Hmmm... comments, please? (Two games)

[Rath Darkblade]

I found a couple of games in the local game store that I'm curious about, and I'd appreciate your comments/reviews/anything you can tell me about them!

The first one is Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Now, I'm a fan of LOTR, and I know that the story isn't going to be about Frodo and Gandalf and Aragorn, etc. etc. That's fine with me, I don't mind. I also know that this game has a large amount of blood-and-guts during the battle scenes. Again, I don't mind. What I'd like to know is... what's the verdict? Is it a good game? Is it worth spending $70 (the retail price) for?

The other game is Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse (all 5 episodes). The retail price is $23, so it's a bargain. I'm just wondering - I haven't played the other two (Sam and Max Save the World, or Sam and Max beyond Time and Space), so do I have to have played the other two, in order to understand this one? Is it an ongoing story arc, or can I just play it by itself?

Thanks!

[MusicallyInspired]

Well, the last LOTR RPG they made (The Third Age) was a pile of crap apparently. I don't know what to expect from this one.

The Devil's Playhouse is decent. You don't need to have played the previous seasons to get everything. It makes a few references but nothing beyond that. There is no point and clicking, though, it's WASD, click+drag, or controller driven. Not a bad season, though. I'm still half-way through it. Comedy is great as always.

[Datadog]

Sam & Max Season 3 is pretty awesome. I don't think you need to play the other seasons to enjoy it. It was their first S&M game released on the PS3 console and they knew they'd be getting new blood in with it, so every time a returning character appears, a short fact sheet like this pops up to fill you in on who they are.