Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

[anus_pounder]

Sweet jesus, why can't this come out any earlier.

 

[flabbyjack]

This actually manages to look worse every time I see a new video of it. Why is this on Middle Earth again? How the fuck did they get the license?

There are some 'serious' (sic money money money) license dispute issues, and only in the background is the LotR universe being super-raped with this non-cannon stuff. The Tolkien estate is preoccupied with these license disputes (see below), but even if they weren't they don't have a primary canon manager like Star Trek/Star Wars/etc, at least not that I'm aware of.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros forces Cease and Desist letters upon mod developers: http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project
Old news, but news nonetheless

There is a gaming-relevant lawsuit (WB countersuing Tolkien estate)
http://www.eonline.com/news/397531/...alleges-breach-of-contract-over-gaming-rights
It's really only a retaliatory lawsuit. The real issue (as far as WB & Tolkien estate/etc see it) is --

From http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/07/16/75725-making-sense-of-the-latest-tolkien-lawsuit/

... the main complaint this time is copyright infringement. There are two main activities that plaintiffs claim defendants infringe upon rights that plaintiff assert they still hold: (1) Lord of the Rings themed slot machines; and (2) online and downloadable video games.

The license agreement covers merchandizing of the movie for things like t-shirts, mugs, and other stuff purchasable as personal property by fans. Slot machines sold en mass to casinos? Not so much.

 

[Kitako]

As a fan as stupid-popamole action games I loved the last video, but as a Tolkien fan I hope the producers die horribly or at least the game is cancelled for lore reasons. Damn that's a huge fuckup.
One can dream...

 

[DemonKing]

This actually manages to look worse every time I see a new video of it. Why is this on Middle Earth again? How the fuck did they get the license?

Given I don't care one bit about faithfulness to Tolkien this just looks like a vaguely cool-looking excuse to slice and dice orcs from the latest trailer. I'm not too sure about how killing boss orcs is supposed to grant you uber weapons but if they managed to produce something resembling the Tomb Raider reboot with a fantasy theme I'd be cool with that.

 

[anus_pounder]

This actually manages to look worse every time I see a new video of it. Why is this on Middle Earth again? How the fuck did they get the license?

Given I don't care one bit about faithfulness to Tolkien this just looks like a vaguely cool-looking excuse to slice and dice orcs from the latest trailer. I'm not too sure about how killing boss orcs is supposed to grant you uber weapons but if they managed to produce something resembling the Tomb Raider reboot with a fantasy theme I'd be cool with that.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

New previews:
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/m...one/archive/2014/05/22/opening-up-mordor.aspx
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/05/22/trailing-and-trolling-orcs-in-shadow-of-mordor/
http://kotaku.com/the-new-lotr-game-made-me-fight-dirty-1579398746
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-05-22-middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-promises-plenty-of-strategising-and-accidental-chaos

Confirmed voice actors:
http://www.destructoid.com/voice-cast-for-middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-revealed-275216.phtml

 

[Metro]

I suppose it can't be any worse than War in the North but it is a Morgoth thread so you never know.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

War in the North was already forsaken by Warner before it even entered full production. Here it seems, Warner is invested to make SoM succeed. Maybe because they believe the game won't be a total suckfest?

 

[abnaxus]

Queen Marwen of Nurn

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Ow vey I just watched that trailer. Another wubwubeteewub headache.

I like the open-world and strategic Nemesis aspect of the game, but this all gets negated by the idiot-proven Freeflow combat system also used in Batman.

 

[groke]

posting in a thread

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Soon, every AAA game protagonist will look and sound exactly like Troy Baker, because chances are, Troy Baker is going to lend his performance for every goddamn game out there to come.

 

[Kitako]

Loved the dude melting off the face from an orc over the moving speech about respecting Tolkien background.

 

[Excidium]

Looks like a piece of shit alright, they should just cease making those type of games without Batman

 

[abnaxus]

Black Numenoreans, okay.

But a female Ranger?

 

[groke]

When will a LotR game allow me to live out my dream of running naked through torched Rohirrim settlements as a dick-in-hand-covered-in-shit Dunlending?

 

[Azazel]

I'm still hoping that someone shows this to Christopher Tolkien so he can so the loving fuck out of Warner Brothers.

 

[Drax]

sue, I assume?

 

[buzz]

I'm still hoping that Tolkien fanboys will stop about MUH LORE RAPE, especially in a post-Peter Jackson world. No one outside your little clique gives a tiny amount of fuck.
Middle Earth doesn't even think it could count as one of the fantasy settings for which I give a modicum of shit, like Bas-Lag, Earwa or Westeros.

Monolith and WB only did a bad decision going with this setting insofar as having to deal with all the backlash from lore purists and with all the people who think that Middle Earth is generic and boring with too many movies and tie-in games under its belt.

 

[Excidium]

Middle Earth doesn't even think it could count as one of the fantasy settings for which I give a modicum of shit, like Bas-Lag, Earwa or Westeros.

lmao

Not that I care for middle-earth but fucking game of thrones...are you a chick?

 

[buzz]

 

[Excidium]

Fucking soap opera

 

[buzz]

yeah but dem tittays tho
Edit: I remember that my favorite LotR-related story is that alternate take by some Russian writer, where Mordor and Sauron are actually the good guys who care about developing technology and arts and and the heroes are actually some primitive fucks who want to exterminate them. Good stuff!

 

[Excidium]

I guess there is that.