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Lord of the Rings: War in the North will hit the Mac on Aug. 29
Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle Earth rejoice -- Feral Interactive will be shipping a Mac port of Snowblind Studios' The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (US$30) on August 29. Don't be surprised if you don't recall any of the events that take place in the title, which is an action role-playing game set in northern Middle Earth. About the only mention of the war in the trilogy came from Gandalf the White, saying "With his far-reaching right hand, Sauron might have done great evil in the North. Yet all that has been averted because a handful of heroes stood in his path." That small band of heroes consists of Eradin the Ranger, Andriel the Elf and Farin the Dwarf, who take on the forces of Sauron in the game. LOTR:WITN is playable in both single-player and co-op multiplayer modes, and requires at least OS X 10.7.5 (be sure to check the system requirements before purchase). [via MacNN]
12 Days of Joyswag: Lord of the Rings: War in the North (Collector's Edition)
Another year, another 12 days of holiday giveaways! Between now and Christmas Day, we're doing the one thing that makes us feel truly alive: giving. Specifically, we're giving you fine folks some of the swag we've managed to collect in our cluttered home offices. And the good will and merriment doesn't stop here! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for even more chances to win! Here, on day two of our history-making giveaway, we're unloading two particularly large packages from the ol' home office. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Collector's Edition not only includes a copy of the game (on Xbox 360) and an art book, but it also includes ... a massive quiver. And lucky us, we've got two of them. Find out how you can adopt these needy Collector's Editions just after the break.
Warner Bros. makes cuts across Seattle studios
A WB Games representative this evening confirmed to Joystiq that the publisher has "had to make reductions" across its Seattle-based studios this week. The layoffs were apparently a result of the publisher's "continual review of our business operations and fluctuating market conditions," and no specific studios were named in the comment. We first heard of potential firings at the company from 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard's Twitter account, which puts the cuts at "60ish" folks in the studio's Seattle studios (which includes Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios and Surreal Software). The latest release from WB Games Seattle was this week's Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North review: Middle-earth revisited
As I type this, sitting behind me on a shelf, right next to Master Chief, there is a Ringwraith action figure. Downstairs on the bookshelf sits a hardbound edition of The Lord of the Rings (fashioned itself after the Red Book of Westmarch). I have read The Hobbit. I even read The Silmarillion. Point being: I'm a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, which makes it difficult to approach The Lord of the Rings: War in the North with anything less than trepidation. To put it bluntly, wedging a non-canonical story into the most well-known piece of fantasy fiction of all time is no small task; turning said story into a video game perhaps doubly so. Fortunately, like the One Ring itself, War in the North possesses some surprising qualities. Unlike the Ring, however, it begins to tarnish after a few hours.
LOTR: War in the North dev video brings the Posehn
If you're looking for information on the upcoming Lord of the Rings game, War in the North, go ahead and skip 3:10 in the above video. If you'd like to know what comedian Brian Posehn thinks of Tolkien's legacy (much more pressing info, really), skip to 1:04.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North boss battle will not be the end of this fellowship
Boss battles are usually all about pattern recognition, but with Lord of the Rings: War in the North's Barrow-Wight Lord, the strategy is more about killing his friends -- of course a Lord would make his servants fight for him! Even in death, old habits are hard to kick, it seems.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North shows the power of three in new trailer, screens
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North doesn't need a ring to defeat its foes; it has the power of three. Three different beings, to be exact -- after all, if it were the power of three rings, that would defeat the purpose of that whole "one ring" thing Sauron won't shut up about.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North begins November 1
The official Lord of the Rings: War in the North Facebook page has declared November 1, 2011 as the beginning of operations in North America. The armies of man, elves and dwarves will arrive in Australia and Europe on November 2 and 4, respectively. Those who have already decided to enlist should take a look at the retailer specific pre-order bonuses and pick one that suits them best. Sadly, none of them come with Middle Earth's sparkling cider and three shot glasses ("regular cups" for all you hobbits out there). [Thanks, Spencer.]
Lord of the Rings: War in the North trailer remembers the trilogy
Hey, do you all remember the Lord of the Rings film trilogy? Remember how much you loved -- err, still love them? This trailer for War in the North certainly hopes you do; it focuses largely on how the new, Snowblind-developed title ties into the films.
LOTR: War in the North gets obligatory CE, retailer-specific pre-order bonuses
As Lord of the Rings: War in the North preps for an autumn assault, Warner Bros. is deploying an extravagant Collector's Edition and pre-order incentive to help gather recruits. The Collector's Edition, which costs a whopping $130, includes a Ranger of the North Quiver Case, art book, a behind-the-scenes DVD on the game's music, three songs from the soundtrack ... and the game. Those who pick up the CE for Xbox 360 receive a Ranger of the North Avatar outfit for Xbox Live, while PS3 purchasers get a War in the North Theme Pack. You'll also have to contend with pesky retail-specific pre-order bonuses for the standard edition, which we've listed after the break. %Gallery-127735%
Lord of the Rings: War in the North preview: Three amigos
Good friends are hard to come by and when a menace like the Dark Lord Sauron threatens your realm, you have to put aside your differences and do what's right. Lord of the Rings: War in the North celebrates the idea of fellowship, telling the story of a trio of adventurers (a human, elf and dwarf) as they participate in that titular northern war. Since this is a Warner Bros. game, developer Snowblind Studios has access to not only the book rights but the film rights as well. This allows Snowblind to kind of play between both versions of the story, creating what it hopes is a good union between the two. %Gallery-118547%
Lord of the Rings: War in the North introduces a heroic trio
Forget about Gimli and Aragorn -- it's all about the "Ranger of the North," the "Loremaster of Rivendell" and the "Champion of Eriador" in Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Get acquainted with the heroic trio in this latest trailer for the game.
Joyswag: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North-themed JRR Tolkien birthday toast kit
Did you know today was Lord of the Rings scribe JRR Tolkien's birthday? If you did, you probably also know that fans of "The Professor" toast his birth at 9pm your local time. It's true! Read all about it here on the Tolkien Society's website. To celebrate the occasion (oh, and we guess to promote the upcoming Lord of the Rings: War in the North video game), Warner Bros. sent over the above kit, replete with L-sized shirt, sparkling cider and three shot glasses that would look at home in the land of Middle Earth. Since we don't keep this stuff (and everyone on staff is allergic to non-alcoholic beverages) we're going to send this to one of you. Obviously, you won't get it in time to toast The Professor, but something tells us he won't mind if you're a few days late. Find out what you've got to do after the break and, if you're reading this at 9pm your time, a toast: to The Professor!%Gallery-112390%
Lord of the Rings: War in the North trailer displays orcish brutality
We feel like Orcs caught a bad rap in Tolkien's flagship fantasy franchise. Sure, they're not the nicest of dudes -- but do they deserve to be senselessly butchered, like in the trailer for Snowblind Studios' action-RPG Lord of the Rings: War in the North, posted below? We certainly don't think so.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North announced by WBIE; Snowblind developing
If you've been nervously tapping your fuzzy Hobbit toes in anticipation of the project behind the trademarked "Lord of the Rings: War in the North," then prepare for a delicious second breakfast of information. Warner Bros. Interactive has officially announced the game which, as it turns out, is an RPG from Champions of Norrath / Justice League Heroes developer Snowblind Studios, due for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2011. It sounds like it will be familiar gameplay to fans of those games, as well. Snowblind head Ryan Geithman calls it "a natural evolution of the acclaimed RPG gameplay that Snowblind has consistently delivered over the past years." In this online co-op RPG, up to three players will take part in the War of the Ring, visiting areas and meeting characters from the films and uncovering "unseen lands, story elements and characters from Middle-earth." The game will receive a full reveal in PlayStation: The Official Magazine's May issue, which will be on shelves April 6. Head past the break for a trailer.
Warner Bros. lays off staff from Monolith, Snowblind, Surreal
Apparently, Warner Bros. didn't get the memo that layoffs are so 2009. The publisher has released an unspecified number of staffers from Seattle developers Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios and Surreal Software, perhaps best known for the FEAR series, Death Tank and The Suffering, respectively. The publisher told Gamasutra, "we had a few too many resources in certain functions and some positions were eliminated in this process." Seems logical enough, but that doesn't make it any less of a bitter pill for those affected. Here's hoping everyone lands on their feet.
Joyswag: Win Death Tank XBLA codes on our Twitter feed [update]
[Update: Alright gang, it looks like they've all been redeemed. Thanks so much for playing, and remember to subscribe to our Twitter feed so you never miss out on a giveaway!]Hey, want to win a shiny new copy of an XBLA game and get some much needed exposure to social media? Then you should really be following our Twitter account where we're going to be giving away four copies of the awesomely named Death Tank.If you wanna win, all you have to is create an account and then follow our Twitter feed and (in a system we totally stole from Major Nelson) guess the last character in each of the codes we send out. To give you an example of what we mean, we put the very first code right after the break!And you should definitely follow the feed, because you never know when we'll do another giveaway just like this. We'll be starting in just a few minutes, so go sign up!(P.S. Do us a favor and comment here when you claim a code so we know when to call off the hunt.)%Gallery-31242%
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Death Tank
Apart from the fact that it's missing the original theme song -- which was the best ever, FYI -- the XBLA version of Death Tank is the same Death Tank we know and love. Of course, not everyone is familiar with the original Saturn game (which could only be unlocked as a mini-game in Powerslave or Duke Nukem 3D). For fans and newcomers alike, we present the latest XBLA in Brief.Download the trial version of Death Tank[iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes.[Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly (Zune Marketplace link coming soon).[RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: Death Tank rolls onto XBLA
Prep some ammunition and stock up on military-grade fuel, because Microsoft just announced that Death Tank will launch an attack on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, February 18th, at a cost of 1200 ($15).Snowblind Studios' Death Tank is a remake of the Sega Saturn classic hit and features gameplay similar to Worms, but, uh, real-time and way more explosive, as is evident in the video above. With Xbox Live support for up to eight players, eight destructible environments and prettified HD visuals, Death Tank might actually be worth the price of admission. That is, if this week's release of The Lost & Damned doesn't empty our MS point stash.%Gallery-31242%
Warner appoints former MGS exec to oversee Seattle studios
"Utilising her expertise to direct our Seattle studios in several key areas, we are looking forward to developing quality games under her leadership in the most efficient ways." That's what Samantha Ryan, Warner Interactive's senior vice president, has to say about the company's latest appointment. Former Microsoft Games Studios executive producer, Laura Fryer, will now oversee Warner Interactive's Seattle studios, which include Snowblind Studios and the FEAR-ful folks at Monolith Productions. There's no word yet on which quality games are due to be developed under Fryer's leadership in the most efficient ways, but here's one that can't be made efficiently enough: No One Lives Forever 3. We all look like we need a monkey.
