Middle-Earth: Shadow of War on the way. Moar Shadow of Mordor?

Started by JasonPratt, February 27, 2017, 06:07:46 PM

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JasonPratt

So. Saw a reference to this somewhere today; Jim Sterling's reaction to the trailer (not the first thing I saw, but the funniest as you might expect):



In effect, your character from the first game fights Sauron in Mordor for control of the One Ring. The first game surprisingly stayed well enough within canon (even film canon, since EA is still using their license to that property), given the basic premises (assuming you're willing to let some subtle canon problems slide like elves being unable to become wraiths in the books). This... I dunno, looks like it's going way, way, waaaaaaayyy off canon.

Am I okay with that? Sure. For four reasons.

1.) The canon is still the canon and I don't think this alt-canon is trying to disrespect it.

2.) While we're looking at CGI cutscene material, that turned out in the first game to be close to the engine (and based on it), so gameplay probably will look a lot like this (if less cinematic as would be expected for, y'know, a game).

3.) The first game was massively much better than it had any right to be, so I'm willing to have some hope here. And they didn't rush the sequel out.

4.) Based on what's shown, and what little bits of promo I read elsewhere before seeing the trailer, the game MIGHT be trying to segue into (or repurposing) EA's real-time strategy adaptations of the films (and related material filtered through the film's aesthetic) Battle for Middle-Earth 1 and 2. Except perhaps more along the line of Brutal Legend's 3PS implementation of RTS.

I love LotR; I love the film trilogy (hexology); I love BFME (1 and 2, pros and cons each way); I really liked Brutal Legend; I... close-enough-to-love-ME:SOM-as-to-never-mind.

So yeah. I'm prepared. Time to look into updating my gfx card anyway.


Bonus points: releases Aug 22, my brother's birthday. He won't be in any position to appreciate it, but he (or technically his daughters but y'know how that works ;) ) got me the first game a few years ago. Synchronicity!  O0
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Gusington



слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Rayfer

Gus....is that gameplay, cinematic or a mix of both? Hard for me tell.

Gusington

I am 99% sure that most if not all of that trailer that I posted is gameplay. I love what the developers appear to be doing with army assembly and the conquerable campaign map. Reminds me of the Dragon Age Inquisition campaign map on steroids combined with what could be described as Total War style battles, just with fewer units/characters on the screen and/or controllable. I really liked the first game...so I think I am actually going to preorder this one 😎


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

JasonPratt

The pterodactyl-wyvern things can breathe fire now.  :pullhair:  :buck2: Wonder how they lose that ability...

But then, I strongly suspect this game is hewing off into its own canon. I was fine with that before, so I should be fine with it now. They should have been fire-breathing anyway even back in the books.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

FarAway Sooner

Quote from: JasonPratt on March 09, 2017, 09:45:29 AM
The pterodactyl-wyvern things can breathe fire now.  :pullhair:  :buck2: Wonder how they lose that ability...

But then, I strongly suspect this game is hewing off into its own canon. I was fine with that before, so I should be fine with it now. They should have been fire-breathing anyway even back in the books.

No way, man!  Breathing fire was Smaug's department.  Leaving the Ringwraith mounts mysterious creatures of uncertain lineage, but cloaked in mystical terror, is more appropriate to the way Tolkien cast his Nazgul in the books.

It's also more aligned with the way Tolkien cast the struggle between Good and Evil.  For good to triumph over evil in Tolkien's books, all that was needed was enough good men and women making enough good choices--no matter how hard they might be--to try pushing back the tide.  Unlike Peter Jackson, Tolkien did not see Evil as something that can only be defeated by a preternatural Matrix-like Elven Killing Machine shooting five fatal arrows into the eyes of five different Mumakil while doing a backflip with a half-pike twist thrown in for panache.

Fire breathing flying lizard mounts is too cliche for me...

:)

Gusington

One of the RPS writers stated that this game looks like fan fiction, in a good way. Not being a LOTR connoisseur I don't know. I just love the new systems they are including.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Father Ted

Quote from: FarAway Sooner on March 09, 2017, 12:23:56 PM

...the Ringwraith mounts mysterious creatures of uncertain lineage, but cloaked in mystical terror, is more appropriate to the way Tolkien cast his Nazgul in the books.


I'm a huge fan of LotR (books) and I find it really interesting to re-read them knowing that JRR served in the trenches in WW1.  When the hobbits first encounter the Ringwraiths in the Shire they are driven from the road by an unearthly shriek -  their first portent of approaching danger.  In other words, they're being shelled for the first time.  Later in the war the Ringwraiths take to the skies and become even more terrifying - similarly the aeroplane became a perhaps more scary deliverer of death by HE as WW1 progressed.

And so on: there are many instances where you can see that he drew upon his experiences in the real-est of real worlds to create the ultimate (IMO) fantasy adventure.

Gusington



слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Father Ted

^I have actually.  It was pretty much a straight-up biography, with disappointing little on how his experiences shaped his writing in the ways I've surmised.

glen55

Question, if anyone has played this with mouse and keyboard controls recently.

I got the game when it was new. I thought the game was a blast, but I had some pretty serious problems when I get into the more difficult scraps because things like dodge, roll and jump had poor and (to me) unpredictable responsiveness with keyboard and mouse. [I haven't played in a while, so I may not be naming the laggy/unpredictable commands properly.]

From perusing the forums, it appeared I was not the only one having problems with keyboard and mouse special combat command responsiveness, so I put the game away in the hope that this would eventually get patched out. Does anybody have any input on whether this particular issue ever got improved?
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gusington

I've played Shadow of Mordor pretty recently with a mouse and keyboard and while some of the environments/situations were really difficult, I didn't have any perceived difficulties with the interface.

I am VERY tempted to pre-order Shadow of War tonight from Green Man for 45.00. For me, when the FPS genre is twisted like these games twist it, a premium price is worth it...my only issue is that it's 5 months til release and I wonder if between now and then I can find a better price.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Gusington

Just pre-ordered. First pre-order I have done in a long time. Will fire up Shadow of Mordor this week too, haven't played it in a while.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd