The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

BackgroundThe Lord of the Rings: War in the North features unseen lands in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth and authentic plot elements coinciding with the War of the Ring. It also features characters not featured in the books or films, a concept reminiscent of The Third Age.The game features stronger graphic violence than previous Lord of the Rings games and was the first game in the series to receive an M rating from the ESRB.GameplayThe Lord of the Rings: War in the North is an average third-person combat-focused action role-playing game. Featuring upgradeable and customizable weapons and abilities that advance alongside the characters, the player may choose from one of three races, the Race of Man, Dwarves, and Elves. In a departure from the license, the game will feature a mature campaign featuring copious amounts of black blood blanketing your character while hacking and slashing enemies. Players can also hack off limbs and appendages, leaving enemies crippled and writhing in pain. Cooperative play and other unique online systems have also been promised.Loot!Like other action RPGs, War in the North promises large amounts of randomly generated loot to covet, collect, and deck out your character with.Cooperative MultiplayerWar in the North will support three-player "interdependent" cooperative play.The co-op can be played via local split-screen, LAN, or online. Drop-in/out is featured for players, and there is always one of each race to create a balanced play and use the strengths of each. AI takes over if there are only one or two players to create the fellowship of 3.AnnouncementThe Lord of the Rings: War in the North was announced on March 17th, 2010 with a half-minute concept trailer, and a target release date of 2011 (quarter/date unspecified). The announcement coincided with a Playstation Magazine exclusive cover story.It has since been officially announced as a release in NA for 1st November 2011, EU 4th November 2011, and Aus 2nd November 2011.Character AbilitiesEradan: Ranger of the NorthStealthCombatRangedEvasion: Grants temporary invisibilityRanger Strike: A fast attack to a single enemy for extra damageHeavy Shot: Does more damage then a regular arrowOnslaught: A surprise attack while stealthCritical Wound: Increase critical hit damageDual Wield: Allows Eradan to equip two 1-handed weaponsCombat Training: Increases Ranger strike damageHeavy Weapons: Increases damage of 2-Handed swordsBow Mastery: Increases damage and reload speed of the BowUnknownIn the Flow: Regenerate health and power while Evasion is activeSmoke and Flame: Upgrades Evasion to stun enemies when Eradan disappearsDual Strike: Attacks multiple enemies - requires Dual WieldCunning: Increased damage if Eradan attacks from behindCleave: A sweeping attack that hits multiple targets - Requires a 2-handed swordMark Target: Stuns and enemy and allows for a critical hitUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownAndriel: Loremaster of RivendellSupportMagicCombatSanctuary: A shield that protects against ranged attacksWord of Force: A blast that knocks back enemies in all directionsCharge Staff: Fires multiple projectilesUnknownWisdom Aura: Increase the experience gained by the fellowshipStaff and Steel: Allows for dual wielding of a 1-handed weapon and a staffLoremaster's Reach: Upgrades the range of Word of Force and Tempest abilitiesTempest: A blast of elemental energyStaff Master: Increase damage done by staffsAmplify Staff: Increase staffs rate of fire and the damage done by charged shotsFocused Mind: Regenerate power more quicklyShield of Elbereth: A temporary armor increaseImpact: High damage to a single target with the chance to chain to other enemies at higher ranksQuickminded: Reduces active abilities cool-down timeNature's Blessing: Increases primary attributesElemental Affinity: Increases elemental damageWrath of the Eldar: The energy of Sanctuary is discharged damaging the enemies around Andriel.UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownFerin: Warrior of EreborDefenseCombatRangedWar-Cry:Sweeping Strike: An attack that can damage multiple enemies over a large areaUnknownUnknownShield Bash: Stuns target - Also increase armor gain from shieldsMighty Reach: Range is increased for Sweeping Strike, Ground Pound, and Whirlwind abilitiesFortitude: When War-Cry is active the fellowship gain health regenerationUnknownUnknownUnknown UnknownFocus: Reduces active abilities cool-down timeWhirlwind: Ferin releases a fury of attacks - Replaces Sweeping Strike - Requires a swordConditioning: Health regeneration is increasedEarthshaker: A mighty area attack lays waste to all around Ferin - Replaces Sweeping Strike - Requires a Hammer, Axe, or MaceCrossbow Adept: Increases bolt capacity of the crossbowHeavy Bolt: A high damage shot to a single targetUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownCollector's EditionThere will be a collector's edition available of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, which will have an MSRP value of 9.99. It will include the following: War in the North art bookInside Look: The music of War in the North mini-documentaryRanger of the north Quiver CaseDigital Content (360: Avatar Items, PS3: XMB Wallpapers and Icons)The European collector's edition features similar items, with:Snow Troll figure (instead of the Quiver Case)War in the North art bookInside Look: The music of War in the North mini-documentaryDLC code for the Lothlorien challenge mapPC System RequirementsMinimumRecommendedOS: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7Processor: Intel Core2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD 64 X2 4400Memory: 2 GB RAMGraphics: 2006 or later GeForce 8600 or Radeon HD 2600DirectX®: dx9.0cHard Drive: 10 GB HD spaceSound: 100% DirectX 9 compatible Audio DeviceProcessor: Intel Core2 Duo 3 GHz or AMD X2 5000 or AMD Phenom X4 9600Memory: 4 GB RAMGraphics: GeForce 2xx Series or Radeon HD 6xxx series or greaterDirectX®: dx9.0c