The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Previews
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GameDynamo:
The game will offer three characters to choose from: an elf, a dwarf, and a human. Since Warner Bros. owns the rights, developer Snowblind Studios can use people, places, and things from both the movies and the books for this game. Some of the places that will appear in The Lord of the Rings: War in the North are Rivendell, Ettenmoors, Mirkwood, and the Barrow-downs - this last one is a place mentioned in the books but not the movies, and it's inhabited by Barrow-wights (will Tom Bombadill make an appearance?). Undead, trolls, spiders, and other nasties await those brave enough to venture out.
Crave Online:
The majority of my time spent with this game was spent hacking at Uruk-Hai, goblins, and other beasts. There was some variety to the attacks I could make; but not enough to make it feel like anything crafted here was original. In fact, I made mention that this game felt like Gauntlet with a LOTR license. I basically pressed the X and the B button to attack; sometimes spacing things up with an arrow shot or a super attack. If this reads to you like a generic action game, this game sure played like one.
VGRevolution:
In addition to those skill attacks which you will be able to level up and change, you will also be able to hit enemies with the standard X attack until a Y appears above their head allowing you to do critical damage and having the opportunity to trigger an execution. This is where the game shows its gore and glory, the human character that Mike played was able to trigger an execution. As he was swinging away at an enemy he jumped towards him with dual daggers above his head and then slashed downward slicing off both of his arms.
And PSX Extreme:
Unsurprisingly, the dwarf (Farin), is a melee attacker and is accustomed to accepting a large amount of damage. The elf, Andriel, is more of a support character as she has magic-like skills that will prove helpful; casting an orb that simultaneously heals her allies is certainly a big help. She can also dual-wield some weapons, so she's a diverse character that can help turn the tide of a difficult battle. The ranger is Eradan and he can be a force at both close and long range, and he also has a few stealth abilities that can give your party the edge. These three should be capable of dealing with most any obstacle, provided you take full advantage of their specific strengths. Balance is key.
