i'm pretty sure it being a hyperbole or not doesnt change that its still a pretty terrible thing to say. Listening to only one opinion like it's the only one that matters is how fans become fanatics and cultists.
It would be awesome to have a Game of Thrones game using this type of combat and Nemesis system without all the overpower magic skills and stuff, with a more grounded, brutal and realism horror of war, playing on all different kind of armies, soldies and main characters, with a GOOD story, it could be a sequel, it could be a re-telling of the books or the entire series, whatever, as long as it's well done and delivered. That would be absolutely incredible.
I have been looking forward to this game ever since I finished the first one in 2014, but now not so much because I'm hooked to Divinity Original Sin 2.
kar12894 Devs are taking a break after the PC release but they said they will port it to PS4 if the game does as well as the first game on PC and it did better afaik.
I have just started to play Shadow Of War and i am enjoying it :) . I have finished Shadow Of Mordor after completed all story and side missions and it was such an awesome and fun game and you felt like a badass . Shadow of War is a fun game also :)
I know this is not video related but if you can, give it a "don't skip" to "a hat in time", that game redeemed the yooka laylee fiasco and it's getting overlooked with all the october releases.
At the last few seconds of this review, he should've rolled the clip saying "I'm enjoying these microtransactions!" that would've been perfect. Ya blew it Brandon, ya blew it....
I enjoyed the review quite a bit but I will have to admit that there's one thing I don't quite understand. You point out in the review that you didn't see how the loot boxes affected the game except for if you want to avoid the grind. I think that's something that a lot of people take issue with. They feel they should not have to heavily grind and that if the loot box system weren't in place they would not have to do so, because the core of loot boxes give you incentive to pay to not grind. So, it kind of feels like you'd miss the point of how loot boxes affect people playing the game. It was kind of a weird statement. Almost contradictory. But other than that I really enjoyed it. Good job, keep it up, Brandon and Allies.
CorpseAndroid yeah it's not a free to play or an mmo! THERE SHOULDN'T BE A GRIND AT ALL. Only reason it's there is to force people to buy fucking loot boxes
The words and the score are incohesive to me. That being said I always appreciate an EZA review as unbiased. As an aside, and I hate to sound like I'm parroting Jim Sterling (thank God for him). Shelob being a lady is ridiculous, plus, a 'true' ending being locked behind a grind, or financial transactions, is shameful. This game, when it was announced, was an obvious purchase, but WB have eroded me down to 'maybe I'll pick up a second hand copy some day'.
kif1983 you actually believe those false allegations? None of that is true you're most likely going off what Gamespot & Polygon said 2 of the least credible gaming outlets right now play the game yourself & stop listening to crusaders like Sterling who is out to hate the game & bad outlets
Never been on Polygon, haven't been on Gamespot in around a decade. I picked up the information from other reviews and word of mouth that there's around a 20 - 50 hour grind. Granted, those other reviews could well be people who have just picked it up from somewhere like Polygon. So, your comment is still valid, I have seen no 'concrete' evidence. BUT, if it is true, then, still shameful. Also, side note, Jim's videos have been about loot box culture. On the 'true ending' thing, he said he's not seen it and will report back once he's played the game.
GrandMasterArcturus If EZA were paid for this review, then whoever did that got terrible value for money! If I were paying I'd insist on a 4/5, minimum.
"The market as a whole is easy to ignore, unless you get tired of the grind" Let us not forget that the game was deliberately designed to be tiring so as to lead you into purchasing these microtransactions rather than being properly paced on its own.
Judging by the negative reviews on Steam and what you've just said, this is one to skip until it's perhaps 80% reduced on sale. Cheers for the honest review.
How do you manage to fuck up a story in Tolkein's world? I was excited to see other areas of Tolkein's world to be explored, but christ. The thing could've written itself.
AlshepType I felt the same about Shadow of War. Disappointed to find it was just killing Uruks in a desolate wasteland. It doesn't have to be The Witcher, but some variation in gameplay and location would have been nice.
I feel EZA have become afraid of giving games anything mediocre under 3 stars, R&C was 2.5 stars even though it's short, filled with action and looked beautiful, SoM2. 0 is the same game sold to us in 2014 with some polish and nasty microtransactions, it looks like another Ubisoft committe approved sequel, the video games market needs another 1983 crash or it would end up as bland and boring as the movie industry.
EZA either have strong opinions but don't want to share them or just gloss over blatant bullshit practices like this. After watching their podcasts and what-not since the beginning and lots of GT Time I would say it's definetely the latter.
Which is frustrating to me, they've become independent but they walk on eggshells like they're afraid of being critical because they'd be fired by a corporate boss, their content should be better than GT but it's actually worse! 6 podcasts that go one for more than TWO HOURS! it gives off this air of laziness and disrespect of the viewers time, and it's seems more and more content have nothing to do with video games! o don't need a movie podcast that goes over 2 hours, i don't need a FT/Friend Code that goes for over an hour you can edit that and shorten it into 15-20 minutes short and sweet, you don't need to stream every day for more than 2 hours alone that's boring! you need more than one guy and well lit place to make a fun stream you know go back and watch old GT streams like full playthrough Friday and the OG Dumb game Monday, you why RU-vidrs like dunkey are popular? they are 1 person with videos that range from 3-10 minutes, they are short fun and easy to watch and it gets a ton of clicks, I'm very disappointed in EZA but it's seems like a section of the fan base have become a cult that uses L&R to deflect any and all criticism and i'm done with that.
Thing is though, I truly believe Jones just doesn't have anything critical to say about bullshit business practices not that he is afraid of being honest. He may have been the only ally to predict that No Mans Sky was going to fail, but he was also the most vocal about defending it post-launch. Damiani gained a lot of respect from me for actually speaking against Jones when he defends bullshit like Microtransactions, pre-order bonuses, bad launches etc. You're completely right about L&R being used to deflect any criticism, the allies can do nothing wrong in the eyes of the fans. Heaven forbid you make a valid criticism about the quality of their content, even something simple like them using low-budged cameras or having a bad audio set-up and the fans will unleash their fury on you.
I know they have stated that this game is non-canon, but that still bothers me. Having the right to use one of the best and most detailed fantasy settings pretty much means you get a great variety of stories to choose from. Instead they take huge liberties with the source material, only to end up with a plot that based on several reviews is pretty forgettable? Tolkien knew what he was doing when he wrote his lore, and this game would have been much more enticing if they had just followed it.
I had already decided that I wasn't going to go out of my way to get this game at launch due to all the crazy business stuff that has occurred but this review makes my wait feel less of a heartache.
If you want to buy it, buy it. Don't listen to all the cry babies crucifying people for trying be reasonable with this whole micro transaction shit. If you don't like the loot boxes, don't buy them and just enjoy the game. That's my plan.
I'm actually impressed how big the game is.. but i do think this game is worth to buy and wait on Black Friday and play it.. I'm buying it on Black Friday because those Shit Gold Silver Editions might have just included when i will buy the whole game on that day.. I don't trust WB to buy it now.. I will just keep supporting them for more of this.. Who knows?? They might give us a new Director that won't just focus on Nemesis System but also our gameplay on the future when the sales success? I'm still playing Witcher 3 but i feel like what missing on Shadow of War is "small basic details" (Multiple Characters to play, A Real RPG feeling on Middle Earth like what i feel on Witcher 3, Gondor Citadels that has Overlord ,Sergeants etc. with Nemesis System, New Systems to Collaborate with Nemesis System.)
Am I the only one who thinks this is a huge mis-opportunity. We get to have a decent Action RPG based on LotR world and yet 90% of what we see are bunch of orcs. I mean, orcs are the main threat in the story, I get it. But there're so much in the world like goblins, elves, dwarves, wizards, etc. It's just a shame we never get to explore those. I was hoping they'd ramp things up in the sequel, but meh... they still stick with orcs killing game. Worked okay the first time. But the second, maybe not for me.
Totally agree. This game could have been epic if the developers had made full use of the LotR lore. It could have been like Mass Effect 2 (one of the best action-RPGs ever, IMO) set in Middle Earth. But instead it focuses entirely on slaughtering orcs. I mean, it's still damn impressive, gameplay-wise and visually, but it's a shame it didn't go to the next level and tell a great story with greater depth than the previous game's.
I'm a huge Tolkien fan, and the one thing I didn't want to hear about this game is the story is not as investing as it could be. I really enjoyed the first game bcuz the story was interesting enough to me and the combat was so fun. From this review everything I wanted to improve has, except for the story which hopefully to me won't be as low depth as I've been hearing.
This is the best review I've seen on this game. Best part is when, the narrator simply says to get good at the game so you don't have to buy loot crates.
Don’t like the microtransactions at all, but apart from that it doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot here for those who played the first game to Platinum
I have been gaming 4 so long. It's time 4 all reviews to also analize difficulty settings. Some times playing on hard can make a good game a great one. Have a felling this is one of them
Ok my fellow gamers. I want your opinions on this one. I absolutely loved the first one. Played it so damn much. I had already pre ordered this one but decided to cancel due to the microtransactions deal (which I hate). I wanted to know if this game really worth the buy? If you can get the other ending without having to purchase anything else? Is it better than the first one or at least the same level of awesomeness? If it is I think I'll be getting the gold edition.
U cant even get legendary orcs w/o real money, u have to grind hella much for true ending, it was all planed to force ppl into spending additional cash, i bet before 2 years fromnow we gonna get some form of GoTy edition with all dlc and heaps of legendary orcs included for 30-40$ or so, ppl who buy base game for 60$ will feel like being scammed, especailly ppl on a tight budget(so most of consumers).
Even if they're not necessary for progression, the inclusion of microtransactions still feels unnecessarily gross. It's like that one stain you can never quite ignore.
That last bit of music that plays in the review is great! Is that the game's main theme? I don't remember a single piece of memorable music in the first game.
*Tolkien nerd hat on* If the eastern city is still called Minas Ithil, the western city should be Minas Anor, not Minas Tirith. The cities changed their names from "Tower of the rising moon" (Minas Ithil) and "Tower of the setting sun" (Minas Anor) to "Tower of Dark sorcery " (Minas Morgul) and "Tower of Guard" (Minas Tirith) once Sauron and the Nazgul took over. *Tolkien nerd hat off* That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the game itself botched it. Lord knows they don't care about the source material...
I think it's better than you gave it credit for, both gameplay wise and story wise, but I agree that the paid loot boxes are unnecessary. After making it through the main campaign I have orcs, coins, and gear for days going into the endgame. Can't imagine why you'd need the crates... Seems mostly like a bad PR move at this point. Lots of negative press and I doubt many will buy them. And I say that as a person who has bought a lot of DLC/paid for crates in other games happily.
I never even fully understood what the big deal was with the original. The storyline was just your typical revenge plot, the overworld was boring, the combat was slippery (for lack of better term, it just felt a bit off for me) among other things.
The original Shadow of Mordor took the world by surprise with how good it turned out to be, and its followup seems to be an inverse occasions. It's a shame, but at the very least people are growing wise to these predatory business practices. We could have had another Arkham series with Shadow of Mordor, but WB decided to screw the pooch and make this instead.
You could have emphasized more how bullshit the endgame is, pure frustrating grind designed to make you want to spend money. So despicable it deserves to dock a few points from the overall score. Other than that, great review as always, thorough and clear-eyed :).
"I feel like Jones didn't pull any punches on this one." Are you kidding? he completely glossed over the lootbox system and failed to mention that the true ending requires grinding which is done in order to promote people buying micro transactions.
I really like this game, it's a ton of fun! I haven't even looked at the lootcrates or anything, I feel no need to click on the shop lol I feel like that defeats the purpose of the game. If you like the gameplay loop then it's a ton of fun, fantastic improvement to Shadow of Mordor. People often say these games are the fun versions of Assassin's Creed and I am inclined to agree!
These loot box issues have been popping up everywhere. I think publishers are colluding to make loot boxes more expensive than ever.. First, it was Forza 7. After the outcry from fans, the developers decided to go back to what they originally proposed in terms of additional content. Recently, Battlefront 2 is being labeled as a massive P2W game with loot boxes that literally kills the fun of the game. Middle-earth: Shadow of War is now the third offender with loot crates. Gamers, this can't stand. If we give into this, it will literally become a norm. Games are already expensive and it will become more expensive if we give into these demands from the publishers. This reminds me of EA's atrocious attempt to be innovative by introducing an online pass for Dead Space 3...where you have to pay to play co-op online. I know it is tempting to buy all these games, but at what cost? This goes just beyond paying more for games. It shows that we are literally submitting to these publishers to do whatever they please. Don't support this initiative
Yeah this review pretty much captures how the game looked based on previews and trailers. More of the same with little added to shake up the formula. By the end of Shadow of Mordor I was already getting fatigued by the gameplay loop so I'll pass on this one. Hopefully WB can find ways to incorporate the nemesis system into some of their other franchises. I mean who wouldn't have loved to have the nemesis system in the Arkham games?
For people who say to just not buy them, the problem is that your time has been assigned a monetary value. It's presents a problem by their existence alone, and it devalues your accomplishment by telling you how many dollars it's worth. Not to mention the disgusting practice of trying to manipulate children with psychology used in Casinos.
Guys if you want to play a trully great fantasy ARPG this October just buy Dragon's Dogma DA. Support games and developers who actually respect you as a gamer and not ones who try to steal you.
I wish the amount of enemies you kill made a difference. I must have killed thousands. Like in AC Oddesy. The amount of Spartans I killed should have turned the tide of war
I can dig it the game wasn't for you but still a good game. Considering I spent about 500 hours playing Shadow of Mordor I think I'm happy with my purchase.
Did Brandon Jones finish the game before reviewing cuz it turns out that the true ending is hidden behind a huge grind (made easier by buying loot boxes for legendary orcs). This is very concerning. Link below for the video explaining it - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-el39hB8t37A.html
Mihir Chitnis yeeeah... so say the "reviews" that admit never leveling theirnfortresses and then ran into endgame content with unleveled soldiers. This the kind of shit why you don't trust Poly-"Cuphead is too hard"-gon
pryt86 My whole post was one sentence long. Did you not read the first part of the sentence? I didn't like the first game. And to be honest, attitudes like yours towards microtransactions is the reason why they're being hammered into every AAA game. They are getting worse by the week, literally by the week.
Coz its not bad game, just very grindy coz of lootboxes, but lets face it man, now in 2017 u have backlog of much better games already that are cheaper and higher quality, if not there is still heaps of good games to buy and u dont have to spend 60$ for p2w singleplayer game.
The only real weakness with Shadow of Mordor was the bland world map - other than that it was great fun All the Micro Loot Box DLC bullshit keeps me away from THIS one though.............No WAY I'm supporting that crap with my money!
You guys treaded so lightly on the lootboxes, why not have a backbone and actually say what you think. If this is truly what you guys think about the system then I lost a lot of respect for Brandon, though he loves mobile games so it's not surprising.
It's a bit funny you talk about how repetitive the progression becomes on the one hand but state you didn't feel like the progression was intentionally hampered to get people to buy the loot boxes. Doesn't really go together in my opinion. Seems to me that with a more streamlined progression the loot boxes would be less attractive, but the game would be more fun, no?
I'm thinking that's because Jones reviewed the game, and he loves (or at least has a high tolerance) for grinding. So he personally didn't feel the need to purchase loot crates.
Finally a score that actually reflects what people SAY about the game. Although I understand why people would give it an 8, I can't really see how this game has gotten so many 9s. It seems like a pretty run of the mill sequel that gets old after only being half way through the game (sort of like the first game).
Watching this in November 2020 because this game is dirt cheap now and I don't have anything to play. 😅 Might look for other options though. Not 100 sold on this one.
