The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Previews
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GameSpot:
Our show-floor demo had us start at the base of a looming fortress, and we had to work our way up the ancient stone steps, disposing of hordes of misshapen minions along the way. As Andriel, we relied on our staff to fend off creatures with melee strikes, but her true power lies in her spells, which we used liberally until we ran out of mana. By holding the right trigger down and pressing B, we could bring up a bubble shield that would heal anyone who stood within, and we could fend off ranged attacks. With X we were able to throw down a forceful push to stun enemies around us.
Beleram was the star of this demo and was considered an unofficial fourth member of the fellowship. We had five chances to summon the great eagle to help us during the demo, so we didn't want to waste it. There were a few tight moments when our team was low on health and we were getting swarmed, but with the push of a button, Beleram came crashing down to help clear our way. We obviously couldn't abuse this tactic too much, but it certainly made things a bit more interesting--it's almost like a panic button.
Thunderbolt:
War in the North incorporates traditional hack-and-slash controls, with light and heavy attacks. Where the game differs from past Lord of the Rings games is that it intended for adult consumption. This is the first mature rated game in the franchise's history, and it didn't take me long to see why. Early on, we encountered a band of vicious orcs. I slashed at one with my sword, which gave me enough breathing room to take aim with my bow. My aim was true and my arrow landed in the orc's skull. There was a very, very satisfying explosion of blood and guts as his skull tore apart.
The successful headshot also netted me bonus experience points. Players will be able to tailor their character to their play style by spending earned experience on a skill tree. There are three separate skill trees depending on the character that you're controlling. For the ranger, I could upgrade my ranged attacks, evasion skills and melee. If you want to duel wield, you can. If you prefer the sword and shield route, you can do that too. There aren't a huge amount of options and I won't say that it offers a level of depth that you'd find in a more traditional RPG, but there should be enough to give players an incentive to replay and start again.
GameInformer:
In addition to the three-member fellowship, fearsome eagles appear as honorary fourth members. They can be called down into battles, tearing enemies to shreds. In one area during the demo, I called upon one to take on a huge troll. In seconds, the formerly fearsome enemy was on the ground, being torn apart by the eagle's talons and sharp beak. Unlike character abilities, which operate on a cooldown basis after each use, eagle strikes are limited, so players will have to use them wisely. Those cooldowns are nicely balanced, so you're able to use the abilities when you need them without overrelying on simply spamming them.
As my team carved its way through a ruined castle, fighting through swaths of orcs, I gained experience and loot. These function as you'd expect; the leveling up screen allows you to pour points into your main abilities (strength and stamina being particularly important for Farin), as well as explore a skill tree for character abilities. The loot system is intuitive, highlighting categories of items with a glowing sign when you've picked up new loot that's worth equipping. If you do grab something from a chest that isn't usable, you can easily pass it along to your fellow adventurers.
And NextSegment:
The one thing that War in the North really gets right is the loot. During my 20 minutes or so with the game, I found tons of gear with which to customize my character, whether it was dropped from enemies (if their gear survives your encounter with them, it'll drop on the ground, visible only to you -- client-side loot drops are the order of the day here) or hidden inside barrels and chests littered around the environment. Putting gear on changes the look of your character, so you get a feeling of ownership and individuality and the pursuit of that next great sword, bow (or my axe) is going to scratch that itch for you virtual hoarders out there.The elf is best from range, uses stealth to get the drop on enemies, and can briefly turn invisible. She also has a racial ability. She can see tracking marks on the ground. It's hard to say how crucial this will be since the demo takes place in a very narrow, linear path. You don't really need to track someone if you can only go forward. If things open up in the game later on down the road, this will help quite a bit.
The dwarf is a little more helpful. He can detect secret doors and hidden treasure. Also, he wields a pretty bad ass axe. He's the perfect pick for the person who wants to run headlong into a battle and button mash their way to victory.
