Forums » General Gaming

Middle Earth: Shadow of War (looks really, really good)

    • 248 posts
    March 8, 2017 1:48 PM EST

    I haven't seen any gameplay from this yet:

    Thoughts?

    • 700 posts
    March 8, 2017 2:39 PM EST

    I came into the video skeptical but left pretty much sold. The combat looks really similar in style to the kind from the Arkham games. If it becomes as challenging and has a good variety of mission types then I'll likely play the shit out of it. The dynamic world system sounds pretty cool, but I'm taking the whole, "no two players of the game will experience the same story" with a grain of salt though. It looks good! I never played the first, probably should. Might help to learn what a Mordor is. 

    • 87 posts
    March 8, 2017 2:50 PM EST
    Legion said:

    I came into the video skeptical but left pretty much sold. The combat looks really similar in style to the kind from the Arkham games. If it becomes as challenging and has a good variety of mission types then I'll likely play the shit out of it. The dynamic world system sounds pretty cool, but I'm taking the whole, "no two players of the game will experience the same story" with a grain of salt though. It looks good! I never played the first, probably should. Might help to learn what a Mordor is. 

    You don't know what Mordor is? From the Lord of the Rings?
    • 700 posts
    March 8, 2017 2:53 PM EST

    Decumus Scotti said: 

    You don't know what Mordor is? From the Lord of the Rings?

    From the context, I'm guessing it's a pretty important place, but that's all I really know. I've never touched anything LoTR related. 

    • 87 posts
    March 8, 2017 2:53 PM EST
    I'm afraid I won't ever be able to really get into these games ( Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War). I'm a hardcore Tolkien fan and every time I see games like this I see them as an abomination. Oh well, I guess they're not for everyone.
    This post was edited by Decumus Scotti at March 8, 2017 2:54 PM EST
    • 87 posts
    March 8, 2017 2:56 PM EST
    Legion said:

    Decumus Scotti said: 

    You don't know what Mordor is? From the Lord of the Rings?

    From the context, I'm guessing it's a pretty important place, but that's all I really know. I've never touched anything LoTR related. 

    That explains it then. Mordor is pretty much the land where Sauron( the antagonist) and his armie resides. Bad place, in summary.
    • 743 posts
    March 8, 2017 3:03 PM EST

    Decumus Scotti said: I'm afraid I won't ever be able to really get into these games ( Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War). I'm a hardcore Tolkien fan and every time I see games like this I see them as an abomination. Oh well, I guess they're not for everyone.

    You didn't like the movies either, did you?

    • 700 posts
    March 8, 2017 3:06 PM EST

    Fair enough! Mordor is a place with the bad Sauron guy. Simple and to the point. I'm sure I'll be lost on some things like the mind control thing and some of the more difficult-to-pronounce fantasy names, but as long as I can bounce around, poking people with my sword, I'll be happy. 

    • 743 posts
    March 8, 2017 3:08 PM EST

    Legion said:

    Decumus Scotti said: 

    You don't know what Mordor is? From the Lord of the Rings?

    From the context, I'm guessing it's a pretty important place, but that's all I really know. I've never touched anything LoTR related. 

    Please for the love of God promise me that you will read the Lord of the Ring trilogy or watch all three movies one day. 

    • 248 posts
    March 8, 2017 3:23 PM EST

    I will say the Books are incredible - a must read for any fan of the genre. 

    I have to echo Legion here and wonder - did I miss out on Shadow of Mordor? Was it good? Theya re billing this one as the true potential of what that game promised...so idk. 

    Either way it has my interest peaked.

    • 700 posts
    March 8, 2017 3:40 PM EST

    Shadow of Mordor is $15 at Gamestop, so I think I'll swing by and pick it up. I've been listening to TotalBiscuit go on about it and he says it's a game pretty much all about killing orcs. If you get bored with Arkham combat, then you'll get bored with this. 

    RogueSilver said:

    Please for the love of God promise me that you will read the Lord of the Ring trilogy or watch all three movies one day. 

    Mmmmmmaybe. I heard someone once describe the entire trilogy as an adventure that could have been avoided by flying an eagle from point A to point B. And that the big secret of the ring is that it makes the wearer invisible. But my entire conception of LoTR comes from anecdotes and offhand pop culture references. Which, for the purposes of this game, actually seems to be a boon. 

    • 152 posts
    March 8, 2017 4:19 PM EST

    Holy. Smeagol. This looks fantastic. As someone who loved the first game, I know I'm going to REALLY love this game. As a huge LoTR fan, I'm on the boat of people who wish that the next game would be basically a LoTR style Skyrim with a setting similar to the movies, but the Shadow of Mordor/War games are epic enough to suffice for that in my opinion. The Uruk heads shall roll

     

    *sidenote: the timing of seeing this is extremely ironic because a couple days ago I started a Fallout Character Build that essentially uses a self devised Nemesis system for the Raiders of the commonwealth where you are a raider climbing the ranks, TOTALLY not advertising.... XD


    This post was edited by MaddMannatee at March 8, 2017 4:38 PM EST
    • 1467 posts
    March 8, 2017 4:30 PM EST

    Well, I'm a huge Shadows of Mordor fan (and to a lesser extent a huge LotR fan, not enough to have read everything, but enough of one) and I have to say that SoM is one of the best games of that format (the Arkham-style combat, in fact the gameplay is very much similar to the Arkham series) and I'd have to say one of the best LotR games that have been made (even for those who haven't watched the movies). At it's heart the first game is about killing Orcs, there's some more complicated stuff with a bunch of names but really you can probably ignore all that in your epic journey to destroy the evil hoards of Orcs.

    Where the game shines is the Nemesis System, sure the rest of the gameplay and story is (In my opinion) great and enjoyable but the Nemesis System really made it unique by making the game world change as you played. Basically, the strength of your enemies would be defined by your deaths, if an enemy commander killed you, then it would gain levels and become more powerful (making it harder to kill, and possibly grow eve more powerful by killing you), if a regular Orc-joe killed you, well he might get himself a promotion. The entire system was fun, because it was kind of like playing against enemies that levelled up in a manner that wasn't just...you know Oh the Bandit is Level 10...why, well your Level 10, so you know, that's why

    Technically speaking the first game was very much one in which 'technically speaking' everyone would play a slightly different game because of how the Nemesis System effected them. It would  be almost impossible to die at the exact same points, have the exact same Orcs kill you and to kill the exact same Orcs at the same rate (and then have the game promote the exact same Orcs). In that sense you kind of have a different game, but the impact of that is debateable.

     

     

    If you can't tell, I'm definitely 100% pumped about Shadow of War because for me the first one was amazing and it looks like they're going to expand on everything good (And the flaws in the first game are limited...the story might not be as interesting if you aren't a LoTR fan but it's pretty simple to follow the basics) about the first game nad make it better.

    You know I'm gonna go pop and over and start playing the original game again, see if it holds up to a Third Playthrough, and get me more pumped for Shadow of War (which I don't need, I already have to buy ESO: Morrowind, Horizen: Zero Dawn and Breath of the Wild this year...)


    This post was edited by SpookyBorn2021 at March 8, 2017 4:37 PM EST
    • 179 posts
    March 8, 2017 4:55 PM EST

    I played through Shadow of Mordor and found it thoroughly underwhelming, so I doubt I'll be picking this up.

    • 1441 posts
    March 8, 2017 5:47 PM EST
    Decumus Scotti said:
    Legion said:

    Decumus Scotti said: 

    You don't know what Mordor is? From the Lord of the Rings?

    From the context, I'm guessing it's a pretty important place, but that's all I really know. I've never touched anything LoTR Celebrimbor appears related. 

    That explains it then. Mordor is pretty much the land where Sauron( the antagonist) and his armie resides. Bad place, in summary.
    • 1441 posts
    March 8, 2017 5:51 PM EST
    Legion said:

    Fair enough! Mordor is a place with the bad Sauron guy. Simple and to the point. I'm sure I'll be lost on some things like the mind control thing and some of the more difficult-to-pronounce fantasy names, but as long as I can bounce around, poking people with my sword, I'll be happy. 

    Actually, The One Ring allows compl to control over those wielding the other rings, and boosts the strengths of the wielder. Hobbits, being known to be rather invisible to most, and quite sneaky, can become invisble
    • 743 posts
    March 8, 2017 5:54 PM EST

    Chris said:
    Legion said:

    Fair enough! Mordor is a place with the bad Sauron guy. Simple and to the point. I'm sure I'll be lost on some things like the mind control thing and some of the more difficult-to-pronounce fantasy names, but as long as I can bounce around, poking people with my sword, I'll be happy. 

    Actually, The One Ring allows compl to control over those wielding the other rings, and boosts the strengths of the wielder. Hobbits, being known to be rather invisible to most, and quite sneaky, can become invisble

    You must be quite rusty on LOTR. Hobbits cannot in any way become invisible, that was the One Ring that gave Bilbo that ability. 

    • 743 posts
    March 8, 2017 5:55 PM EST

    Unless you're saying they can practically become invisible, which is 100% accurate. 

    • 700 posts
    March 8, 2017 7:38 PM EST

    Aaaaand I picked up Shadow of Mordor. Time to kill some orcs. 

    • 248 posts
    March 8, 2017 7:39 PM EST

    Legion said:

    Aaaaand I picked up Shadow of Mordor. Time to kill some orcs. 

    I feel like Gamestop owes me some referral credit ;)

    • 248 posts
    March 8, 2017 7:41 PM EST

    DB - so this Nemesis system they are referring to in the new game - it's kind of like a random encounter generator of sorts? But it sounds like it is customizing the exeperience a bit based on user action too? A little confusing but I am intrigued. 

    • 1467 posts
    March 8, 2017 8:53 PM EST

    DB - so this Nemesis system they are referring to in the new game - it's kind of like a random encounter generator of sorts? But it sounds like it is customizing the exeperience a bit based on user action too? A little confusing but I am intrigued. 

    Kind of, I'm not the best to explain it but that seems to be the gist of it really. It's a great system IMO, and something really fun to play around with a little bit.

    • 1217 posts
    March 9, 2017 12:25 AM EST

    In terms of gameplay, Shadow of Mordor was pretty fun, and had some really great ideas. It looks like they've improved them a lot for Shadow of War. I'm pretty sold on it, although this gameplay didn't seems to indicate the same kind of open world exploration the last one had.

    • 1441 posts
    March 9, 2017 1:45 AM EST
    RogueSilver said:

    Unless you're saying they can practically become invisible, which is 100% accurate. 

    That's what I meant. Most people, like the barkeep in the Prancing Pony, tend not to notice them
    • 1441 posts
    March 9, 2017 1:47 AM EST
    Mottyskills said:

    DB - so this Nemesis system they are referring to in the new game - it's kind of like a random encounter generator of sorts? But it sounds like it is customizing the exeperience a bit based on user action too? A little confusing but I am intrigued. 

    Kind of. Basically, what you do to Uruks, like burning their face or something, and they escape, can change their looks, and even names. I once messed up an Orc, and he later came back with the glorious name of Doosh Baghead. Say it out loud.