Sequel Middle Earth: Shadow of War Confirmed

thanks for the headsup on the promo code. I requested a refund through steam, this is 22$ cheaper.
 
Here's a 1440p video showing some gameplay



I don't understand why so many companies put out their gameplay trailers at what looks like 720p Youtube quality.
 
the hype for this game seems pretty low...I think the loot box/microtransactions are killing the perception of this game
 
I hardly grazed the first game it's a good looking game at times but the gameplay is too much Hack n Slash for me.
If they made a total questing RPG out of this game that would go over bigger I would think.
 
Comixbooks said:
I hardly grazed the first game it's a good looking game at times but the gameplay is too much Hack n Slash for me.
If they made a total questing RPG out of this game that would go over bigger I would think.
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That would be an awesome evolution of the concept and I hope that's where it goes next whether it's for this or something else.

I'm still amazed the Nemesis system has been liberally um "borrowed" by others by now. It should be and hopefully it will be now. All kinds of insane potential with something like that.
 
I just preordered it from cdkeys for $38. Thats a good price for what should be a good game.
 
Q-BZ said:
That would be an awesome evolution of the concept and I hope that's where it goes next whether it's for this or something else.

I'm still amazed the Nemesis system has been liberally um "borrowed" by others by now. It should be and hopefully it will be now. All kinds of insane potential with something like that.
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I think it is a matter of the amount of work involved to add it.

Personally the microtransactions turned off whatever interest I had in the game. I just don't care about the Tolkien universe either so I wish it was just a pure fantasy setting.
 
A bunch of review sites just officially reviewed the game today. About a 7/10 on average. And I believe they reviewed the game without using any microtransactions.
 
Motley said:
A bunch of review sites just officially reviewed the game today. About a 7/10 on average. And I believe they reviewed the game without using any microtransactions.
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At least it wasn't an embargo up to or after game release. I'm always happy to see that even if the news isn't always good.


I'm wondering how much of this is "microstransaction slag" as well.



Looks like the the typical sequel slump. (I know sometimes sequels can be better, too, but those are more rare)

The first game was getting 8s and even some 9s... this is coming in a little bit lower. We're clearly headed a point lower on average from the outlets vs how they graded the first game.




https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review/1900-6416783/


http://www.pcgamer.com/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review/ <- I certainly agree with this:
A lot of developers think sequels need to be bigger and offer more to get people interested, but I’d prefer it if they were just better.
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That goes for any game. They still call it a great action game despite that. This isn't going to be Witcher 3. We all know that.



https://www.polygon.com/2017/10/5/16428308/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review


https://kotaku.com/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-the-kotaku-review-1819176178


https://www.pcgamesn.com/middle-earth-shadow-of-war/shadow-of-war-story-tolkien


http://www.gamesradar.com/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review/ Pretty high review here.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/insert...-moment-loot-boxes-went-too-far/#4120e60caedc Not an actual review here yet. The microtransactions definitely get slagged in this and I can't blame them. It's a problem. I think this is a very balanced take on the issue.




So far Metacritic is averaging around 86 percent for this pretty early on. That's good.

Shadow of Mordor is averaged at 84 percent. If this the trend here holds I expect the Metacritic percentage average to drop below Mordor's since many outlets have not chimed in yet.

Overall I suspect I'm going to still get what I wanted out of this game which was essentially "more of the same" with a few extra perks and wrinkles.


All told: It sounds like a fun action game that could have stood some tighter focus for execution. If it isn't a bugfest it will be ok.
 
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To me the "bigness" of this version is directly related to their insertion of microtransactions. By making the game that much more of a grind, they hope to increase the odds that players will opt to spend more money just to get it done.
 
PanzerBoxb said:
To me the "bigness" of this version is directly related to their insertion of microtransactions. By making the game that much more of a grind, they hope to increase the odds that players will opt to spend more money just to get it done.
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Unfortunately that's my suspicion as well. I'm going to get what I want out of the game regardless.
 
I can't wait for the game but, really, does every fucking game need loot boxes?
 
Motley said:
A bunch of review sites just officially reviewed the game today. About a 7/10 on average. And I believe they reviewed the game without using any microtransactions.
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yeah my trusted review sites seem to all agree...seems like an above average game, nothing more...I think I'm going to pass and wait for Destiny 2 and SW: Battlefront 2

"A greatly expanded and improved action game let down by a dreadful story...that's not to say Shadow of War is bad, mind you - it isn't...it's more that everything about this game is a statement - where Shadow of Mordor was something of a sleeper hit, Monolith Studios went into production on the followup knowing for sure they had something big on their hands...considerable expectations were there to be met and so everything about Shadow of War is bigger, which is good in some respects but decidedly bad in others...

On balance, then, the core gameplay experience of Shadow of War is a lot of fun and greatly improved over the first, if not without its foibles. The bad news, however, is that it's a system that struggles to shine in quite the same way as it did before, even in spite of its expansions and refinements, thanks to the sheer volume and hyperbole of the story...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-05-middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review
 
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Sounds good enough to me, all told. I know I'll get what I want out of this. The only thing sticking in my craw a li'l bit is, of course, the microtransactions and the principle thereof.
 
I'm in it for the combat. I know exactly what I'm getting; lots of orc beheadings.
 
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According to various reviews and information from people playing the game it looks like they locked the true ending behind endgame content that is entirely designed around making the player want to buy lootboxes. Without it people are saying to expect a 40 to 50 hour grind in order to get orcs capable of holding off attacks to your fortresses. And this is pure endgame content, so no new cutscenes, no new side-quests, and no other endgame activities.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1443533

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=251043620&postcount=100

And apparently the only reliable way to get legendary orcs is through lootboxes or dominating bosses otherwise you have to pray RNG works in your favor several times.
 
Looks like Steam pre-load is available now as an FYI.
5eWijtI.jpg
 
Derangel said:
According to various reviews and information from people playing the game it looks like they locked the true ending behind endgame content that is entirely designed around making the player want to buy lootboxes. Without it people are saying to expect a 40 to 50 hour grind in order to get orcs capable of holding off attacks to your fortresses. And this is pure endgame content, so no new cutscenes, no new side-quests, and no other endgame activities.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1443533

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=251043620&postcount=100

And apparently the only reliable way to get legendary orcs is through lootboxes or dominating bosses otherwise you have to pray RNG works in your favor several times.
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Seriously fuck this.
 
Q-BZ said:
Sounds good enough to me, all told. I know I'll get what I want out of this. The only thing sticking in my craw a li'l bit is, of course, the microtransactions and the principle thereof.
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People get so worked up over micro transactions, as if videogames were ever anything but a business once all the magic of the 3D game world is stripped away - it's literally a balance sheet.

I say just ignore the microtransactions. If enough people do, the problem - if it is one, will take care of itself.

But simply not playing a great game because you resent being given the choice of paying to finish the game faster - in a SP game, for fucksake - is like throwing a hot chick out of bed because she has a weird bellybutton or freakishly long middle toe or something.
 
DPI said:
People get so worked up over micro transactions, as if videogames were ever anything but a business once all the magic of the 3D game world is stripped away - it's literally a balance sheet.

I say just ignore the microtransactions. If enough people do, the problem - if it is one, will take care of itself.

But simply not playing a great game because you resent being given the choice of paying to finish the game faster - in a SP game, for fucksake - is like throwing a hot chick out of bed because she has a weird bellybutton or freakishly long middle toe or something.
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Buying a game with microtransactions is still supporting the practice. The ONLY way to protest something in the game industry is to vote with your wallet. If you don't care about it, that's fine. Everyone is free to decide what they do and don't want to buy, but don't piss on people that don't want to buy it.
 
DPI said:
But simply not playing a great game because you resent being given the choice of paying to finish the game faster - in a SP game, for fucksake - is like throwing a hot chick out of bed because she has a weird bellybutton or freakishly long middle toe or something.
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I would say it's more akin to that hot chick constantly trying to steal money from your wallet and you have to keep slapping her hand away...I mean, she's hot but, fuck that...not worth the effort. :p
 
DPI said:
I say just ignore the microtransactions. If enough people do, the problem - if it is one, will take care of itself.

But simply not playing a great game because you resent being given the choice of paying to finish the game faster - in a SP game, for fucksake - is like throwing a hot chick out of bed because she has a weird bellybutton or freakishly long middle toe or something.
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Except in this regard, micro-transactions are actually influencing the story/gameplay. You can't "ignore" it.
 
MavericK said:
I would say it's more akin to that hot chick constantly trying to steal money from your wallet and you have to keep slapping her hand away...I mean, she's hot but, fuck that...not worth the effort. :p
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But you've just described every hot chick, heh.

I just prefer to play a game for myself and make up my own mind on how pervasive a "problem" actually is, because internet outrage bandwagons just bore me with their insistence on making mountains out of molehills and painting everything with the same broad brush.

If content is truly being gated behind a paywall, or if content is being gated by an excessive or unreasonable time grind, then that's a definite problem. But I'm going to give the developer the benefit of the doubt since I loved the first game, and play it and decide for myself how valid the criticisms are.
 
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Worst I've heard is that if you aren't willing to buy stuff, the endgame grind to finish things will take ages.

It took me a year to complete the first game playing off and on, mostly because I spent so much time just running around killing stuff mindlessly, so I'm not too worried atm.

For me this is something to do between marathons of FFXIV and GTA5, and thanks to MMO's, I'm used to a grind. =)
 
DPI said:
If content is truly being gated behind a paywall, or if content is being gated by an excessive or unreasonable time grind, then that's a definite problem.
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I mean, that's what numerous reviewers are saying. But by all means, spend your money how you'd like.
 
I liked the first one. Mindless hack and slash was fun for me and it looked good. Second one came with my new video card. If the endgame has stupid micro transaction requirements, I'm sure there will be a cheat that comes out where you can get your own chests if you are in a spot where it's choosing between that and paying them. Micro-transactions in a single player game are stupid.
 
97.7GB Download. No match for my 300Mbps, but Cox finally hit my area with the 1TB datacap. Ever-increasing game sizes + proliferation of datacaps = next stop ISP's demanding ransom money from Valve/Steam, Netflix, Amazon etc to exempt their traffic from the caps. I know for a fact they're trying to slowly close the noose on making this their next big revenue stream, as more and more people continue to dump TV from their cable packages and go Internet-only.

No point preloading if you've got decent internet, since Steam's decryption process for a 100GB preload will take longer than just waiting until unlock and downloading the unencrypted game files.
 
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While not my favorite gaming news site, Kotaku has a writeup about some clarifications on the loot boxes....

https://kotaku.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-shadow-of-wars-controversia-1819293793

Part of the confusion is that Shadow of War is a complicated game—60 hours later, I’m still learning new things in it—and its loot boxes are similarly convoluted. There are four types of main loot chests, some of which have subcategories, and three types of currencies. I’ve tried or earned most of these currencies and chests while playing the game for 60 hours and counting. I have a good sense of how loot boxes fit into the picture. It’s not necessarily as bad as some may fear, but even 60 hours with the game isn’t enough for me to bottom line that for sure.
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I plan to get earn the bonus ending in the coming days, and will report back in more detail about the undertaking. But for those of you wondering if this game is going to make you feel like you have to spend more than $60 to see all of it has to offer, don’t worry. You can spend money if you want to, but I’m not sure why you would.
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I'm on the east coast of the USA. It's 8:45 pm and this game is unlocked. I'm about to play.

Did they jump the launch?
 
Q-BZ said:
I'm on the east coast of the USA. It's 8:45 pm and this game is unlocked. I'm about to play.

Did they jump the launch?
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they must have. I just launched it on a whim not thinking it would work. Playing now.
 
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Derangel said:
Not sure how reliable this site is but I'll pass along their take on the lootboxes anyway: http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/350747-shadow-war-microtransaction-controversy-non-issue
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Honestly, I just play what I want to play. You know how many people bitched about Witcher 3 graphics downgrade? I swear... Turns out to be one of the best PC games of all time and shit.


I take everything online about PC gaming with a huge grain of salt. The first game was great and for 38$, you can't beat it. I don't pay for microtransactions anyways.
 
The controversy is overblown and I'm glad outlets are picking that up. The microtransactions in this are 100 percent ignorable, avoidable, and complete nonfactors.


This game is sweet. If you liked the first one, prepare for awesome. All the goodies are there. All the graphics options are there. KBM and controls both work great.
 
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