Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is more frustrating than it is fun

While it's a great game, Shadow of Mordor is much more difficult than it needs to be.

[slate91]

I tried to kill a warchief about 5 or more times, in all my failed attempts I created monsters out of him and his bodyguards lmao. They destroy me so easily now.
But that difficulty is awesome imo and I enjoy the challenge.

[vishmarx]

this is precisely what i love about it,
nemesis system is exactly as next gen as it was hyped to be

[XBLSkull]

I don't know about frustrating, it was for the first hour, but at this point I am way over powered and easily win every battle. Go play Ninja Gaiden 2 on Mentor/Master and then tell me this is a frustrating/challenging action game.

[CloudRap]

Yeah when Im outnumbered Ill take out as many as I can in Stealth then retreat to higher ground once spotted and repeat that until its just me and the warchief.

[ramiuk1]

when i kill captains etc ,i get intel and then it kills them,but they come back im sure of it.

do you need to chop of there heads to eliminate them fully?

the 1st hour or 2 throws too much in your face imo,should of introduced the game slower but after a couple of hours and u know the stuff its great,hard though and sometimes there are 2-3 and maybe 4 warchiefs in 1 area which gets impossible lol.

im only upto the part after ratbag promotion,ended up roaming about like i used to on ass creed

[Stallion]

It's random. Sometime's they survive, very often when you stealth/arrow kill them.

[ArchangelMike]

Yeah I had this one captain that I'm sure I must have killed hom about 5-6 times, and he just kept coming back. He would even taunt me with the fact that I "didn't finish the job". He got to lvl 20 in the end. I killed him.. again, and then I havr ti make time pass so that another captain took his place.

I think you do have to chop their heads off to make sure they don't come back.

[cell989]

thats why I love this game, you cant just go and challenge captains at your will, at least not at first. You keep doing that and pretty soon youll have nothing but elite high level urukai to battle, some times they even jump you three at a time lol.

I currently have a level 15 captain that has killed me 3 times :( but Im hard headed and keep going to suicide instead of taking my time, gathering more abilities before taking that bounty.

The game is not hard, just be smart about it, stop going in all hard headed running and slashing

[N4GDgAPc]

Once u get all your upgrades the game becomes a lot easier. I hardly die now. Maybe I just got good at the game which I would like to think^^

[Stallion]

I'm about 5 hours into it, and I found myself wishing it was more difficult! It's great fun though, this guy's just a whiner.

[gamesR4fun]

this kid should stick to playing pokemon

what a whine fest bou i have no skills boo i got killed

the games almost as easy as AC even more so when you get to the end game

also this story does not need a ps3 or 360 tag since the games not on them...

[metalhead]

yeah it is. old gen comes out in november

[gamesR4fun]

damn i thought it was next gen only wonder how it will feel on the old gen.

[morganfell]

Agreed gamesR4fun,

This kid doesn't realize the need to be a tactician. It isn't just hack n' slash. You have to gain certain skills, and then make sure you gather appropriate intel on Captains and Warchiefs, picking those whom your skill allows you to effectively combat.

My neighbor saw me playing the game and went and purchased it. He called me pissed off a few hours later. I went over and out of the box he is going after Captains with no skills levelled and no intel. Dumb. Just dumb.

[Myze]

My only real problem with the game is the lack of consistency in progression. I actually enjoyed the first few hours a LOT more than the later due to how easy the game became. Enemies barely got more difficult, at least in comparison to how powerful you, as the player, become.

Overall, the game is fun, but it's definitely not gonna take the place from RS's Batman games. Mordor and Arkham City are very similar, but AC has far more variety, the areas lend themselves to stealth play a lot more, the story is vastly superior, and there is a general progression in the action/difficulty. I felt myself get kind of bored less than halfway through the game, because there was really nothing left to do other than sandbox random fights that I had already been doing. It almost felt like I was getting a call in GTAIV to go bowling whenever some random group of slaves needed help.

Again, I'm not saying I don't like the game, but other than the Nemesis system, which is very cool, there's nothing unique about the game, and other games have done it better. That being said, I think there is a great groundwork for a sequel, but they need to improve on the storyline a LOT, which would greatly break up the repetition.

[gamesR4fun]

can you imagine the game with more of middle earth open and options to play as a custom character...
it really could be epic imho

[VJGenova]

I agree. The lack of difficulty settings is disappointing. The game is too easy. As far as having to kill 20 other uruks when fighting a warchief goes, you don't have to kill them all ... I just use them to get my hit counter up. Uruks 1v1 are all a joke. You need the others to add some challenge. The only time I die is when I encounter 3 unique uruks at once ... that's a bitch!

[Fishermenofwar]

I agree with you 100%

Even if you have to kill 20 other Uruks...Who cares...Would the Warchief be prancing around middle earth solo?

[HiddenMission]

Okay your full of it bro. Some if those warchiefs are set up in a mixture of enemies that can be almost impossible to beat. When you have 20 regulars with 4 shield enemies 3 or 4 berserkers and 2 to 3 archers/javelin throwers then all you can do is run.

only real option would be to read their weaknesses while looking/being patient for a moment where they're at their weakest. Usually killing body guards makes it easier but that's not a guarantee for success.

So stop trying to talk about the difficulty like it's a cake walk for you because we can all see right through you...

[VJGenova]

Whenever I play a new game, I always play it on Hard, if available. I find most games these days to be easy. I remember when buying a game was not a guarantee that you'd beat it. Not the case anymore.

[DEEBO]

You are right plus don't Forget about when you put a hit on a captain,he gains more ability and bodyguards with less weakness.

I love just hunting down orcs😈😈😈 ;

[EvilWay]

I actually enjoy dying in games, don't see many games that are actually difficult

[oof46]

Meh. While the reviewer is in the minority, it's his opinion.

[Dudebro90]

Oh look this guy again.

He think Nintendo is doomed, and should make a streaming service, sell the Wii u without a gamepad, and that's just a few of the bullcrap posts hes made.

Dude seriously, who ever pays you to write must have their head up their arse.

Since you choose to play the game wrong and force it like batman or assassins creed, its frustrating?

Right....

[wynams]

This
game
is
not
hard
at
all

[JohnnyHurricane]

That's funny I thought the game was too easy after the halfway point.

[mochachino]

100% agree after a few upgrades and some strategic playing the game is easy.

[Sketchy_Galore]

I'm about to start my first playthrough in an hour or two and am now quite worried that the game will be far too hard....and that it will be far too easy. Oh Internet, you've done it again.

[mochachino]

The game gets pretty easy actually. Just play it smart and level up...it's almost too easy for me now.

[VJGenova]

Guess this is the writer's first RPG with an open level system ...He's probably never played a diablo or souls game. "Oh no! I need to allocate points to vitality!? What a new and confusing concept!?" Likely he didn't collect the heart containers in Zelda either ...

[DVAcme]

First of all, this is a game that forces you to fight intelligently and cut your losses when things get too tough. People expect to play this game like Assassin's Creed or Batman when they should be playing it like a Souls game: slowly, meticulously, with planning and managing resources. If you take the time to kill foot soldiers to deprive captains of reinforcements and you take advantage of their weaknesses, it's not that hard, and the captains that ARE challenging become that much more satisfying when you finally kill their ass. Many people make the mistake of trying to take on high-level captains or warchiefs from the get-go, when it's a better idea to go for the lower-ranked ones to load on runes and experience. That warchief that is busting your ass every time you fight him might become a pushover with a certain perk you just haven't unlocked yet.

Second of all, dying is PART OF THE FUN of this game. Seeing how orcs become your nemeses and rank up when you get killed is part of what makes the game great, and it's pretty funny and embarrassing when a mook orc kills you on a lucky hit and suddenly becomes a captain for you to begrudge. Every single nemesis in this game is a story you can tell. This is a game that's supremely fun even to talk to friends about and compare gaming experiences with, and that is RARE. The random elements make the game truly your own. The gameplay on its own creates a narrative beyond the game's actual story, that is EXCELLENT and I wish more games followed suit.

Seriously, the guy who wrote this article is just fishing for hits and completely missing the point of the game. I honestly think this game is the best candidate for GOTY right now. It certainly gives me more enjoyment than fucking Destiny does, that's for sure.

[morganfell]

Best post of the thread. Bubbles.

[Sadist3]

This game is way too easy. Whoever wrote this article must suck

[Clown_Syndr0me]

What a load of rubbish.
Played 9 and a half hours today - and its freaking amazing. The whole nemesis/enemies system is awesome!

[vividi]

Have we played the same game? I'm really in love with this game.

[DougLord]

I can't disagree more. This game is WAY TOO EASY. Parry is basically GOD mode defensively, and once you get your hit streak up you can 1 hit everything. I can charge into a group of 10 orcs and a captain and win easily. It only gets hard if you fight 2 captains at once with 20 followers or a captain with followers and a couple of those big dog beasties. That's because you have to alternate between parry and dodge,and I keep hitting the wrong one because I only play video games while drink.

If you actually use your head and the map, there is no reason to ever die, or even break a sweat. I don't care what level a captain is, if you take out his followers in stealth mode before attacking the boss, you can kill him without ever taking a hit or having to dodge or parry.

It's simple, DON'T mash the attack button as fast as you can. Hit it exactly 1x per second (count 1 Mississippi in your head). Don't even bother looking at Your character. Zone out and look for yellow "y"'s to pop up so you know when to parry parry. Once you get your hit streak over 20 you can execute everything (Y+B). Don't charge captains till you kill all their followers. Never attack those dog things when anything else is around. Always be in stealth mode when moving around so nothing jumps you.

If you ever face 2 captains or captains plus Dogs Sprint away. You can out run everything in the game using "a" and you never get tired. Games pauses when you pull up the map, herbs are EVERYWHERE and they all heal 100%!!!

Frankly you can level the he'll out of your character without ever fighting using the map, stealth and sprint. Just find the artifacts and runes, stealth/sprint in, grab them and run away.

I wish they had 3 difficulty levels. The one the game comes with would be "EASY". "Medium" would make herbs heal 1 hit, make stealth less effective and let normal or s do power attacks. It would also DOUBLE all captain level gains. Hard would do all of the above while making Captain attacks dodge only "no parry", make Captains treat ground executions and Y+B executions hit like normal attacks, have captains alwasy stick in pairs of 2, and know immediately when you attack their followers. Also I'd QUADRUPLE captain level gains.

I can take out a lvl 20 captain with almost no effort. You stealth into the general area. You need 1 normal orc and 1 worm to know exactly how NOT to kill him. Then you stealthily take out his followers using arrows and distance drain. Then you can kill him by simply hitting attack 1x per second without touching another button. People complaining just don't know how to parry, and build a hit streak. I almost always can get my hit streak over 20 (gives you 3 esecutions) and on average I get it over 30, which means it end only because I have nothing left to hit.

[Allsystemgamer]

I had 3 captains attack me. I got screwed. Plus the hoard. I couldn't run. One of my nemesis is a spearman. He hit me just as a vaulted over the LAST Orc in the way!

[-Einhert-]

Basically this translated as....

"This averagely difficult game was far to hard for me and I completely missed the whole point of the NEMESIS system."

This title is revolutionary for AI in video games and is the first truly next gen title game play wise.

[gamefanatic007]

LIES! You just suck at it! Awesome game!

[madcowz64]

It's challenging I'll give it that but if you die in battle you have to learn and understand why in order to prepare yourself so next time you can succeed. You can't go into a fight without knowing the weaknesses of each captain/war chief if you do then you might lose. Death plays a very big part in this game and while it may seem frustrating it leads to better rewards.