In a month packed full of huge videogames releases, it's borderline suicidal for any new game to consider joining the pack. Warner Brothers, however, has the Lord of the Rings license under its belt with the desire to flaunt it. 

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North tells a tale that runs parallel to the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary trilogy and subsequent Hollywood interpretation. With some M-rated violence and online co-op, it's coming out strong in one of the biggest market fights this industry has ever seen. 

If it gains any measure of success, it'll likely be due to name value alone, because the gameplay just can't compete at all.