https://youtu.be/-_UgfB95Wu0
Shadow of Mordor was a bit of a surprise hit, due largely to it's Nemesis System giving the feeling of a living breathing battle field. And we're finally getting a sequel that is set to expand on everything that made the first game great. Story wise, it looks like we'll be picking up where the last game left off, Talion and Celebrimbor have forged a new Ring of Power as they set to up their fight against Sauron. Seems that things don't go so smoothly though as the two are immediately split from each other upon completion of the Ring. But don't fear, as today's game play reveal shows that wacky pair will be reunited. I'm guessing it'll happen early on and will allow the game explain the Dark Curse that you'll be fighting against.
https://youtu.be/xl4bkIGgiyc
It's great to see that the ability to build an army will mean something here. Dominating Orcs in Shadow of Mordor was a bit underwhelming, so seeing that your more loyal troops will act as a mirror to your fiercest enemies seems like a great addition. And the idea that fallen troops can turn against you could lead some epic moments. Though I kinda wish they hadn't revealed that possibility so soon. Would have been nice to just have that happen to players once the game is released.
Something else that's getting a bit of an overhaul is the environments. Expect a more variety and a focus on verticality.
According to Peter Straub, director of art at Monolith Productions, the increased number of regions in the game has led to greater visual variety.
“We’re really getting a broad range of geography, and a broad range of different biomes,” Straub told Polygon last week during the Game Developers Conference. “Another thing we’ve pushed with Shadow of War compared to Shadow of Mordor is an increase in verticality of those environments.”
That improvement in variety of looks to the game (as well as the focus on verticality) is immediately apparent in Shadow of War’s fortresses. The bad guys in control of each fortress will be procedurally generated, creating unique opponents for each player to face off against, and each of those overlords will shape both their fortress and the territory surrounding it based on their own personalities.
http://www.polygon.com/features/2017/3/8/14851144/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-nemesis-system-lord-the-rings-gameplay-reveal-preview-video
So I'm kinda rushing this, so sorry if the OP seems a little lacking. But it feels like with the trailer and the early game play stuff it was time for a new thread. Shadow of War is currently set for an August 22nd 2017 release on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
EDIT: shamelessly stealing the DLC schedule for the OP! thanks
@Crippl3!
New content schedule, including free stuff:
November 21st is Slaughter Tribe DLC, plus for free there's Endless Seiege (which sounds like endless Shadow Wars), Rebellion (unsure), and enhancements for Photo Mode.
December 5th is the Online Fight Pits, a free mode where you can fight your Overlords vs. other players' Overlords for rewards.
December 12th is the Outlaw Tribe DLC, plus the free Brutal difficulty, which is harder than Nemesis and has no Last Chances.
Blade of Gladriel coming in February, Desolation of Mordor coming in May along with a new survival mode.
EDIT 2: looks like WB finally got the message RE microtransactions, and having already made the bulk of their money off the game, will be removing those elements. thanks to UndeadScottsman for catching the news.
They're removing some of the lootboxes, gold and the market
https://community.wbgames.com/t5/Official-Announcements/Important-Free-Updates-Coming-to-Shadow-of-War/m-p/1831034
TL;DR
-Warchests make the Nemesis system moot and break immersion so they, gold and the market are being removed from the game. Other loot box types (Gear, Training orders, etc.) will still be obtainable, but not purchasable via money or in-game currency.
-The Shadow War endgame is being reworked to be streamlined and include additional story elements. If you already beat it, it won't be reset though. So wah wah.
-Upcoming updates will include Nemesis System updates, new player skins, skill tree additions, gear system upgrades and progression updates
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This looks like a major improvement over the first one in every way!
Shadow of War looks good. I'll pick it up at some point, no doubt about that.
I used to be a big Tolkien lore nerd. Like, read the Silmarillion multiple times. At one point tried staying current with the more recent publications but stopped for a lot of reasons. I'm not such a stickler that I can't enjoy a good game, but Mordor made my eye twitch sometimes. A new Ring of Power is like... that's a Thing. The whole world would come crashing down on Talion. Every major ME entity would know, and there would be an absolutely bonkers jockey for power.
Ok, I'll stop.
But anyway, I appreciate the boldness of just going "fuck yeah there's a new Ring of Power." If you're gonna do a power fantasy game, go whole hog. I don't expect it to be handled very well, but eh.
It's not going to stop me from leading an army of orcs.
I'm guessing fortresses will be a way to really push that, while other missions and tasks will probably remain solo/stealthy.
I saw the first gameplay of Shadow of Mordor and had the usual "assassin's creed in Mordor and wraiths do not work that way *adjusts glasses*" reaction as many others but man it was such a blast to play and pretty much delivered on most of what they showed.
If this gameplay trailer lives up to the promises of the first then it will be well worth purchasing.
Although I'm trying not to preorder any more games but man it is just hitting all the right buttons.
xbl - HowYouGetAnts
steam - WeAreAllGeth
― John Quincy Adams
Nemesis campaign on a war scale? People going to be chatting a long time sharing war stories.
I hope there's more humans and other races this time. But even if it seems all orcs and monsters they look spectacular. This just looks so fucking fun
Also Orc bromances! I honestly wouldn't believe half the promises of that gameplay trailer if the first game hadn't completely blown me away with its system. They've essentially doubled down on the intros and death scenarios which is exactly what they should be doing, because creating your own stories is what made the first one so great
That and the fact that you could sneak sprint and everything controlled beautifully
The only reason I stopped playing shadow of mordor was because I ran out of content, I did everything including all the dlc. Sometimes I buy season passes rather than wait for the dlc just because if I could buy a game like this twice I would.
But yeah I'm almost done with the entire game. I don't really care much for achievements so I won't do stuff like getting a level 25 rune, there's simply too many other games played and I've already played through this one twice (steam first and then PS4). Will definitely do the doc though, forgot all about it as it's accessed through the main menu and I never saw that since I was only ever putting the PS4 into rest mode.
One of my local friends bought it digitally and because it's digital she couldn't loan it to me. I was only lukewarm on the game when it came out. It's not like they lost a sale; I was never going to buy it anyway. But this looks _good_
Really the Nemesis system (coupled with the very fun gameplay) is what really made SoM such an enjoyable experience. While I wasn't good enough to never die in SoM, the few captains that either caught me off guard, truly overpowered me or was just a lucky orc that got in the last hit made for really meaningful experience the next time around. Their taunts and jeers at the start of our next encounter from having killed me already made it a more meaningful encounter than killing orc captain #17. Seeing the Cheat Death mechanic come back and even within the same encounter is absolutely terrific. One of my favorite SoM captains wasn't ever really a threat but just would not die. I forgot if he finally died when when he had a plate on his head or it was more of a bloody bag keeping in the remains of said head but each encounter was a delight as he tried to ambush me again and again.
Also coupled with the social Revenge missions where you could avenge people on your friends list was a nice touch and provided some comradery without forcing in a multiplayer experience.
Now looking at the upgrades I can't help but be excited: loyalty, betrayal, rivalries, and friendships. Orcs in general and the power between the two rings of power would naturally see the power struggle and subsequent loyalty and betrayal mount as we try to turn each faction towards our own--or really, we've previously been the one making orcs betray Sauron but now we'll be on the receiving end. Rivalries could see internal fighting in enemy or friendly forces or perhaps buffs as they try to outdo one another. Finally, friendships I just can think of sort of battle brothers slaughtering their foes with glee.
Lot of speculation on my part, but I look forward to playing My Pet Orc Army 2.0 that I've reinstalled SoM to get my fix in the meantime.
Edit: Bit longer post than I meant to make. Basically, why haven't more games started using a Nemesis System for more open world games? Could have space dogfighters, super heroes, anything where death is preventable or respawning is justified are all you need to put this system in.
The ending, I really did forget that at the end he says 'Time for a new ring.'
― John Quincy Adams
I watched the Giantbomb Unfinished for this, and I am stoked. I do wonder what parts of the demos so far is scripted and what is organic game play.
Always take these videos with a grain of salt but with how good a job they did with SoM I do have high hopes for SoW.
Most games don't work player death into the narrative. In all other open world games you restart from your last save and pretend your death never happened.
I gotta say I am really looking forward to this. Everything about the game play and presentation of this game was a triumph. Everyone raves about the nemesis system - and rightfully so - but I also really liked how well the loot system worked. They didn't fall into the trap of making runes just boring, passive stat buffs (I'm looking at you Horizon Zero Dawn!) but instead had many runes that altered how your abilities worked. I remember I had a lot of fun experimenting with different rune combinations so I could find ways to super boost whatever play style I was interested in at the time.
https://youtu.be/BQRiVwYQvEk
Also bizarrely this is the first time I realised that its Celebrimbor's voice saying orc names.
i did say it was brief. however, it being part of this months IGN First feature means we should get some more over the next couple of weeks.
https://youtu.be/qSJi8a69-zs
Bundle Stars sent me a "VIP code" for 30% off any of the editions so I decided to go big with the gold since that includes the story expansions.
I know they are gimmicks but I am so weak.
It reminded me when I first started up Shadow of Mordor, played for 10 minutes, then went to the steam store to buy the season pass while it still had the preorder discount (the game was released early).
https://youtu.be/JT9vj_9qcXU
https://youtu.be/r1nJJfWXmkY
No, but seriously, this game looks great.
This is a clickable link to my Steam Profile.
https://youtu.be/YhpFWYHGnV8
https://youtu.be/uk197PKSQu4
we're getting to the end of the month so can't expect much more from IGN on this, but hopefully they still have something nice to cap off their First coverage.
Being able to brand orcs doesn't happen until the second area and then you start raising My Pet Orc Army.