Performance on standard Xbox One would be neato. Dunno what the press reviewed on, but I know this game has been marketed heavily with Xbox One X stuff.
If you upload a screenshot as well for some pixel counting goodness that would be rad.
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Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Review thread
- Thread starter Theorry
- Start date
Performance on standard Xbox One would be neato. Dunno what the press reviewed on, but I know this game has been marketed heavily with Xbox One X stuff.
If you upload a screenshot as well for some pixel counting goodness that would be rad.
Yeah, standard X1 here. Is there any settings nonsense I need to do in order to get the least compressed/shitty quality screenshot possible?
.png files, uploading it to twitter will add compression. One Drive (or USB stick if that works) should be good though.
M.W.
Member
When you opened the game case was there loot?
Rated-Rsuperstar
Member
Once again the reviews arent lining up with what the actual game is like the first one. The first game felt like a proof of concept like the original assassins creed. The nemesis system was ok but the world was bland and the story was throwaway. It doesnt seem they fixed any of that and just doubled down on killing orcs with fancy names and armor. I didnt want a tacted on loot system. I wanted expanded mission variety using stealth, animals, and set pieces.
No loot. Just a reminder that the films are available for purchase and some legal text.
X1 screenshot for pixel counting (early game spoiler)
Initial bits from the menu:
- Photo mode included
- Difficulty looks like it can be changed at any time, Easy, Normal, Nemesis
- Healthy options for UI elimination
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
Wait. How did you come to this conclusion?
DrBo42 is the only one I've seen so far outside of reviewers that actually has their hands on the game and the only impressions I see are the title screen and menu options.
What are you basing your declarative opinion on?
So X1 IQ isn't great. Rather blurry, moderately aggressive LoD, kinda weak AA. Maybe FXAA considering how blurry the image is.
Animation in combat is better than the first with transitions and just how many frames are there. First felt kinda jerky and sudden with many of the moves, less so here.
Pretty large abundance of captains straight out of the gate. Nemesis system also seems tuned pretty aggressively. Killed a guy and he came back 5 minutes later via ambush.
Voice acting is solid, writing isn't. Feels even less in sync with the tone of LotR than the first even though you're seeing more characters and locations from the world almost immediately. The Gondor stuff just doesn't feel right at all which is my biggest let down so far.
If you're coming from having played the first the lack of staples from your toolkit is rather annoying early on. It definitely feels like "just get me into the game proper" at the start.
Feel of combat is pretty different from the more intimate encounters from the first. The expanded presence of spearmen and archers really cuts into your multiplier which I guess is the reason they removed the link between it and abilities. You now just build a meter independent of your combo multiplier.
Animation in combat is better than the first with transitions and just how many frames are there. First felt kinda jerky and sudden with many of the moves, less so here.
Pretty large abundance of captains straight out of the gate. Nemesis system also seems tuned pretty aggressively. Killed a guy and he came back 5 minutes later via ambush.
Voice acting is solid, writing isn't. Feels even less in sync with the tone of LotR than the first even though you're seeing more characters and locations from the world almost immediately. The Gondor stuff just doesn't feel right at all which is my biggest let down so far.
If you're coming from having played the first the lack of staples from your toolkit is rather annoying early on. It definitely feels like "just get me into the game proper" at the start.
Feel of combat is pretty different from the more intimate encounters from the first. The expanded presence of spearmen and archers really cuts into your multiplier which I guess is the reason they removed the link between it and abilities. You now just build a meter independent of your combo multiplier.
Bulk of it isn't multiplayer though is it.
PC Gamer article on loot boxes...
How the loot boxes work in Middle-earth: Shadow of War: http://www.pcgamer.com/how-the-loot-boxes-work-in-middle-earth-shadow-of-war/
Breaks down what kind boxes there is in the game and prices. Also addresses availability of high tier orcs outside of boxes (spoiler: they can be very plentiful in the world).
How the loot boxes work in Middle-earth: Shadow of War: http://www.pcgamer.com/how-the-loot-boxes-work-in-middle-earth-shadow-of-war/
Breaks down what kind boxes there is in the game and prices. Also addresses availability of high tier orcs outside of boxes (spoiler: they can be very plentiful in the world).
Heckler456
Banned
Sounds like a F2P game to me!!
A few reviews do cite that the actual gameplay is improved and that the open world is a lot more fun than the original.
9.0 from Belgian gaming website 9lives.
Reviewer states the microtransactions don't lessen the experience in this game. His big point of critique is the time it takes to unlock the skills that open up the combat and gameplay in general. Apparently it takes too long before you get to the cool stuff.
Reviewer states the microtransactions don't lessen the experience in this game. His big point of critique is the time it takes to unlock the skills that open up the combat and gameplay in general. Apparently it takes too long before you get to the cool stuff.
There's a lot of hoopla about the Loot Boxes.
This is the same publisher that's notorious for putting out the WORST DLC (Arkham Season pass?), clearly their priorities for devs have never been having them make meaningful ancillary content.
I doubt Loot Boxes will be worth a damn. Probably all level 1 daggers with different elemental infusions.
This is the same publisher that's notorious for putting out the WORST DLC (Arkham Season pass?), clearly their priorities for devs have never been having them make meaningful ancillary content.
I doubt Loot Boxes will be worth a damn. Probably all level 1 daggers with different elemental infusions.
i think it is pretty fast. all main skills are without any level restrictions, only the upgrades unlock at different levels. and you gain skill points quite fast through level ups and side stuff
That's good news, at least there's no need for really grinding, just playing.
Zimmy68
Member
From the reviews I have read (for me)...
Pros:
Lootboxes can basically be ignored
They have stepped up the difficulty in late game (the first game you were just too OP about 3/4 in the game).
Much more to do compared to 1st game
Cons:
Lootboxes may be tied to an ending or end game content
Same, uninteresting map
Nemesis system more confusing
Skill tree buried under pages of menus and unnecessarily complex
I am a huge fan of the first game and am having a hard time deciding how to buy.
I would prefer the Xbox One Gold digitally so I can take advantage of Play Anywhere and eventually the Xbox One X version.
But I will probably end up with PS4 Pro version from Best Buy (GCU) and grabbing a cheap Nvidia key at a later date.
BTW, there is an excellent Clueless Gamer (Conan) on YouTube with the guy from Silicon Valley playing the game. He voiced one of the Orcs and it is pretty funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txvKrTplOVs&t=414s
Pros:
Lootboxes can basically be ignored
They have stepped up the difficulty in late game (the first game you were just too OP about 3/4 in the game).
Much more to do compared to 1st game
Cons:
Lootboxes may be tied to an ending or end game content
Same, uninteresting map
Nemesis system more confusing
Skill tree buried under pages of menus and unnecessarily complex
I am a huge fan of the first game and am having a hard time deciding how to buy.
I would prefer the Xbox One Gold digitally so I can take advantage of Play Anywhere and eventually the Xbox One X version.
But I will probably end up with PS4 Pro version from Best Buy (GCU) and grabbing a cheap Nvidia key at a later date.
BTW, there is an excellent Clueless Gamer (Conan) on YouTube with the guy from Silicon Valley playing the game. He voiced one of the Orcs and it is pretty funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txvKrTplOVs&t=414s
No rush.
Which is the same it has been from the beggining.
The difference between this and many other open world games is that there's a way to skip the grind of the extra content via lootboxes, which is a different thing that saying content is locked behind microtransactions.
It's been really disappointing to see TotalBiscuit spreading all this quoting GameSpot, he's always been very critical of how the informations is acquired and spread on his content and he's just thrown all that through the window because of his personal beef with WB.
I hate when they do this to me. I can understand we're not big enough just tell me straight. PR relations are SO ridiculous.
Bumblebeetuna
Gold Member
Got my copy today, can't wait to jump in this weekend 
Violence Jack
Member
Think I'll wait and just rent it a few months from now. Too much coming out in October that I'd rather play first before Shadow of War.
I don't know about the stealth part, which is always pretty weak in these kinds of games anyway, even assassin's creed where a guy kinda sees you but forgets about you as long as you're in a bush and seems relatively unconcerned about the other pile of corpses right next to that bush where whistling is coming from. But the fortress videos have already shown larger setpieces with more animal usage.
2blackcats
Member
Hmmm, that's the opposite of what we've heard from everyone else about how long it takes to unlock cool stuff. Wonder why the disconnect?
Based on early currency generation I'm not seeing too much of a problem if you want to use the loot boxes at all. Enemies regularly drop some, old gear can be broke down for a decent amount. Tried a few gear boxes and strangely none of it dropped gear appropriate for my level, always a few levels below. Maybe that's RNG, maybe that's a draw back of the bottom tier of boxes. Not sure.
Nemesis system is definitely better and more active in the open world this time. Was just about to shadow strike a fire pit and get revenge on a captain when I was ambushed by another. His dialogue actually recognized what I was doing and said something to the effect of "Have to be aware of your surroundings, can't just focus on him, pretty as he is." My intended target got away as a result and made me rather keen to kill the ambusher.
In other news photo mode is pretty decent. XOX, Pro and PC users are going to have some nice shots. This is base X1.
Nemesis system is definitely better and more active in the open world this time. Was just about to shadow strike a fire pit and get revenge on a captain when I was ambushed by another. His dialogue actually recognized what I was doing and said something to the effect of "Have to be aware of your surroundings, can't just focus on him, pretty as he is." My intended target got away as a result and made me rather keen to kill the ambusher.
In other news photo mode is pretty decent. XOX, Pro and PC users are going to have some nice shots. This is base X1.
Maximus P
Member
This sounds awesome and is just what I was looking forward too.
Can't wait to make new enemies in this. There was one particular uruk that I had a running with in the last game that would always manage to slip away before I could finish him off and would always show up when I was trying to deal with something else. Guy would taunt me everytime. Felt good when I finally parted his head from his shoulders.
Andodalf
Banned
Later IIRC
Grinding in end game or through whole game isn't particularly new concept or annoyance in gaming. Anyone familiar with JRPG's is super familiar with that shit. Why it should made out to be huge deal here when it hasn't been for years in most games where grind exists?
That said question is how bad grind is if you go pure and don't do any boxes (in-game currency ones) and reviews fails to properly address this.
I feel like a moment's reflection could tell you why: if a grind exists (or is lengthened) to try to generate new purchases, it feels different and exploitative. That's the concern here.
Okami Haundo
Member
My takeaway has been that the the main story has three "acts", and wraps up after that. The portion that seems to require grinding is a post-game "fourth" act that has no real story content or missions aside from a "hidden" ending. If it didn't have an "ending" tied to it, I feel like most would pretend that the fourth act didn't exist. Someone please correct me if that's not how that section of the game works.
Your post is kinda pointless when you read second part of my OG post, or include it in yours.
I don't think the latter half of your post sufficiently answers my critique, unless you are arguing against yourself. You claim that the real question is "how bad" the grind is, but I don't think that's the question. I think the real question is whether the grind was changed in any way to increase average purchasing behavior. Whether you personally find it tolerable is not the question to me.
2blackcats
Member
I don't think any game with daily challenges has been designed to be powered through in a day or 2.
The endgame is supposed to be an ongoing thing.
The loot boxes are there for people with too much money and want to have the game completely done in no time. They're a terrible addition. The end game sounds fantastic to me, wish these stupid loot boxes weren't in it.
Karak
Member
I am just hoping "at all" Its a busy month and my schedule is already packed. So not sure what the plan is right now. But lots of good reviews that cover some major stuff is out there already.
I've killed a guy that has come back over and over only a couple of hours into the game. He's like Anakin Skywalker, more machine than man...well...orc. He constantly ambushes me and early on I don't exactly have a huge toolkit to deal with him since his resistances are mostly combat based. And when you spam specific moves like vaulting, they can adapt and then become vault breakers etc. Already leading to more intense encounters.
As a general bit I'm not a fan of the writing of the story as said above or a page ago but the enemy presence in Minas Ithil is actually pretty convincing. Peering down from the rooftops you see uruks escorting captured Gondorian soldiers to either slaughter or processing sites for slavery. Uruks carrying boxes of loot or supplies down from an area back to the rear lines. Small pockets of cut off Gondorian soldiers fighting to the last in the streets. Uruks picking over bodies talking about the Witch King's plans for the area. It's way more lively than before (in this area at least). Still haven't left this intro zone yet due to distractions via nemesis and curiosity. It's neat.