Shadow of Mordor

[Kuruharan]

I came across a synopsis of the plot of this game. Let's just say it gave me a new appreciation for Peter Jackson's gifts as a storyteller and an appreciation for his faithful adherence to the letter and spirit of Tolkien's works.

You may mark this day on your calendar.

[Tar-Jêx]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I came across a synopsis of the plot of this game. Let's just say it gave me a new appreciation for Peter Jackson's gifts as a storyteller and an appreciation for his faithful adherence to the letter and spirit of Tolkien's works.

You may mark this day on your calendar.

I haven't dared set foot near the story. If it's as hopeless as the War in the North story, then that's just shameful.

I really don't understand how hard it is to set something in the first age around an event with basically no details, then invent your own characters for it.
That way, nobody can complain are lore breaking, because you confined it to a certain event, you made your own characters that nobody can criticize for not being what the character was actually like, and the gameplay can still be amazing.

What idiots we have making our games.
Seriously, the title 'Middle Earth: Insert Name Here' will sell. Doesn't need to be recognizable by anyone, because they will buy it.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I came across a synopsis of the plot of this game. Let's just say it gave me a new appreciation for Peter Jackson's gifts as a storyteller and an appreciation for his faithful adherence to the letter and spirit of Tolkien's works.

You may mark this day on your calendar.

Nonsense, Kuru! I’ve already read two articles explaining how Shadow of Mordor is totally canonical because spiritoftolkienappendicessilmarillion!

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Tar-Jêx

I haven't dared set foot near the story. If it's as hopeless as the War in the North story, then that's just shameful.

It is far worse, in fact. War in the North at least didn't directly contradict or interfere much with the plot of LotR. Shadow of Mordor directly contradicts things that Tolkien wrote.

What idiots we have making our games.
Seriously, the title 'Middle Earth: Insert Name Here' will sell. Doesn't need to be recognizable by anyone, because they will buy it.

Sadly, it doesn't make them idiots, it makes them smart. Cynical exploitation has worked wonders.

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Nonsense, Kuru! I’ve already read two articles explaining how Shadow of Mordor is totally canonical because spiritoftolkienappendicessilmarillion!

One wonders how one is supposed to deal with people like those who wrote those articles who seemingly believe, "If I say it then it must be true because I'm awesome."

The plot of the game is contrary to the letter and spirit of Tolkien falling literally under the label of something Tolkien repeatedly criticized in "trying to use the weapons and means of the Enemy against him" with first Celebrimbor and then the Celebrimbor/Talion wraith-hybrid dominating and using orc armies to fight Sauron and trying to set themselves up as the "Bright Lords of Mordor."

Vomitus stuff, really.

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

The plot of the game is contrary to the letter and spirit of Tolkien falling literally under the label of something Tolkien repeatedly criticized in "trying to use the weapons and means of the Enemy against him" with first Celebrimbor and then the Celebrimbor/Talion wraith-hybrid dominating and using orc armies to fight Sauron and trying to set themselves up as the "Bright Lords of Mordor."

Vomitus stuff, really.

I didn't realise how bizarre the plot for this game was until your post inspired me to go look it up, Kuru. Just going by what's stated on Wikipedia, according to 'Shadow of Mordor':
-at one point Celebrimbor stole the One Ring and tried to take over Mordor himself, Orcs and all (what happened to the War of the Elves and Sauron?)
-Núrn was a kingdom of seafarers taken over by Sauron and their true queen was possessed by Saruman (did they think their Lake was so big it was actually the ocean?)
-outcasts from Gondor live inside Mordor (presumably the Lord of the Nazgûl was confounded by some loophole when it came to evicting squatters)
-human sacrifice, instead of being the intentionally wasteful practice of a mendacious religion, actually has magical powers
-Sauron can possess people?
-Men think they can make Rings of Power
-Celebrimbor's spirit hung around for four thousand years or so instead of heading straight for Mandos after he was slain

The only idea that comes across as remotely plausible to me is the notion of Black Númenórean lieutenants with titles rather than names.

As I speculated in that other thread, of course, it'd probably be a violence-for-violence's-sake generic revenge story that completely contradicts the arguments of Tolkien's work, and clearly it is.

I predict that someone on the internet at some point will inexplicably use Túrin as an example to justify this.

[Zigûr]

Interesting article here about how the game contradicts Professor Tolkien's themes by presenting violence and revenge as entertainment:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/arti...ien-Fanfiction
A highlight is this remark which I think could also apply to a lot of commentary on both the books and adaptations:

It thinks the defining characteristics of Tolkien are fussy world building and lack of brevity.

It's bizarre to see people saying "Just because it's set in Middle-earth doesn't mean it has to follow Tolkien's themes!" As if Middle-earth is the 'Marvel universe' or something, as if it's a fictional setting that was built specifically to service a franchise and not the other way around.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

It's bizarre to see people saying "Just because it's set in Middle-earth doesn't mean it has to follow Tolkien's themes!" As if Middle-earth is the 'Marvel universe' or something, as if it's a fictional setting that was built specifically to service a franchise and not the other way around.

That's not surprising, unfortunately. I seriously doubt the majority of those who would buy the game have ever read the books, and many probably haven't bothered with the movies. Thus, they would have only vague notions of what Tolkien was about. If one is unfamiliar with the source material, what is Shadow of Mordor but another hack-and-slash exercise in gore? It would seem the only reason it even had to have anything to do with Tolkien at all was to attract those who did see the PJ films.

[Andsigil]

Originally Posted by Tar-Jêx

I haven't dared set foot near the story. If it's as hopeless as the War in the North story, then that's just shameful.

I played the War in the North game and found that the plot wasn't bad. The writers took a whole swath of ME, otherwise largely unaddressed in the trilogy, and made something that (for the most part) fit the trilogy.

It could easily have been an appendix in the RotK, or had some mention in the main story, as a background/aside.