It's not fair. Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and the rest of the fellowship get all the glory, but without the brave struggles of so many others, they never could have succeeded on their vital errand.

A good assortment of Middle-earth environments and characters; Leveling up and acquiring new abilities is rewarding; Fun to collect powerful new weapons and gear

Automated save system leads to infuriating setbacks; Problematic revival mechanic; Frequently odd enemy behavior; Technical issues with multiplayer

War in the North doesn't push the envelope too much, and it's not overly surprising considering the enormous task Snowblind Studio's undertook. This is how we remember games of our childhood, and that's both good and bad.

Enjoyable co-operative gameplay; RPG leveling; looting; and customization; Solid Lord of the Rings atmosphere

Managing A.I; partners is cumbersome, Repetitive combat and enemies, Narrative falls a bit short

Breaking new ground as a mature RPG video game set in Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North advances the RPG paradigm through innovative online, interdependent co-op play for up to three players who form their own Fellowship to fight Sauron's forces in the North.

Overall the game is decent, its value outweighs its flaws and it should be an enjoyable game for RPG and LOTR fans. It just could have been much more had the gameplay been attended to like the visuals and sound.

There isn't much more to say about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North . It's a side story within the Lord of the Rings universe presented in the form of a mediocre hack-n-slash RPG. Only the die-hard Lord of the Rings fans need apply here. The rest of you can pick up Skyrim to get your RPG fix.

+ Set in the Lord of the Rings universe; split-screen is always welcome

+ Set in the Lord of the Rings universe; split-screen is always welcome; - Unimpressive graphics; glitches and audio issues abound; - Game-breaking technical problems; short and simple story

While it certainly has its issues, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is an admirable return to form for the series. Combat is fun but can get repetitive, although that is countered by some truly epic boss battles.

was one of the first 'grown up' books I read as a kid, and like so many others before me I loved every bit of it. When the movies came out I loved them too (though I lamented Tom Bombadil's absence) and I bought them on DVD as soon as they came out.

As the year comes to an end, I find myself playing yet another disappointing action RPG. Last year, it was Fable III , and this year, it's Lord of the Rings: War in the North . I had the opportunity to take in War in the North at E3 2011 and left feeling very impressed, going as far to call it my...

You cannot get too much of Lord of the Rings, but Snowblind Studios went in a brave direction when they replaced Frodo and his cohorts with brand new heroes...

Entertaining in co-operative mode; smart guest appearances by more famous characters; nice concept

Flat story; stupid enemies; repetitive combat; poorly thought out revivals

Tolkien's epic masterpiece of literature, the Lord of the Rings (henceforth LOTR) has been a phenomenon of the high fantasy genre for more than half a century. The bestseller books have led to billion dollar grossing films, big budget audiobooks, radio shows, countless Blu-ray and DVD sales in...