Middle Earth: Shadow of War

[regemond]

So does everyone remember Shadow of Mordor? The Tolkien-themed amalgamation of the best bits of the Arkham and Assassin's Creed franchises? How they added the fantastic Nemesis system to make it feel like a breath of fresh air?

 

Well this is that game again. But The Witcher 3 has come out since then. Assassin's Creed: Origins has come out since then. Batman: Arkham Knight has come out and ruined that series since then. And this hasn't moved on at all. At least not in the first 6 hours or so. I mean, I might have ruined this game for myself in the first place by playing Origins not long before it, but it just feel so regressive to see where that series has moved on and this one hasn't. I mean, it's fun, and it's still got that beat to combat that made the first game feel so much fun to play, but it brings literally nothing new to the table up to now.

 

And it's just so damn easy. Assassin's Creed absolutely punished you for taking on higher level enemies. Not only could you barely damage them, but you also got obliterated unless you high-tail it out of the area quick-sharp. I'm playing on normal and took out a level 15 orc at level 3. I'll try and make that the last comparison between the two games, but all the promotion for the first game constantly compared it to Ass Creed so it's kind of stuck in my brain that the two have a certain amount of crossover.

 

Graphics are fine. Playing on a PS4 Pro and I've not noticed anything offensive, but neither is it particularly beautiful. Horizon: Zero Dawn blows it out of the water (as you'd expect). And I've not noticed any of the more offensive loot box stuff that got so much derision at launch. Apparently it's all in the end game and you need to splash out to get the true ending, but I'm not sure I'll care that much by then.

 

It's fun. It really is. It has that pleasing gameplay loop of 'climb a tower, see some collectables, go get them, kill some orcs on the way. Rinse, repeat'. It's just that so much stuff has come out since the first one was released and this doesn't seem to have moved on at all. I'm disappointed. I wanted more. Maybe I need to play a few more hours. Maybe there's a big reveal that blows the game wide open and this is just to get me used to it again, or maybe they're just doing fucking weird shit with established lore to try and make more cash - Shelob, the big fuck off spider, being a hot gothic woman for example. Just put Yen from The Witcher into a Middle Earth cosplay and you've pretty much got an image of what they've done. I know nothing about LOTR, The Hobbit or any other Tolkien work by the way, I just know that Shelob is wrong.

 

I'll keep playing, mainly for the brainless gameplay loop, and because the Nemesis system is still an awesome idea, but as it stands I'm a little disappointed in the lack of vision for this one. Which is a massive shame...

[Hendo]

I was sure there was already a thread on this, but nope, looks like no-one cares about it!

You’re describing exactly what it looked like to me when it came out - more of the same, but we’ve moved on.

 

I still have fond memories of the last one, but it really was a poor year.

[regemond]

Yeah I tried a few different searches and couldn't find anything. Don't even think there was anything in the News section for it!

 

In fairness, it's hard to care about this when it came out in the same month as Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein 2, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Forza 7, The Evil Within 2 and (again, sorry) Ass Creed: Origins.

 

It's a good game. It honestly is. But it came at the wrong time. Everything that came out last year spoiled us I think, so a game like this really has to be great to stand out, and unfortunately this is just good. It's still playable though, so if you see it cheap I'd be probably recommend it. But I think it's a 'my backlog is clear and I need something brainless' kind of game.

[regemond]

Put another hour or two in last night, and the difficulty ramped up within about 20 minutes. I've headed into the second area,

 

Spoiler

Cirith Ungol,

 

and they've absolutely packed it out with enemies, making combat a little bit overwhelming right now. This is a very good thing. Even if I did die once at the hands (paws?) of a caragor and once through a stronger version of those weird creatures that look like they're off that early 2000's film The Descent. The caragor had an orc riding it too, which meant I had a vengeance mission to take on. Little fucker got away from me though.

 

It's definitely got the loop that makes me want to come back for more, and there's a few new mechanics starting to be introduced that make it seem like it's got a BIT more than the original, but it's nothing big. Things like finding a monument and destroying it to weaken the enemy's presence in the area. Oh yeah, they're cribbing off Just Cause now too.

[regemond]

I've spent a few more hours with this over the last few and I'm starting to find my groove now. I realised combat is a lot easier when you just slow it down and time button presses, and I'm starting to enjoy the repetitive cycle a little bit more.

 

Orc leaders seem more varied, from assassins, to tricksters, to big fuck off 12-foot tall brick shithouses that are incredibly tough to get near. It's great exploiting the enemies' weaknesses too.

 

Story-wise, it's still in the realms of introducing me to mechanics, so nothing of note has happened yet. I'm pretty sure I'm about to go take on my first war-chief, and I've got a few nice abilities to play around with. Speaking of abilities, they really seem to have mixed up the levelling system, and where in the last game you had an ability that made well-timed button presses add +2 to your combo meter, and one that reduced the number of hits needed for an execution to 5, it seems to have been taken out of this one. It makes Talion feel less powerful than the previous game, so it's a little bit jarring.

 

I also tried out my first Online Vendetta contract too. This is basically a marker on the map that encourages you to gain revenge for another random person who's been killed online. Beating this mission gets you a lootbox. Which still don't seem to be too in your face at the minute. If I can get to the end of the game (even the shit ending) and not HAVE to buy anything with real money I'll be happy.

 

So yeah, now I've lowered my expectations I feel a bit better about the game. It still feels old, mainly because of a lack of evolution in the face of all the other recent releases, but it's not doing anything that personally offends me right now.

[regemond]

No rants, no epic paragraphs, no real point to the post except this... Just watch the first 2:05 of this video. It has minor spoilers about an ally, but nothing that'll ruin the game.

 

Spoiler

 

 

If I didn't love this game before, the personality of that character alone has completely won me over.

[Hendo]

Loot boxes getting removed permanently.

 

https://community.wbgames.com/t5/Official-Announcements/Important-Free-Updates-Coming-to-Shadow-of-War-FAQ/m-p/1831027/thread-id/761

 

I would guess this was the plan all along. Wait till a sales graph tilts a certain way and go for the hearts and minds new sales.

[regemond]

Nah, I think they'd have left it in as long as possible if they could get away with it. The 'true' ending needs the MTX unless you're willing to grind (and grind and grind) until your army is powerful enough to earn it (as far as I've heard anyway. I honestly haven't played that far).

 

I reckon they're doing it to come off all 'good guy Warner Brothers' in the aftermath of EA's annihilation over BF2, but (and I'm going to channel my inner @Sly Reflex here) even though it's a positive step, we shouldn't congratulate them for doing this. It's something that shouldn't have been there in the first place, even optionally, and it'd be like congratulating a fully grown adult for not shitting their pants in public. It's not an achievement, it's the bare minimum we should expect of the devs/publishers.

[Sly Reflex]

We'll be covering this in this weeks Strangeplay. Get ready for a big slice of cynicism.

[Sly Reflex]

Shameless plug. First article out the door if you're not interested in the rest.

 

 

[DisturbedSwan]

Warner Bros. Interactive -entertainment Announces Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition
 

Quote

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition, the most comprehensive version of last year’s epic, open world action game where players forge a new Ring of Power, conquer fortresses in massive battles and dominate Mordor with their own personal Orc army, all brought to life by the award-winning Nemesis System. Developed by Monolith Productions, Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition will include the main game packaged together with all downloadable content (DLC), free updates and improvements and will be available for the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, Windows 10 PC through the Microsoft Store, Steam, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation 4 Pro computer entertainment system from 31 August 2018 in the UK.

“Since Middle-earth: Shadow of War launched, we’ve continually looked at all of the feedback from our fantastic community and our fans, which has inspired us to keep improving the game and ultimately create a version that we are truly proud of,” said Michael de Plater, Vice President, Creative, Monolith Productions. “Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition brings together all of our free content updates and gameplay improvements, along with our Story and Nemesis Expansions, providing the very best experience for players. Whether you’re diving in for the first time or making your return to Middle-earth, there’s never been a better time to walk into Mordor.”

 

Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition will feature the main game, along with the full Expansion Pass, including additional story campaigns, missions, playable characters, Orc tribes, weapons, abilities, enemies, a new region and much more.

• Middle-earth: Shadow of War Main Game

• Slaughter Tribe Nemesis Expansion

• Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion

• Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion

• Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion

 

Additionally, Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition will bring together a multitude of different enhancements and free content updates, from a richer campaign experience and streamlined post-game Epilogue to new player skins and the complete removal of the market, in addition to hundreds of other improvements since the release of Middle-earth: Shadow of War. A snapshot of the updates available for players includes:

• Market Closure: Complete removal of the market and microtransactions.

• Updated Post-Game: Streamlined post-game Epilogue (formerly Shadow Wars) with new narration from Shelob, the Witch-king and Dark Talion, plus new Masks of the Nazgûl player rewards.

• Nemesis System Enhancements: Numerous improvements bringing further depth to combat encounters and player interactions, along with added traits and behaviours for Orc enemies, more Legendary Orcs to encounter and more ways to get Training Orders.

• Powering Up: Follower level cap has been increased to 80, enemy Captain level cap has been increased to 85, greater XP rewards, new Prestige skills, upgrades and more.

• Gear Upgrades: Players can now use Mirian to raise the level of a piece of gear to their current level and use gems to re-roll abilities.

• Skins: Added player skins for Celebrimbor, Eltariel, Dark Eltariel, Baranor and Serka.

• Online Pit Fights & Conquests: Added search feature to challenge specific players' Overlords and fortresses in Friendly Mode.

• Endless Siege: Added feature to defend fortresses against never-ending waves of Sauron’s forces.

• Rebellion: Added feature to crush rebel Ologs and Uruks who undermine the Bright Lord.

• Photo Mode Upgrades: Capture every battle with new filters, frames and textures

• Difficulty Levels: Added Brutal and Gravewalker difficulty levels.

• Player Stats: Added player stats page to track in-game enemy kills, dominations and betrayals