Here's That Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Walkthrough Everyone's Talking About

Would be more interested if the lord of the rings name wasn't attached. Seems like it has some interesting ideas, but definitely doesn't seem canon friendly, and it's not like you'll get to defeat sauron or anything like that.

@alexandersheen: A mage is a working-class, blue collar magic user. He's out there kicking ass and fixing things with magic. A wizard is an academic magic user, studying the underlying principles of magic and occasionally making some huge new discovery or combination of magical affects that expands the realm of the possible for working stiffs like mages and hedge-wizards.

* For the humor-impaired: Do not take this post seriously.

Gameplay looks solid if unoriginal. However, saying that the whole game has unique enemies and no generic ones means little to me. Sure, it adds a little uniqueness overall, but in the end, I can already see that there will probably be a total of about 10-20 scenarios that pop up (burnt face, scar, etc etc) that are "personal" and it will eventually start repeating itself. That's my guess, though, and if they can prove that wrong, then AWESOME. Moreover, if they are going to make unique names, then please make those moments actually feel unique and worthwhile. If I can walk into that fight and make it be over in about 30 seconds, then bother all with it. However, if it can even be like that Orthog fight...some length and even add some strategy into it, then that would be AWESOME!

There are cool ideas here. However, I just don't think they are going to be the leaps and bounds that we are all wanting it to actually be.

I'm optimistic that the game will be cool, but I'm cautiously optimistic about the components that they are bally-hooing about.

A good magic system in the style of The Witcher and we have us a real gosh darn good game. Depending on the size of the world and the content within it (which would mayhaps be endless, due to the dynamic generation of stuff) this might be almost Elder Scrolls like, but with better combat, more polish and a more fleshed out setting.

I'm actually excited about this. Haven't really been excited for a AAA game since something like BF3 or maybe Planetside 2. Both of which were meh.. Let's hope this one isn't. All depends on the depth of the combat. Maybe it's got mod support, in which case that would get solved. Very unlikely it'll have mod support though. With the LOTR license and all.

I think it looks great. It kind of reminds me a little of Darksiders. Not the gameplay itself, but how it takes fun pieces from other games (I see some Batman AA/AC combat, Ass Creed obviously) and combines it with some fresh ideas of their own.

The fact that it doesn't keep with LotR canon and whatnot is a positive for me. I think when there's too much reverence for series' like LotR and Star Wars is when you start to get stale content that's more worried about following the rules of its universe rather than being something new and fun. It's essentially the same thing that made GTA4/5 feel stale compared to the recent Saints Row games, except in that case the constraints on GTA are self-imposed by trying to be 'realistic' to a, at times, boring degree.

The simple fact is it's more fun to just blow the doors off the shit and get fucking crazy with it. Yeah, this one human dude is gonna take on an orc army and fuck their shit all up and oh by the way he's got fucking wraith magic. Why? Because it's fucking cool that's why. To whom does that not sound more fun than replaying the same old plot we all know for the millionth time? P.S. for those getting sandy in the crotch about it not being canon, apparently P.J. has some kind of sign off on this game, so take it up with your demi-god.

Honestly I'm just glad to see Monolith doing something interesting again. If they can't do a next-gen Condemned or make NOLF 3, at least let them do something new.

I thought the wraiths worked for Sauron?

Didn't know they had all those magical powers either.

He is not supposed to be a wizard.. There are dosens of creatures capable of magic in middle earth at this time.. Middle earth has more magic than the movies would make one think. Remembering the wraith from the beginning of fellowship his powers seem fairly cannonical... But you know, its a game, it can be some alternate storyline thing, who gives a crap if it fun?

It looks dope as fuck, will play.

Pros: I really like the idea of a dynamically changing narrative and if this kind of idea is going to be new thing for next gen then I will be extremely happy. However, what they promise on this and what they deliver may be two different things so I will hold my thoughts until I've experienced it.

Cons: Since when does a ranger in the lord of the rings universe have super "wraith powers"? Seems like a stretch so they can include the assassination vision from the AC games and kind of brings you out of the universe as it's just stupid and doesn't fit.

@gerhabio said:

Yeah, the ring wraiths were just men and their sole purpose was to find the ring. They have no special wraith powers at all.

Not even a LOTR fan but this looks all kinds of awesome, would play!

Assassin's Creed V: Shadow of Mordor

doesn't look like an lotr game at all, but at this point i;ve been burned so many times with that license that i don't even care. besides, i really like asscreed and the witcher.

I really do hope that Enemy memory AI stuff is as dynamic as they claim. like how many dialog branches will there be depending on how you burn,maim or torture?.. I would be pissed if your encounters with enemies always end the same, and they always say the same thing.

eh, fuck the story having to be canon...it's a video game and if going off the deep end story wise makes it more fun to play then so be it

Leave LOTR canon to the movies and books and let the devs have some fun here

There will probably be two kinds of people that play this game. Those who don't care about LOTR canon and will have blast with the game and those who will despise this game and won't give it a chance because it doesn't line up with the books.

"In Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, you're Italian."

Over the years the Middle Earth games have really been hit or miss. So far this one looks like a HUGE hit. I'm really looking forward to this and I hope this game turns out great for a visit to Middle Earth.

Characters other than wizards can indeed use magic in the time the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I feel like the heart of the original statement, however, was that scale of the magic shown was much greater than what appeared in the books. Having a ring and a wraith as an assistant would definitely accord someone a great deal of power. But for a fan of the books, pretty much everything about the movies and subsequent games would be over-the-top.

An assassins creed game with magic in a fantasy world and a strong possibility of having no tailing or eavesdropping missions, could be great.

Everyone, good news! This is a licensed game so it has to come out, right? None of that Prey 2 promise-n-vanish crap!

well this is certainly not cannon

I entirely agree with this post. I am loathed to see such an overpowered and ridiculous character shoehorned into an already very detailed story. I'd have much rather a weaker character with a more minor story, i don't need to be some over powered superman. It would be more interesting to be a mere man in a world of powerful creatures.

Lord of Arkham's Creed?

I could not have been less interested over AC:Mordor until they showed the Assinate/Spy/etc mechanic. But all followers under a brainwashed leader also being brainwashed is odd.

Looks like a LotR game I'll actually want to play! I hope the open world aspect is as big and fun as Red Dead's open world was!

@moregrammarplz: Middle Earth Dark Souls would be the best game!

I really hope this has more to it than stealth and combat, even if it is lifted from great games, combat is almost always the most boring part of anything, other than in dark souls.

The next trailer better be about exploring a vast city or a dense forest or something.

Also this looks lore breaking as hell but i don't really care as long as they turn it into a good game.

Damn.

Holy crap, that looks awesome.

@joshwent: I've honestly never played any of the AC titles (but have watched friends of mine play a bit here and there) but I did see the similarities/matched mechanics just watching the teaser stuff they had put out. I'm not a big AC fan (but like I said, at the same time I haven't had a chance to sit down and give them a chance yet either) but I am a big Tolkien fan and this is exactly the kind of game a lot of Tolkien-game fans -have- been waiting for. If it can deliver on the promises it's making it could easily be the best game tied to the LOTR license so far.

Cheers.

I really enjoy watching this game's walkthrough... here's the full stuff, 66 videos:

http://www.lazygamerz.me/shadow-of-mordor-full-game-walkthrough/