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Am I wrong in the opinion that Monolith's Middle-Earth games aren't very good adaptations of Tolkien's work?

Kilau

Member
Even saying loosely based on Tolkiens work is a stretch.

Shelobisalady.jpg
Mad Arthur GIF by MOODMAN
 

hyperbertha

Member
The games fail to attain any semblance of the tone of the original setting. They are just power trips, and the orcs are more like jokes once you level up enough. And as you said, there's hardly any good idea in the games besides the nemesis system, but it in itself is sorely lacking in meaningful depth to truly matter. Play AC2/arkham city instead. Very similar gameplay, and superior in every way.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Absolutely ridiculous that they patented nemesis system to just be in those games. Could have been huge.
I didn't even know about that until now, lol. Companies patent their gameplay ideas all the time, though. I remember reading about that back in the day and it seems like it's practically a norm in the industry.

The games fail to attain any semblance of the tone of the original setting. They are just power trips, and the orcs are more like jokes once you level up enough. And as you said, there's hardly any good idea in the games besides the nemesis system, but it in itself is sorely lacking in meaningful depth to truly matter. Play AC2/arkham city instead. Very similar gameplay, and superior in every way.
Tbh I think I'm just gonna try Hogwarts Legacy, just because it's been praised so much for its attention to detail when it comes to world building. I'm kinda starved for a fantasy action RPG that I could immerse myself in as I did in The Witcher 3 back in the day.
 
I didn't even know about that until now
I suppose so, but it just seems like it could have been pretty game changing for other series. I'm a Fromsoft fanatic and I would have loved to see something like that implemented in a game like ER or something along those line. Or even a game like mobsters that gain the ranks in a crime game. There was so much potential and its been squandered on a mid game.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
I suppose so, but it just seems like it could have been pretty game changing for other series. I'm a Fromsoft fanatic and I would have loved to see something like that implemented in a game like ER or something along those line. Or even a game like mobsters that gain the ranks in a crime game. There was so much potential and its been squandered on a mid game.
Yeah, I can think of a few ideas on how it could've been used to improve some games. I'm guessing that the patent will eventually expire, just like it did with the Namco loading screen thing.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
My brain won't stop hyping the next Elder Scrolls. There's such a uniquely jank but comforting feel to the games.
I recently played some Skyrim in VR fully modded and it's probably one of the best and most immersive VR experiences that you can have today. It just makes you want to live in that world, lol.

I even went into one of the in-game inns during the night, rented a bed, and positioned myself so that I could lie down on my real bed while my character was lying on the in-game bed. I then started dozing of to the comforting sound of crackling fireplace while watching the light from it dance around on the ceiling.
 
Can't make me dislike Shadow of Mordor that game kicks so much ass. I loved the lore tie ins. Shadow of war ate ass and the the lore tie in felt like bad fanfic.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Can't make me dislike Shadow of Mordor that game kicks so much ass. I loved the lore tie ins. Shadow of war ate ass and the the lore tie in felt like bad fanfic.
We can at least agree that the first game was better. Still, I just wish that slaughtering orcs wasn't the only highlight of the experience.
 
They (particularly Shadow of War) are terrible stories and are a disgrace to Tolkien's work.
However the gameplay is a good time and it is worth a try.
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
Yeah.. There was little that even resembled the LotR universe. It felt amateurish and utterly bland. As an adaptation the contrast between this and Hogwarts is eyeopening.
 
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