Preserving the Past - Lord of the Rings: War in the North - Legacy Edition
The Lord of the Rings was, understandably, one of the biggest properties in the world. While still massive, today’s love doesn’t even come close to the Rings fever that swept through the world during and after the release of Peter Jackson’s trilogy of movies. So it was no surprise when Lord of the Rings video games suddenly became a massive deal. We had a host of games, from EA’s full-on action titles, some surprisingly excellent RTS games, a JRPG and everything in between. The quality varied, but I think it is fair to say that all of them gave the sense that the developers cared for Tolkien’s world. Towards the end of this run of games, in the 360/PS3 era, a LOTR title dropped that took a crack at the action RPG stylings of the time. That game was War in the North, and while it never set the world on fire, it was a solid adventure that took players into a part of Tolkien’s creation they never saw in the movies. Well, now, War in the North is back, and for me, it is slightly more important than an old game getting a quick glow-up.
For those who never played it, and I am sure there are more than a few, War in the North saw an Elven Sorceress, Dwarven Warrior and Human Ranger set out to stop one of Sauron’s armies as they move towards the Shire. The timeline runs parallel to Frodo’s story, twisting through key events in Lord of the Rings lore while telling a new story set in this magical world. The gameplay was never amazing. Solid, if unoriginal, is a fair description, but the game’s commitment to the LOTR universe won it many fans upon release. A love for the source material was, and still is, a great selling point, and it is undeniable that War in the North did just that.
So why do I feel like this re-release is important? Well, it isn’t so much because of the improvements they have made. This is largely the exact same game, with some tech improvements like higher resolutions being the only real change. It isn’t because the game was a groundbreaking experience. In this world of licensing deals, we lose games forever way too often, but War in the North is proof that sometimes we can get a phoenix from the ashes and a game can be preserved, even in the face of murky IP laws.
You see, a few years ago, because of the constant switching of the Lord of the Rings intellectual property, War in the North was removed from sale. This isn’t uncommon in video games; licensing deals expire, and it doesn’t make sense for companies to renew them for old games that aren’t selling any more. So, while from a business point of view, it makes sense to pull a game from a store, it is absolutely terrible for the preservation of the games themselves, especially in this almost exclusively digital age. War in the North getting a fresh release, for me at least, is a win because a game, once denied to the world thanks to the legalities of property ownership, has been rescued and is available once again.
It not only makes me smile that I can play this game once more, but it gives me hope that other Lord of the Rings games, or even other titles caught in the same legal limbo, could see similar releases. I am no developer, but it feels like these sorts of releases don’t require a huge amount of work, but help maintain a level of goodwill with fans. Titles like Red Faction: Guerrilla, Darksiders, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Dark Forces have all received this sort of modern update and, as a result, have stayed in the video game community’s consciousness as well as met fans’ needs to play these classic titles. Aspyr (who did the War in the North re-release) and Nightdive Studios have become known for these touchups, treating classics with care and releasing them on the world once again, all ready to work on modern hardware.
Some of the more cynical people may look at this as cashing in on nostalgia, and they would be right to a certain extent, but to me it feels more altruistic than that. A good re-release, one that treats the original with care, shows a love for the art form of video games, a care for the history of our chosen form of entertainment. In a world where we can lose access to a game forever based on the whim of a multinational company, these releases feel like they are a victory for those of us who care about the past. A re-release that shows commitment, shows love is a wonderful thing, and The War in the North re-release is absolutely in that category.
So, if you have fond memories of War in the North, know that this is a re-release that ticks all the boxes. It shows care, it keeps the game intact, and it makes the game available on modern hardware. If you are a LOTR collector, you can now complete your collection. If you love an era and style of game that no longer exists, you can remember what that era was like. War in the North isn’t a game of the year; it isn’t even amazing. It was a solid title from years ago that really didn’t leave a massive mark on the industry. But by making it available once again, it is a win. A win for old heads, a win for fans and, most importantly, a win for game preservation, and that is something I just have to celebrate.
