It’s hard to believe, but Lord of the Rings: War in the North was shaping up to be a major release when it was initially announced. Then its November 1 launch date became surrounded by the swath of triple-A titles also debuting this season.
That hasn’t stopped the game from shaping up to be a promising offering. Developed by Snowblind Studios, the game trods on ground largely ignored by the main story in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books or Peter Jackson’s films – think northern portions of Middle-Earth during the same time period of the Fellowship’s journey to Mordor. The RPG will focus around a human ranger named Eradan, an elf, Andriel, and a dwarf, Farin. Players will have the option to upgrade and customize their characters throughout the game while also taking part in Mass Effect-like conversations, all on their quest to defeat Sauron’s lieutenant, Agaundaur.
Check out the launch trailer below and see why The War in the North should be on the radar of any LOTR fan out there when it releases on the Xbox 360, PC and Playstation 3 next Tuesday.