Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Discussion Thread

Gannu

Unbanned
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Just stumbled upon the gameplay video on VG247. Looks pretty good although it seemed to have been inspired from Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham series.


Looks pretty interesting the varied combat aspects especially. Would be good to see how this pans out during launch.

VG247
 
Looks very interesting indeed. Game mechanics are heavily inspired by Assasin's Creed of course.

The nemesis system looks very promising. They will be taking Game AI to a whole new level, provided they deliver on the concept.
 
This has an interesting twist on the AC formula. AC people should have done something like this. Than churn the same game every year.
Hope this game does well.
 
Review list

Joystiq - 5/5
Review[2]

Author: Alexander Sliwinski

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a well-paced sandbox game with a revolutionary new game mechanic in the Nemesis System, which I imagine we'll see iterated on in the years to come. The Nemesis System creates the opportunity for two players to have wildly different experiences fighting the Uruk-hai, while Talion collects trinkets and upgrades. Your nemesis (an Uruk who will find a way to kill you time and time again) will be completely different from your friend's, and you'll have plenty of unique experiences to share about different tactics you used to take out a certain warchief. Or, how you were chasing a captain who retreated in battle and ran right into the jaws of a wild caragor, robbing you of sweet victory.

Polygon - 9.5/10
Review[3]

Author: Philip Kollar

Shadow of Mordor is that ultimate rarity. It tells a fun little story that would be enough to hold up most games on their own. But it also provides all of the tools to ensure that the most interesting tales to come out of the game will be the ones that were not scripted.

IGN - 9.3/10
Review[4]

Author: Dan Stapleton

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor stands out from other open-world action games by putting a great new layer on top of the trail that Batman blazed. I was surprised at how well it integrates its excellent combat with rewarding feedback and progression not just for me, but also for my enemies. I’ve had many more memorable and unpredictable battles with its randomized Warchiefs and captains than I did in the scripted campaign missions, and I expect those to keep on coming.

Playstation Lifestyle - 9/10
Review[5]

Author: Dan Oravasaari

Overall, there is simply too much to cover in Shadow of Mordor and this is one of its greatest assets. As you progress through the game things expand exponentially, giving more room to play around in, but on a learning curve that is paced out perfectly. Fantasy fans will probably owe it to themselves to give Shadow of Mordor a shot, especially if they are fans of Tolkien’s work. If you are not overly familiar with the lore from the books and movies, you may find it difficult to appreciate most of the content available here, but you will still find a fantastically fun fantasy action title with a robust amount of content, with some familiar core gameplay.

The Escapist - 4.5/5
Review[6]

Author: Greg Tito

As an open world game set in Middle-earth, Shadow of Mordor delivers unique emergent gameplay, finely-tuned combat mechanics and a story which avoids typical fantasy fare. While the main storyline can be finished relatively quickly, there is a lot of content in Mordor for you to pursue however you like.

Hardcore Gamer - 4.5/5
Review[7]

Author: Steve Hannley

Although it comes in the wake of dozens before it, Shadow of Mordor is the definitive Middle-earth experience. It smartly avoids trying to adapt already existing plot points, instead crafting its own unique story and overall experience. Combat is fluid, production values are sky high and the game is quite simply a blast to experience. Clocking in at around fifteen hours when focusing purely on the campaign, it’s a bit too short for an open-world game, and it cribs some of its best ideas from other popular franchises (although some will likely in turn swipe its impressive Nemesis System), but that doesn’t hold it back from being an enveloping adventure. More than just a great Lord of the Rings game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor marks a new era for the franchise that can be enjoyed by fans and the uninitiated alike.

EGM - 8.5/10
Review[8]

Author: Andrew Fitch

The landscapes and exploration elements might not be on the level of some of its open-world brethren, but Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor delivers one of the best games to feature the intricate lore of J.R.R. Tolkien—and its innovative, addictive Nemesis system could redefine the way developers design enemy encounters in the future.

MMORPG - 8.2/10
Review[9]

Author: William Murphy

Shadow of Mordor is a visually stunning, narratively compelling action RPG that had me enthralled from start to finish. This is how you make a non-canon story in Middle-earth feel like it belongs, like it could be its own book or film in the world Tolkien created. It’s violent, it’s addictive, and it controls like a dream. The camera oftentimes gets lost in the terrain, and sometimes Talion’s free running gets stuck on random objects, but minor quibbles aside… Shadow of Mordor is one polished experience. Everything about it is a loving homage to Tolkien and Assassin’s Creed, and I can’t wait to see where they take Talion and Celebrimbor next. There are few fights more memorable in games than your battle with the Great White Graug or The Hammer. While the final fights against the Blackhand and the Tower are less memorable due in part to their overreliance on quick-time events, the whole package more than makes up for the late-game shortcomings.

Gamespot - 8/10
Review[10]

Author: Kevin VanOrd

All of these tasks are dotted across the game's two expansive maps, which invite you to chase one waypoint after another, murdering captains, infiltrating Uruk feasts, and collecting artifacts that unveil truths about the wraith's past misdeeds. This structure (of course) recalls Assassin's Creed, but it is now imperative that the Assassin's Creed series learn from Shadow of Mordor. Easy comparisons aside, this is a great game in its own right, narratively disjointed but mechanically sound, made up of excellent parts pieced together in excellent ways. I already knew what future lay in store for Middle-earth as I played Shadow of Mordor; I'm hoping that my own future might one day bring another Lord of the Rings adventure as stirring as this one.

Destructoid - 6/10
Review[11]

Author: Chris Carter

Ultimately, like many ambitious projects, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor doesn't deliver on everything it sets out to do. Although Monolith's heart is in the right place and the studio honors the lore, it doesn't really add anything that's worth seeing outside of some solid open world gameplay. It isn't a bad game, it just feels far too repetitive for its own good.
 
So how many have started the game.
I have started it and it is interesting. The graphics are pretty good and the gameplay is nice.
The dynamic nemesis system is also nice ... but it is a little tough on you sometimes.
I have only started, a few hours into the game so cant detail much.
But what i have seen till now it good.
And they are also detailing the lore related with the game a lot. Lot of information to read.

Died a lot till now, but thankfully dying has its own benefits :)
 
Been away from the gaming scene.
How many hours gameplay for this game . Hows the PS3 version
 
PS3 version is not yet released. I am not sure how long the game is though.
The open ended nemesis systems means u can keep the game going for a some time.
 
game is great, I played on pc for about 2-3 hours. After that it got a little repetetive, so i used a trainer and finished the game within next 5 hours.:)
Now after finishing the game, i think without trainer it has solid 15-20 hours of gameplay.
Some boss fights are good. Plus the story is one thing which made me finish the game.
 
The game so far looks so interesting and has solid gameplay over all. Nemesis was something I was not sure of when they spoke about it initially, but after playing the game I think its a revolution that games further may take advantage off.

Clocked 15 hrs with some side missions and progressed quite a bit in main missions too. Overall, I dint see the gameplay to be repetitive simply because, getting killed or killing is a wonderful experience :)
 
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