Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
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Soldato
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I've just got 100% on this, all 1000 achievements as well. I love it. Rarely does a game make me want to complete it to this level. My only other 1000/1000 game I'm ashamed to say is Avatar on the 360 (I rented it for the gamerscore!).
Brilliant game, but the Outcast missions or whatever they're called was a bit of a grind at the end.
I got used to it in the end but when I first started playing I found the FOV quite annoying.
FOV isn't something exclusive to PC games, it's just the amount of observable world there is. In the case of SoM it always felt a bit low, like the camera was too close to the character and you couldn't see enough around you.
Brilliant game, but the Outcast missions or whatever they're called was a bit of a grind at the end.
I got used to it in the end but when I first started playing I found the FOV quite annoying.
wrong sectionPC maybe?
FOV isn't something exclusive to PC games, it's just the amount of observable world there is. In the case of SoM it always felt a bit low, like the camera was too close to the character and you couldn't see enough around you.
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Soldato
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I agree with the FOV, While it is heading slightly on the lower side it ends up not being a issue at all. You just find yourself naturally altering the camera more
Richdog's review of Shadow of Mordor after a couple of weeks...
Phew, really, how freaking awesome is this game? I'll be honest, to begin with I found the difficulty curve in Udûn pretty damn steep, and had an issue where I was very slow to learn critical moves which make the game easier, but now after my (pretty long, heh) adjustment period I am really, really finding this game hugely entertaining.
The Nemesis system is really a simple yet phenomenally involving concept which has meant that I have literally had a ton of gaming moments that have not only felt unique, but also weirdly personal. There was one boss, Rug Oathbreaker, who eventually got to Level 20 and I swear to christ he was the bane of my ******* life. He killed me about 8x due to always being surrounded by a horde, always winning duels etc, and being immune to almost everything except flipping over him, and he could kill a caragor in about two seconds. I killed him once but not with a combat finisher, only a standard sword swipe, which meant he came back for more later. I even got him down to minimal health once and thought "Right mofo, I am going to brand you brand you and you will spend the rest of your life as my unwilling meat-puppet", but no... I branded him, it told me he had been dominated, but then a short time later he reverses the brand and appears normal again. I finally killed him last night thanks to being able to brand some archers in a nearby fort ruin, and then drawing him out to that area, and picked off each horde that he summoned from a distance, before moving in and finally finishing him off. It really was one of those punch the air gaming moments that I cannot remember the last time I had. This is in addition to several others, made so muhc more fun by the fact that Captains seem to remember very cool little details, and even exhibit very specific wounding or scarring depending on the outcome of the last fight. it really hasn't yet got repetitive, it is slick and very, very cool.
What has really made it for me now is the Branding and Death Threats... I ******* love going around branding Orcs, and having them then go back to their normal business and then later seeing them all dotted around the gameworld to be called upon when the need arises. I have a few branded captains in the second map area (I'll come to that in a sec) and it's damn satisfying seeing them work their way up the ranks. My mission is to now target low-rank captains in all areas that are vulnerable to stealth, and pick off their opponents to get them to the upper tiers of Mordor heirarchy.
So yeah, the second map area, Núrnen. Not only is it notably prettier, open, and more free-roaming than before, but it's also a little more forgiving as a result. I know part of that is probably due to the Captains being currently a little less badass than in Udûn (where I spent a lot of time), but I find it a more pleasant environment to be in, more relaxed and in keeping with the second phase of the game, after the more gruelling trials of the first. I feel like I can now go around infiltrating and building up my traitor army with a little more freedom, and yet can switch back to Udûn at will, and this is pleasing me greatly.
I bought a new TV the other week too and after calibration the graphics seem pretty damn good too, much clearer than they were with my old TV (which was clearly not ideally calibrated, despite me thinking it was). Everything is much sharper and clearer now, much more contrasty and punchy, and when I enable Motion Plus (Samsung) it gives a kind of anti-aliasing effect which really was surprising.
All in all I am absolutely loving this game, there is tons to do and it really feels like the world is unique to me, and I love the random unscripted moments that happen where there is a great mix of "wtf, nooo" and "wtf yes, haha" moments liberally sprinkled everywhere.
As for the people I saw complaining about the story and authenticity, come on... really? No, it's not written by Tolkien, but this game feels like I AM in Middle Earth and my supension of disbelief is suitably complete. The main story may not be super detailed, but it is very well done, the voice acting and atmosphere fantastic from both the protagonists and antagonists (down the the perfectly cockney-esque Orc voices and lines), it has a real air of gravitas and I really feel like this could be another plot in Middle Earth. In fact, I would say it is almost better for not having too much extended detail, as the high-quality parts that it has, in combination with the artifacts and lore, and the comments and insight from Talion and Celebrimbor along the way with each clue they find, just add up to a deeply intriguing continuous theme.
The game models are also done to near-perfection, Orcs really feel like Orcs, and everything just looks like it should. It's clearly a labour of love from people who DO respect and understand the source material, regardless of whether you personally agree with the new storyline or not, and lets face it give them a break, they have done very well here in creating something new and believable that feels different from the movies.
My only annoyances have been the control system, which was initially frustrating, especially when Talion just gets stuck somewhere or doesn't do what you want him to do, but is now workable and I know how to (mostly) avoid it.
I'm still only 60% through the main plot but have found all the Artifacts and Ithildin, and am now working my way through the side quests, so I still have a fair few hours to go and am going to wring every drop of enjoyment from it before I move on to something else.
Solid 8.5/10 from me, and I hope to hell and back that they really expand on this series.
Phew, really, how freaking awesome is this game? I'll be honest, to begin with I found the difficulty curve in Udûn pretty damn steep, and had an issue where I was very slow to learn critical moves which make the game easier, but now after my (pretty long, heh) adjustment period I am really, really finding this game hugely entertaining.
The Nemesis system is really a simple yet phenomenally involving concept which has meant that I have literally had a ton of gaming moments that have not only felt unique, but also weirdly personal. There was one boss, Rug Oathbreaker, who eventually got to Level 20 and I swear to christ he was the bane of my ******* life. He killed me about 8x due to always being surrounded by a horde, always winning duels etc, and being immune to almost everything except flipping over him, and he could kill a caragor in about two seconds. I killed him once but not with a combat finisher, only a standard sword swipe, which meant he came back for more later. I even got him down to minimal health once and thought "Right mofo, I am going to brand you brand you and you will spend the rest of your life as my unwilling meat-puppet", but no... I branded him, it told me he had been dominated, but then a short time later he reverses the brand and appears normal again. I finally killed him last night thanks to being able to brand some archers in a nearby fort ruin, and then drawing him out to that area, and picked off each horde that he summoned from a distance, before moving in and finally finishing him off. It really was one of those punch the air gaming moments that I cannot remember the last time I had. This is in addition to several others, made so muhc more fun by the fact that Captains seem to remember very cool little details, and even exhibit very specific wounding or scarring depending on the outcome of the last fight. it really hasn't yet got repetitive, it is slick and very, very cool.
What has really made it for me now is the Branding and Death Threats... I ******* love going around branding Orcs, and having them then go back to their normal business and then later seeing them all dotted around the gameworld to be called upon when the need arises. I have a few branded captains in the second map area (I'll come to that in a sec) and it's damn satisfying seeing them work their way up the ranks. My mission is to now target low-rank captains in all areas that are vulnerable to stealth, and pick off their opponents to get them to the upper tiers of Mordor heirarchy.
So yeah, the second map area, Núrnen. Not only is it notably prettier, open, and more free-roaming than before, but it's also a little more forgiving as a result. I know part of that is probably due to the Captains being currently a little less badass than in Udûn (where I spent a lot of time), but I find it a more pleasant environment to be in, more relaxed and in keeping with the second phase of the game, after the more gruelling trials of the first. I feel like I can now go around infiltrating and building up my traitor army with a little more freedom, and yet can switch back to Udûn at will, and this is pleasing me greatly.
I bought a new TV the other week too and after calibration the graphics seem pretty damn good too, much clearer than they were with my old TV (which was clearly not ideally calibrated, despite me thinking it was). Everything is much sharper and clearer now, much more contrasty and punchy, and when I enable Motion Plus (Samsung) it gives a kind of anti-aliasing effect which really was surprising.
All in all I am absolutely loving this game, there is tons to do and it really feels like the world is unique to me, and I love the random unscripted moments that happen where there is a great mix of "wtf, nooo" and "wtf yes, haha" moments liberally sprinkled everywhere.
As for the people I saw complaining about the story and authenticity, come on... really? No, it's not written by Tolkien, but this game feels like I AM in Middle Earth and my supension of disbelief is suitably complete. The main story may not be super detailed, but it is very well done, the voice acting and atmosphere fantastic from both the protagonists and antagonists (down the the perfectly cockney-esque Orc voices and lines), it has a real air of gravitas and I really feel like this could be another plot in Middle Earth. In fact, I would say it is almost better for not having too much extended detail, as the high-quality parts that it has, in combination with the artifacts and lore, and the comments and insight from Talion and Celebrimbor along the way with each clue they find, just add up to a deeply intriguing continuous theme.
The game models are also done to near-perfection, Orcs really feel like Orcs, and everything just looks like it should. It's clearly a labour of love from people who DO respect and understand the source material, regardless of whether you personally agree with the new storyline or not, and lets face it give them a break, they have done very well here in creating something new and believable that feels different from the movies.
My only annoyances have been the control system, which was initially frustrating, especially when Talion just gets stuck somewhere or doesn't do what you want him to do, but is now workable and I know how to (mostly) avoid it.
I'm still only 60% through the main plot but have found all the Artifacts and Ithildin, and am now working my way through the side quests, so I still have a fair few hours to go and am going to wring every drop of enjoyment from it before I move on to something else.
Solid 8.5/10 from me, and I hope to hell and back that they really expand on this series.
I have finished the main story and now cleaning up the trophies, its one of those games where trophies really help you to continue playing after the main game is done as its additional aims to login and go for and doesn't feel like grinding at all, generally the only platinums I have are from games where I really enjoy playing for the fun of it, if it ever starts to feel like a chore, then I stop and trade it in.
Enjoyed this from start to finish, had paid zero attention to this on the run up to release so has been a real surprise, I did kind of find it easy, I literally did not die until I forgot to pause the game when answering the front door, but lopping off orc heads is so satisfying the difficulty can be ignored.
Enjoyed this from start to finish, had paid zero attention to this on the run up to release so has been a real surprise, I did kind of find it easy, I literally did not die until I forgot to pause the game when answering the front door, but lopping off orc heads is so satisfying the difficulty can be ignored.
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Associate
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Much the same thoughts really, finding it a little too easy, I've yet to encounter a captain that gives me too much grief and only died one or two times through the entire game and I'm very near the end. I've done pretty much all the side quests and missions, the only ons I found a bit of a drag were the free the slave ones, surely they could have had a few different variations like a slave uprising/pitched battle style. That being said I've loved the game overall and sunk almost 30 hours into it now.
Soldato
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All you have to do with captains is the flurry attack over and over again, it is a bit easy.
Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Jan 2004
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- 23,946
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Richdog's review of Shadow of Mordor after a couple of weeks...
Phew, really, how freaking awesome is this game? I'll be honest, to begin with I found the difficulty curve in Udûn pretty damn steep, and had an issue where I was very slow to learn critical moves which make the game easier, but now after my (pretty long, heh) adjustment period I am really, really finding this game hugely entertaining.
The Nemesis system is really a simple yet phenomenally involving concept which has meant that I have literally had a ton of gaming moments that have not only felt unique, but also weirdly personal. There was one boss, Rug Oathbreaker, who eventually got to Level 20 and I swear to christ he was the bane of my ******* life. He killed me about 8x due to always being surrounded by a horde, always winning duels etc, and being immune to almost everything except flipping over him, and he could kill a caragor in about two seconds. I killed him once but not with a combat finisher, only a standard sword swipe, which meant he came back for more later. I even got him down to minimal health once and thought "Right mofo, I am going to brand you brand you and you will spend the rest of your life as my unwilling meat-puppet", but no... I branded him, it told me he had been dominated, but then a short time later he reverses the brand and appears normal again. I finally killed him last night thanks to being able to brand some archers in a nearby fort ruin, and then drawing him out to that area, and picked off each horde that he summoned from a distance, before moving in and finally finishing him off. It really was one of those punch the air gaming moments that I cannot remember the last time I had. This is in addition to several others, made so muhc more fun by the fact that Captains seem to remember very cool little details, and even exhibit very specific wounding or scarring depending on the outcome of the last fight. it really hasn't yet got repetitive, it is slick and very, very cool.
What has really made it for me now is the Branding and Death Threats... I ******* love going around branding Orcs, and having them then go back to their normal business and then later seeing them all dotted around the gameworld to be called upon when the need arises. I have a few branded captains in the second map area (I'll come to that in a sec) and it's damn satisfying seeing them work their way up the ranks. My mission is to now target low-rank captains in all areas that are vulnerable to stealth, and pick off their opponents to get them to the upper tiers of Mordor heirarchy.
So yeah, the second map area, Núrnen. Not only is it notably prettier, open, and more free-roaming than before, but it's also a little more forgiving as a result. I know part of that is probably due to the Captains being currently a little less badass than in Udûn (where I spent a lot of time), but I find it a more pleasant environment to be in, more relaxed and in keeping with the second phase of the game, after the more gruelling trials of the first. I feel like I can now go around infiltrating and building up my traitor army with a little more freedom, and yet can switch back to Udûn at will, and this is pleasing me greatly.
I bought a new TV the other week too and after calibration the graphics seem pretty damn good too, much clearer than they were with my old TV (which was clearly not ideally calibrated, despite me thinking it was). Everything is much sharper and clearer now, much more contrasty and punchy, and when I enable Motion Plus (Samsung) it gives a kind of anti-aliasing effect which really was surprising.
All in all I am absolutely loving this game, there is tons to do and it really feels like the world is unique to me, and I love the random unscripted moments that happen where there is a great mix of "wtf, nooo" and "wtf yes, haha" moments liberally sprinkled everywhere.
As for the people I saw complaining about the story and authenticity, come on... really? No, it's not written by Tolkien, but this game feels like I AM in Middle Earth and my supension of disbelief is suitably complete. The main story may not be super detailed, but it is very well done, the voice acting and atmosphere fantastic from both the protagonists and antagonists (down the the perfectly cockney-esque Orc voices and lines), it has a real air of gravitas and I really feel like this could be another plot in Middle Earth. In fact, I would say it is almost better for not having too much extended detail, as the high-quality parts that it has, in combination with the artifacts and lore, and the comments and insight from Talion and Celebrimbor along the way with each clue they find, just add up to a deeply intriguing continuous theme.
The game models are also done to near-perfection, Orcs really feel like Orcs, and everything just looks like it should. It's clearly a labour of love from people who DO respect and understand the source material, regardless of whether you personally agree with the new storyline or not, and lets face it give them a break, they have done very well here in creating something new and believable that feels different from the movies.
My only annoyances have been the control system, which was initially frustrating, especially when Talion just gets stuck somewhere or doesn't do what you want him to do, but is now workable and I know how to (mostly) avoid it.
I'm still only 60% through the main plot but have found all the Artifacts and Ithildin, and am now working my way through the side quests, so I still have a fair few hours to go and am going to wring every drop of enjoyment from it before I move on to something else.
Solid 8.5/10 from me, and I hope to hell and back that they really expand on this series.
Great review, and I agree with the score.
Your comments about getting a new TV has really made me want one. I'm using a 6-8 year old 720p, 32" LCD, and it's fine, but I can't help but feel it would look so much better on a newer TV, but I can't afford one
Great review, and I agree with the score.
Your comments about getting a new TV has really made me want one. I'm using a 6-8 year old 720p, 32" LCD, and it's fine, but I can't help but feel it would look so much better on a newer TV, but I can't afford one
Yeah dude, you need a 50" 1080p to get the best out of a PS4 imo.
Maybe keep an eye out for a good deal on a used Samsung SmartTV? Otherwise 0% finance is easier to spread the cost, and freely available in the UK if you can deal with the monthly payments.
Soldato
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Yeah dude, you need a 50" 1080p to get the best out of a PS4 imo.
Maybe keep an eye out for a good deal on a used Samsung SmartTV? Otherwise 0% finance is easier to spread the cost, and freely available in the UK if you can deal with the monthly payments.
A 40" is all I'd need I think, but yeah a cheap Samsung 1080p one would probably do the job, or one of the low end Sony models.
Caporegime
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Started playing this a few days ago and it's basically just a poor imitation of Batman. Really don't understand the love for it.
Haha I discovered this video from Angry Joe last night... it's kind of exactly the same issues I had, barring the branding:
Hilarious, really worth a watch to see his reactions throughout the video as he gets killed again and again before finally defeating Olgoth.
Hilarious, really worth a watch to see his reactions throughout the video as he gets killed again and again before finally defeating Olgoth.
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Caporegime
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Finished this earlier and have to say it's one of the most unsatisfying games I've ever played. There's barely any story, they stole the most mind numbingly boring bits from Assassin's Creed and jumbled it up with the fight system from Batman which didn't suit the game or the character one bit. Complete and utter shambles of a game.
Caporegime
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Crossfire seems to be fixed now, can run ultra with my 7990 perfectly