platypotamus
Member
They pop up from rescuing slaves (quest givers have a similar icon over their head). Also, they are specific to each map, so if you haven't yet, try rescuing the slaves in the other map.
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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor |OT| One Title to rule them all
- Thread starter Levyne
- Start date
They pop up from rescuing slaves (quest givers have a similar icon over their head). Also, they are specific to each map, so if you haven't yet, try rescuing the slaves in the other map.
Never realised how close I was to finishing the game last time I posted. End came swiftly and was insultingly easy, they really messed up the pacing and difficulty of this game. All the challenge and endeavour was in the first half, then it was a home run in the second.
Was not expecting to defeat the last
I can't recall ever using
A deceptive effort in the end that needed more time in the oven.
Was not expecting to defeat the last
two bosses by way of stealth brand and QTE either. All those godly combat skills gathered for what, exactly?
a Graug other than for fun either. With the build up they got you would have expected them to feature more prominently.
The ending is so bad that i'd honestly knock the game down a few steps if i was to rate it.
It's just so blergh, did they really need to do that with the
Black Hand boss ba....... cutscene.
Calling that an end sequence is almost a disservice to end sequences in general.
Entropy912
Neo Member
This. The game was more fun in the beginning because it was actually challenging. Some of the upgrades made the game way too easy and the difficulty did not adjust accordingly.
The requirement to have certain skills (from the upgrade tree) to play sword/dagger/bow quests is bullshit, it completely removes the ability to play the game on a 'No upgrade' run for completion.
Interesting to read the positive/negative experiences about the game becoming easier over time. As a researcher in game design who's interested in balancing difficulty, the notion that games have to always scale up with the abilities of the player (often justified in flow theory), seemed like a dogma more than solid design; a remnant from the arcade days. If (some) games should offer a feeling of competency, then over time it would perhaps be better if it got (comparatively) easier instead of maintaining the same difficulty or getting harder. Shadow of Mordor doesn't always get it right, but overall I'm liking what they're going for, reflecting the growth in the challenge.
I know this is exactly my thinking. Why do games have to get more and more difficult as they go till only the most masochistic person is able to complete it. Your just asking for the majority not to enjoy your game. Most games dont get completed difficulty is probably one reason. A curve that keeps going up is bound to throw people off. I dont understand how developers want to make a game that the majority of players dont see the end.
Most games should have a flat difficulty especially one's which are more concerned with the experience than the challenge. Which seems to be the majority of triple AAA games at the moment.
I haven't had too much time to spend on this game, but over the last couple of sessions, it has gotten better and better.
I've cleared the map of all collectibles by now. Still don't have the brand. Almost fully upgraded aside from the locked skills.
Easily one of my most enjoyed games on PS4. I just wish it had more of a story arc. Right now it feels more like a disjointed series of assassinations.
I've cleared the map of all collectibles by now. Still don't have the brand. Almost fully upgraded aside from the locked skills.
Easily one of my most enjoyed games on PS4. I just wish it had more of a story arc. Right now it feels more like a disjointed series of assassinations.
Bananajama
Banned
Any tips for the Trophy - Ride a Caragor and rescue x many slaves?
I'm failing miserably
I'm failing miserably
Shin Johnpv
Member
I really think the brand comes too late in the game. You've finished what is it 12/13 of the 20 main missions before finally getting the Brand ability.
These are valid points when talking generally. The problem with Mordor is that it offers up practically no challenge at all in the latter half. Aside from that, it is incongruous with the progression of the story. You're building up to a showdown against the chief antagonists, but they end up being some of the easiest and derivative confrontations in the whole game. Getting there is a procession too devoid of any sense of occasion.
Entropy912
Neo Member
I get what you're saying and perhaps the difficulty curve is relative to specific games / genres. Talking specifically about SoM, by about 2/3 through the game my character was pretty much invincible. The time between hits for a combo was ridiculously long and if I ever got into trouble I had three, THREE ways of killing everything around me by activating one of the ultimate moves (L3 + R3). There was literally no more challenge to the game. Of course I could have chosen not to use those moves or upgrades but personally I think that's a cop out. IMO, in an action RPG your character should get more powerful as the game progresses but the challenge still needs to be there and this is something that SoM did not do a good job with. Sure it's fun to smash your way through an entire horde of orcs without truly being worried about dying, but to me that wasn't nearly as satisfying or enthralling as when I had to focus on precision and execution to complete missions.
Bananajama
Banned
Ack. Having so much difficulty setting a beserker on fire then executing him for the trophy.
Could have sworn I've done it a few times but its not popped
Could have sworn I've done it a few times but its not popped
I just beat the game. My impressions:
Pros:
-I found the Nemesis System to be a really fun distraction to the main quest, and, in a lot of ways, it surpassed the main story. I think to many, the Nemesis System was the star of the show.
-I liked how upgrades were accessed using a combination of XP, Power, and Currency (forgot what it's called in the game). I felt that the upgrade system coaxes the player to explore the game in different ways.
-The game has pretty visuals in the same way that a lot of AAA games do. It has an Unreal engine look to it, despite it not using the engine to my knowledge. Aside from the protagonist, most of the character and landscape artwork was great to look at.
-Despite taking liberties with Middle-Earth lore, I thought the writing and acting were good.
-The world felt genuinely alive. This is perhaps the most well populated open world game I've ever played. The Uruks felt distinct yet aplenty.
-The gameplay, for the most part, was solid. I'm a big fan of the Arkham games and although the combat wasn't quite up to the standard set by Rocksteady, I liked it for the most part--I felt genuinely powerful (more on that).
-The collectables are significant and ample, adding to the world and story.
Cons:
-Despite the combat being mostly fun, Talion becomes way too powerful right off the bat. Any Arkham vet will immediately be able to dispatch Uruks from the start and as the skills, upgrades, and power-ups start to pile up, there is little challenge to be had.
-I've never played an Assassin's Creed game, but I felt the traversal was clunky and often got in the way. Sometimes my inputs wouldn't detect and contact seemed to be off.
-I found the UI to be overly cluttered with notifications for missions, collectables, notifications, etc. It's really hard to take in Mordor with so much going on.
-Story-wise, I felt like a lot of traditional LoTR themes weren't utilized like I thought they should. The narrative was very predictable and Talion was a forgettable [looking] protagonist.
-I encountered slowdowns fairly often, especially while branding.
Overall, I enjoyed the game. I think the biggest thing that will only remember this game as being "okay" is how easy it became--especially in the second act. I felt more could have been done to curb Talion's powers as he gained ability after ability, with no handicap. That said, I can't wait to see what the Nemesis System will become if Monolith plans to revisit Middle-Earth.
Pros:
-I found the Nemesis System to be a really fun distraction to the main quest, and, in a lot of ways, it surpassed the main story. I think to many, the Nemesis System was the star of the show.
-I liked how upgrades were accessed using a combination of XP, Power, and Currency (forgot what it's called in the game). I felt that the upgrade system coaxes the player to explore the game in different ways.
-The game has pretty visuals in the same way that a lot of AAA games do. It has an Unreal engine look to it, despite it not using the engine to my knowledge. Aside from the protagonist, most of the character and landscape artwork was great to look at.
-Despite taking liberties with Middle-Earth lore, I thought the writing and acting were good.
-The world felt genuinely alive. This is perhaps the most well populated open world game I've ever played. The Uruks felt distinct yet aplenty.
-The gameplay, for the most part, was solid. I'm a big fan of the Arkham games and although the combat wasn't quite up to the standard set by Rocksteady, I liked it for the most part--I felt genuinely powerful (more on that).
-The collectables are significant and ample, adding to the world and story.
Cons:
-Despite the combat being mostly fun, Talion becomes way too powerful right off the bat. Any Arkham vet will immediately be able to dispatch Uruks from the start and as the skills, upgrades, and power-ups start to pile up, there is little challenge to be had.
-I've never played an Assassin's Creed game, but I felt the traversal was clunky and often got in the way. Sometimes my inputs wouldn't detect and contact seemed to be off.
-I found the UI to be overly cluttered with notifications for missions, collectables, notifications, etc. It's really hard to take in Mordor with so much going on.
-Story-wise, I felt like a lot of traditional LoTR themes weren't utilized like I thought they should. The narrative was very predictable and Talion was a forgettable [looking] protagonist.
-I encountered slowdowns fairly often, especially while branding.
-The end of the game was disappointing. I wasn't disappointed in the story's resolution, but rather the design choices in how the player interacted with it. I was hoping more would be done to curtail Talion's abilities (something the Arkham games have done), but that never came (quite the opposite).
Overall, I enjoyed the game. I think the biggest thing that will only remember this game as being "okay" is how easy it became--especially in the second act. I felt more could have been done to curb Talion's powers as he gained ability after ability, with no handicap. That said, I can't wait to see what the Nemesis System will become if Monolith plans to revisit Middle-Earth.
But what about Celebrimbor?
We do* need to consider that Celebrimbor and Talion are the same entity we control in the game.
Last Uchiha
Banned
I just beat the game. It was a good game but my expectations were higher :-"
I used the bow fire shot (or whatever it's called in English) and then executed him.
Yes, but I think the game makes it clear who you are from the beginning.
CrackaF3tt
Member
Really loving photo mode.
38 hours in and not planning on stopping.
I'm now making death threats to every fucking orc on the map and looting epic runes. Some of them are VERY cool
By the way, details on the next DLC :
http://www.gamersyde.com/news_shadow_of_mordor_gets_first_expansion-15997_en.html
STEALTH CARAGORS, SUMMONABLE GHUL SWARM, AND BEAST-RIDING WARCHIEFS.
I'm never gonna stop playing this game ;_;
I'm now making death threats to every fucking orc on the map and looting epic runes. Some of them are VERY cool
By the way, details on the next DLC :
http://www.gamersyde.com/news_shadow_of_mordor_gets_first_expansion-15997_en.html
STEALTH CARAGORS, SUMMONABLE GHUL SWARM, AND BEAST-RIDING WARCHIEFS.
I'm never gonna stop playing this game ;_;
Finally I finished the game and got the Platinum. Overall I really liked the game, especially the combat system and the middle-earth atmosphere .
For a hopefully upcoming successor definitely a very good foundation. Negative aspects were particularly the rather weak, repetitive side missions with no impact on the story and the gameplay. Especially the artifacts and the legends of the weapons should have brought some type of reward.
The story is okay, but quite short with an abrupt ending. What made ​​it a great game for me is the combat system with the exact timing of the sword strikes (the finisher- and death animations of the Orcs are also great). It feels like the char does exactly what you want (same with the climbing system, which is indeed very similar to AC). In addition, the synchro is very well done (both in German (which is quite rare) as well as in English), the orc phrases and the matching voices play an important part for the overall atmosphere.
I liked the graphics as well, it´s not perfect but SoM has a good art design in combination with solid IQ and smooth framerate (I 've hardly had a bug during the entire game and the frame rate never went to his knees, even if the screen is filled with Orcs (PS4 version)). All in all, once again a good LotR action game.
The platinum recruitment mission, but unfortunately it doesn´t record trophy messages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zb6oxLUQZM&hd=1
A few screens from my playthrough:
For a hopefully upcoming successor definitely a very good foundation. Negative aspects were particularly the rather weak, repetitive side missions with no impact on the story and the gameplay. Especially the artifacts and the legends of the weapons should have brought some type of reward.
The story is okay, but quite short with an abrupt ending. What made ​​it a great game for me is the combat system with the exact timing of the sword strikes (the finisher- and death animations of the Orcs are also great). It feels like the char does exactly what you want (same with the climbing system, which is indeed very similar to AC). In addition, the synchro is very well done (both in German (which is quite rare) as well as in English), the orc phrases and the matching voices play an important part for the overall atmosphere.
I liked the graphics as well, it´s not perfect but SoM has a good art design in combination with solid IQ and smooth framerate (I 've hardly had a bug during the entire game and the frame rate never went to his knees, even if the screen is filled with Orcs (PS4 version)). All in all, once again a good LotR action game.
The platinum recruitment mission, but unfortunately it doesn´t record trophy messages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zb6oxLUQZM&hd=1
A few screens from my playthrough:
Guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Hey, guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Guess what?
Guys. Guess what?
This game is pretty damn great.
It took me a while to take the plunge. I watched streams and quick looks and thought it looked boring. The praise being heaped upon the game didn't match up with what I was seeing. But then I actually played it... now I get it. I specifically "got it" after I tracked down a grunt who killed me (which led to his being made a Captain) and cut his head off with some crazy spinning parry move in slow motion...
Guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Hey, guys.
Guys.
Guys.
Guess what?
Guys. Guess what?
This game is pretty damn great.
It took me a while to take the plunge. I watched streams and quick looks and thought it looked boring. The praise being heaped upon the game didn't match up with what I was seeing. But then I actually played it... now I get it. I specifically "got it" after I tracked down a grunt who killed me (which led to his being made a Captain) and cut his head off with some crazy spinning parry move in slow motion...
Loved my time with the game. Not really a fan of challenge modes but I'll come back if they release some single player DLC.
Improvements to make for the sequel:
- More diversity and interesting environments
- Great atmosphere but storytelling and characters were really lacking
- Combat was great but became broken by the end
- More single player missions are needed to even out the pacing and develop characters. Bosses were especially underused, and just showed up in the one mission you had to fight them.
Improvements to make for the sequel:
- More diversity and interesting environments
- Great atmosphere but storytelling and characters were really lacking
- Combat was great but became broken by the end
- More single player missions are needed to even out the pacing and develop characters. Bosses were especially underused, and just showed up in the one mission you had to fight them.
BouncyFrag
Member
Liferebooted
Banned
So much shitty dlc coming out for this, I hope they actually put out some decent dlc =\
Bananajama
Banned
So yeah.....
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-10-30-shadows-of-mordor-lord-of-the-hunt-dlc-details
https://www.facebook.com/ShadowOfMordorUK/posts/788569274515904
Lord of the Hunt DLC
Looks like some SP based DLC around hunting
Freedom = $1.05
Banned
So yeah.....
Not sure how far you are into the game, but if you can brand captains already then brand one of them and send them to fight this monster. sometimes, it'll end up being an execution mission where the captain you're trying to kill is already in a bad way, if not there's usually a bunch of explosives and bee hives and fires and whatnot. If he's a warchief it's even easier because you can dominate all of his captains and send them to betray his stupid ass.
Otherwise, fuck that guy.
TheKingOfPain
Member
So yeah.....
How far are you in the game and what skills have you unlocked?
Bananajama
Banned
I'm finished, just wrapping up the last of my trophies.
(Going for the Level 25 Rune & I'm done; all abilities, skills the lot.)
Half an hour after posting that screenshot I did try the launching a captain at him to murder him for me. As the Warchief I want to exploit he was the bodyguard of.
Annoyingly when I sent my man to murder him.
The Warchief showed up and I had to intercept and unfortunately was beheaded...!
He'd been a bane of me all through the game though!
And I know I'd killed him a few times and he kept coming back. But gradually tougher!
(Going for the Level 25 Rune & I'm done; all abilities, skills the lot.)
Half an hour after posting that screenshot I did try the launching a captain at him to murder him for me. As the Warchief I want to exploit he was the bodyguard of.
Annoyingly when I sent my man to murder him.
The Warchief showed up and I had to intercept and unfortunately was beheaded...!
He'd been a bane of me all through the game though!
And I know I'd killed him a few times and he kept coming back. But gradually tougher!
Icefire1424
Member
So, I feel the need to thank everyone who has contributed to this thread. For those now very confused by that statement, let me elaborate.
I'm a new father of a 7 month old daughter. I'm also a gamer, and have been for my entire life. Since my little girl got here, game time is at a premium. Gone are the days where I can look forward to a day off in front of the PC or console and get lost in a game. Next weekend, the wife and daughter are going away for a couple days to visit family, while I'll be at home (they're taking a long weekend, I have to work and stay home with the pups). Given this rare opportunity of a free weekend, I decided I would squander this temporary freedom by spending it gaming.
Since I haven't really played anything new in the last year, I was torn between The Evil Within, Destiny, and Shadow of Mordor. After perusing all threads and doing some homework, I've decided a romp through Middle Earth will be the best use of my time.
So thanks! Reading through the reviews, and feedback, and checking out the screenshots gave me something to look forward to. Now I just need to pick it up, and have a pizza and some frosty beverages on standby.
I'm a new father of a 7 month old daughter. I'm also a gamer, and have been for my entire life. Since my little girl got here, game time is at a premium. Gone are the days where I can look forward to a day off in front of the PC or console and get lost in a game. Next weekend, the wife and daughter are going away for a couple days to visit family, while I'll be at home (they're taking a long weekend, I have to work and stay home with the pups). Given this rare opportunity of a free weekend, I decided I would squander this temporary freedom by spending it gaming.
Since I haven't really played anything new in the last year, I was torn between The Evil Within, Destiny, and Shadow of Mordor. After perusing all threads and doing some homework, I've decided a romp through Middle Earth will be the best use of my time.
So thanks! Reading through the reviews, and feedback, and checking out the screenshots gave me something to look forward to. Now I just need to pick it up, and have a pizza and some frosty beverages on standby.
backflip10019
Member
I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot. It's the second best gaming experience I've had all year (to Sunset Overdrive).
mdsfx
Member
Are you serious? I know fairly little about Overdrive, but it's hard to imagine it as game of the year just based on the somewhat silly ads and over the top gameplay.
backflip10019
Member
I'm serious. It's amazing. If you're interested, you might want to check out the impressions in the SO OT. It's a fantastic game.
mdsfx
Member
On my way!
I'm pretty early into the game and I have a captain to deal with similar to the one above. I can't remember his name other than his title is "the Steady" - So I will refer to him as Dickhead the Steady. He's invulnerable to everything except for stealth and explosions. And he's always got a crew surrounding him, so stealth is nearly impossible. He also has a wicked poison weapon.
Bananajama
Banned
Had a couple like that - just needed to lure him to cliff bases etc.
And really hope my reactions were quick enough so that when I smashed stealth kill that red highlight was still around him/it/her?
Bananajama
Banned
Platinumed. Very enjoyable game
If you get him near a fire or some barrels you can blow it/them up, which would deal big damage and take out most of his posse. From there just sneak up from behind him in the confusion and finish the job.
Liferebooted
Banned
plat get, wtb dlc that adds trophies\shitty story =\
Bananajama
Banned
Tried that last night on a captain with fear of fire. Nope
FairXchange
Member
Finally beat the game last night. Yeah the ending was obnoxiously easy, and the captains became child's play by the end. Overall though, this game is a big step forward and deserving of praise. I loved it, I'll be holding into it and waiting for the DLC.
Maleficence
Member
I'm debating wether to pick this up on steam for £17.99 or wait for the PS4 version to get cheaper.
I just got a PS4 and am looking for more to play on it but my PC is beefy enough to play this on max with a better framerate. There's something that feels right about playing a character action game on a console too.
Any ideas to sway me?
I just got a PS4 and am looking for more to play on it but my PC is beefy enough to play this on max with a better framerate. There's something that feels right about playing a character action game on a console too.
Any ideas to sway me?
Finished it, loved it. Yeah the ending was a bit eh, but overall I wasn't really in the mood for dying lots of times either, so I was find with it being relatively easy. I kind of stopped doing the challenges halfway in. Those things aren't for me anymore given my lack of gaming time. So it also wasn't that easy because I wasn't too overpowered. Clocked in 20 hours, wholly satisfied. If it had the actual Lord of the Rings music and vistas of Mount Doom etc., this could have been GOTY material even.
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