The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a role-playing video game developed by Snowblind Studios. It is based on the events taking place in the northern regions of Middle-earth in the background of the main story of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, more specifically in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy universe. The Plot for the game is that, the 3 heroes players can choose from, go on their own journey, similar to the Fellowship of the Ring the characters journey to different locations to help the War, their actions help the Fellowship, in a way that is not seen in the films or books. Players take control of a hero of the war, and are able to play through the game alone or co-operatively with other players.

Gameplay

In a preview article in PlayStation Magazine, it was discussed that players will have skills that are upgradeable, characters that can be customized, and that conversations play out similarly to Mass Effect without the moral ramifications. Each character also has ranged attacks which they can use, Farin (the dwarf champion) has a crossbow, Eradan (the human ranger) has a bow and Andriel (the female elf mage) can cast ranged spells at enemies. All characters also have light and heavy attacks and can roll, block and counter enemy attacks. Players can also issue orders to their AI companions if they are playing solo. There are also hubs in the game which function as points where the party may rest, accept new quests, speak to people and stock up on new supplies. Hubs are towns or villages. Comic-Con 2011 featured gameplay of War in the North.
Each class also has a unique ability. The dwarf for example can mine for gems which can be used for crafting purposes and he can also smash walls down where hidden treasure can be found. The game also features unlockable difficulty modes such as a nightmare difficulty. You can replay through the game and keep all your equipment and skills from the previous playthrough. Dialogue will normally present a few choices where the player can get just the facts, delve deeper into the lore or get optional side quests. The gameplay also relies upon the player working with friends (or with AI companions) to use tactics to defeat certain enemies.

Synopsis

Locations

Many locations that are not featured in the movies are in the game. Locations include the Ettenmoors, Fornost, Mirkwood and Mount Gundabad. Locations from the movies also appear in the game. Players can explore Bree and Rivendell and interact with the characters there which include Gandalf, Elrond, Frodo, Bilbo, Legolas, Arwen and Aragorn. Characters from the books can also appear in the game. The Ranger Halbarad, Radagast, and Elrond's sons, Elladan and Elrohir, are just some of the characters that players will encounter.

Characters

War in The North features three playable protagonists. The three characters fall into three separate classes, Champion/warrior, Loremaster/mage and Ranger/rogue. Characters gain experience by defeating enemies, and will level up when enough experience has been gained. Characters can improve their stats (strength, will, stamina, dexterity), and use skill points to receive or upgrade special abilities.

Eradan

Eradan is the Ranger class, he is a Dúnadan. (From Elvish dún-adan, meaning Man of the West, Númenorean.) He is the most adaptable playable character and can use a two-handed sword, a sword and shield, dual wield weapons or a bow. Eradan also has access to many stealth abilities which allow him to sneak up on enemies to attack them.

Eradan is voiced by Nolan North.

Farin

Farin is the Champion class, he hails from Erebor. Out of all three characters, Farin is the most skilled in using melee weapons, but also possesses a crossbow which may be used for ranged attacks. He can also mine for gems.

Andriel

Andriel is the Elven Loremaster class who has been taught by Elrond. She hails from Rivendell. She uses magic as her defense and offense but can also dual wield a one-handed weapon with her staff, which can also be used to melee attack enemies with. Her abilities include offensive and supportive spells but she possesses melee abilities and may be leveled up to become a battlemage if the player wishes. She can also create potions from alchemy ingredients that the player may find scattered around the game world.

Reception

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North received mixed to positive reviews. Koalition awarded the game 8/10 stating that "The cooperative multiplayer aspect is fantastic and the game is balanced very well".Gamefront gave the game a positive score of 8.5/10 praising the game as being "a successful effort for Snowblind" and stating that "It’s a fun title that you can enjoy with your friends or alone".IGN awarded the game a "Good" score of 7/10 praising its graphics and level design but criticizing the plot as being bland, the characters as lacking personality and the game suffering from a repetitive gameplay. GameSpot gave a score of 6 out of 10, stating issues such as odd enemy behavior, technical issues with multiplayer and a general feeling of disappointment. On Metacritic the game holds a 62/100 for the Xbox 360 version, a 66/100 for the PC version and a 63/100 for the PlayStation 3 version as of January 29, 2012. The German edition Der Krieg im Norden received a positive review from the Zillo Medieval magazine praising the possibility of playing in previously unexplored areas of the game's world.

Video Trailer:  The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Source Trailer: http://youtube.com

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is an action-adventure game developed by Ready at Dawn and SCE Santa Monica Studio. It was first released by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable handheld video game console in November 2010. It is the sixth installment in the God of War series and the second for the platform. Ghost of Sparta was remastered and released in September 2011 as part of the God of War: Origins Collection for the PlayStation 3.
Loosely based on Greek mythology, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is chronologically the fourth chapter in the series, and forms part of a saga with vengeance as a central theme. The game focuses on protagonist Kratos, now the God of War, who is haunted by the visions of his mortal past and decides to explore his origins.

Gameplay

The game features gameplay similar to previous installments in the series. It is a third-person action adventure game, where the player controls Kratos, containing quick time events, box-based puzzles and boss fights. The game features new weapons, magical powers and navigational abilities not present in previous games, and has been cited as featuring 25 percent more gameplay than its PSP predecessor Chains of Olympus.
Kratos' arsenal includes the "Blades of Athena" and the "Arms of Sparta" (a spear and shield). Kratos also gains the ability "Thera's Bane" (infuses the Blades of Athena with fire) and in this game acts as the "Rage" feature. As with the Items used in God of War III, this ability automatically replenishes itself. Both Arms of Sparta and Thera's Bane are used to overcome environmental obstacles.
The combat system has been updated to allow Kratos to "pummel enemies to the ground as well as throw them", and perform air-to-air attacks. An "augmented death system" is also being used.
Magical abilities include the "Eye of Atlantis", "Scourge of Erinys", and the "Horn of Boreas". The relic "Poseidon's Trident" is retained (God of War).
As with previous games, chests found throughout the game contain orbs and are marked with a corresponding color for the orbs (green, blue, and red). Green Orbs replenish health, blue orbs replenish magic and red orbs provide experience, which in turn allows the upgrading of magical abilities and weapons.
Health and Magic upgrades—Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers respectively—reappear and can be found in chests, with five items needed for an upgrade. Minotaur Horns also reappear (from God of War III) and upgrade the Fire meter for Thera's Bane.
As with previous installments, a challenge mode ("Challenge of the Gods": five "Challenges of Ares" and another eight "Challenges of Athena" that can be unlocked) is included. Another mode has been added ("The Temple of Zeus") and allows players to sacrifice collected red orbs (both in-game and Challenge) to unlock additional features, such as the "Challenges of Athena", costumes and bonus videos. A Combat Arena (similar to the version in God of War III) allows players to pick adversaries and adjust the level of difficulty.

Plot

An oracle foretold that the demise of Olympus would come not by the revenge of the great Titans, who had been imprisoned after the Great War, but by a marked warrior. The Olympians Zeus and Ares believed this warrior to be Deimos, the brother of Kratos, due to his strange birthmarks. Ares interrupts the childhood training of Kratos and Deimos (with Athena watching) and kidnaps Deimos. Kratos attempts to stop Ares, but is swept aside and scarred (across his right eye) by the Olympian. Ares attempts to kill him, but Athena stops him, knowing Kratos' destiny. Taken to Death's Domain, Deimos is imprisoned and tortured by the god of death, Thanatos.
Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, has taken Ares' place as the new God of War on Mount Olympus. Still haunted by visions of his mortal past, Kratos decides—against the advice of the goddess, Athena—to explore his past and travels to the Temple of Poseidon, located within the city of Atlantis. The sea monster, Scylla, attacks and destroys Kratos' vessel off the coast of Atlantis, although the Spartan drives the beast off. After a series of skirmishes across the city, Kratos eventually kills Scylla.
Kratos also locates his ailing mother, Callisto, who attempts to reveal the identity of his father. When Callisto is suddenly transformed into a hideous beast, Kratos is forced to battle her, and before dying, Callisto thanks Kratos and beseeches him to seek out his brother Deimos in Sparta. Before departing from Atlantis, Kratos encounters and frees the trapped Titan, Thera, which causes the eruption of an underground volcano, and subsequently destroys the city. During Kratos' escape he has another encounter with the enigmatic Grave Digger, who warns of the consequences of alienating the gods.
After a battle with Erinys, the daughter of Thanatos, Kratos arrives in Sparta and witnesses a group of Spartans tearing down a statue of Ares, intent on replacing it with an image of Kratos. After killing the Piraeus Lion and a dissenter in the Spartan Jails and an encounter with the spirit of his child self in the Temple of Ares, Kratos learns he must return to the now sunken Atlantis and locate the Domain of Death. Before leaving, a loyal Spartan provides Kratos with his former weapons—used during Kratos' days as a Captain of the Spartan army—the Arms of Sparta.
Entering the Domain of Death, Kratos eventually locates his imprisoned brother Deimos and frees him. Enraged that Kratos failed to rescue him sooner and stating he will never forgive Kratos, Deimos attacks Kratos, but the god Thanatos—responsible for Deimos' torture—intervenes. Thanatos takes Deimos against his will to Suicide Bluffs (the site of Kratos' suicide attempt), where Kratos saves Deimos from falling to his death. A grateful Deimos then aids Kratos in battling the god. Thanatos kills Deimos but is destroyed, in turn, by Kratos. Kratos, remarking that his brother is finally free, places Deimos in his grave (leaving the Arms of Sparta as a grave marker), and is warned by the enigmatic Grave Digger who once aided him not to alienate the gods, stating Kratos has become "Death... the Destroyer of Worlds."
Athena begs for forgiveness (offering full godhood and even acknowledging Kratos as her brother) for not revealing the truth, but Kratos ignores her, returning to Olympus promising that "the gods will pay for this."
In a post credits scene, the Grave Digger places Callisto in a grave near Deimos (with an empty third grave nearby) and states "Now... only one remains." The final scene is a brooding Kratos sitting on his throne on Mount Olympus.

Characters

Main article: List of God of War characters

• TC Carson as Kratos (Antony Del Rio as Young Kratos): The protagonist. A former Captain in Sparta's Army, a former servant to the gods of Olympus, and the God of War after killing the Olympian Ares. Still haunted by visions of his mortal past, Kratos leaves Olympus to explore his past.

• Erin Torpey as Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom and Kratos' ally and mentor. Athena warns Kratos of the dangers of exploring his past.

• Mark Deklin as Deimos (Bridger Zadina as Young Deimos): The brother of Kratos. The victim of a prophecy that actually referred to Kratos (due to an unusual birthmark), Deimos initially resents Kratos for not rescuing him after a period of torture in the Domain of Death, but eventually aids his brother against Thanatos.

• Deanna Hurstold as Callisto (Jennifer Hale as younger Callisto): The mother of Kratos and Deimos, who despite the consequences, attempts to reveal the identity of their father to Kratos.

• Dee Dee Rescher as Thera: A lava-based Titan (original game rather than mythological creation) imprisoned in a volcano beneath the city of Atlantis. Atlantis is destroyed when Kratos releases Thera from her torment.

• Fred Tatasciore as Lanaeus: A minion of Poseidon who has two encounters with Kratos in Atlantis.

• Fred Tatasciore as King Midas: A king capable of turning anything touched to gold. Grief-stricken when he accidentally transforms his daughter into gold.

• Fred Tatasciore as Zeus: King of Olympus (only appears in the after-game Combat Arena after selecting The Grave Digger).

• Paul Eiding as The Grave Digger: A former ally of Kratos, he warns Kratos not to alienate the gods.

• Gideon Emery as Poseidon: The God of the Seas.

• Gideon Emery as The Last Spartan: A loyal servant of Kratos.

• Jennifer Hale and Erin Torpey as Erinys: The daughter of Thanatos.

• Arthur Burghardt as Thanatos: The God of Death and father of Erinys. Ruler of the Domain of Death and responsible for imprisoning and torturing Deimos.

• Linda Hunt as the Narrator.

Development

The game was announced on May 4, 2010 on the PlayStation Blog. According to Sony, Ready At Dawn will utilize "state-of-the-art visual technologies" that will allow "higher quality environments and characters." Ghost of Sparta will apparently offer "over 25% more gameplay" than its PSP predecessor, Chains of Olympus, while adding more enemies on screen and a greater number of boss encounters. According to Ready At Dawn, development of Ghost of Sparta began in September 2008.
At Comic-Con 2010, Game Director Dana Jan (previously Lead Level Designer on Chains of Olympus) noted that when development began in 2008, the goal was to make the game "bigger" than Chains of Olympus, which had apparently "pushed" the PSP to its functional limits. Jan stated that Ghost of Sparta has taken the PSP to its "absolute capacity", with one additional feature being more on-screen foes. On June 15, 2010, Sony displayed a cinematic teaser trailer narrated by Linda Hunt during their E3 2010 Press Conference.
The game concept was originally used as a teaser for players who obtained the platinum trophy from God of War III. The trophy revealed a site called spartansstandtall.com - initially featured a simple animation of torrential rain falling into a body of water and a Spartan shield encompassed by a meter on the screen. The meter is speculated to have been filled by players achieving the trophy and reaching the site.
On May 4, 2010, the meter reached maximum and the site was updated for a final time, revealing an image of Kratos standing above the reflection and the logo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta, now being the official site.

Demo

The first demo for God of War: Ghost of Sparta was available for play at Sony's E3 2010 booth by attendees of the event. Approximately 15 minutes long, the sequence pits Kratos against a variety of foes on both sea and land, with the main opponent being the sea monster Scylla. The sequence also features Kratos using new weapon "Arms of Sparta" (a spear and shield) and the magical attack "Eye of Atlantis. "
On September 3, 2010, Ready at Dawn emailed registrants of GodofWar.com and SpartansStandTall.com a voucher for the demo and on September 7, 2010, PlayStation Plus members received early access to the demo. On September 28, 2010, the demo was made available to all PlayStation Network members to download from the PlayStation Store.

Release

The game was released in North America on November 2, 2010, Europe on November 3, 2010, in Australia and New Zealand on November 4, 2010 and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 5, 2010.
Together with God of War: Chains of Olympus, the game was released as part of the God of War: Origins Collection on September 13, 2011 in North America and September 16, 2011 in Europe. The collection is a remastered port of both games to the PlayStation 3, with features including high-definition resolution, stereoscopic 3D, anti-aliased graphics locked in at 60 frames per second, DualShock 3 vibration function and Trophies.

Marketing

The Ghost of Sparta bundle pack.

As a pre-order bonus at select retailers, players received the God of War: Ghost of Sparta original soundtrack, a Ghost of Sparta PSP theme and PS3 dynamic theme ("Palace of Hades"), a PlayStation Network Avatar, a Legionnaire Skin for use in-game, and an exclusive documentary, God of War - Game Directors Live; a game directors documentary featuring the game directors of the series, David Jaffe, Cory Barlog, Stig Asmussen, Ru Weerasuiya, and Dana Jan. PSPgo owners had to purchase the game between November 2 and 23, 2010 in order to receive the pre-order items.
GameStop also offered an exclusive Challenge arena, "The Forest of the Forgotten", in addition to the other bonues.
For a limited time, specially marked boxes of God of War: Ghost of Sparta included an exclusive voucher enabling a download of the "Deimos Skin" for use in God of War III. The Deimos Skin was also available in the PSP bundle pack, with PSPgo owners able to receive the bonus skin via the pre-order item system.
The game was also available in a special limited edition PSP bundle pack, which included the game, a voucher to download God of War: Chains of Olympus, a UMD of the 2010 film Kick-Ass, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo, and a special black and red two-toned PSP-3000.

God of War : Ascension

God of War: Ascension is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by SCE Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It will be the seventh installment in the God of War series, the first main entry in the series to not be numbered as it is a prequel to the entire series, and the first installment in the series to offer multiplayer.
Loosely based on Greek mythology, God of War: Ascension will focus on protagonist Kratos before he became the "Ghost of Sparta." The game will chronologically be the first chapter in the series, forming part of a saga with vengeance as a central theme.

Gameplay

The single-player will feature a "revamped" combat and weapon system, "promptless" mini-games and new puzzles. Sony stated the game will offer "fluid, life-like characters, dynamic lighting effects, and world-changing scenarios", although the story is "a little bit shorter" than previous games.

Multiplayer

The game will offer a multiplayer feature for up to eight players, with a small story element. Players will be on teams of four where the teams will try to take control of a map in order to earn rewards from the gods, although the players must first sell their champion's soul to one of four deities: Zeus, Hades, Ares, or Poseidon. This decision allows players to trial different weapons, armor sets, and powers inspired by the god of their choice, with extras such as customisable avatar warriors and other multiplayer features able to be unlocked.

The first trial demonstration indicates an apparent struggle between Sparta and Troy for control of territory, with the cyclops Polyphemus also in play attacking the warring armies. Contested zones also contain mechanical gears that control the chains binding the one-eyed giant, and after capturing multiple gears the gods award the Spartan soldiers with the Spear of Olympus, which in turn provides the power needed to dispatch Polyphemus. The mode fluctuates from attack and defend, forcing Sparta to hold the territory gained as they attempt to destroy Polyphemus. If Troy regains control of territory, Polyphemus resets to original position and the Spear is lost.

Plot

The story will focus on a younger Kratos, driven mad after being tricked into killing his wife and child by the god Ares and now seeking revenge. Joystiq confirms "players will be introduced to a more human Kratos than ever before" with director Todd Papy stating that the game will be "[giving] people a look at [Kratos'] human side so fans can relate to him better and understand some of the stuff he went through when he was younger." Papy also confirmed that Kratos will have the "Blades of Chaos" and that the story takes place after Kratos sold his soul to Ares.

Development

John Hight, studio director at Santa Monica, advised Joystiq that "while God of War III will conclude the trilogy, it won't spell the end of the franchise", and claimed "We're going to be really careful about what we do next."

In April 2011, PSM3 magazine printed that a source that "works closely with the God of War universe" clamed a fourth entry in the series is set for release around September 2012. A month later Official PlayStation Magazine also mentioned God of War IV and claimed it will feature an online component. New Zealand-based online retailer Mighty Ape then listed God of War IV for release in 2012. In early 2012, composer Timothy Williams listed God of War IV on his resume, followed by David Thornfield, an animator from the motion capture studio "House of Moves", who listed God of War IV on his LinkedIn. During Sony's retailer-only Destination PlayStation event, Canadian retailer Future Shop, then indicated on Twitter that God of War IV is imminent.

The official PlayStation Facebook page released a teaser image (with the text "Will Vengeance Bring Redemption?") on April 12, 2012. The announcement trailer was released on April 19, 2012 and announced Todd Papy as Game Director, who was previously the Design Director for God of War III, although Amazon leaked the news a day early. The trailer, narrated by Linda Hunt, refers to a time before Kratos became the "Ghost of Sparta" and was not "bound in blood." The announcement officially confirmed the name of the game as God of War: Ascension. Director Papy notes that they didn't call it God of War IV because it would make "people...think it picks up where the trilogy left" and they didn't want to call it God of War 0. They chose Ascension because it goes along with the story of the game as well as the multiplayer as players are "basically ascending from an unknown hero to a god."

On April 30, 2012, it was confirmed that the game will feature a retooled God of War III engine, enabling online and offline multiplayer battles for up to eight players. Director Papy confirmed that in order to allow customization, Kratos and other known gods will not be included in the multiplayer modes as playable characters, as the developers did not want "red Kratos, blue Kratos, yellow Kratos" and selecting gods would lock-in players to established roles. This decision was made "...to balance the game when players are pitted against each other." Director Papy also noted that there will be no female characters because each character in multiplayer mode is based on Kratos' animation model.