Shadow of Mordor 2 Shadow of war

[Sheo_Dagana]

Gotta say, I was pretty bored with SoM as well. I dunno why. It's definitely sequel-worthy, since there was enough there that you wanna think they'd be able to crack the code with one more try. Kind of like what Assassin's Creed II. Not super pumped about the story, though. Sounds dull.

Still up for playing a sequel, but I'll definitely be waiting on price drops.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

The nemesis system is cool in theory, but I never really used it because by the time they introduced the cool stuff like sleeper agents I was so strong I didn't need/want to bother with any of it when it was easier to just wade into a camp and slaughter the orcs myself.

This is very true. I'm not that good at these sorts of games, but even I was cleaving through hordes (or escaping easily to pick them off from a distance with the bow and mind control). That said, I did still enjoy the later fights when they would pile in several captains of significant skill, and I'd have to work out the weaknesses of each and how to exploit them all at the same time.

Hopefully they pull a Banjo-Tooie and give us all the powers up front, letting us experiment and play with the full suite of ghost abilities while the flesh character actually still needs the help.

 

[Zhukov]

Yeah. Ugh.

I guess they're going with Talion again. God that guy is dull. Like, Adam Jensen and Geralt levels of dull.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

Those are some pretty impressive cinematics, but they make you wonder how a single warrior is going to fit into all that chaos.

 

[DemomanHusband]

Yeah. Ugh.

I guess they're going with Talion again. God that guy is dull. Like, Adam Jensen and Geralt levels of dull.

I thought the same thing, though I find him even blander than Jensen and Geralt. Disappointing that the alternate characters are part of the expansion. Probably mute skins again.

Well, given the fact that demand for the sequel was strangely high, I think some more effort might be thrown into the second game. We might even get weirdly compressed voice clips for the skins that are poorly timed to actions!

Also, I definitely agree that Talion was bland as fuck in the first game, but something about the trailer for the second game makes me feel like he might actually have motivation this time around. I mean, Celebrimbor is basically his bro4unlife, so he'd have good reason to keep him around. Since the elf ghost of Senator Armstrong is already undead, it's not like he'd be an absent motivational character like Talion's family.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

The standout of SoM was the Nemesis mechanic. I'd really like to see that fleshed out more, and was really hoping more game devs could latch onto the idea and run with it... but so far not a whole lot has come from it, which saddens me.

I am disappointed we haven't seen much of it too. It's not that hard of a system and SoM didn't even use it all that well. Imagine the system in a game like dark souls, or armored core. Something where are are a lot more dials and switches you can flip to make enemies different.

Really was a great idea that put in a better game, and properly modified/developed, could really make a game's AI seem more reactive. I imagine Dark Souls + Nemesis would be hell on players, having small bands of mobs led by a "captain" mob that every time you reset at a bonfire "remembers" your tactics from before and adjusts accordingly. Oh my... yes, git gud would take on a whole new meaning.

I was thinking more invaders that level up when they kill you increasing their stats and equipping new weapons. Yo don't have to mess with the AI or anything, just use the already existing sets.

I waffled back and forth on this, but this would also work well for a batman game. The focus would be less on the person but more on the gang. The big reason this would work is that the villains would have a lot to do all by themselves. They could commit crimes to build power and prestige and even gain powers related to their crimes. If they pull off a heists for guns, then from now on they have weapons when you try and fight them.

 

[MHR]

I absolutely LOVED the first one. I sometimes boot it up to just go around killing uruk in creative ways and see what kind of voice lines I can coax out of the orcs, since they're so detailed. There's so much character to these characters that I often hear lines I've never heard before even after many days of play.

3 criticisms for the first game that I want to see addressed in the second one, though.

- The entire gameplay loop was just focused around killing orcs in a sandbox, so it could get repetitive fast. Even all the structured missions just attached a few cutscenes to objectives centered around killing orcs in the same space as free-roam play. It was like a circus act that only consisted of clowns juggling. The clowns juggled very very well, and it was very much worth the money just to see this incredibly clown juggling, but... it's still just one act.

- Map was too small, and still sometimes managed to not have interesting spaces in it. It had lots of Ubisoft towers and collectibles to grab, but the entire game was based in a space like Central Park with orcs and monstrous caragor beasts instead of dogs. Some parts were more populated, but there were still orcs crawling over every little bit of mordor. I want to see a bigger map next time with more shit to do in it.

- It was way too pissin' easy. Generally when you progress through a game, levels are supposed to ramp up in difficulty. As Talion gained experience and overpowered abilities, the game becomes easier and easier.

 

[sageoftruth]

I'm with everyone else. Still, I'm very hopeful. The first game had a lot of potential and even though I had a good time with it, I felt that it could've be so much better than it was. I think the game needs to be harder. It gave you plenty of options and ways to tackle things, and it had the neat "Exploit your enemies's weaknesses" mechanic. However, most of the time everything felt optional. I could use these tricks, but I could also just run right in, lop of his head and be done with it, unless he was a level 20 powerhouse.

This may just be my personal distaste for open-world, but I think this game would be a lot better if it was less open-world. Put some shackles on me so I feel more like I have to make use of the options available to me. I think it should still be open, but less like Skyrim and more like Hitman. Smaller areas can be more meticulously crafted.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing about the new things they do with this sequel.

 

[sageoftruth]

This may just be my personal distaste for open-world, but I think this game would be a lot better if it was less open-world. Put some shackles on me so I feel more like I have to make use of the options available to me. I think it should still be open, but less like Skyrim and more like Hitman. Smaller areas can be more meticulously crafted.

As shallow as the game is, I thought the open world action was the best thing about it. I liked the game most when it was pure mayhem.

True, randomness did add to the game at points, like when orc captains kept showing up and overwhelming me.

Overall, I'd just like all my abilities to feel more necessary, rather than something done solely for bragging rights. I'd figured a more confined level design would force the player to adapt his play-style based on what worked best.

I'm kind of lost on how we could have both at once. If I had to choose, I would end up settling for the more structured level design.

 

[TheFinish]

Well that's something I never thought I'd see. SoM was pretty fun overall, but the story itself was "bleh" at best (to the point where I found the DLC stories way more enjoyable) and while it did leave itself an open door for a sequel, I never thought it'd get one.

So.....nice surprise, I guess? Will have to wait and see how it turns out.

 

[Erttheking]

Yeah. Ugh.

I guess they're going with Talion again. God that guy is dull. Like, Adam Jensen and Geralt levels of dull.

Ugh. Seriously. The whole thing he had going for him was "revenge" but...he already killed everyone who was involved with his family's murder. He even beat the shit out of Sauron. What the fuck does he have going for him now? Honestly, I feel like the Wraith would be a more interesting character, considering he was the one who forged the original Rings of Power and he's making ANOTHER one. Seriously, that's a damn interesting plot lead right there, and it's stuck to Talion.

On a side note though...is that a Balrog? We get to fight Balrogs? And Nazgul? Well...I asked for boss fights that don't suck. Fingers crossed.

 

[MHR]

It doesn't help that the DLC never goes on sale. I adore the game and I'm not paying 10 bucks just to kill orcs in a sandbox like I'd been doing all along.

 

[TheFinish]

SoM was pretty fun overall, but the story itself was "bleh" at best (to the point where I found the DLC stories way more enjoyable)

I considered getting the DLC, but the impression I got from other people is that it's a waste of money. This makes me reconsider.

Do keep in mind I found them more enjoyable primarily because they used the DLC mechanics (I mean, who doesn't want to ride around on a troll killing and eating people. Or being Ghosty McElfGhost before he was a ghost, which means he's super OP?) and not because the story was any kind of groundbreaking artistic milestone.

 

[Erttheking]

SoM was pretty fun overall, but the story itself was "bleh" at best (to the point where I found the DLC stories way more enjoyable)

I considered getting the DLC, but the impression I got from other people is that it's a waste of money. This makes me reconsider.

All you need to know is that you get an actual proper boss fight against Sauron.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

It doesn't help that the DLC never goes on sale. I adore the game and I'm not paying 10 bucks just to kill orcs in a sandbox like I'd been doing all along.

You can find this game and all of its DLC for like $5 all the time. It goes on sale every seasonal sale across the key sites and sometimes for no reason.

 

[go-10]

I liked the first game well enough, to me it felt like the improved and natural progression that Ass Creed should have taken. So I'm cautiously optimistic for this game, I'll keep a close eye on it and if reviews are good I'll get it.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Shadow of Mordor 2: More Shadow of Mordor.

That nemesis system needs a fresher home. Tolkien-esque fantasy has been done up the wazzoo in the gaming medium. But with freedom of movement still given. Mad Max or Batman would've been great with it in, plus as WB being the same publisher, it shouldn't be too much trouble getting permission, surely?

 

[MHR]

Shadow of Mordor 2: More Shadow of Mordor.

That nemesis system needs a fresher home. Tolkien-esque fantasy has been done up the wazzoo in the gaming medium. But with freedom of movement still given. Mad Max or Batman would've been great with it in, plus as WB being the same publisher, it shouldn't be too much trouble getting permission, surely?

Why would they do that? If they wanted to make it like Batman they would put out another Arkham City. Oh wait, they do.

For that matter, how would they even do the nemesis system or branding in Batman? How many times are going to beat up the Joker, make sure he's good and thrashed before you let him go, and then beat him up again later that evening because he's still being bad but thought of a way to stop you from jumping over him?

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Shadow of Mordor 2: More Shadow of Mordor.

That nemesis system needs a fresher home. Tolkien-esque fantasy has been done up the wazzoo in the gaming medium. But with freedom of movement still given. Mad Max or Batman would've been great with it in, plus as WB being the same publisher, it shouldn't be too much trouble getting permission, surely?

Why would they do that? If they wanted to make it like Batman they would put out another Arkham City. Oh wait, they do.

For that matter, how would they even do the nemesis system or branding in Batman? How many times are going to beat up the Joker, make sure he's good and thrashed before you let him go, and then beat him up again later that evening because he's still being bad but thought of a way to stop you from jumping over him?

What? I wasn't talking about making SoM more like batman. Just having enemies in Batman that learn his tricks a bit better than what they did. It kinda had some weak version in Knight. You took what I said to a weird literal extreme. I was only mulling on how the technology could benefit other IPs with some tweaking.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Shadows of Mordor 2: MOAR SHADOWS

Okay so the first game was pretty great. Killing the orcs did start to get repetitive but I have some tolerance for that and I finished the game before getting too bored. Helped that I set a goal of controlling every orc with a rank in Mordor and was pleased to see it work out.

But it's one game I've felt has little to no replay value for me because of how reptitive it was. The second game will need something fresh to make it worthwhile.

Also the story always makes me facepalm