Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

NotorietyH

Started playing it last night, really enjoying it so far, but got killed by a swarm of the same 3 or 4 captains about 5 times before I even got to the first mission area so have given myself a mountain to climb with having toughened up the captains so much before I even got going!

Generic Dreadhead

Well i've added this to the Christmas amazon wish list now after reading some of the reviews and feedback here (it'll be joining Far Cry 4, TLOU Remastered and Diablo 3, Alien Isolation)

Gbear

Gran Hermano wrote: »

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/10/08/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-paid-branding-deals-should-have-gamergate-up-in-arms/

Interesting read on how this was released for review. Luckily it is a great game otherwise there would be a lot of people not happy with reviews.

The only way to stop this sort of thing is to not buy the game.

Which I will try to do.

I might eventually crumble in a few years when it's on sale for tree fiddy but at least it's something.

That's always the problem though - ultimately being a good game can overrule most other complaints.

Cuddlesworth

Gbear wrote: »

The only way to stop this sort of thing is to not buy the game.

Which I will try to do.

I might eventually crumble in a few years when it's on sale for tree fiddy but at least it's something.

That's always the problem though - ultimately being a good game can overrule most other complaints.

I really don't see the problem here. If its a bad game, then said youtuber/reviewer loses credibility if they promote. If its a good game they get paid to promote it, which is beneficial for both party's.

In the context of youtube this is really important as they are wholly reliant on their fanbase and their credibility. Its a personality driven game and plenty of stars have seen their popularity disappear when their attitude worsens and credibility waivers.

As Boogie2998 said, he writes his own Riders into the contract which allow him to pull out of it. Eg, if the game is bad then he doesn't promote it. It lets him keep doing what he is doing in the face of declining advertiser revenue and it lets the company hopefully advertise using better mediums that paid 30 second TV/stream spots. If the game was bad, it could seriously effect his finances in future for short term gain.

RoyalCelt

Shadow of Mordor. Sleeper hit 2014. Nuff said.

FutureGuy

Is it worth a purchase?

Little CuChulainn

FutureGuy wrote: »

Is it worth a purchase?

Most definitely.

marko93

FutureGuy wrote: »

Is it worth a purchase?

If bating the ****e out of 20 Uruks at the same time while a ridiculously powerful Captain is out for your head, only for another Captain and his crew to come into the mix and start trying to murder ye... Then yeah 10/10 would buy, if not then yeah 9/10 would still buy.

calex71

FutureGuy wrote: »

Is it worth a purchase?

Yes if you are not burned out by the Arkham/Assassins creed formula , theres still enough there as it plays better than both but for me the fact it was so similar in structure meant it had less impact on me than others. Well put together game and a decent story.

Klair88

Brilliant game, Really enjoying it. Just about have the Platinum but feel i could play more of it! Very hard at first but once you level up the combat gets a lot more enjoyable

Lone Stone

I went to get it gamestop today. But when i seen the price 69.99 i just couldnt bring myself to pay that for a game. So il wait for a price drop or second hand copy.

Kimbot

Lone Stone wrote: »

I went to get it gamestop today. But when i seen the price 69.99 i just couldnt bring myself to pay that for a game. So il wait for a price drop or second hand copy.

Or get it on the US PSN store for about €45

Lucious Sweet

€42 PS4 or €48 XB1 second hand in CeX https://ie.webuy.com/search/index.php?stext=Middle-earth&section=

sweetie

Lucious Sweet wrote: »

€42 PS4 or €48 XB1 second hand in CeX https://ie.webuy.com/search/index.php?stext=Middle-earth&section=

out of stock though

SpuddMurphy

Travelled half of Dublin yesterday to get this game, nowhere had it in stock, ended up buying it off the PSN store in the end. Few shops asked me if I wanted to pre-order it for the next batch that came in because I won't be guaranteed a copy otherwise, others said they have no clue when it's coming back in, I was spent my day wondering how popular can one game be? haha. Would of rather buy the disc version, just like having the disc don't know what it is..

RoyalCelt

SpuddMurphy wrote: »

Travelled half of Dublin yesterday to get this game, nowhere had it in stock, ended up buying it off the PSN store in the end. Few shops asked me if I wanted to pre-order it for the next batch that came in because I won't be guaranteed a copy otherwise, others said they have no clue when it's coming back in, I was spent my day wondering how popular can one game be? haha. Would of rather buy the disc version, just like having the disc don't know what it is..

great to hear people are buying this in big number.s fully deserves the sales.

sweetie

RoyalCelt wrote:

great to hear people are buying this in big number.s fully deserves the sales.

or there was low stock ordered for an under the radar game.

Kirby

And I'm done.

32 hours played total and I got 100% completion....and that's rare for me. The last game I did that in was Mass effect years and years ago.

I'm not a completionist but I so enjoyed this one that it didn't feel like a chore. Every quest, artefact, side mission, weapon upgrade etc. all collected. And it was great!

I love the LOTR universe so I enjoyed the lore and story of the game, which is there if you want to delve into it. Yes, it's a combat game but it wasn't brainless and I appreciated that. The nemesis and branding system was good fun and at the very end of the game

watching my 5 uber warchiefs absolutely slaughter the 5 talons of Sauron so easily in that big battle as I simply rode around on my caragor just watching was........incredibly satisfying!

I really enjoyed the game and hope it sold well.....it deserves a sequel. I'm hoping the story DLC comes soon.

calex71

Kirby wrote: »

And I'm done.

32 hours played total and I got 100% completion....and that's rare for me. The last game I did that in was Mass effect years and years ago.

I'm not a completionist but I so enjoyed this one that it didn't feel like a chore. Every quest, artefact, side mission, weapon upgrade etc. all collected. And it was great!

I love the LOTR universe so I enjoyed the lore and story of the game, which is there if you want to delve into it. Yes, it's a combat game but it wasn't brainless and I appreciated that. The nemesis and branding system was good fun and at the very end of the game

watching my 5 uber warchiefs absolutely slaughter the 5 talons of Sauron so easily in that big battle as I simply rode around on my caragor just watching was........incredibly satisfying!

I really enjoyed the game and hope it sold well.....it deserves a sequel. I'm hoping the story DLC comes soon.

Did you not feel totally robbed in the end by the

QTE Boss

I know I did, sh!tty way to end a game :mad:

Kirby

Not really, no. I'll explain why.

"Fighting" the black hand of sauron would not have fit with the rest of the game. Sometimes a cutscene or QTE works a lot better.

For example, have you played Arkham asylum? A great game with a truly awful boss fight against the joker at the end. It feels so janky and out of place with the rest of the game and just doesn't fit. The Joker is not an enemy that batman needs to have a fist fight with like say Bain. Batman beats the joker by outsmarting him, not by pummelling a roided up joker. It took about 20 minutes and just felt off. It was awful.

To use an example done right, take Fable II. Some people didn't like the ending for the same reason as shadow of mordor. You simply shoot him in the head like Indiana Jones against the sword guy. No epic boss fight.....he killed your family and your dog and you blow him away.

What makes it perfect is that he starts monologue-ing like a true villain and you don't even have to wait for him to finish.....I pressed Y while he was waffling and my character shot him mid sentence. I loved it. It felt perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YyBtMxZgQs

They shot an entire fight scene here with loads of back and forth and they both fall down a lot and knock over tables etc. And then they shot it like this and the scene was a lot better for it.

Do you remember at the end of Return of the King? Nobody actually fights Sauron. The ring is destroyed and Sauron dies. They shot a big scene where Sauron comes out and fights Aragorn at the black gates but they scrapped it because it just felt off. Aragorn fights a big Troll instead because after all the hobbits had done, it would have felt like pantomime to have a sword fight decide it.

This feels not quite as poignant but similar. The black hand is not an Orc. He's basically Sauron himself after a fashion and it wouldn't feel right to defeat him the same way I defeated generic orc #345. I'm fine with the game taking over and making Tallion go all reservoir dogs on him.

Some things feel better in a cutscene and a QTE is basically a cutscene with a button prompt. This was one of these moments. No "boss fight" necessary.

marko93

That was a brilliant summary and makes me think more highly about the ending!

Spunge

although the combat with a group is straight up mashing and doging/blocking click fest. Going as stealth as possible and the entire intel/strength/weakness and research you have to do for captains is such a great feature. and the fact that when YOU die, you dont have to reload, just your killer levels up. such a great feature.

and the graphics are amazing and runs like a dream, very polished user interface too.

never played assassins creed before though. does anyone think AC is superior and should i check it out ?

(i didnt actually like batman :AA that much weirdly enough)

Azza

Good game overall not quite a classic though.

The abilities and progression progression system is good. Powers are quite satisfying. You really do get the sense your becoming powerful. However it makes the game too easy.

The setting is also pretty generic looking. Nothing to distingish it from other fantasy settings. Not very memorable.

Not a huge LOTR fan but the story was alright. Good voice acting.

The 3 bosses are very poor. The last being particularly bad.

Skerries

just lost my savegame which I see others online have experienced
would anyone have one near the end of the first area by chance?
I was 42% complete with 19 hours in and had killed the 4 warchiefs and was just finishing off the side missions before heading to the next area
the save file can be located at [steam_location]\userdata\[unique_id]\241930

Penn

Not too far off getting the platinum. Just the survivalist/hunting ones, rescuing prisoners and killing a flaming bezerker. Only other one though is to get a level 25 rune. What's the best way of getting one, or are you subject to randomness while killing high-level captains?

Sephiroth_dude

I think its high time I got this game

Cuddlesworth

Penn wrote: »

Not too far off getting the platinum. Just the survivalist/hunting ones, rescuing prisoners and killing a flaming bezerker. Only other one though is to get a level 25 rune. What's the best way of getting one, or are you subject to randomness while killing high-level captains?

I would have thought death threat on a lvl 25, turns out I was wrong.

Prerequisites – What You’ll Need
To earn a Level 25 Rune, you’ll need to defeat an Uruk Warchief while exploiting 5 modifiers. Listed below are six things you’ll need before defeating your target.

1. Level 20 Uruk Target
2. Intel on the Uruk Target
3. Revenge Mark on the Uruk Target
4. Uruk Target is a Warchief
5. Exploiting Uruk Target Hate / Fear
6. Exploiting Uruk Target Weakness
It doesn’t matter what level your target is. What’s most important is finding an Uruk Captain with weaknesses, hates, and fear. Find one with hate of fear, caragors, or any name of things as well as vulnerabilities / weaknesses to ranged, combat finishers, etcetera then level him up. Make him into a Warchief, let him kill you once to make him a revenge target, then take advantage of his fears and weaknesses.

Burning Eclipse

I picked this up on PC for a little less than €24 yesterday. I had resisted for a while, but that price was too cheap to pass up. Put a couple of hours in yesterday and am really enjoying it. It is a bit easy however. I'm hopeful that will change over time however - can't wait to get back to it!

Mr Freeze

Finished it too over the weekend.

I bloody loved it, 100% in 32hrs or so. And I want more.

I would like a new game+ super hard mode, remove the level cap on the Captains and Warchiefs, let them level up to impossible levels, we might beat them, we might not either way its new game+ and we already played and finished the game.

Regarding the ending, I agree with Kirbys comments above, but I would have liked a huge battle (if the engine could handle it)....

One huge Helms Deep defence or attack type mission would have been amazing at the end with gigantic numbers of orcs vs branded orcs and morder men. Up until that final cutscene, the final missions/battles felt a bit rushed and much smaller than they should have been.

who_me

Spunge wrote: »

although the combat with a group is straight up mashing and doging/blocking click fest. Going as stealth as possible and the entire intel/strength/weakness and research you have to do for captains is such a great feature. and the fact that when YOU die, you dont have to reload, just your killer levels up. such a great feature.

and the graphics are amazing and runs like a dream, very polished user interface too.

never played assassins creed before though. does anyone think AC is superior and should i check it out ?

(i didnt actually like batman :AA that much weirdly enough)

Just had the game a couple of days, and I'm still a bit mixed. The group combat is a lot of button-mashing, I'm not a fan of the manic weapon swinging and hit streaks; I'd prefer something that required a bit more skill and strategy. As you say, the battles with the captains knowing their vulnerabilities is a great idea, hopefully they'll add more options there in future games. It's too easy to just: try stealth kill. No? Try an arrow? No? Wraith Stun and start swinging. One of them nearly always works.

I think the stealth is too easy. Hide in cover, attract someone's attention, kill them when they get close. Repeat.

I do like the fact that the enemies are a bit smarter. The big troll-like things will climb up to get you if you attack from a cliff. Some enemies will follow you and track you down, they're not just static targets. Plus, enemies can interrupt you - so you can't just do a finishing move (as in other games) if there are others attacking.

It's very like AC though. Stealth, climbing walls, killing targets above you. Climbing onto roofs, across ropes, jumping down to kill targets below you. Hiding in bushes, drawing enemies to you and killing them. Exploring by finding and climbing towers to reveal maps and missions. A trance mode to see through walls and see hidden items. Combat based around strike / counter / stun options. The gameplay is very similar, so it depends on if you like the AC story / scenario or not. Some of the AC side-activities are VERY repetitive though.

Graphically, I love the SoM art-direction, and parts of the world look great. Some parts do look very bland and empty though - then again, it IS Mordor. That's probably good for gameplay, particularly if riding a Caragor, but it is a bit bland compared to AC. To me, everything looks a bit sharper / higher resolution in AC than in SoM. I think the animation is better in AC too, characters running and climbing in SoM look like they're on steroids.