I’m surprised there isn’t a thread for this yet, this game is incredible. The combat is so viscerally fun and well done, the nemesis system is incredibly innovative and makes the game X10 more fun than it would be without it. I have put like ten hours into this in a couple days and i can’t get enough.
It looks great. On my wishlist. I’ll wait for it to go on sale, probably Black Friday I’d imagine. I’m knee-deep in Wasteland 2 at the moment anyhow.
Yeah it’s getting good reviews.
I just heard of this the other day, from a reviewer who basically said he felt bad doing war crimes (positive review though). I’ll probably pick it up and I haven’t played any of the modern LOTR games.
Looks like there’s some version differences:
PC gets an optional (free) HD pack like Skyrim that you probably can’t run. Maybe I should wait for the sale.
PS3 and Xbox 360 versions (not out yet) might be dumbed down, feature-wise.
The PS3 and 360 versions were said to have a limited version of the nemesis system, which would really take a whole lot of the fun of the game away.
Dumbed down/non-existant nemesis system on last gen consoles make that version utterly undesirable. Defintiely pick up the next gen/PC version instead.
PC version is a nice solid 60 FPS too, even with modest hardware, vs the PS4/Xbone’s 30 fPS. That;s a big difference in an action game like this.
Didn’t get much time to play it before I had to leave for vacation. But what I did play felt like Batman Arkham City. Liked it.
It’s fun. It’s definitely a bit repetitive, but the repetitive parts are still FUN, so I’m enjoying it. There are only 20 “storyline” quests, and so I’ve been doing a lot of running around on the map because I don’t want to rush through the primary content too quickly.
Right now my main nemesis is an Uruk named something like Gorfel Thin-Bones.* He’s a crossbowman with an extra-strong attack that is ALSO a poison attack, and he’s immune to stealth attacks and ranged attacks. He’s killed me several times, and each time he does he gets stronger. Dude is seriously pissing in my wheaties.
Every time you die, the game world advances a bit. Orcs fight amongst themselves. Some die and get replaced, others kill their competition and become more powerful. It makes avoiding death feel rather important.
The combat is basically just a reskinned Batman: Arkham City/Asylum/Origins, except without the assortments of gadgets and with a lot more chopping off heads. Very enjoyable, to my mind.
The storyline is also pretty solid. I initially thought the whole “body possessed by an elven wraith” deal would be utterly stupid, but they do it well, and there’s a reveal fairly early on about him that I thought was *quite *cool. Spoiler below for those who won’t be playing:
The elf is Celebrimbor, who forged the rings of power and was later tortured to death by Sauron.
*This is a lie. That is EXACTLY what his name is. I will never forget him.
The combat is half Arkham and half Assassin’s Creed, and both are done as well or better than the originals. Nothing feels more badass than blocking one orc attack while the wraith blocks another, that got a “holy shit that was cool” outta me.
**Bordul Blood-Hand **was my personal nemesis. Multiple combats with deaths on both sides, I think killed him twice (though he was only ‘mostly’ dead apparently and came back) and he must have managed to kill me 5 or more times. When we started he was a fairly ‘normal’ looking Uruk, by the end he was one-eyed, scarred and burned from our feud.
At the time our final encounter came around I think I was responsible for most of his promotions and rise in power level to 20. He was invulnerable to everything except stealth attacks, which even then would only wound him rather than kill. On top of that he had a shield defence and a spear attack that would cause bleeding over time plus he could heal himself. Tough SOB.
I tracked him to a stronghold and proceeded to infiltrate the battlements and takedown every other Uruk and orc in the area with stealth kills and archery. Once he was isolated I dropped down and got one stealth hit, after that it was on.
I eventually managed to get the better of him by flipping over his shield and then doing a ‘combat drain’ on him, several of those and he was severely weakened, his shield was destroyed and then a final 8-streak execution removed his head and ended his rise through Sauron’s army for good.
I just about jumped out of my chair and yelled when I finally got him.
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I miss that magnificent bastard.
In our household we made videos of each of the encounters with our main nemesis (at least, after the first death or two at his hands). He had a flaming helm and just kept. coming. back.
It was awesome. We miss our nemesis too - probably should have let him live just for the fun of it.
The game is good and mostly fun, and I agree it apes Batman and AC, but mostly Batman. I really enjoyed the combat at first as it flows nicely and is pretty easy to pick up, but as time went on and I started tearing through the upgrade tree I found it lacking and nowhere NEAR as satisfying as Batman. There is just not that much variety in attacks or weapons, whereas Batman has 8-9 different weapons and significantly different movesets. In Mordor it’s all still 95% the same sword attacks etc… I also find the dodge prompts to be a bit too quick for my reaction times.
I also wish there was more variety in the environment, though maybe it changes later in the game. I’m only 5hrs or so in.
A good game for sure though, just wish there was more variety across the board. I will say the Orcs are quite varied though and look awesome (on PS4 at least). Nemesis system is very cool.
I picked this up on Steam, and am enjoying it so far, mainly because I really like the nemesis system.
But yes, for sure the game is mainly about killing orcs in amusing if not as varied as they could be ways.
Ok, I’ve put in some decent hours into the game at this point, and I think it’s great. It can be a bit repetitive, but no more so than your average action RPG, and only if you want it to be. As you go along, you discover more and more fun (and sometimes hilarious) things to do the orcs. You don’t have to slaughter every orc that crosses your path, although it is very fun.
And the best part is, if you visit an area you rampaged in previously, you’ll hear the repopulated orcs talking about what you did there recently, and mocking the dead orcs (“Bah! No one liked him anyway”!) The orcs can come back anyway, it seems, unless they are decapitated. That also leads to humorous exchanges as your nemesis gets uglier and uglier.