Poll: Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. First Impressions?

[Asita]

It definitely looks derivative of Assassin's Creed both in terms of mission theme and the protagonist's movements (oddly enough, the assassination moves seem more Prince of Persia than AC[footnote]but that could just be because I almost exclusively used hidden blades in the Assassin's Creed series[/footnote]), with a touch of Arkham City thrown in. That said, it looks fun. I'm skeptical of the promises of the Nemesis System[footnote]Suffice to say that big promises like we've seen in games like Fable, Spore and Guild Wars 2 have left me cautious when I hear about things that promise variety and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up being as insignificant as the variation in Skyrim's radiant quests[/footnote], but if they can actually get it to work in a meaningful way then that would be awesome.

So color me curious but cautious.


And for anyone who has no idea what this game is and looks like (at this point), here's a gameplay video/explanation

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

It definitely looks derivative of Assassin's Creed both in terms of mission theme and the protagonist's movements (oddly enough, the assassination moves seem more Prince of Persia than AC[footnote]but that could just be because I almost exclusively used hidden blades in the Assassin's Creed series[/footnote]), with a touch of Arkham City thrown in. That said, it looks fun. I'm skeptical of the promises of the Nemesis System[footnote]Suffice to say that big promises like we've seen in games like Fable, Spore and Guild Wars 2 have left me cautious when I hear about things that promise variety and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up being as insignificant as the variation in Skyrim's radiant quests[/footnote], but if they can actually get it to work in a meaningful way then that would be awesome.

So color me curious but cautious.


And for anyone who has no idea what this game is and looks like (at this point), here's a gameplay video/explanation

thanks for that, was a bit too lazy to go look for it myself at the moment, but that definitely changed my "uh...what?" to a "that's definitely on my radar"

definitely agree with everything said by most people so far, I'll have to wait and see more when the game comes out before i make any decisions though.

 

[hazabaza1]

Bad. Really bad.
Ripping off basically every other game in the genre and almost certainly overhyping the gimmicks it has in a poor attempt to seem unique.

Also misses the LOTR approach to magic in that it's rare as fuck, powerful as balls and usually is somewhat subtle.

If it's on a steam sale a year or two down the line and it doesn't have anything like Uplay I might pick it up.

 

[dyre]

The trailer was pretty bad, but the gameplay looks pretty fun, despite being sort of an AC ripoff. I don't think it will be a great game (mostly because I can't remember any games that were so creatively bankrupt that ended up being great) but it might be pretty decent. Will probably wait read/watch a few reviews from reviewers I like when it comes out.

 

[black_knight1337]

No it's not a proper way and there are no rewards, it's just a cheap way around paying designers, which is cool for games like Terraria/Minecraft/Starbound because they are cheap.

But when you do that in a game where it's all top production value that sort of thing feels shit, yes mathematically you get an infinite number of variations but practically you just get a whole lot of random nonsense, because a randomiser doesn't knows what makes a scene shine and a designer does.

Creating more content makes it "cheap"?

And the key thing was "if it gets done right". If it gets done right it shouldn't have parts that are just 'random nonsense'. It should still provide a good storyline, of course it won't be on the level of something like The Walking Dead but I'd much rather have a good story that I can replay over and over rather than a great story that I'll only ever play once.

 

[Elfgore]

I've given up my cynical side with that game and now really want to play it. The combat looks amazing and the nemesis system looks awesome. I can't wait for it to come out.

 

[EvilMaggot]

its on my radar so many BIGGER games im looking forward to coming this year(hopefully) Witcher 3, DA3..

 

[BrotherRool]

Also misses the LOTR approach to magic in that it's rare as fuck, powerful as balls and usually is somewhat subtle.

This is like the number one mistake every Lord of the Rings spin-off makes and as soon they do it it relegates them to bad-fan-fiction territory. I really don't get why they do it, it really shouldn't be that hard to understand. Apart from the Hobbit, magic in the Lord of the Rings universe isn't this nitty-gritty physical thing, it's more about the power, will and destiny of the people involved.

Gandalf doesn't win fights against over magic users because he can literally create fire with his hands and fire hurts people. He didn't lose against Saruman because Saruman had memorised magic missile that die whereas Gandalf had only brought Damage Over Time, no he lost because he hadn't assumed the responsibilities required of him whereas Saruman had been allowing himself to grow in strength. And then when they next meet Gandalf beats him because he's been sent their by the Valor and has taken on the mantle, whilst Saruman let his greed corrupt him and no longer had the Will.

The franchise in general just doesn't care about small details. You can't defeat Sauron by stabbing him in the back in the middle of the battle, he's not going to die by a straight arrow hitting him. He's defeated by the courage of Man standing strong in the last moment of need.


The spin-offs never understand that, you get fussy plots about mind-controlling certain people so that they can open a gate that will let everyone in...

 

[AlbertoDeSanta]

Looks great. One of only two 2014 Video games that have interested me - the other being the New Smash Bros. Seriously, I don't care if they've taken all the assets from every other game that's ever existed, it looks great and is more then likely a fun and unique experience. Definitely on my radar, and I'll probably pick it up on Steam when it's released (maybe not right away, but we'll see).

 

[Genocidicles]

Also...is that what the game's going to look like? Isn't Middle Earth supposed to be... you know, pretty? Or atleast, not so brown? I'm not exactly versed in LOTR lore, but... the environments look awful. Maybe other areas in the game will be prettier? But then, why show-case that area in particular?

Well it seems like it's set almost entirely in Mordor, which is a scorched, desolate desert.

 

[otakon17]

I'll be honest, despite the seemingly complete departure from what I know the books for I'm excited for it. If they can make it work with everything they said in the trailer so far. I'm interested and want to give it a go. I enjoyed War In The North a fair bit and I think I'll enjoy this too. Probably not a day one pick up but definitely something I'll keep my eyes on.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Took a turn for the extreme on that last option eh?

OT: It's definitely on my radar now that I've seen some gameplay.

 

[InfinityX]

Looks really interesting. The stealth mechanics looks pretty good,

my biggest concern is the nemesis system. We don't know enough about it yet, but my first though when ratbag spoke was "you will pay for what you did to me" as from what the narrator said, it looked like ratbag got away from the player.
My question here is: why did he get away? was is scripted? did the player fail a mission? can you go though and kill everyone you meet or will the higher ranked bosses require you to attack him in phases, which will then trigger cut-scenes that act as the "trigger" for nemesis. Personally, I would never let a target get away, so how often will this scenario happen?

Combat looked easier then the AC games at first, again, counter spam and you win. Personally, I think this kind of AC/Batman action combat wont work here, we need something slightly different, where counters are harder to pull off, However, basic attacks can still work (some guys in AC/Batman basic attacks do nothing, forcing you to counter). Also combos and chain attacks would be a nice change.
Unless there's some kind of meter or magic bar for the wraith attacks and warping, wraith mode looks like it would break the game.

Lastly, The Fear/Terror mechanic looks like, if done right, it can be a really cool mechanic. but as it stands, its mostly a gimmick to make the (from video) easy gameplay easier.

Its on my radar, but unless they show some of the advanced gameplay/mechanics , I'm not fully impressed. (though i hope to be)

Also, as long as the lore isn't messed up too badly, I don't mind a separate time/area which the game takes place in.

 

[gigantor21]

It looks interesting, but I worry that they're overselling the whole "Nemesis System" and organic storytelling bits. It sounds too good to be true IMO.

 

[Arina Love]

looks like asscreed + batman ripoff, pass.

 

[cthulhuspawn82]

I saw the trailer talking about how enemies have dynamic memories and about the intricate effects your past actions have on them and the game-play. Listening to everything the narrator said, I just keep thinking "Bullsh**". The things they were claiming about their games capabilities are on the level of what Peter Molyneux would say.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I'll stay optimistic and say it looks pretty cool. I don't need a game set in Middle-Earth to be all that lore-friendly to enjoy it. The concept definitely sparks my interest. How much of the concept actually translates to actual gameplay will be the deciding factor, however if this nemesis thing does work out it might be fun. I would enjoy this game if it played out much like the video and commentary claimed. I'm also not one to pick apart everything in an alpha demo video, nor am I going to get up in arms if the dev's borrowed bits from different games (especially ones I happened to like). Time will tell the story of whether or not this game is worth it but I'd definitely be up for it if it worked as well as the video made it seem.

 

[prowll]

I have yet to see a LOTR game that did not need to be put in a burlap bag with a brick and thrown into the river. This looks no different. The only saving grace is it's AC mechanics, and that's not very LOTR, is it?

 

[Jariliima]

In my opinion, it doesn't look like very LOTR-like game and as a setting it seems to be there just to lure fans in, but it might still be a decent game. Whole "dark avenger" style protagonist which this game seems to have doesn't fit into Middle-earth, where good and bad seems often to be quite black and white. But I have seen bigger liberties to be taken.