The world of Lord of the Rings is so rich and filled with lore that three movies and three books just couldn’t emphasize how expansive of a phenomenon J.R.R. Tolkien created. Hoping to give a new slice of that world is Lord of the Rings: War in the North, developed by Snowblind Studios.

What War in the North does with the Lord of the Rings property is give gamers a new perspective on events within the game’s lore that are only briefly mentioned — as seen through the eyes of three different characters. These three main characters, each of a different Lord of the Rings race, are the subject of three new trailers that have been released for the game.

While gamers might be familiar with the famous dwarves, elves, and humans in Lord of the Rings, they may not be as familiar with Farin, Andriel, or Eradan, until now.

Farin fulfills the dwarf role in War in the North, and is very much a bruiser. With axe and crossbow at the ready, Farin can deal quite a bit of damage up close, but can also pack a punch from afar. The skills and abilities on display for Farin appear to be more AOE in nature, but that is most likely just one facet of his three-section skill tree.

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Next up is the elf Andriel, the dexterous more ranged attack-focused class in the game. Even though it might seem that way Andriel’s attacks aren’t just relegated to her elemental staff blasts; she can also keep up close and personal like Farin. Forget the combat portrayed by Legolas in the films, this is a different type of elf.

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And finally we have Eradan, the ranger class in the game. Combining the dwarf’s brute strength with the ranged attacks of the elf, Eradan is probably the most versatile of the three main characters as far as combat is concerned. On top of that, his tracking ability should make him extremely useful for finding secret paths and special items.

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With opportunities to upgrade each of the three classes in a myriad ways, special abilities, and weapon/armor customization War in the North is the perfect RPG translation of the property. Players might overlook this title because of an overcrowded fall season, but we think it’s definitely worth checking out.

Which of the three playable characters are you looking forward to playing as? Do you think that War in the North will get lost amidst the overcrowded November slate of games?

Lord of the Rings: War in the North releases November 1, 2011 for the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.