[Shaddim]

During my down time (broken ankle) I was looking for something to play, and boy oh boy, have I found it. Get on Steam, buy this game, it's by far one of the best Thief-esque combat games I've ever encountered. It easily beats Assassin's Creed (any of them) and Arkham at their own game, which I didn't think it could do. The mission system is great, skill progression is better than I've seen before in anything else, combat has a nearly perfect flow to it, and their Nemesis system, well, I'll just say that it'll flat freak you out. Also, if you are a Tolkien fan, the Silmarillion-driven elements are very compelling (if not 100% true to canon). the down side is the graphics system, but only from the perspective that, you know, you're running around in Mordor, which doesn't exactly have the most beautiful vistas ever imagined in the genre. If you were invading Rivendell the game would be nigh-on perfect. Maybe they'll release something like Middle Earth: Hand of Sauron next, where you play one of the Nazgul.

Seriously though, if you think assassinating and dominating orcs, while playing Game of Thrones with the Dark One, sounds like your cup of brandywine, then this is the game for you.

[P]

I have kept my eye on this for some time, and reviews have been a bit inconsistent, so I'm glad that someone likes it. I'm in the mood for something like this before BE drops, so I might pick it up.

What sort of system are you playing it on?

Edit: for European customers, greenmangaming.com has it for £29, which is almost 25% off of Steam's €49.99 - and it activates on Steam anyway.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by P 

Edit: for European customers, greenmangaming.com has it for £29, which is almost 25% off of Steam's €49.99 - and it activates on Steam anyway.

Coming up as 49.99€ for me P. The season pass is 19.99€

[Shaddim]

It's a Falcon Northwest "Mach V" 5960X system, which coincidentally arrived last week.

[P]

Originally Posted by mattyb 

Coming up as 49.99€ for me P. The season pass is 19.99€

Really? Interesting, I still see the pound price. Must be that it suggests pounds for me being in Europe but outside the Eurozone. Nice to finally have some benefit from that.

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

It's a Falcon Northwest "Mach V" 5960X system, which coincidentally arrived last week.

And I'm guessing you didn't settle for the default Geforce 760 either?

(For those less versed in Intel's naming scheme, the 5960 is an 8 core Haswell-E with 4 channels of DDR4 and enough bandwidth to run a whole stable of GPUs. Essentially the same thing as in a middling Mac Pro, except one generation newer and with some special features disabled)

[Shaddim]

I got SLI Geforce Titan Blacks, I hate upgrading and figured that would last for quite a while. Until recently I was still gaming on crossfire AMD 5970s but they were really starting to show their age, and so was my venerable i7 980X.

Edit: Incidentally, I opted to have them overclock the CPU, just to see what frequency they got, I figured I could always go back to default. Well it arrived running at 4.2GHz on default voltage (factory is 3.5 for turbo), that's not bad. The GPUs were cranked up to 1200MHz, as well. The machine really flies on every game I've thrown at it, even at 4K resolution.

Shadow of Mordor doesn't support SLI yet, but that's coming in the first patch.

[Jawbone54]

Just saw this thread. I'm having a blast with this game.

Another funny story from a SoM player:

Haha just a a hilarious battle with a Captain. He was in low health and was trying to run away but he ran into a campfire and burned himself to death. He came back a few mins later with his face burned and challenged me again lol.

[Rumor]

SoM is sounding more and more awesome. Sadly, I'll have to wait until I get a xBone before purchasing.

[Rumor]

Shadow of Mordor Player Clears Out Sauron's High Command In One Go

[Shaddim]

Watch the first 8 minutes for a non-spoilery review/impression of SoM. I agree with Scott 100% and his thoughts reflect mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2KBbLFyS24

[The Final Dakar]

So I watched a video, it looks pretty good, interesting, and the nemesis thing is very tempting, but the guy kind of intimated that it's pretty much just all killing. And I've gotten to a point where I'm not into shelling out $60 for a shallow (short) experience. So I'll need to be talked into it.

[Stogieman]

I saw Sharp playing it last night. He must have sold Destiny and bought this game. If you and maybe Fatty buy it I'll probably join you since I can't find anyone to play with when it comes to Destiny. Thanks Jawbone.

[The Final Dakar]

This game has no co-op or multi, though, just like AC or Arkham.

[The Final Dakar]

That said, I'm still really tempted to buy it. I was desperate to play something new Sunday, as I've crushed Fez.

[Shaddim]

You can make it all killing, or you can make it mostly stealth, manipulation, and control (far more fun for me). Some captains and warlords will just kick your ass if you run swinging. My dude hasn't died yet and I'm ~2/3rds of the way through the main campaign.

"Where are my guards, my henchmen?!"
"They're all gone, Gorgol, and your captain is mine... I can smell your fear."

[The Final Dakar]

What I'm saying is I got the impression there's no complex aspects like Arkham Asylum.

The nemesis feature might be enough to sell me anyway. I need to watch a few more videos on it.

[P]

So I bought it, and after an interminable download, actually got to play it. It's pretty and it runs well. Gameplay is extremely similar to the Arkham games - massive free flowing battles, climbing and hiding in the shadows for kills from hidden positions, and collectibles everywhere.

Seems to take some liberties with the Tolkien lore, but not too badly - except for the orcs. Some of them are green. Games workshop made them green and Blozzard copied that, but they are in no way related to the orcs of Tolkien. Orcs are black, and one could conceivably have an albino here and there, but they are not green.

[The Final Dakar]

One thing I noticed in the videos is the parkour system seems set-up for impatient people. In Assassin's Creed it can get a little tiring when you're trying to climb something and you constantly have to the shift to left or shift to right before you can continue climbing. In this it seems the characters just constantly jumping to the next handhold, speeding up the process.

Also, in AC getting to the ground quickly only works at places where there are bales of hay to swan dive into, whereas here you do the swan dive and go ghost, meaning you can do it anywhere.

It's not a criticism, per se, but watching the game rather than playing it, it definitely stands out as less smooth or natural.

[Shaddim]

You have the powers of an ancient elven badass, it fits when you look at it in context.

I think you're looking for a lot of reasons to avoid it, so it probably isn't for you.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You have the powers of an ancient elven badass, it fits when you look at it in context.

The latter swan dive yes. I don't think it impacts his constant upward leaps.

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I think you're looking for a lot of reasons to avoid it, so it probably isn't for you.

No, the parkour system has zero impact on my intent to purchase. I just found it an interesting contrast compared to assassin's creed. Basically, they took something that could be slow and tedious and sped it up as much as possible. In AC the parkour system tends to be a challenge and sometimes a puzzle. In this its more a necessary evil for getting to places you need to be; Hence, the speed up.

[P]

It's not a massive difference in practice, but yes, the SoM system flows faster than AC. It shows up mostly by not having to find a spot to climb up, like you sometimes had to do in AC, since he seems to be able to scramble up just about any wall (that is not the edge of the map). So far I'm enjoying myself a lot more than in AC. AC always had some of these set pieces where you have to play the game in a certain way (usually stealth walk along a certain path) which always annoyed me, and SoM makes them optional. And you lose the stupid framework story. In AC2 and its sequels, the environment was more interesting, but SoM is about on a par with AC3 (if less varied, at least so far). Never bothered with AC4.

If anything, SoM is closer to the other AC - Arkham City - minus the floating over the city and the Riddler challenges. That's not a bad game to emulate. I hope it's a success so we get a sequel, because I'd love to see what they could do with a more varied environment than muddy Mordor.

[Jawbone54]

I was never super impressed with Assassin's Creed, but loved the Arkham games. I'm guessing my Batman bias probably played into my feelings, and my fandom for LotR takes Shadow of Morodor to a whole new level for me, but I think the actual combat itself stands out above the Arkham and AC games. Where Arkham stands out is its array of gadgets.

Today I accepted a mission to take out a Warchief in a particular stronghold. Because of the sheer number of enemies (and the appearance of three other captains within the stronghold), it has taken me over 45 minutes to lead enemies into fire ambushes, scramble my way to healing herbs, climb for more Elf-shot, get a few hits in, and hopefully stealth-kill a few orcs to get their numbers down.

I enjoyed the actual combat significantly more than anything I experienced in the Arkham games. It didn't feel tedious in the slightest — at least not for me.

Arkham Asylum had a better environment and storyline, but with SoM, I feel more in control of the combat.

[The Final Dakar]

I never was a fan of Batman's combat. People said their was a rhythm to it, one which I never found, so inevitably never scored high chains.

[Shaddim]

You just need to practice your blocking.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You just need to practice your blocking.

That wasn't it

[P]

The point about the Batman fights is that all the hard ones have people shooting at you. While some orcs can pull out a bow in SoM, it is less frequent (so far), and one arrow does less damage than being sprayed with an assault rifle. You can get away with ignoring them for a long time - especially if you can pull off a dodge move at the warning a few times.

I also think that SoM is a little more forgiving of other things, as long as you're quick on the blocking. I managed a chain of 135 or something like that in my first few hours of SoM, and I barely got past 20 in any of the Batman games.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by P 

I also think that SoM is a little more forgiving of other things, as long as you're quick on the blocking. I managed a chain of 135 or something like that in my first few hours of SoM, and I barely got past 20 in any of the Batman games.

It definitely looked easier in the videos I watched. The comparison is probably off, but because of the sword, it reminded me more of Dynasty Warriors.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by P 

The point about the Batman fights is that all the hard ones have people shooting at you. While some orcs can pull out a bow in SoM, it is less frequent (so far), and one arrow does less damage than being sprayed with an assault rifle. You can get away with ignoring them for a long time - especially if you can pull off a dodge move at the warning a few times.

Exactly. The battles in Arkham felt cheap at times, while in SoM, it's usually my fault when things go south.

I also think that SoM is a little more forgiving of other things, as long as you're quick on the blocking. I managed a chain of 135 or something like that in my first few hours of SoM, and I barely got past 20 in any of the Batman games.

Ditto.

I haven't hit 135, or even 100, but I quickly eclipsed my highest combos in Arkham.

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

The comparison is probably off, but because of the sword, it reminded me more of Dynasty Warriors.

As far as sheer number of enemies...maybe. But not as far as difficulty is concerned. It's not quite so arcade-like, if that term makes sense in this context.

The game never feels cheap. I've died four times so far, and each was due to regrettable decision marking. Each death made me sneak a bit more, run away when the situation looked dire, and plan better for each attack.

SoM isn't perfect. As P already mentioned, I wish the environments weren't so...Mordor-ish (though I haven't reached the second area yet). Aiming the bow isn't quite as fluid as I'd like for minute adjustments. I'm also realizing how essential hobbits are to any LotR story. But it's definitely better than any comparable game I've played on PS4 so far.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

As far as sheer number of enemies...maybe. But not as far as difficulty is concerned. It's not quite so arcade-like, if that term makes sense in this context.

It's perfect sense. That was what I was grasping at when I was saying the comparison was completely apt. But it too had captains and higher level bosses and such, and it was the typical ring of fighters around you hack n slash.

To be honest when I made the comparison in my mind this weekend I almost jumped on board for that alone.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

You just need to practice your blocking SMASH BUTTONS.

Fixed.

[P]

I'm at the stage where you have to kill Warchiefs, and they all just call in a million other Uruks, eventually overwhelming me. You also have to do the "last chance" move to kill the one I'm on now (and probably all), and that sort of thing is not my strong point.

This is the only real complaint I have so far. It's usually quite easy, and then it goes to something like this where it is really a grind.

[The Final Dakar]

Alright, I ordered it. I need something else to play, Far Cry and GTA aren't for over a month yet, and Driveclub is in limbo, and that's ignoring the middling reviews and limited PS+ content. Not expecting the price on this to drop anytime soon, so I'm jumping in.

[Jawbone54]

Attaboy.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Attaboy.

I can't wait to avenge your deaths.

[The Final Dakar]

Nobody Knows How To Permanently Kill Shadow of Mordor's Orcs

huh.

[P]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Nobody Knows How To Permanently Kill Shadow of Mordor's Orcs

huh.

To summarize: Orc Captains sometimes come back after you kill them, because they're tough. If you decapitate them (reduce their power to green, build the hit streak up to eight and hit them with the Execution move) they're not supposed to come back. Sometimes they do anyway. OK, so that's a bug, but it is only cosmetic. If it didn't happen, you'd get a different Orc Captain in that situation.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I can't wait to avenge your deaths.

Hope you're prepared to be busy.

[P]

The bendy educational thing is definitely bumpy - it started off very easy, then I got stuck trying to kill the Warchiefs in the first area, but as soon as I figured that out, it was rather easy again.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by P 

The bendy educational thing is definitely bumpy - it started off very easy, then I got stuck trying to kill the Warchiefs in the first area, but as soon as I figured that out, it was rather easy again.

In my experience, it definitely becomes easier, but it seems that if I let my concentration lapse, I am always at risk to die unexpectedly. So I feel like it's rewarding skill and concentration instead of punishing me mercilessly.

...or maybe I just suck at video games.

[P]

You can get overwhelmed - in particular if there is a high level captain just happening by when you're in a tough fight, but since dying doesn't really have a cost, it doesn't matter.

Also, the story doesn't make sense at all - unless the ending is that they're all in purgatory and normal timeflow has been suspended or something. It happens after The Hobbit, yet Gondor still keeps a watch on the entrance to Mordor - in the actual chronology, they stopped doing that a millennium earlier. The three black captains of Sauron appear to be Numenorans, who should all be dead unless they're Ringwraiths. Which I suspect that they are, because three of the Ringwraiths were Numenoran, but they should be much more wraithy at the time of the Hobbit.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by P 

Seems to take some liberties with the Tolkien lore, but not too badly - except for the orcs. Some of them are green. Games workshop made them green and Blozzard copied that, but they are in no way related to the orcs of Tolkien. Orcs are black, and one could conceivably have an albino here and there, but they are not green.

Originally Posted by P 

Also, the story doesn't make sense at all - unless the ending is that they're all in purgatory and normal timeflow has been suspended or something. It happens after The Hobbit, yet Gondor still keeps a watch on the entrance to Mordor - in the actual chronology, they stopped doing that a millennium earlier. The three black captains of Sauron appear to be Numenorans, who should all be dead unless they're Ringwraiths. Which I suspect that they are, because three of the Ringwraiths were Numenoran, but they should be much more wraithy at the time of the Hobbit.

So this is what it feels like to not give a shit about a universe's lore. This feels awesome.

[P]

I'm sure. I'm far from a superfan though - I have struggled through Silmarillion once, even if I've read the main series books several times. Haven't even touched the other books. If you look around, there are many who are absolutely crazy about the game going against the tone of the books. I'm totally fine with that part.

The one big discrepancy that bugs me is that the prologue takes place in a Gondor fortress at the Black Gate, at least 1300 years out of time even if I'm generous with the interpretations. It just seems so pointless - they could easily have put Talion and his family in some other unspecified ranger stronghold, or outlying town or whatever.

[P]

So, Game Over. I don't have 100%, mainly because those special weapons missions (build the legend of) are exactly what I don't like in games like this, but I did most things, and I clocked in just over 20 hours. Not too shabby.

The story is really bad and the ending doesn't help. Honestly wish I had just skipped it. I'm no writer, but I really think I could have come up with something better - even knowing about the restrictions they work under (they don't have a license for Silmarillion, so all the background Intel they can draw on are what's in the appendices in Return of the King.).

The final battles were also much too easy. It doesn't have to be Nintendo-hard, but they were easier than many of the randomly generated battles, and that's just wrong.

[The Final Dakar]

Got this today. First encounter with orcs, one zipline away from the tower, get noticed, hide in bushes, get sniffed out by what turns out to be a Captain. Great. Star beating on him as orcs come to his call, run into second captain. Then a third. And a fourth. I could have killed the first one, but this was too much and I died.

Later on when I was exploring I tagged a captain in wraith-vision. He seemed to sense me so I booked it out of the area and ran for a tower. He followed. All the way to the base of the tower where ****er camped me and would not leave. That is some bastard AI.

[Jawbone54]

It becomes easier to escape from impossible situations with the Elven Swiftness perk (or something like that).

Also, don't worry. I'll avenge you.

[The Final Dakar]

I think you've got three or four to do. Some chump got a promotion to captain.

Also, how do they show up on the map? I don't see any. If they require you to get so far the game can suck my nuts.

[The Final Dakar]

In typical Dakar fashion I already have all the tier 1 skills without being near to unlocking tier 2.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I think you've got three or four to do. Some chump got a promotion to captain.

Also, how do they show up on the map? I don't see any. If they require you to get so far the game can suck my nuts.

The captains? I don't believe they show up on the map. You can discover their region by interrogating an orc, but you can't locate/target them except in Wraith mode.

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

In typical Dakar fashion I already have all the tier 1 skills without being near to unlocking tier 2.

I think that's a result of the game structure. Same thing for me.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

The captains?

The revenge quests.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

The revenge quests.

I've only seen one pop up, but I think it was whenever I was within close proximity.