WITN ally AI is one of those rare games.

Storyline. This game is a talk-monster. Everyone talks a lot (and this isn't a true RPG!)... but then I remembered all of those long pages of conversations in Tolkien's books... and slowly I got back into Tolkien-speak and even enjoyed the attention to the dialogues.

Plot-wise, I loved the game. It fit seemlessly into the timeline and events of LOTR. By game's end I wanted to see this storyline fleshed out and made into a book or movie!

Graphics. LOTR:WITN looks great... until the last level... which only looks "ok." Final level mediocrity certainly doesn't kill the game for me.

My only real issues with the game:

1) The ending boss battle is not as difficult as earlier boss battles and therefore the ending of the game wasn't as powerful as it should have been.

2) One boss battle seemed impossible, but when I finally figured out the solution, it felt counter-intuitive and rather like a "cheat."

Overall, I loved LOTR:WITN and am glad I got it in spite of mid reviews. I will defi

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

highly addictive

posted by chism772 (CHATTANOOGA, TN) Jun 23, 2012

Member since May 2012

If you enjoy the lord of the rings then you will enjoy this game. The graphics are great (even my wife took notice). the story line moves as quick as you would like for it too. The game play if fluid and easy to get used to. one thing i loved was the dismemberment scenes. they defintly don't leave out any gore.
the are only two reasons i did not give this game a ten. the first being i wanted the story to go al little more in depth then what it did. secondly the end boss was way too easy.
one thing i thought was funny was how beleram sounds so much like james earl jones. all in all this game was a lot of fun and a great game to rent. i wouldnt recommend buying it.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

So so

posted by panthet (SYLMAR, CA) Jun 15, 2012

Member since Mar 2012

I really wanted to like this game more. But the slow motion fighting and repetitive nature of the game just got boring.
I give it a 6 for the beautiful scenery and story idea.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Better than I though

posted by Frogface (APO, AP) Jun 9, 2012

Member since Jan 2011

At first I didn't' think I was going to like this game. As I started playing, I was really enjoying myself. Sure it's not the best looking game, but it def reminds me of playing on the Nintendo era, when graphics weren't all that. The gameplay is fun, and story is good. I'm really liking it, and think I will keep it. You can swap out from 3 different characters, so I would imagine the replay value is pretty high. Very good game in my opinion.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

Beautiful world, AI bites

posted by Sevrun (BAY MINETTE, AL) Jun 5, 2012

Member since Jun 2012

The Good:

They went out of their way to try presenting you with the world of Middle Earth, and it showed.

The combat system is bit different, and that in itself recommends the game to me in an industry that sticks to the same standards and just changes the decor.

The Bad:

Your greatest enemy in this game isn't the Dark Lord... it's the AI controlling your allies when you fight. They'll act to break up your heroic combos, ignore their best skills/upgrades, and generally fight in a baffling (and ineffective) fashion.

AI issues don't normally knock 4 full points off with me, but the issues were so consistent it would have been funny if I hadn't been left fighting swarms (or Trolls) all by myself so often.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

Broken Game

posted by davidpfeldman (MELROSE, MA) Jun 4, 2012

Member since Jun 2012

MASSIVE WARNING - this game features multiple, game-breaking bugs that will prevent you from proceeding past Chapter 5 and in the final chapter. Pick it up at your own risk. There is no patch, it was never fixed. I rented the game 5/21/2012 and got caught by a bug that would not allow the game to advance in Chapter 5.

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Lord of the Rings: War in the North for PlayStation 3 Reviews by Gamers

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GF Rating

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Buy