One does not simply have a Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor game!

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

Gameplay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFgvvgGEpkQ

Story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exDclDyafAw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apqeGvr2m6A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4JsvEBYB8

I have to say, out of all of the Lord of the Rings games I've seen since the films, this one has possibly the most potential. Why? Lord of the Rings games have had a mixed reputation over the years. The PS2 era brawlers were fun, if short. The Battle for Middle Earth was a decent strategy series, and that's about it (not counting LEGO, LEGO is its own thing). Remember this gem? I don't know ANYONE who ever completed it.

Here we have an interesting premise, good story set up (FIRST AGE LORE REPRESENT!), nice voice acting, AC inspired gameplay, and attempts to go further than "just another LOTR licensed game". I'd rather they attempt new content like this than a thousand "follow the movie, but with side characters!" stories. There so much you can do with Tolkien's setting in a game, and I hope it leads the way for developers to explore more of Middle Earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ3-nwWDobM

Viking · September 2014

re. previous LOTR games,Lord of the Rings:War in the North was surprisingly good fun with a couple of mates.

as to this game, I am looking forward to getting my Creed on in Mordor

The Ender · September 2014

Every time I see the free flow Batman combat system being used where it doesn't belong, I feel like drinking.

There is an entire genre of games out there strictly about tense, complex, high-skill battles between a varied cast of characters. I'm disappointed that nobody has even made the attempt to exploit that resource, instead opting for what amounts to rythm-game QTE sequences (there's nothing wrong with those sequences, but come on - do we need them for every single Goddamn game?)

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

If it's done well, who's to say it doesn't belong? The important thing is it looks like they're trying to avoid some of the bigger LotR game pitfalls.

There's also some story precedence for tragic revenge stories within the Tolkien universe, and that looks like the right way to go.

CaptainNemo · September 2014

Where it doesn't belong? What, does Wayne Enterprises have a patent on that shit? It's worked great for the Arkham Series, got improved on in Sleeping Dogs, and I'm curious and excited about it here.

cornell · September 2014

I just played through War In The North this weekend in anticipation for this. This looks wonderful, even if it's non-canon as hell.

CaptainNemo · September 2014

War in the North is fun, except for that bullshit bit where you defend the Dwarven Gate. Or was that another LotR game?

cornell · September 2014

No that was that game, took me about 15 tries, and I only beat the trolls after one of them glitches and froze.

CaptainNemo · September 2014

Yeah, that part sucks. Dunno how long my lady wizard spent during that bit. Might be easier during co-op.

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

CaptainNemo wrote: »

War in the North is fun, except for that bullshit bit where you defend the Dwarven Gate. Or was that another LotR game?

I passed because of its coop nature. Nice to hear it wasn't bad though.

What we really need is a Glorfindel character action game set during the first age. Just imagine, Gondolin is burning below the mountains, a few ragged survivors are running for their lives, a Balrog appears... and then:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQzet0GOKNo

CaptainNemo · September 2014

So there's this size chart of LotR dragons.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140506171241/lotr/images/6/6b/Dragons_of_Middle_Earth.jpg

I just want a game where you fight the one on the far right.

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

Good ol' Ancalagon. Now tell me Platinum couldn't make an Eärendil showdown to do justice to that scene. :P

Edit: Also,

HC: The Nemesis system, a thinking/learning gaming platform, was used to make “Shadow.” How does it affect the characters and storytelling aspect of gameplay?

MD: [The characters in the game] have a concept of memory. So if they’ve survived a conflict with you, or they’ve defeated you or if they’ve been stabbed in the back, they can become confident and vicious or they can become paranoid and fearful. Because their emotions are so extreme, that leads to things that are good for gameplay, like coming after you and hunting for you or fleeing at the first sight of you, or putting themselves in the middle of a stronghold and surrounding themselves with more bodyguards. So there’s this mapping of the idea of personalities and motivations and your gameplay. Over and above that is the writing of these guys. Turning them into characters that actually feel like villains was so important as well. We worked with quite a few writers, but one of them was Dan Abnett, who’s written for Marvel and currently does “Guardians of the Galaxy.” He took all of these ideas and moments that we were capturing for gameplay, these showdowns and confrontations, and he, along with the other writers, made them into these memorable soundbites and moments.

Get hyped.

Blackbird SR-71C · September 2014

CaptainNemo wrote: »

So there's this size chart of LotR dragons.
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140506171241/lotr/images/6/6b/Dragons_of_Middle_Earth.jpg

I just want a game where you fight the one on the far right.

Eh, after a certain part it becomes ridiculous. Like, you couldn't engage Ancalagon in physical combat unless some bullshit Deus Ex Machina device transformed you into some kind of giant, or, alternatively, you defeat him some other way in which case his size doesn't really matter.

With Smaugh at least you could get some "Shadow of the Collossus" style battles. Which, to be honest, aren't that great either. One single TOUCH from something that big and you'd be crushed, the only reason they don't do that is...videogames.

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

The whole point of the First age is that it's the times of myths and legends and guys and gals so impossibly badass their descendants ten times removed are worthy to help save the world.

Tolkien relied on the old literary trick of letting your imagination do the work. "So yeah, there was this Dragon the size of a mountain and Eärendil fought a sky duel with it for days on his flying ship. It was probably pretty sweet. Only going to spend three sentences on it though."

Just give it to Platinum games. :P

Magic Pink · September 2014

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

I don't know ANYONE who ever completed it.

I did!

I want to like this Mordor game, but it just looks so off. Combat is right out of Batman/AssCreed and the rest of it just looks too story heavy. I just want a game, not a poorly made movie. Plus, Talion looks and acts like a major douchebag.

CaptainNemo · September 2014

Because if this Lord of the Rings is known for one thing, it's the lack of story.

Anyway, I'm totally down for this game, really curious about seeing just how indepth the Nemesis System actually is, and open world Mordor seems neat.

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

Magic Pink wrote: »

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

I don't know ANYONE who ever completed it.

I did!

I want to like this Mordor game, but it just looks so off. Combat is right out of Batman/AssCreed and the rest of it just looks too story heavy. I just want a game, not a poorly made movie. Plus, Talion looks and acts like a major douchebag.

Eh, I like Troy Baker's acting.

Just looking at that old SNES gameplay now gives me headaches.

Rhan9 · September 2014

CaptainNemo wrote: »

So there's this size chart of LotR dragons.
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140506171241/lotr/images/6/6b/Dragons_of_Middle_Earth.jpg

I just want a game where you fight the one on the far right.

I'm pretty sure the scale in that is out of whack. Primarily because Turin killing Glaurung couldn't have happened the way it did if he was that large.

Magic Pink · September 2014

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

Magic Pink wrote: »

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

I don't know ANYONE who ever completed it.

I did!

I want to like this Mordor game, but it just looks so off. Combat is right out of Batman/AssCreed and the rest of it just looks too story heavy. I just want a game, not a poorly made movie. Plus, Talion looks and acts like a major douchebag.

Eh, I like Troy Baker's acting.

Just looking at that old SNES gameplay now gives me headaches.

Oh it was AWFUL, don't get me wrong. But I finished it. With a PERFECT ENDING in fact, no hobbit dead.

I'm not ripping on Baker's performance quality, I'm just saying the direction thay had him take is into Douchebag Country.

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

Roosterteeth preview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPymQKq7qCI

Two words: troll hijacking.

Jungleskye · September 2014

So this looks great mostly because I am a fan of AC and LOTR.

Someone tell me why I shouldn't buy this?

Vic · September 2014

Jungleskye wrote: »

So this looks great mostly because I am a fan of AC and LOTR.

Someone tell me why I shouldn't buy this?

Everything I have heard about it makes it sound like a solid, interesting game. You should probably wait for reviews though!

Prohass · September 2014

In certain aspects it looks a little b grade and unpolished, but frankly it looks like it has more original ideas and stuff to do than most AAA games, it looks super fun, and god damn it's LOTR, and it's an original story in that world. It's pretty much a case of it'll take some seriously bad reviews to stop me from buying it, like lower than a 6 average even

CaptainNemo · September 2014

An open world game LotR game is cool enough, but setting it in the most badass part of the setting, a place literally filled to the brim with monsters and mooks is pure gold.

Botznoy · September 2014

Prohass wrote: »

In certain aspects it looks a little b grade and unpolished, but frankly it looks like it has more original ideas and stuff to do than most AAA games, it looks super fun, and god damn it's LOTR, and it's an original story in that world. It's pretty much a case of it'll take some seriously bad reviews to stop me from buying it, like lower than a 6 average even

Unpolished and b grade are things that excite me more than you can imagine

CaptainNemo · September 2014

Not to start shit, but an unpolished b game with clever ideas or fun mechanics can appeal to me more then a triple AAA blockbuster blow out. Like, I can honestly say Alan Wake was a helluva lot more memorable and interesting then Destiny, despite having a fraction of the budget or graphics. I'm pretty stoked for this, just to observe the Nemesis system at play.

I see this is an action RPG apparently, so I'm pretty curious what kind of loot they'll be.

Stormwatcher · September 2014

It has Troy Baker and Nolan North.

stopgap · September 2014

I will be buying this because the idea of creating my own army of orcs and having them backstab their way to the top while play Gondor batman is incredibly exciting.

BrocksMullet · September 2014

I have a sneaking suspicion this will be baller, and everyone will say, "Who expected that?", and I'll say "ME."

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

Really excited to see how this plays out. And I will admit, I'm a sucker for creative Tolkien lore. I really like the Wraith angle here. It doesn't seem as "extreme" as the Force Unleashed, mostly because you can "can" and probably will be frequently overpowered and killed. But that just feeds back into the nemesis system for enemies. That random guy who killed you when you were SO CLOSE to finishing that mission? Well, now he's a miniboss himself, and you can get revenge on that specific enemy without reverting to a prior save state or checkpoint. I like having a story reason for death and failure in a game. Consequences!

In a new interview, they confirmed there is no health regeneration system. Only healing items will replenish your health.

CaptainNemo · September 2014

From what I've gathered, it's the same three weapons the whole game, but they can be upgraded and altered via collecting runes and such from fallen bosses. No word on any armor upgrades, that plus the preorder bonus being a skin makes me wonder if they'res any armor upgrades at all. Don't get me wrong, still stoked, but the lack of armor or weapons to gain via quest/loot seems kinda dumb.

On the other hand, if you look at it as something like the Arkham games where it's an action game with RPG elements, it becomes a lot more fair.

Hahnsoo1 · September 2014

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

In a new interview, they confirmed there is no health regeneration system. Only healing items will replenish your health.

That's not entirely true. There are numerous runes that regenerate health based on doing specific actions (headshot kills, backstabs, etc.).

Bubby · September 2014

Stormwatcher wrote: »

It has Troy Baker and Nolan North.

Is there some reason why they're practically the only popular male video game voice actors? There have to be a ton of other actors trying to cut their teeth in that industry. I've also wondered why Rockstar VA's like Rob Weithoff or James McCaffrey to name two of many never do anything not-Rockstar (Weithoff hasn't even done anything besides RDR).

Magic Pink · September 2014

Bubby wrote: »

Stormwatcher wrote: »

It has Troy Baker and Nolan North.

Is there some reason why they're practically the only popular male video game voice actors? There have to be a ton of other actors trying to cut their teeth in that industry. I've also wondered why Rockstar VA's like Rob Weithoff or James McCaffrey to name two of many never do anything not-Rockstar (Weithoff hasn't even done anything besides RDR).

because for some reason gamers pop gigantic boners whenever their names are mentioned.

I've been watching some gameply vids for this and what exactly is there to do in the game besides combat? Nothing I've found seems to go into that. And what's the whole point of critters remembering you exactly? It doesn't seem to have a huge effect on them except for dialogue they give.

BrocksMullet · September 2014

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

Really excited to see how this plays out. And I will admit, I'm a sucker for creative Tolkien lore. I really like the Wraith angle here. It doesn't seem as "extreme" as the Force Unleashed, mostly because you can "can" and probably will be frequently overpowered and killed. But that just feeds back into the nemesis system for enemies. That random guy who killed you when you were SO CLOSE to finishing that mission? Well, now he's a miniboss himself, and you can get revenge on that specific enemy without reverting to a prior save state or checkpoint. I like having a story reason for death and failure in a game. Consequences!

In a new interview, they confirmed there is no health regeneration system. Only healing items will replenish your health.

Have they explained what happens when you "die"?

Stormwatcher · September 2014

Well, I'm sorry that liking them is not cool

manwiththemachinegun · September 2014

BrocksMullet wrote: »

manwiththemachinegun wrote: »

Really excited to see how this plays out. And I will admit, I'm a sucker for creative Tolkien lore. I really like the Wraith angle here. It doesn't seem as "extreme" as the Force Unleashed, mostly because you can "can" and probably will be frequently overpowered and killed. But that just feeds back into the nemesis system for enemies. That random guy who killed you when you were SO CLOSE to finishing that mission? Well, now he's a miniboss himself, and you can get revenge on that specific enemy without reverting to a prior save state or checkpoint. I like having a story reason for death and failure in a game. Consequences!

In a new interview, they confirmed there is no health regeneration system. Only healing items will replenish your health.

Have they explained what happens when you "die"?

Talion is already dead, so similar to the Ringwraiths, I'm assuming his corpse just "reanimates" after an unspecified amount of time. He almost certainly can be permanently killed like the Witch King, but it's going to require a lot more than the average orc is capable of.

In gameplay terms whichever enemy kills you, whether its a grunt or a named boss, gets "promoted" and will have additional dialogue and reactions when you meet them again. They also level up so they're even harder to defeat the second time. So if you lose to one enemy many times, they could potentially become as powerful as the warbosses themselves. That's my understanding.

akajaybay · September 2014

I'm very curious to see how this turns out. Fingers crossed and all that. I really just can't tell right now even with the copious amounts of video out there. I've stopped looking since it's relatively close at this point.

Archsorcerer · September 2014

Bubby wrote: »

Stormwatcher wrote: »

It has Troy Baker and Nolan North.

Is there some reason why they're practically the only popular male video game voice actors? There have to be a ton of other actors trying to cut their teeth in that industry. I've also wondered why Rockstar VA's like Rob Weithoff or James McCaffrey to name two of many never do anything not-Rockstar (Weithoff hasn't even done anything besides RDR).

The Nolan North package includes sound effects. Not a bad deal. :P

And he's used to doing mocap too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB-Fw6yxAcE

BrocksMullet · September 2014

BTW, if this is lame, I was never here.

Botznoy · September 2014

*screenshots this for posterity*

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One does not simply have a Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor game!

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