# Middle Earth: Shadow of War **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 10, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435 "2017-10-10T03:15:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/21 "2017-10-11T22:38:45Z")
Thanks to this thread, I started up Shadows of Mordor last night for the first time since I finished a few years ago. It said it took me like 515ish hours! Though I imiagin it counted the hours when I would paus the game and then passed out drunk on the couch. Anyway, I started over fresh. And I quickly relearned the buttons and such, but holy cow, my thumb/palm muscles is sore today! Only played for like 2.5 hrs last night. I forgot how great it looks! How satisfying it is to slice heads off. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/22 "2017-10-11T23:46:46Z")
Yeah, it’s fun to just walk up behind an unsuspecting orc and just asplode his head. The problem I have with the combat is that it doesn’t scale the way I’m used to from other RPG style games. You go from “I’m doing OK” to “Oh shit, I’m nearly dead” very fast. Which is fine, it’s just hard for my old hands with the rheumatiz. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/23 "2017-10-12T04:18:57Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > It said it took me like 515ish hours! This is why I roll my eyes when people claim the grind is going to “force” them to buy loot boxes…even if you couldn’t buy one type with the in-game currency. And it’s REALLY hard to keep a good orc down: I had one come back after I split him in half! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/24 "2017-10-12T04:30:01Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > I need, like, a complete idiot’s guide to whether or not I want to spend $60 on this. > [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > But it is a pretty expensive gamble (I guess you could return it if you play it for less than 2 hours). WB games tend to drop in price fairly quick. If you can find other things to occupy your time, I’d bet this will be under $20 on sale within the next 8-12 month. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/25 "2017-10-12T12:24:15Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#): > > This is why I roll my eyes when people claim the grind is going to “force” them to buy loot boxes…even if you couldn’t buy one type with the in-game currency. > > And it’s REALLY hard to keep a good orc down: I had one come back after I split him in half! :eek: Did he have sutures or staples holding him together? That was something that cracked me up about the first one, you’d kill an orc, and he’d return with metal plates holding his skull together. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/26 "2017-10-12T13:21:19Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > WB games tend to drop in price fairly quick. If you can find other things to occupy your time, I’d bet this will be under $20 on sale within the next 8-12 month. The only problem with that is I wouldn’t get to play this amazing game for the next 8-12 months. 🙂 I do plan on waiting for a sale to pick up the DLC. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > Did he have sutures or staples holding him together? That was something that cracked me up about the first one, you’d kill an orc, and he’d return with metal plates holding his skull together. That still happens. Seeing the scars that you’ve left is great. Also, sometimes they’ll change their name based on what happened. I had an orc I burnt to death change his name to the “Flame of War”. His intro speech was great. “I saw the truth as I the flames consumed my flesh etc.” ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/27 "2017-10-12T15:12:39Z")
I cracked and bought it. Watching the intro cinematic now. If this is Arkham \_\_\_\_ in Middle Earth, with a bit of silly parkour, I couldn’t be more in. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/28 "2017-10-12T15:13:00Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Did he have sutures or staples holding him together? That was something that cracked me up about the first one, you’d kill an orc, and he’d return with metal plates holding his skull together. He was actually still noticeably bisected. He had metal rods connecting the various bits that had been cut off (both arms below the elbow and his waist) and a good chunk of his face was replaced as well. He got the title “The Machine” as well as Vault-Breaker, the ability to counter any frontal attack and exploding spears. Luckily, he was still vulnerable to beasts, and I could summon a Caragor at that point. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/29 "2017-10-12T15:24:02Z")
> [@Unpronounceable](#): > > He was actually still noticeably bisected. He had metal rods connecting the various bits that had been cut off (both arms below the elbow and his waist) and a good chunk of his face was replaced as well. He got the title “The Machine” as well as Vault-Breaker, the ability to counter any frontal attack and exploding spears. Luckily, he was still vulnerable to beasts, and I could summon a Caragor at that point. That’s insanely cool. And I’m glad to hear the Caragor/Wargs are back. What about the trolls? And Torvin? ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/30 "2017-10-12T15:31:16Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > I cracked and bought it. Watching the intro cinematic now. If this is Arkham \_\_\_\_ in Middle Earth, with a bit of silly parkour, I couldn’t be more in. If you liked the Arkham series you will quite likely enjoy this game. The combat system is extremely similar, as is gameplay. You’re a ranger instead of Batman. Have fun! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/31 "2017-10-12T15:34:54Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > If you liked the Arkham series you will quite likely enjoy this game. The combat system is extremely similar, as is gameplay. You’re a ranger instead of Batman. Have fun! Of course, if you’re a Tolkien purist, your head will explode about 30 minutes in. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/32 "2017-10-12T15:47:21Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > That’s insanely cool. And I’m glad to hear the Caragor/Wargs are back. What about the trolls? And Torvin? The giant troll-things are back too, and the CHUDS and wasps plus there’s apparently undead now and poison spider swarms as well. The giant orcs you see in the vids are actually trolls (and they drop better loot 1000 $ vs. the 50 a normal orc drops) and the drakes are awesome, but actually a bit weaker than you’d think - there’s a LOT of orcs with projectiles if you’re flapping around overhead. Haven’t seen Torvin, but I’m really only just past the point where I can start recruiting. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/33 "2017-10-12T16:05:54Z")
I got the Shadow of Mordor GOTY edition for 4 bucks on the Steam Sale last summer, and it turned out to be the only game I bought at that time that held my attention for any significant amount of time. Very much worth 4 bucks. That said, I wouldn’t consider it to be worth a lot more than that. I played the main story all the way through to the end, which took me all of about two weeks. The two expansions and the other extras (like the various “Challenges” where you need to kill a certain number of certain types of orcs within a certain number of minutes) didn’t really keep me interested, and the actual end of the main story was rather anti-climactic. During those two weeks, however, I couldn’t pull myself away from the game, either by first learning how to finally take down those two nasty Chiefs that kept showing up and kicking my ass every time I tried to do anything, or by honing my skill enough to take on some of the most challenging or messy missions on the way through the campaign. My arms would hurt and I would worry about the integrity of my keyboard as I pounded away at it for hours on end. Of course, as I was going through this, I learned that the sequel was to come out in the near future. Obviously the super-cheap sale price, which remained in place for a while after the main Steam Sale ended, was just to get as many people as possible hooked before dropping the Bigger Better and More Expensive version on the market. I figure I’m going to do with Shadow of War as I’ve done with every major AAA title that’s come out since Skyrim - put it off until a more complete version is out for much cheaper. By the looks of things, with all the extra details about micro transactions, I feel that the wait-and-see approach very much warranted in this case. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/34 "2017-10-13T01:04:48Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Did he have sutures or staples holding him together? That was something that cracked me up about the first one, you’d kill an orc, and he’d return with metal plates holding his skull together. \*Why \*have I never noticed this before?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/35 "2017-10-13T02:35:32Z")
I bought Shadows of Mordor on Steam when it cost peanuts. You guys are pushing me to fire it up. I loved the Arkham games (mainly the second) and I love the heck out of Mad Max which has the same combat. Oh and I’m a massive Tolkien fan, and played LotRO for a long time. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/36 "2017-10-13T14:50:16Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > I got the Shadow of Mordor GOTY edition for 4 bucks on the Steam Sale last summer, and it turned out to be the only game I bought at that time that held my attention for any significant amount of time. Very much worth 4 bucks. > > That said, I wouldn’t consider it to be worth a lot more than that. I played the main story all the way through to the end, which took me all of about two weeks. The two expansions and the other extras (like the various “Challenges” where you need to kill a certain number of certain types of orcs within a certain number of minutes) didn’t really keep me interested, and the actual end of the main story was rather anti-climactic. > > During those two weeks, however, I couldn’t pull myself away from the game, either by first learning how to finally take down those two nasty Chiefs that kept showing up and kicking my ass every time I tried to do anything, or by honing my skill enough to take on some of the most challenging or messy missions on the way through the campaign. My arms would hurt and I would worry about the integrity of my keyboard as I pounded away at it for hours on end. > > Of course, as I was going through this, I learned that the sequel was to come out in the near future. Obviously the super-cheap sale price, which remained in place for a while after the main Steam Sale ended, was just to get as many people as possible hooked before dropping the Bigger Better and More Expensive version on the market. > > I figure I’m going to do with Shadow of War as I’ve done with every major AAA title that’s come out since Skyrim - put it off until a more complete version is out for much cheaper. By the looks of things, with all the extra details about micro transactions, I feel that the wait-and-see approach very much warranted in this case. You don’t think two weeks of holding your complete attention is worth more than 4 bucks? a movie is worth over twice that and lasts 2 hours. The first game is a bargain at retail price. ---
**Author:** ![Unpronounceable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de0a6/32.png) [@Unpronounceable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unpronounceable)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/37 "2017-10-13T18:26:43Z")
Well, The Machine finally passed through that Caragor I guess, because he’s back. Now he’s got an irritating smoke bomb escape and his entire head is bolted-together metal plates. Ran into one of the troll captains at a really bad moment and he killed me AND broke my equipped sword! Did his nemesis mission & got the sword back & upgraded. Ran into something that looked like a bug: a group of 5 orcs all ID’d as the same captain. It was really 1 captain and 4 normal orc lookalike bodyguards, as demonstrated by headshotting them all. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/38 "2017-10-13T19:08:49Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > the only game I bought at that time that held my attention for any significant amount of time. Very much worth 4 bucks. > > That said, I wouldn’t consider it to be worth a lot more than that. I played the main story all the way through to the end, which took me all of about two weeks. > [@](#): > > During those two weeks, however, I couldn’t pull myself away from the game Video games really are judged very harshly, aren’t they. The value of two weeks solid entertainment not worth much more than 4 bucks. Ok then. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/39 "2017-10-13T19:17:24Z")
> [@Dahnlor](#): > > My arms would hurt and I would worry about the integrity of my keyboard as I pounded away at it for hours on end. Just out of curiosity, how many hours? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435/40 "2017-10-13T23:30:25Z")
Is it me or do the orcs sound a little less orcy this time around? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/798435.md?page=3)