Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

[typical user]

Is Shadow of Mordor worth playing? That gameplay video that was posted recently that showed how easy it was didn't inspire confidence. You can see the same stuff in this video. A lot of one button executions and minicut scenes that look cool but would be pretty boring to play as constantly losing control of what is going on and what your character is doing.

It is enjoyable experience during first hours because you can't one click enemies but the stuff that was shown on that video depicted how the game plays after you unlock key abilities (executions every 2 successful hits, vault-stuns, chaining executions, execution-only mode, etc.)

 

[Zombra]

Is Shadow of Mordor worth playing?

Comparing Shadow of Mordor to Dragon's Dogma ... well, there's no comparison. Dogma is an actual game where you battle escalating challenges and Mordor is a toy box filled with punching bags.
For me Mordor was* totally worth playing ... "for what it is". You have to self-limit a lot and "make your own fun". Like hang around in a fortress for no reason just to have 500 guys show up and see what happens, or try to get 5 bosses in the same place at once and then try to kill them all or get away. Or play it without even taking the awesome button powers on level up - you don't have to get them at all.** If you are good at screwing around and really playing with things, there is plenty of good fun here once you get past the cutscenes. If you play games strictly to "beat" them, avoid.

* and sometimes still is. I keep it installed 'cause it's fun to go back once in a while and hunt a nemesis.
** I think there are even guides out there for "Which powers not to take if you are over 12."

 

[Grimlorn]

Is Shadow of Mordor worth playing?

Comparing Shadow of Mordor to Dragon's Dogma ... well, there's no comparison. Dogma is an actual game where you battle escalating challenges and Mordor is a toy box filled with punching bags.
For me Mordor was* totally worth playing ... "for what it is". You have to self-limit a lot and "make your own fun". Like hang around in a fortress for no reason just to have 500 guys show up and see what happens, or try to get 5 bosses in the same place at once and then try to kill them all or get away. Or play it without even taking the awesome button powers on level up - you don't have to get them at all.** If you are good at screwing around and really playing with things, there is plenty of good fun here once you get past the cutscenes. If you play games strictly to "beat" them, avoid.

* and sometimes still is. I keep it installed 'cause it's fun to go back once in a while and hunt a nemesis.
** I think there are even guides out there for "Which powers not to take if you are over 12."

Well I'm looking around for this guide, but can't find it or anything similar. I found a hardcore guide but that just said to take only two abilities and that's it. I don't think I want it to go that extreme for a first time playthrough. Just something reasonable that tells me which abilities to avoid that make the game too easy.

 

[Zombra]

Well I'm looking around for this guide, but can't find it or anything similar. I found a hardcore guide but that just said to take only two abilities and that's it. I don't think I want it to go that extreme for a first time playthrough. Just something reasonable that tells me which abilities to avoid that make the game too easy.

Maybe that's what I was thinking of.

Hmm, I may be able to throw something together but it would take a few days. Off the top of my head the #1 I can think of is: don't equip any runes that heal you, e.g. heal 10% life every time you do a backflip, or whatever. When you can only heal by stopping to pick herbs it's way more intense.

Other than that, think twice before levelling up any ability that smacks of magic elf super powers.

 

[Grimlorn]

Well I'm looking around for this guide, but can't find it or anything similar. I found a hardcore guide but that just said to take only two abilities and that's it. I don't think I want it to go that extreme for a first time playthrough. Just something reasonable that tells me which abilities to avoid that make the game too easy.

Maybe that's what I was thinking of.

Hmm, I may be able to throw something together but it would take a few days. Off the top of my head the #1 I can think of is: don't equip any runes that heal you, e.g. heal 10% life every time you do a backflip, or whatever. When you can only heal by stopping to pick herbs it's way more intense.

Other than that, think twice before levelling up any ability that smacks of magic elf super powers.

Ok will do. It will probably be a day before I can dl the game. 50+ GB for the GOTY edition. Amazing.

 

[Zombra]

Ok will do.

Oh yeah, the other thing to remember is once you take a power on the character sheet, you're stuck with it forever. Example, normally you cut off heads when you do a stun combo streak, but there's an ability where you explode the heads with magic instead. If you like cutting off heads with a sword, don't take the explode head ability because you will never cut off a head again.

Runes are much easier to deal with because you can unequip them at any time, so feel free to fuck around and figure out which ones are fun and which ones aren't.

 

[sullynathan]

 

[Azalin]

Wait why are they defending Minas Ithil,didn't that become Minas Morgul centuries before the books?Shouldn't they have Osgiliath instead?

 

[Trash]

Nemesis system was an actual very cool new gameplay gimmick. Everything else was rather lame. Next game looks like utter lore rape with the gimmick still in place. Dunno if that will be enough to make this one worthwhile.

Hope we'll see more games use something akin to the nemesis system in the future. I like it when npc's take the hurt I dish out on a more personal level.

 

[Hellion]

The black Gondorian fighter appears at 3:40, together with "IDRIL, A SHIELD-MAIDEN OF GONDOR".

:incloosive:

 

[Grimlorn]

Nemesis system was an actual very cool new gameplay gimmick. Everything else was rather lame. Next game looks like utter lore rape with the gimmick still in place. Dunno if that will be enough to make this one worthwhile.

Hope we'll see more games use something akin to the nemesis system in the future. I like it when npc's take the hurt I dish out on a more personal level.

I agree. I just played the game and it was pretty awful. A casual game for kids or idiots. Makes me appreciate Souls games and Dragon's Dogma more. Getting payback on other orc captains that killed you was kind of cool. Seeing them get stronger from killing you and killing each other was also cool, but after a few hours of playing I almost never died. I was hoping something special happened when you recruited all the warlords and captains to your cause, but the game just starts killing off captains and replacing them with ones not loyal to you when time passes. I didn't like how orcs came back to life all the time even after you killed them. I eventually killed Shaka at least 5 times before he finally disappeared from the game.

Shadow of War might be fun, since you lead an army to conquer a stronghold, but I'm not sure. I didn't like all the cutscenes in the middle of the battle. Makes me think you might not have as much control over winning as you would want and you'll rely on having the right units to win.

 

[Zombra]

Shadow of War might be fun, since you lead an army to conquer a stronghold, but I'm not sure. I didn't like all the cutscenes in the middle of the battle. Makes me think you might not have as much control over winning as you would want and you'll rely on having the right units to win.

That sounds great to me because then I can take the "wrong" units and try to win anyway, which I always love to try. Should make things more challenging than the last game.

 

[Grimlorn]

Shadow of War might be fun, since you lead an army to conquer a stronghold, but I'm not sure. I didn't like all the cutscenes in the middle of the battle. Makes me think you might not have as much control over winning as you would want and you'll rely on having the right units to win.

That sounds great to me because then I can take the "wrong" units and try to win anyway, which I always love to try. Should make things more challenging than the last game.

But with the cutscenes you might auto-fail if you don't have the right units is what I meant. Like for instance could you get through the gate without that troll breaking it down? When that captain you killed comes back and almost kills you, your spy that you turned takes him out with an arrow. All happens in a cutscene. Same with fighting the overlord at the end. He just runs up to Talion and initiates a cutscene out of the player's control and the player hits a button to have the mounted captain show up and attack the overlord. There doesn't appear to be an opportunity to dodge or prevent losing control and almost getting set on fire.

Not saying it will be this way, just worried it could be. I noticed different levels for the Fortresses, but Talion by himself with a competent player could take out almost anything on his own. So wondering what the difference between the levels and how they will insert challenge into the game.

 

[Zombra]

I'm not worried they will do that at all. The whole point is everything is emergent, even with the cutscenes when you have certain dudes in place.

Speaking of the cutscenes though, and I never thought I'd say this, but in these games I love the little Nemesis cutscenes. Just having these nobody orcs levelling up into characters with their own lines and stories tickles me to death. Of course I dread the "proper" cutscenes where Talion is crying his eyes out, brooding over his grim fate, or fretting about how scary Sauron is, but still, I look forward to the orc stuff.

 

[Morgoth]

Emergent Orc nemesis. Sounds like Chicago.

 

[Grimlorn]

Wait why are they defending Minas Ithil,didn't that become Minas Morgul centuries before the books?Shouldn't they have Osgiliath instead?

I just noticed looking at the old gameplay video on the previous page, but they show Minas Morgul as one of the strongholds to conquer, so not sure what is going on with it. Maybe it gets conquered at the beginning as a tutorial.

 

[sullynathan]

 

[Grimlorn]

Looks like I was right. Rangers weren't in control of the Black Gate either around this time and that's where Talion was stationed at the beginning of Shadow of Mordor.

 

[Great Deceiver]

Are you honestly questioning the proper Tolkien timeline of a game that has fucking detective vision from the Batman games?

This whole franchise is utter shit, you can play the first game with your toes and with your eyes closed and still not take a single hit. Utter and complete garbage.

 

[sullynathan]

This whole franchise is utter shit, you can play the first game with your toes and with your eyes closed and still not take a single hit.

This is actually not true

 

[flyingjohn]

The problem with batman arkham combat system is you take movement and positioning out of combat which is a big deal.
The amount of times your character can magically counter an enemy from behind or jump to a enemy that isn't even visible on screen is ridiculous.
Plus no proper dodge,and the dodge they give you looks ridiculous and is slow to force you to use the counter system.

 

[sullynathan]

 

[willdunz]

Animation is pretty bad. Was the first game like this I don't remember

 

[sullynathan]

Animation is pretty bad. Was the first game like this I don't remember

It was

 

[Morgoth]