I don't like this game. Please let me play Skyrim.

So, I sat down to play Lord of the Rings: War in the North with Phil. Let's refresh our memories. Phil gets angry when things don't go well in games. I knew this would be a fun filled evening when we engaged in this co-op madness. Full of anger, sorrow and regret...

I learned something new playing War in the North. Elrond has two sons, Elrohir and Elladan. For the sons of the great Elrond, they're not useful at all. Then again, what do you expect from NPCs?

We're running up a flight of stairs when a massive iron grate cuts them off and leaves the players on the other side. Oh, how conveniently scripted. So much for you guys.

Then we had to fight Tharzog. He's a massive orc with a massive sword. Here's what I learned. Tharzog is really tough. Phil doesn't like gaming advice from others and gets frustrated easily. We don't stand a chance. Our elven mage/healer, controlled by the AI, repeatedly ends up a bloody stain at the hands of Tharzog, shortly followed by the dwarf and the human. Wow, they really went to town thinking up characters for this game. Why can't we have something less typical, like a hobbit wizard? Or an orc tailor who fights on the side of good?

Anyway, we tried again. And again. And again. By the fourth attempt, Phil was shouting cuss words at the screen and calling the elven mage/healer  a useless b**ch. Unsurprisingly, his controller ended up broken.

The one thought that went through my mind was "I don't like this game. Please let me play Skyrim."