Middle Earth | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 16 Jun 2023 13:41:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Middle Earth | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Embracer wants to go all in on Lord of the Rings following restructuring https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/embracer-wants-to-go-all-in-on-lord-of-the-rings-following-restructuring/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/embracer-wants-to-go-all-in-on-lord-of-the-rings-following-restructuring/#respond Thu, 15 Jun 2023 14:50:21 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=619694 After years of expanding and buying up studios, Embracer Group has now hit a bump in the road, forcing the company to ‘restructure' in an effort to reduce costs and become more efficient. Embracer owns a lot of great IP at this point, but it seems to be planning to heavily lean on The Lord …

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After years of expanding and buying up studios, Embracer Group has now hit a bump in the road, forcing the company to ‘restructure' in an effort to reduce costs and become more efficient. Embracer owns a lot of great IP at this point, but it seems to be planning to heavily lean on The Lord of the Rings in the coming years. 

Embracer has already announced that five LOTR-based projects are in the works but that number is going to continue to grow as Embracer seeks profitability. Former Saber Interactive CEO and current Embracer Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Karch, commented directly on this, noting plans to ‘exploit' the Lord of the Rings IP.

Speaking initially on the restructuring plan, Karch says he has a “high degree of confidence that this entire process is going to easily translate into better product selection that's more profitable”. Karch added that the company needs “to be exploiting Lord of the Rings in a very significant fashion” in an effort to turn it into one of the biggest game franchises in the world.

Whether or not Embracer can turn LOTR into one of gaming's biggest franchises still remains to be seen.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Obviously this is a businessman quote, so I wouldn't read into words like ‘exploit' too much. At the end of the day, Embracer just spent billions acquiring this franchise and it will need to start making that money back eventually. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that the new wave of LOTR games we get can offer diversity and quality. However, Embracer also needs to be careful to not put all of its eggs in one basket. 

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Amazon Games is now making a Lord of the Rings MMO in partnership with Embracer https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/amazon-games-is-now-making-a-lord-of-the-rings-mmo-in-partnership-with-embracer/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/amazon-games-is-now-making-a-lord-of-the-rings-mmo-in-partnership-with-embracer/#respond Mon, 15 May 2023 15:44:59 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=614952 Amazon has already been working with Embracer Group, having formed a deal that will see Amazon publishing the next Tomb Raider game. Now, Amazon has entered a new license agreement with Embracer, paving the way for Amazon to develop its own Lord of the Rings MMO.  Amazon and Embracer Group are announcing today that Amazon …

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Amazon has already been working with Embracer Group, having formed a deal that will see Amazon publishing the next Tomb Raider game. Now, Amazon has entered a new license agreement with Embracer, paving the way for Amazon to develop its own Lord of the Rings MMO. 

Amazon and Embracer Group are announcing today that Amazon Games will develop a new MMO based on The Lord of the Rings. The game will feature an open-world Middle Earth and will be created by Amazon Games Orange County, the same studio that created New World, which had a very good start on the market, but eventually lost players once the launch hype died down. Perhaps the allure of the LOTR IP will help Amazon maintain a bigger long-term player base with its new MMO.

The game is in the early stages of development and MMOs typically do take a long time to make and flesh out. With that in mind, it could be years before we get to play this game for ourselves. Speaking on the deal, Amazon Games VP, Christoph Hartmann, said:

“Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team, and we’re honoured and grateful that Middle-earth Enterprises is entrusting us with this iconic world. We’re also pleased to be expanding our relationship with Embracer Group following our Tomb Raider deal last year, as they’ve proven to be excellent collaborators.”

The announcement from Amazon also confirms that its LOTR MMO will be separate from its TV series, Rings of Power, so don't expect the two to cross over.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you think Amazon will find success with a Lord of the Rings MMO? At the very least, it will need to dethrone The Lord of the Rings Online, which is still available and getting active updates to this day. 

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The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is finally releasing in May https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-is-finally-releasing-in-may/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-is-finally-releasing-in-may/#respond Fri, 24 Mar 2023 15:34:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=597866 After years of development and a couple of delays, Daedalic Entertainment is finally set to release its Lord of the Rings game. Focused on Gollum, the new title will be the first in a new wave of LOTR-based projects, with many more games on the way.  After acquiring Middle-Earth Enterprises in 2022, Embracer Group has …

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After years of development and a couple of delays, Daedalic Entertainment is finally set to release its Lord of the Rings game. Focused on Gollum, the new title will be the first in a new wave of LOTR-based projects, with many more games on the way. 

After acquiring Middle-Earth Enterprises in 2022, Embracer Group has confirmed that five LOTR games are in the works. Daedalic Entertainment's The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is one of them. It will be releasing on the 25th of May for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5. Later in the year, the game should also launch on Nintendo Switch.

Previous impressions of this Gollum game have not been entirely positive, so it might be best to keep expectations for this game in check.

The game will put players in the shoes of Gollum, searching for the Ring while trying to evade danger. You can get a feel for the story in the latest trailer for the game, which dropped a few weeks ago. The trailer also gives you a look at the in-game visuals, which ‘aren't final', but given how close launch is, we wouldn't expect the graphics to improve much.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While this game could be interesting, the trailers we've seen so far haven't really sold me. 

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Wētā Workshop and Private Division team up for new game set in Middle-Earth https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/weta-workshop-and-private-division-team-up-for-new-game-set-in-middle-earth/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/weta-workshop-and-private-division-team-up-for-new-game-set-in-middle-earth/#respond Mon, 15 Aug 2022 14:08:51 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=570864 It looks like The Lord of the Rings is making a resurgence in video games. Recently, there have been rumours of several studios getting access to the Middle-Earth license, and we've now got another studio to add to that list, as Wētā Workshop is now working on a game set in Middle-Earth.  In an announcement …

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It looks like The Lord of the Rings is making a resurgence in video games. Recently, there have been rumours of several studios getting access to the Middle-Earth license, and we've now got another studio to add to that list, as Wētā Workshop is now working on a game set in Middle-Earth. 

In an announcement this afternoon, Take-Two's publishing label, Private Division, announced that it has signed a deal with developer, Wētā Workshop, to team up in a new game set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth universe.

Wētā Workshop is a New Zealand based company that has previous experience with The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The company helped create both Peter Jackson film trilogies. Wētā Workshop founded a gaming division back in 2014, but this seems to be their first major game project to be publicly announced.

Speaking on the announcement, Private Division head, Michael Worosz, said that “The Lord of the Rings IP is home to so many remarkable stories, and no entity is better quipped than the team at Wētā Workshop”.

The game is in early development and does not have a release date or official title. While we don't know much for now, we can expect to hear much more about this project in Take-Two's 2024 fiscal year, as that is the current release window target.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Wētā Workshop worked on the films and now we'll get to see what the company can do with its new pivot towards video games. 

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EA is making Lord of the Rings games once again https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-is-making-lord-of-the-rings-games-once-again/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/ea-is-making-lord-of-the-rings-games-once-again/#respond Mon, 09 May 2022 14:30:51 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=559939 Back in the day, EA made some of the best games based on The Lord of the Rings franchise. The publisher hasn't held the license for quite some time, but that changed this week, with EA announcing a new agreement with Middle-Earth Enterprises.  EA is making Lord of the Rings titles once again, although we …

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Back in the day, EA made some of the best games based on The Lord of the Rings franchise. The publisher hasn't held the license for quite some time, but that changed this week, with EA announcing a new agreement with Middle-Earth Enterprises. 

EA is making Lord of the Rings titles once again, although we shouldn't expect a major high-budget release just yet. The first game to be released under this new license agreement will be The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-Earth, a free-to-play ‘collectible RPG' for mobile. This will almost assuredly involve some form of gacha mechanic backed by premium currency and microtransactions.

The game will also apparently feature “immersive storytelling, turn-based combat, and a wide roster of characters”. There is no release date at this time and EA has not shared further details or shown screenshots/gameplay.

While this initial title isn't all that exciting, it does open the door for future LOTR titles from EA once again, although no plans for future games have been announced at this time.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Free-to-play licensed mobile games are usually major cash grabs, so I don't high expectations for this. What I will be hoping for is a new console and PC game of some sort, perhaps even a small-scale Battle for Middle Earth remaster like the recent Age of Empires re-releases. 

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Shadow of Mordor’s online features are shutting down this year https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordors-online-features-are-shutting-down-this-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordors-online-features-are-shutting-down-this-year/#respond Mon, 02 Nov 2020 11:18:48 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=492487 It has been six years since Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor released and during that time, the game's online features have remained intact. That will be changing soon though, with online features set to be removed at the end of this year.  Shadow of Mordor brought in the debut of the ‘Nemesis system', which also tied …

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It has been six years since Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor released and during that time, the game's online features have remained intact. That will be changing soon though, with online features set to be removed at the end of this year. 

Shadow of Mordor brought in the debut of the ‘Nemesis system', which also tied into some online functionality in the form of the Nemesis Forge and Vendetta Missions. The Nemesis Forge allowed players to transfer their nemeses into Shadow of War, while Vendetta missions allowed players to take on nemesis characters that have defeated people in their friends list on consoles and PC.

As of the 31st of December, these online features will no longer be available. WB Play rewards will also no longer be available, but as part of the patch, all players will be given two epic runes – Orc Hunter and Gravewalker.

For now, the online functionality in the sequel, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will remain unaffected.

KitGuru Says: Shadow of Mordor is still mainly a single-player game, so the removal of these features shouldn't impact the experience much. Although not being able to transfer nemesis NPCs into Shadow of War anymore is a shame. Did many of you play with t he online features switched on in Shadow or Mordor? How do you feel about them being removed now? 

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Now that microtransactions are gone, Shadow of War is getting a Definitive Edition https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/now-that-microtransactions-are-gone-shadow-of-war-is-getting-a-definitive-edition/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/now-that-microtransactions-are-gone-shadow-of-war-is-getting-a-definitive-edition/#respond Fri, 03 Aug 2018 09:03:17 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=381838 Middle Earth: Shadow of War has been out for quite some time now and during that time, the game has received a lot of post-launch support. Various free DLCs and updates have made their way into the game and all of the season pass content has wrapped up. Unfortunately, a lot of those additional content …

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Middle Earth: Shadow of War has been out for quite some time now and during that time, the game has received a lot of post-launch support. Various free DLCs and updates have made their way into the game and all of the season pass content has wrapped up. Unfortunately, a lot of those additional content drops were overshadowed by the game's loot box controversy. However, with microtransactions now fully removed, WB is looking to give Shadow of War another shot with a Definitive Edition.

Back in April, it was announced that all microtransactions would be removed from Shadow of War. This includes in-game premium currency and War Chests, which contained random orcs. Two weeks ago, the removal update went live, making now the perfect time to relaunch the game as a complete package, with all of the post-release content included.

Middle Earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition will package the main game, all of the free content updates, the story expansions and the nemesis expansions. This includes The Desolation of Mordor and The Blade of Galadriel.

The Definitive Edition will launch on the 31st of August.

KitGuru Says: I know a portion of our readers decided to stay away from Shadow of War while microtransactions were still prevalent. If you did end up waiting, then it might be worth holding out a bit longer for the Definitive Edition at the end of this month. 

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Microtransactions are being removed from Shadow of War https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/microtransactions-are-being-removed-from-shadow-of-war/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/microtransactions-are-being-removed-from-shadow-of-war/#respond Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:02:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369289 While the loot box controversy may have peaked with Star Wars Battlefront 2 last year, there was a brief window of time where the spotlight was on Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. Unlike the first game in the series, Shadow of War introduced microtransactions, allowing players to buy loot boxes to receive orcs for their in-game …

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While the loot box controversy may have peaked with Star Wars Battlefront 2 last year, there was a brief window of time where the spotlight was on Middle-Earth: Shadow of War. Unlike the first game in the series, Shadow of War introduced microtransactions, allowing players to buy loot boxes to receive orcs for their in-game armies. Now, six months later, WB Games is admitting it made a mistake and removing loot boxes.

Microtransactions were particularly troublesome in Shadow of War. The entire game centers around Talion rounding up orcs to build an army strong enough to take on Sauron once and for all. By adding ‘war chests', players could instead buy in-game gold and purchase random orcs, undermining the nemesis system, the core mechanic of the game.

The studio behind Shadow of War seems to have realised that loot boxes were the wrong way to go. In a new blog post published this morning, the studio wrote:

“The core promise of the Nemesis System is the ability to build relationships with your personal allies and enemies in a dynamic open world. While purchasing Orcs in the Market is more immediate and provides additional player options, we have come to realize that providing this choice risked undermining the heart of our game, the Nemesis System. It allows you to miss out on the awesome player stories you would have otherwise created, and it compromises those same stories even if you don’t buy anything. Simply being aware that they are available for purchase reduces the immersion in the world and takes away from the challenge of building your personal army and your fortresses.”

As a result of this, an upcoming update for Shadow of War will remove Gold currency from the game. In addition, War Chests will be removed from the in-game market. Those who already have gold have a set amount of time to spend it, after that point, their gold will be switched out for in-game items.

Players will no longer be able to buy gold in-game from the 8th of May onward. War Chests and the market will be removed on the 17th of July.

Aside from removing war chests, the ‘Shadow Wars' section of the campaign will be updated with new narrative elements but there aren't any details on that just yet.

KitGuru Says: We saw EA back off a bit from loot boxes with Battlefront II last month, and now it seems that others are following. This seems particularly important for Shadow of War, as the system felt very forced and unnecessary, particularly after the success of Shadow of Mordor. Are you guys glad to see microtransactions removed from Shadow of War? Will this convince you to pick up the game? 

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Denuvo slips again with Shadow of War getting cracked in just 24 hours https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/denuvo-slips-again-with-shadow-of-war-getting-cracked-in-just-24-hours/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/denuvo-slips-again-with-shadow-of-war-getting-cracked-in-just-24-hours/#comments Fri, 13 Oct 2017 09:31:10 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=350279 Middle-Earth: Shadow of War launched earlier this week and while Warner Bros attempted to keep it locked down with Denuvo's DRM system, it seems crackers have managed to figure out a way around it. Over the last year, game cracking groups have gotten a lot quicker at removing Denuvo, with Shadow of War being getting …

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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War launched earlier this week and while Warner Bros attempted to keep it locked down with Denuvo's DRM system, it seems crackers have managed to figure out a way around it. Over the last year, game cracking groups have gotten a lot quicker at removing Denuvo, with Shadow of War being getting cracked in just 24 hours.

Denuvo uses an anti-tamper system to stop users from being able to mess with specific files in order to crack the game. This year though, it has been less and less effective. Mass Effect Andromeda was cracked in less than two weeks, Resident Evil 7 was cracked in just under a week and now with Shadow of War, the time to beat has been reduced to just 24 hours.

Back in early 2016, the Chinese cracking group known as 3DM said that Denuvo may manage to put a stop to PC game pirating entirely as it was simply too difficult to bypass. They later proved themselves wrong by cracking Rise of the Tomb Raider and Just Cause 3.

Now that Denuvo has been cracked, it will be interesting to see if Warner Bros removes it entirely. Previously, Bethesda has removed Denuvo from DOOM after being successfully cracked, the developer behind indie title ‘Inside' made a similar move.

KitGuru Says: It seems that pirates and crackers are getting wise to Denuvo's ways at this point. Just 24 hours for Shadow of War is a very quick turn around.

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Shadow of War’s nemesis and levelling systems now have microtransactions https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-wars-nemesis-and-levelling-systems-are-now-tainted-with-microtransactions/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-wars-nemesis-and-levelling-systems-are-now-tainted-with-microtransactions/#comments Mon, 07 Aug 2017 08:34:51 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=342859 Back when Warner Bros was set to release Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, the publisher ran into a bit of a marketing blunder with its YouTube coverage policies. Now, it seems that the publisher is set to receive some backlash again, this time with Shadow of War, as WB has announced today that the game …

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Back when Warner Bros was set to release Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, the publisher ran into a bit of a marketing blunder with its YouTube coverage policies. Now, it seems that the publisher is set to receive some backlash again, this time with Shadow of War, as WB has announced today that the game will have micro transactions tied into the nemesis system.

Shadow of War will include loot chests with different Orc followers, you will also be able to buy XP boosts to accelerate your levelling up. Shadow of War is a game that revolves around building yourself a loyal army of orcs to take down Sauron. However, if you have the cash, you could just skip that entirely by visiting “the market”. Warner Bros even tried to dress this whole thing up as a positive by putting together a livestream with some of the developers to “explore the in-game economy”.

So there are three forms of micro transaction in total in Shadow of War. Here is the breakdown:

  • Loot Chests: contains weapons/armour of varying rarity. Equipping and upgrading these weapons and armour enhance Talion’s character abilities. Loot Chests can also contain XP Boosts that help level up Talion faster.
  • War Chests: provides Orc followers of varying rarity to help forge a strong army. They can also contain Training Orders to level up and customise Orc followers.
  • XP Boosts are consumables that help level up Talion faster.

There will also be bundle packages that contain all three of these micro transactions together “at a great value”. These loot crates can be bought with in-game earned money called ‘Mirian’ which is obtained by hunting down ‘treasure orcs’ destroying gear or finding hidden stashes. Alternatively, you can just buy gold from the store and use that. You will receive gold in “small amounts” for participating in community challenges.

Here’s a quote from Warner Bros announcement on loot crates for Shadow of War: “An important aspect of the Nemesis System now comes in forging, customising and leading your own army of unique Orc followers against the fortresses of Mordor. There are different ways to do this, including dominating Orcs by exploring the vast open-world and encountering them as part of Orc society, or players can acquire Orcs and other items through the Market (in-game store).”

KitGuru Says: I’m usually more forgiving when it comes to micro transactions in games. However, pretty much everything about the way this was announced has annoyed me, from the way it was dressed up like a positive thing right down to the fact that it was forced into a game that by no means needed a loot crate system. It’s like Warner Bros took the nemesis system, the most praised and innovative mechanic from the original game, and just butchered it. 

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Shadow of War reveals a seductive Shelob https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/shadow-of-war-reveals-a-seductive-shelob/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/damien-cox/shadow-of-war-reveals-a-seductive-shelob/#comments Tue, 25 Jul 2017 09:21:51 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=341458 While Middle-Earth: Shadow of War has been delayed until October, it is set to pack an interesting set of new and returning features from its predecessor. Last month, we got a look into what the new story has in store for players, including familiar faces from the franchise popping up everywhere you turn. The latest …

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While Middle-Earth: Shadow of War has been delayed until October, it is set to pack an interesting set of new and returning features from its predecessor. Last month, we got a look into what the new story has in store for players, including familiar faces from the franchise popping up everywhere you turn. The latest trailer reveals the inclusion of the infamous spider Shelob, but she isn’t as you once knew her.

Shelob featuring in the game will no doubt make many Lord of the Rings fans quite happy, but many will be divided upon finding out that she manifests herself as a noticeably attractive human. Why? At this point your guess is as good as ours.

In the books and Peter Jackson’s film adaptations, Shelob is a large, malicious spider that lived in the mountainous regions next to Mordor long before Sauron took the land. Her allegiance has never been explicitly stated, with her indiscriminately feeding on orcs and men alike, however her intention has never been good.

The game not only changes her appearance drastically but calls into question her character and motivation. In the trailer, we see Talion approached by a dark-haired, slender woman with the ability to give visions to the protagonist. She seems to want to help the main characters, but Tailon’s companion explicitly states his mistrust. It’s also worth noting that multiple swords are swung at both her and a giant spider, prompting the thoughts that she will at one point be an enemy.

It is currently unknown how much Shelob will feature in the game, but given some prominence in the original story trailer and a fully dedicated reveal trailer, my guess is quite. Developer Monolith’s creative vice president Michael de Plater has revealed that fans should expect key characters from the lore to make their way to Shadow of Mordor, so further reveals might be right around the corner.

Shadow of War is to release on the 10th October on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

KitGuru Says: I am a little confused as to why this decision was made, but I trust that the developers have good reason. Shadow of Mordor was brilliantly done so I am more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. What do you think about Shelob’s change in form? What characters would you like to see come to Shadow of War?

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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War’s new story trailer puts Talion up against some huge foes https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-wars-new-story-trailer-puts-talion-up-against-some-huge-foes/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-wars-new-story-trailer-puts-talion-up-against-some-huge-foes/#comments Fri, 09 Jun 2017 10:23:48 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=337557 Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is heading our way a little later than expected after a small two month delay but the game appears to be coming along nicely. This week, Monolith released a new 4K story trailer for the game, pitting Talion up against some pretty major beasts and foes from the LOTR universe. The latest …

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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is heading our way a little later than expected after a small two month delay but the game appears to be coming along nicely. This week, Monolith released a new 4K story trailer for the game, pitting Talion up against some pretty major beasts and foes from the LOTR universe.

The latest trailer has a focus on the game's story, so if you want to go in blind, then perhaps don't watch. You can see the trailer below:

The trailer shows off some of the bigger fights you will have to get through, including a face off against the Nazgul, a Balrog and Sauron himself.

The key gameplay loop in Shadow of War will see you forming your own army to take on Sauron once and for all. This will include massive siege battles and smaller main missions as we saw in Battle for Middle Earth. The game officially launches on the 10th of October for PC, Xbox One and PS4. It is also set to be one of the very first games to support Project Scorpio.

KitGuru Says: As a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I am so glad to see such a successful return to prominence in video game form. Battle for Middle Earth was excellent back when it came out, so hopefully Shadow of War will do enough to further that legacy. Are any of you planning on grabbing Shadow of War later this year?

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Shadow of War has been delayed but it will still come out this year https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-war-has-been-delayed-but-it-will-still-come-out-this-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-war-has-been-delayed-but-it-will-still-come-out-this-year/#comments Thu, 01 Jun 2017 15:56:58 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=336603 A few months back we received the surprise announcement for Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, a follow-up to the highly praised Shadow of Mordor. At the time, the game was poised for an August release but since then, the developers behind the project have had to revise their plans a bit, so the game will now …

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A few months back we received the surprise announcement for Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, a follow-up to the highly praised Shadow of Mordor. At the time, the game was poised for an August release but since then, the developers behind the project have had to revise their plans a bit, so the game will now be coming out a little later.

The delay doesn't see the game pushed back too much, it is still set to release this year, but it will now be arriving in October, which is always a crowded month for video game releases.

As Monolith community manager, Monolith_Andy puts it, the reason for the delay is simply to allow the devs more time to deliver the highest quality experience: “Middle-earth: Shadow of War expands gameplay in every dimension, including the massive open world, the story, the RPG systems, and personal player stories of the Nemesis System”.

“As with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Monolith is committed to delivering the highest quality experience. In order to do this, we have made the difficult decision to move our launch date to ensure that Middle-earth: Shadow of War will deliver on that promise. We understand that it might be disappointing to have to wait a little longer for the release and are sorry for the delay, but we are working hard to make an amazing game. We're excited to show more at E3”.

KitGuru Says: As much as I love a quick turn around for games from announcement to release (like Fallout 4), there are times where it doesn't quite pan out. Fortunately, Shadow of War has only been pushed back a couple of months and not an entire year, as we have seen with other games in the past.

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Middle Earth: Shadow of War announced, release date confirmed with new trailer https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-announced-release-date-confirmed-with-new-trailer/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-announced-release-date-confirmed-with-new-trailer/#respond Mon, 27 Feb 2017 15:25:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=323383 Update: Following the leak over the weekend, it looks like Warner Bros has pulled the trigger early on Shadow of Mordor's sequel announcement. As previously reported, the next game in the series is called ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of War' and there is already a trailer for it, confirming the story premise, release date and more. …

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Update: Following the leak over the weekend, it looks like Warner Bros has pulled the trigger early on Shadow of Mordor's sequel announcement. As previously reported, the next game in the series is called ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of War' and there is already a trailer for it, confirming the story premise, release date and more.

Here's the trailer:

As we can see from the trailer, the story for Shadow of War centers around Talion forging a new ring of power in an effort to take on Sauron and save the world of men. This trailer was purely cinematic but we will be getting a gameplay preview on the 8th of March. On top of all of that, the game will be releasing quite soon, with a 22nd of August release date currently in place.

The game is now also confirmed for PC, Xbox One and PS4. However, it looks like ‘Windows 10' is also listed in the platforms list, indicating that perhaps this will be an ‘Xbox Play Anywhere' title but that is just speculation for now. You can read about the original leak below…

Original Story: It looks like we can expect a Shadow of Mordor sequel announcement this year as Monolith's next game appears to have leaked over the weekend. Rather than being titled ‘Shadow of Mordor 2', the game's sequel will instead be called ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of War' and will focus on Talion's fight against the ring wraiths and Sauron himself.

The game was leaked by US retailer, Target, which posted box art for the game in a store listing alongside a description for the game, which reads: “Go behind enemy lines to forge your army, conquer Fortresses and dominate Mordor from within. Experience how the award winning Nemesis System creates unique personal stories with every enemy and follower, and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths in this epic new story of Middle-earth.”

The retailer listed two editions of the game, an Xbox One and a PS4 version, alongside a ‘Gold Edition', which will include two story expansions and two additional tribes for the Nemesis system. A PC version was not shown but that may be down to the fact that Target isn't planning on stocking a boxed PC version of the game.

According to the now removed listing, Middle Earth: Shadow of War is coming out on the 22nd of August so we should see an official announcement for it sometime soon.

KitGuru Says: I was a big fan of Shadow of Mordor, so I'm happy to see a sequel is on the way. If the release date shown here is accurate, we won't be waiting long to get our hands on it either, though we still need an official announcement to take place for everything to be confirmed. 

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Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor sequel leaked, set to launch this year https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-sequel-leaked-set-to-launch-this-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-sequel-leaked-set-to-launch-this-year/#respond Mon, 27 Feb 2017 09:30:05 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=323348 It looks like we can expect a Shadow of Mordor sequel announcement this year as Monolith's next game appears to have leaked over the weekend. Rather than being titled ‘Shadow of Mordor 2', the game's sequel will instead be called ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of War' and will focus on Talion's fight against the ring wraiths …

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It looks like we can expect a Shadow of Mordor sequel announcement this year as Monolith's next game appears to have leaked over the weekend. Rather than being titled ‘Shadow of Mordor 2', the game's sequel will instead be called ‘Middle Earth: Shadow of War' and will focus on Talion's fight against the ring wraiths and Sauron himself.

The game was leaked by US retailer, Target, which posted box art for the game in a store listing alongside a description for the game, which reads: “Go behind enemy lines to forge your army, conquer Fortresses and dominate Mordor from within. Experience how the award winning Nemesis System creates unique personal stories with every enemy and follower, and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths in this epic new story of Middle-earth.”

The retailer listed two editions of the game, an Xbox One and a PS4 version, alongside a ‘Gold Edition', which will include two story expansions and two additional tribes for the Nemesis system. A PC version was not shown but that may be down to the fact that Target isn't planning on stocking a boxed PC version of the game.

According to the now removed listing, Middle Earth: Shadow of War is coming out on the 22nd of August so we should see an official announcement for it sometime soon.

KitGuru Says: I was a big fan of Shadow of Mordor, so I'm happy to see a sequel is on the way. If the release date shown here is accurate, we won't be waiting long to get our hands on it either, though we still need an official announcement to take place for everything to be confirmed. 

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Hobbit House glamping project attacked by Hollywood lawyers https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/hobbit-house-glamping-project-attacked-by-hollywood-lawyers/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/hobbit-house-glamping-project-attacked-by-hollywood-lawyers/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2015 12:04:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=263010 Don't you dare go using the name of some little halfling creatures from Middle Earth without paying first. A glamping company which wanted to build a Hobbit Hole holiday house for those looking for an authentic experience, has been forced to remove all mention of the diminutive little characters, after lawyers working for Warner Bros. and …

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Don't you dare go using the name of some little halfling creatures from Middle Earth without paying first. A glamping company which wanted to build a Hobbit Hole holiday house for those looking for an authentic experience, has been forced to remove all mention of the diminutive little characters, after lawyers working for Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate forced them to on copyright grounds. This, despite the fact that J.R.R Tolkien himself, would likely have been ok with it.

podditon

West Stow Pods is a company that offers glamorous camping, or glamping holidays, in pods that have full facilities, but only a light roof between occupants and the starry skies above. Since it's not too much of a stretch of the imagination to put a facility like this partially underground, the owners recently launched a Kickstarter to create a Hobbit Hole for visitors, much like the ones featured in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Books and films.

However, despite the campaign being rather popular early on, receiving almost £20,000 in donations at the time of writing, West Stow Pods has been forced to rename the project “Poddit Hole Holidays,” as Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate had it removed from the crowd funding site under its previous guise.

“Due to copyright issues all references to Tolkien and The Hobbit have been removed. We continue to appreciate your overwhelming support for this project. Thank you,” reads the update.

However even  the replacement wording is too much for the Tolkien Estate, which is currently managed by 90 year old Christopher Tolkien, son of the author, and Michael Tolkien, J.R.R's grandson. It has now demanded that anything that sounds familiar to the word Hobbit or Middle Earth should be removed too, including “Centre-Earth” and “Poddit Hole.”

“The Tolkien Estate has asked us not to use ‘Poddit Hole’, which is absolutely ridiculous. We have got to call the project something, what would they like us to call it?” one of the project's founders said (via DM).

They also pointed out that they wanted to honour the world of Middle Earth and Hobbiton with the holiday home, claiming it will be a place for fans of the books to enjoy an experience that was otherwise confined to their imaginations.

podditon2

And all this, despite the fact that J.R.R. Tolkien himself was a big fan of expanding the universe he had created. He wanted others to take up the mantle of creating more avenues to enjoy Middle Earth and its characters, be it in story form or otherwise. He was also a big fan of the English countryside, so any further enjoyment of the two at the same time would no doubt have pleased him greatly:

“Oonce upon a time (my crest has long since fallen) I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and the cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fairy-story — the larger founded on the lesser in contact with the earth, the lesser drawing splendour from the vast backcloths — which I could dedicate simply to: to England; to my country. It should be “high”, purged of the gross, and fit for the more adult mind of a land long now steeped in poetry. I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama,” he said (via Tolkien Forum).

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I hope this one makes it to its KickStarter goal, despite the problems. Staying in a hobbit hole would be awesome. 

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Shadow of Mordor is getting a game of the year edition https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-is-getting-a-game-of-the-year-edition/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-is-getting-a-game-of-the-year-edition/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2015 14:02:59 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=247290 Warner Bros has announced that it will be releasing Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor next week with all of the previous DLC included in a new Game of the Year Edition. The GOTY edition of the game will be heading to the PC, Xbox One and PS4- last gen gamers appear to be missing out. …

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Warner Bros has announced that it will be releasing Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor next week with all of the previous DLC included in a new Game of the Year Edition. The GOTY edition of the game will be heading to the PC, Xbox One and PS4- last gen gamers appear to be missing out.

The game will include both The Lord of the Hunt and The Bright Lord story expansions. In addition, all of the extra skins, missions, runes and challenge modes will be included, as you would expect from a GOTY release.

Shadow of Mordor

For those who somehow missed this game when it launched late last year, it puts you in the shoes of Talion, a ranger who gains wraith powers. The story takes you on a journey to fight ‘The Black Hand of Sauron' for revenge purposes.

The game caused quite a stir on the PC after recommending that users have at least 6GB of VRAM for Ultra textures. However, upon release, it was clear that the game would run well on most modern systems. Overall, the game received positive reviews and is certainly worth the play-through.

Shadow of Mordor GOTY launches on the 8th of May.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Shadow of Mordor impressed me on release, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the two DLCs and Nemesis System in particular, which sees bosses grow stronger the more you die. If you haven't had a chance to beat it yet, then maybe grab this GOTY version when it releases on the 8th of May. What did you guys think of Shadow of Mordor? Did you enjoy it? 

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Shadow of Mordor Lord of the Hunt DLC content announced https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-lord-of-the-hunt-dlc-content-announced/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-lord-of-the-hunt-dlc-content-announced/#respond Thu, 30 Oct 2014 18:14:21 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=219379 Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor turned out to be a pretty good game, we even did some basic testing with it. Now Warner Bros is hoping to keep players hooked in with its new DLC, Lord of the Hunt, which will add in mounted warchiefs, new monsters and expand the game's story. Lord of the …

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Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor turned out to be a pretty good game, we even did some basic testing with it. Now Warner Bros is hoping to keep players hooked in with its new DLC, Lord of the Hunt, which will add in mounted warchiefs, new monsters and expand the game's story.

Lord of the Hunt will introduce beastmaster warcheifs, which ride in to combat on the backs of monsters and other dangerous wild life found in Mordor. A new type of hulking Graug that spits venom, a Caragath and a ghul horde will also be added to the game.

2422919-middleearthshadowofmordor_screenshot_talionmelee1

As far as story content goes, Torvin the Dwarf will play a central role. Side quests will involve beast hunting and competitive challenges. A lord of the hunt skin for the main character, Talion, will also be included.

The Lord of the Hunt DLC will be available later this year, it comes as part of the season pass, which sells for £19.99. The standalone price for the DLC has yet to be revealed.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While I am enjoying Shadow of Mordor, there aren't enough details about this new DLC to really get me excited about it just yet. Are any of you guys playing Shadow of Mordor still? Have any of you beat it? What did you think?

Source: Game Informer

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Shadow of Mordor PC testing – 1080p, 1440p, 4k https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-pc-testing-1080p-1440p-4k/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-pc-testing-1080p-1440p-4k/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2014 09:58:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=214463 Over the last week or so, leading up to the release of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, we heard that Warner Bros was being funny about handing out PC review codes for the game and then we later found out that the graphics settings asked for 6GB of VRAM for ultra textures. Those two things …

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Over the last week or so, leading up to the release of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, we heard that Warner Bros was being funny about handing out PC review codes for the game and then we later found out that the graphics settings asked for 6GB of VRAM for ultra textures. Those two things coupled together rose alarm bells for PC gamers, with many assuming that this could only mean that the port is a mess. However, as it turns out, the PC port is actually pretty solid and there's no inherent reason to avoid it.

To test out the game's performance we played for a few hours to spot any performance glitches or bugs and then ran the in-built benchmark tool a few times at different resolutions. The PC we are using contains an AMD FX-8350 CPU and an Nvidia GTX 780 reference card, there is currently no SLI support for this game so making the most of your 120Hz monitor at high settings or even playing at 4K will be a bit tricky.

Shadow of Mordor 1080p Shadow of Mordor 1080p Settings

Here you can see the exact graphical settings we used for 1080p gameplay. We've gone for a balanced approach to the settings to demonstrate the best results you can get while still maintaining high fidelity.

Shadow of Mordor 1080p Benchmark

The GTX 780 has no problem running Shadow of Mordor with ultra textures at 1080p, averaging just over 75 frames per second. Those of you running two cards will have no problem running this game across three screens or at a high refresh rates once an SLI profile has been made.

The benchmark has a little glitch at the moment, the minimum frame count is made while the benchmark itself is still loading, you don't actually get frame drops down to 7 frames per second during regular play or benchmarking once it gets going.

Shadow of Mordor VRAM Usage 1080p

We observed the game using between 3017MB and 3030MB of VRAM during our benchmark test so it is very close to capping out. Unfortunately, we don't have a 4GB or 6GB GPU on hand to compare usage results but it looks like gamers will want at least a 4GB card for future proofing. That said, we didn't notice any negative performance impact while using Ultra textures.

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Shadow of Mordor wants 6GB of VRAM for 1080p Ultra settings https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-wants-6gb-of-vram-for-1080p-ultra-settings/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/shadow-of-mordor-wants-6gb-of-vram-for-1080p-ultra-settings/#comments Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:42:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=213835 Much like Bethesda's The Evil Within, Warner Bros' upcoming game, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor will also have a high Video RAM requirement for ultra textures, a screenshot of the game's PC graphical settings has shown. If you want to play Shadow of Mordor on ultra then you're going to need a pretty high end …

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Much like Bethesda's The Evil Within, Warner Bros' upcoming game, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor will also have a high Video RAM requirement for ultra textures, a screenshot of the game's PC graphical settings has shown.

If you want to play Shadow of Mordor on ultra then you're going to need a pretty high end card as apparently there is a 6GB VRAM requirement, meaning that users may need a very specific GPU in order to play at full detail settings. To make things worse, that's the recommended requirement for 1080p, rather than 4K, a resolution that you would expect to eat up that much VRAM.

ShadowOfMordor-2014-09-25-20-55-27-91

Flagship cards from both Nvidia and AMD currently only ship with 4GB of VRAM, with the exception of the GTX Titans and some specific custom made GTX 780 and AMD R9 290x cards.

We've already had some reason to doubt the quality of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor's PC port as Warner Bros refused to send out PC review codes before launch day, while outlets with console copies can start publishing reviews ahead of launch this week.

However, there is also the possibility that the PC version of this game is fine and maybe this is all just a horrible mistake in wording on the game's settings pages. Although, that may be unlikely.

Warner Bros has yet to comment on this so it looks like we are going to have to wait for the reviews to hit to find out if the PC version of Shadow of Mordor is actually any good.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: A 6GB VRAM requirement seems pretty ridiculous, especially considering very few GPUs on the market are packing that much. What do you guys think of this? Is this making you doubt the quality of the PC version? Could this have something to do with the PS4's 8GB of onboard GDDR5 memory? 

Source: NeoGAF

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Warner Bros refusing to give out PC review codes for Shadow of Mordor https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/warner-bros-refusing-to-give-out-pc-review-codes-for-shadow-of-mordor/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/warner-bros-refusing-to-give-out-pc-review-codes-for-shadow-of-mordor/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2014 20:54:16 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=212252 It has been revealed that Warner Bros won't be giving out any PC review codes before the launch of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. However, some outlets will be receiving console copies for review, casting doubt on the quality of the PC port. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is already doing fairly well, it's got …

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It has been revealed that Warner Bros won't be giving out any PC review codes before the launch of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. However, some outlets will be receiving console copies for review, casting doubt on the quality of the PC port.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is already doing fairly well, it's got a lot of hype surrounding it and is currently one of the top selling titles on Steam, despite it not being out yet. However, potential pre-order customers and day one buyers may want to hold off for PC reviews to arrive as there is bound to be a reason behind the lack of PC review codes and so far Warner Bros has yet to explain why this has happened.

2652087-8920139868-Shado

This might not necessarily mean that the game itself is bad, it might have good gameplay and an engaging story but controlled launch coverage of a game shouldn't be considered a good thing, it means that buyers are less informed than they should be during the days following release.

Rock Paper Shotgun was the first to break this news, although the story is still developing. The game doesn't come out until the 30th of September so while some reviewers have been told that they won't be receiving a PC code, there is still plenty of time for Warner Bros to change its mind.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I'm looking forward to Shadow of Mordor but I am a little wary now that we know there likely won't be any PC reviews on launch day. What do you guys think? Could we be looking at a poorly made PC port? Do you care if Publishers control the information that gets out leading up to a game's launch? Personally, I think buyers on all platforms have a right to know what they are getting themselves in to when purchasing a brand new game.

Source: Rock Paper Shotgun

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Not all Shadow of Mordor characters are procedural https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/not-all-shadow-of-mordor-characters-are-procedural/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/not-all-shadow-of-mordor-characters-are-procedural/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2014 07:42:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=209717 One of the biggest features of the upcoming open world, Middle-Earth centric RPG, Shadow of Mordor, is its Nemesis system, which helps generate unique enemies every time you play. That means all of the orcs be they grunts or lofty warchiefs will be generated at the start of the game and it will never play out …

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One of the biggest features of the upcoming open world, Middle-Earth centric RPG, Shadow of Mordor, is its Nemesis system, which helps generate unique enemies every time you play. That means all of the orcs be they grunts or lofty warchiefs will be generated at the start of the game and it will never play out the same way twice. Except with regards to the few crafted characters still in the game, like Ratbag.

We met Ratbag once before when Monolith first showed us how the orc society evolves as Talion, our protagonist, interacts with it. Orcs die off and get replaced, or war with one another creating interesting opportunities for players to take out two birds with one stone. In seems however, that Ratbag, like Gollum, is destined to play a bigger part in the story, since he clearly can last a long way into the game if you let him.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq16MaIjMYs']

In the above video, we see Ratbag becoming a chief informant of Talion, giving him the knowledge he needs to manipulate the orc hierarchy, though this does lead to our little stunted follower from gaining in power and prestige himself, which is the Mordor equivalent of painting a target on your back.

ratbag
Naming orcs is always fun

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KitGuru Says: While I think a few people are miffed that Ratbag isn't (or at least, wasn't) a randomly generated character, he seems to provide both a story progressing role and a little comic relief. He should give us an interesting insight into orc society as well.

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Shadow of Mordor trailer shows powers of the wraith https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/shadow-of-mordor-trailer-shows-powers-of-the-wraith/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/shadow-of-mordor-trailer-shows-powers-of-the-wraith/#respond Fri, 01 Aug 2014 07:41:09 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=205563 Upcoming Assassin's Creed, fantasy mashup, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor has a new trailer out, this time showing us some more of the abilities our protagonist Talion can perform when he utilises his wraith super powers, controlling and manipulating the orcs as he fights his way up the chain of command to punish those that slaughtered …

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Upcoming Assassin's Creed, fantasy mashup, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor has a new trailer out, this time showing us some more of the abilities our protagonist Talion can perform when he utilises his wraith super powers, controlling and manipulating the orcs as he fights his way up the chain of command to punish those that slaughtered his family.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZYKgO1brtA']

In the trailer we see Talion use his powers to learn about the orc leaders, what they're strong against and what they're afraid of, giving him a chance to exploit their weaknesses to his advantage. However, as Spiderman taught us, with great power comes great responsibility and that's the case here, as the wraith is no mere undead demon to summon on a whim. The wraith, we recently learned, is Celebrimdor, chief elven smith of the Second Age, who was responsible for crafting the rings of power alongside Sauron.

shadow

Why is he a wraith and why does he inhabit Talion's body at all? It seems to have something to do with both of them being murdered and betrayed by Sauron and his forces in a similar manner, both losing their family in the attacks. Together they can exact revenge, but no doubt we'll learn more of their similarities and differences throughout the game.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is set for release on  Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4 on 30th September and PC on the 1st October.

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KitGuru Says: While I hope the whole Nemesis system and the procedurally generated orc warlords are as nuanced as they seem, I can't help but sceptically feel like it'll end up with less variety than these trailers claim. What do you guys think? 

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Middle Earth – Shadow of Mordor gets new story trailer https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/middle-earth-shadow-or-mordor-gets-new-story-trailer/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/middle-earth-shadow-or-mordor-gets-new-story-trailer/#respond Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:27:10 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=204907 Middle Earth – Shadow of Mordor, or Assassin's Creed plus goblins, has a new trailer, this time showing us a little more of the game's story and setting. So far we know that as Talion, we're set to avenge the death of ourselves and our loved ones, but now we know that the story is …

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Middle Earth – Shadow of Mordor, or Assassin's Creed plus goblins, has a new trailer, this time showing us a little more of the game's story and setting. So far we know that as Talion, we're set to avenge the death of ourselves and our loved ones, but now we know that the story is far more than just a personal tale of revenge.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2QkPufpVH0′]

Here we see our protagonist interacting with a character who shares the power that allows them both to corrupt and control the forces of Sauron's armies, which they both wish to ultimately use to slay the dark lord. It turns out that this similarly otherworldly character had a big part to play in the histories and futures of Middle Earth and that Talion will meet familiar characters along his way.

shadow-of-mordor

Middle Earth – Shadow of Mordor is set for release on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3 on 30th Setepmber, with the PC edition landing on 2nd October.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is shaping up to be an interesting game. It may end up ‘just' being an Assassin's Creed like title in Middle Earth, but that still has the potential for an interesting experience. Plus the Nemesis system has me intrigued for more procedurally generated enemies in games. 

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New Shadow of Mordor trailer explains runes and power https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/new-shadow-of-mordor-trailer-explains-runes-and-power/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/new-shadow-of-mordor-trailer-explains-runes-and-power/#respond Tue, 20 May 2014 07:40:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=193875 Even though it's been over a decade since the last Lord of the Rings film graced our cinemas and The Hobbit movies might be dealing with a different time period altogether, the Third Age is still cropping up in our games with relative frequency. The next one, Shadows of Mordor, impressed a fair number of …

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Even though it's been over a decade since the last Lord of the Rings film graced our cinemas and The Hobbit movies might be dealing with a different time period altogether, the Third Age is still cropping up in our games with relative frequency. The next one, Shadows of Mordor, impressed a fair number of games when its Nemesis System was revealed earlier this year, and now it's looking to grab your attention again, with another trailer, this time discussing runes and Orc slaying super powers.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVKZfJuegBE']

In the trailer we see Ezio… I mean Talion, gutting and decapitating Orcs at every chance he gets – remember, it's to fight his way up so he can kill the being that murdered him and his family – but he really becomes a powerhouse when he unlocks different runes to augment his weapons with. Especially, if they're epic ones.

runnes

As the video explains, you unlock epic runes, by getting an Orc underling to deliver a message to his captain, threatening his life. These chieftains then surround themselves with heavy armour and body guards, making the assassination that much harder. Pull it off though and you can unlock runes that do more damage, cause spontaneous combustion, make you faster, or a variety of other gameplay additions.

There's also runes you can unlock through pre-ordering, with different retailers offering different options.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is set for release on 7th October on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and Windows PCs.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I love the brutality of the combat, how Talion really stabs these Orcs, sending the blood flying. I just wish some of the damage was still there when the body falls to the ground. The animations look great, but there's no visible damage once Talion pulls the blade free. It's a real shame and something I hope they fix in the final version. 

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They’re building a 1:1 scale Middle Earth in Outterra https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/theyre-building-a-11-scale-middle-earth-in-outterra/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/theyre-building-a-11-scale-middle-earth-in-outterra/#respond Wed, 29 Jan 2014 08:57:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=174923 Outterra isn't an engine that many people are familiar with, but it's been drawing Oculus Rift users to it like flies on a… well, for a while now, because flying around an entire world is fun when you can use your head to do it. But it has a lot of other uses too, because …

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Outterra isn't an engine that many people are familiar with, but it's been drawing Oculus Rift users to it like flies on a… well, for a while now, because flying around an entire world is fun when you can use your head to do it. But it has a lot of other uses too, because Outterra is able to create full sized worlds and therefore like they're preparing for the OASIS future in Ready Player One, a team is building the entirety of Middle Earth, using Outterra to do so.

This is going to be a complete 1:1 scale model of the the Tolkein imagined world, with every mountain, tree and river modelled in the engine at real life size, meaning when it's done ‘players' will be able to zoom around the Rohirrim hills and visit Umbar, but as you might imagine, it's quite a mammoth project. It's coming on apace, with places like Eriador, Gondor and the Anduin Vale all near completion, though Mordor has caused some stalling of the project, since textures that the engine can't handle in its default state need to be created.

outterra

While not exactly Cryengine 3 up close, Outterra's ability to near-instantly go from here to outer space in a single, unlagged zoom is its strong point+

There's still a lot to do and even the project website is yet to be finished, but the creators did release a very pretty video of how development is coming, as well as showing some of the capabilities of Outterra's rendering. 

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLHHS5Q_m0g']

KitGuru Says: I bet more than a few people will fly around this, pretending to be the eagles that could have helped a lot more than they did. Like they had something better to be doing?

[Cheers Kotaku]

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Shadows of Mordor’s Nemesis System makes enemies personal https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/shadows-of-mordors-nemesis-system-makes-enemies-personal/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/jon-martindale/shadows-of-mordors-nemesis-system-makes-enemies-personal/#respond Fri, 24 Jan 2014 09:20:43 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=174055 It might have been over a dozen years since the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie was released, but LotR games are still going strong. The next one on the horizon is Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor, which in its latest trailer shows off not only a pretty engine, but a …

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It might have been over a dozen years since the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie was released, but LotR games are still going strong. The next one on the horizon is Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor, which in its latest trailer shows off not only a pretty engine, but a very personal list of enemies, thanks to what's known as the “Nemesis System.”

This system is said to create unique enemies for you to fight against in each playthrough, so while you're attempting to avenge the deaths of your family, you'll also be watching orks and goblins rise up the ranks of Mordor's armies. Don't quite manage to kill an enemy in your first encounter? Next time you meet he might be a captain of a whole squadron of orks.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpRXiyIvvX4′]

When you do defeat your enemy though, you don't have to kill them. As an immortal wraith, you're able to strike fear in their hearts and gain some semblance of control. It works in a similar fashion to dialogue options, but essentially lets you pick a path for your subdued ork pal and send him off on a mission of his own. You could get him to attempt an assassination on his leader, or perhaps spy for you, even sow fear in their ranks. Each choice opens up a new mission for you to attempt.

By using the same enemies throughout the game, developer Monolith believes you'll have a better connection with them and therefore feel all the more satisfied when your ranger blade guts them like a fish.

ork
Ah yes, Abs Magillacutty. I remember you.

Gameplay wise, Shadows of Mordor looks very much like a mashup of Assassin's Creed and Batman, which would be no bad thing if done right. There are some quick time events in combat, but not many and it seems to mix up cinematic shots with practical camera angles, though that will need to be trialled first hand to really know how fluid it is.

Shadows of Mordor is set for release sometime in 2014, on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and PC.

Kitguru Says: If the enemies are truly unique, in looks, name and personalities on each playthrough, that could add a decent amount of replayability to the game. However here's hoping they put a lot of voice over work into this, otherwise when they start spouting the same lines as their predecessor like some Mordorian sports game commentator, it'll break the illusion pretty fast.

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