Monolith; Uber talented but under appreciated developers

Monolith was always full of talented people. Unfortunately the IPs they worked on either disappeared, ruined by new devs or were under appreciated. No One Lives Forever was a great spy shooter. Today it's not even available in markets. No one knows who owns the IP. FEAR was also ruined later on. Shadow of Mordor was a sleeper hit of 2014. There were other projects in the past they've been involved in as well, like Blood or Chosen for example among others.

Shadow of Mordor was the best Lords of the Rings games I've had ever played. They really put heart and soul into it. So it was obvious for me to get its sequel Shadow of War as well. So I picked up definitive edition of it recently and finished it couple of hours ago. I'd say if Shadow of Mordor was Witcher 2, then Shadow of War was Witcher 3. This game is massive. There are so many maps, so many new features, so many great personalities and gameplay refinements here.

Production values are just sky high. I absolutely loved Firebird engine. While loading times were longer than previous game in the series, performance and visuals were better. Frame rates were also consistent and streaming technology was better. Nemesis system also received huge updates. Prologue is strong. It plays differently than Act 1, which plays differently than Act 2, which plays differently than Act 3 and epilogue.

It feels like 3 or 4 games rolled into one. After looking at user average, I have no freaking clue why everyone was so mad at this game. Was it because of optional microtransactions or something else. Whatever it was, I'm sure it was not enough to drag down the game to average 2/10 rating. This game was brilliant. While the previous game had great lore, its story wasn't that great. It was its world and combat system that made it appealing. Here we have more refined combat, siege battles, more lore and actually a pretty interesting story.

Even Orcs have different personalities. They have different voice actors, behaviors, animations, fears, strengths and so on. The game generates missions for you based on your choices and interaction with the world. Every person experiences the game differently. I have no idea how can someone dislike this game. As usual, Monolith remains uber talented but under appreciated company.

Would have been more appreciated had they not implement microtransaction in Shadow of War. Left a bad impression, I didnt buy the game yet due to this, still not considering it even after they removed the option.

I think gamers are over reacting.

Was playing NOLF recently. Be honest, aside from the light-tone Austin Powers parody, I thought the game itself wasn't particularly good. Not a fan of Morder series either, as it doesn't feel like Lord Of The Rings, and doesn't feel particularly original.

Having said that, Fear is easily top 10 FPS. It's shooting, AI and atmosphere is simply amazing.

Blood is another game dripping with atmosphere, a perfect mix and action and horror. Sure, it follows the Doom formula, but it does it exceptionally well.

AVP2 and Shogo Mobile Armor division are also (mostly) good games. Think Shogo was one of the first FPS where you could actually get out of a mech, and where the perspective size of the map would change.

AVP2 is just a really solid game. I don't think it's as good as the first at emulating the movies, it's more scripted, but it's still a dam good title that's kind of went under the rug.

Yeah really. Gamers love to hate everything these days.

They are hit and miss.

FEAR is masterpiece and easily one of the best FPS ever ever made. 2 was dissapointing though. terrible sequel

AVP2 was great. probably best aliens game.

NOLF was trash. dont know why people praise it. its goldeneye with female protagonist. brain dead AI and bad shooting. its stealth also suck. i laugh when people say NOLF 3 will ruined today when far superior FPS games happen today. Riddick EFBB was also FPS and stealth mixture but it was everything NOLF was not.

Played shadow of mordor and it was pretty bad. assassisns creed in LOTR universe. waste of time.

monolith need to make FEAR once again. FEAR 3 is some other developer made. they need to make real FEAR 3 like original game.

so yes, FEAR is highlight. its best game they have ever made. and after that they gone downhill.

Developers develop. Micro-transactions are a business, i.e. a publisher's decision.

Is it that simple? Those MTX also counted as incentive or bonuses for the dev.

Isn't that game a lot like the AC series with 5 million samey tasks do to over and over again? That's why I passed on it. Hearing about some microtransaction bullshit in a single player game didn't help either.

Shadow of Mordor was cool

Shadow of War was meh

It literally was SoM 1.1 instead of a improved upon sequel. And that last act... ugh

It's possible, but Middle-Earth franchise is Warner Bros' IP, and it's their money used for the development. So they most probably have the main say when it comes to business decisions.

its same crap like AC. the combat is basically mix of AC and batman.

You're missing a lot. Trust me when I say a lot, I do mean A LOT. This is one of those games that you must play at least once before dying.

I agree with this, not playing Shadow of Mordor because of micro transactions means you're missing out on a really good game because of a publisher decision that really has zero effect on the game.

There is absolutely no need to go anywhere near the shop. unless you want to collect the free stuff they give you to entice you in but even then you can collect and never go near it again (that's what I done). You'd only be promoting MTX if you part with money on them, not by buying and playing the game.

Absolutely mate.

Agree mostly with you, they have made a lot of great games that never really got the success they deserved imo. NOLF was awesome and a did a lot of things different than all the normal FPS at that time!

Personally I loved shadow of Mordor, but never really got into shadow of war, just felt like a slight upgrade of the first one with way to many pointless busy tasks... also the combat system is getting stale at this point imo!

Will try if it ever goes free on ps+ or on for $5,

Mtx in games just leave a bad taste for me, especially in single player games. I try my best to avoid these game, its just a personal principal not to support mtx practices no matter how good the game is.

LOL No. just imagine its assassins creed in LOTR with nemesis system. thats what shadow of mordor is. its just too boring. i didnot even bother with shadow of war. always forgot it even exist at all.

monolith only masterpiece was FEAR. everything else is either hit or miss or just terrible like shadow of and NOLF.

Fvck off.

Your choice bud. But they've removed MTx. Get definitive edition when you're in mood of giving it a go.

1st one was meh. Might try 2nd one when it hits the bargain bin .....cus dragons. I prefer War in the North.

Just watch this video my friend, sum up what kind of game is this. the point is, nobody is missing much by not playing is.

although i respect your opinion if you like it.

OMG this bigot just changed my mind. I hate the game now. I have been saved and enlightened. FFS.

Monolith to me was up until mid 00's the best fps developer. NoLF, Blood, Shogo, AvP games are all excellent games . Their latest en devours though while mostly good like shadow of mordor are not as great as their past games plus some questionable sale practices like MT really hurt their legacy

FEAR and NOLF are absolute classics. I think seeing the FEAR demo running on my friends gaming PC when that demo first came out might be the most impressed I have ever been by a game.

since then, they have gone downhill though IMO. I liked but didn't love Condemned, and thought Shadow of Mordor was extremely overrated. Other than the nemesis system it was such a dull, generic-ass open world game with a shit story and repetitive gameplay.

@Cloud_imperium: What a shame they didn´t stick with NOLF and make more of those kinds of games.

That game was great and had decent humour which is severely lacking in games today,

No one knows who owns the IP. That's real issue. If they can figure that out, I'm sure they'll give it a go.

What a shame they do not know who owns that IP, because of what a scoop if they managed to get that and make/remake the game.

<3

humor doesnot make game good. better FPS games done today. It was mediocre game and today doesnot age well.

early 20s was golden age of FPS genre and there were games that still play great today ala soldier of fortune.

@ghosts4ever: what a boring person. Humor is sometimes the KEY.

He just hates it because of female protagonist. Nothing else. Everything else is just an excuse.

but i take good level design, good gameplay over some humor.

Humour can most certainly make a game good, maybe for you it cant, but this was Austin Powers before Austin Powers became a thing.

Games are not just about the mechanics, a game can survive not having good gameplay mechanics on its humour or script, a game can´t survive on its mechanics alone.

In something that's very narrative driven, like a purely adventure game, maybe. Some of the pixel hunting in Lucas art games could be iffy. But it was more background noise.

In this? Na, don't agree.

Most certainly in a game like NOLF, think if EA and Activision instead of taking their game to seriously, said "hey we know everyone wants to play this because of the mp, so let´s just make the SP campaign into something fun and have a laugh"

I know some people especially the kids think it´s all about gameplay mechanics but you think Fortnite beat Pubg because it has better mechanics? or because they made a game with humour? Because Fortnite is a horrible FPS game as to mechanics.

:\

Really?

But Gameplay mechanics make a game. how can FPS be good if it lack good gunplay and good level design?? or even good AI?? story comes second. i always wanted a good story.

everything else is secondary.

monolith after NOLF create masterpiece that FEAR was. it has best shooting/combat in history with best AI in history. the slow mo with shotgun never get old.

FEAR was monolith strength and NOLF was thier weakness.

You disagree? But yes Fortnite hit it big because it´s over the top ludicrous elements like the humour and to boot it has that cartoon look.

Pubg is a far better FPS/TPS game in terms of mechanics and realism but the mainstream gamer do not want that, the market is filled with Pubg´s "DayZ" clones, there is a huge market for cartoonish humour, which is what NOLF was back in the day,

Never played Blood eh?

was too late.

Just going by what I saw. Went back and played alot of older FPS. Games like Quake, Quake 2, Halflife, Opposing Force etc.. have all aged well. Heck, i'd rather play these of your modern military FPS more interested in showing of the mocap because creatively bankrupt sections.

But pretty much everything in NOLF was broken. Stealth, basic gun-play. Can applaud it for being different with some creative ideas (using glasses to show lasers), but the core gameplay is straight up poor.

Gameplay Mechanics does not make it a game. A game is an interactive experience where you as a player have an input. So unless you talk the obscure shit like Visual novels like Gone Home or the Japanese porn games, a game can do with very little in the term "mechanics"

And an FPS can be good because it has a good story or has humour or a number of other gimmicks that is not the gameplay mechanics. Again let´s take Fortnite, as an "FPS" (TPS, if I recall they still have not done a pubg and made it possible to do FPS) The game in terms of single player was a major disaster, no one wanted to play that it was decent enough and for a "tower defence game" it was lacking in many major areas.

Now Fortnite as a Battle Royal game is suddenly much more interesting, not because it has good gameplay mechanics, because it sure does not have anything to write home about, guns are horrible, aiming is horrible , AI is not relevant but in the SP they are horrible as well or because you can run around shooting others in the head, but because it´s a battle royal game with humour, with inventive features that together with it being a battle royal game, make it fun to play.

And no FEAR was not their strength, considering it has an 88 on meta and NOLF is 91. Both games had their audience and No lives forever was a gem who unfortunately due to IP obscurity of the big companies, will probably never get another game or a re-release.

Hmm, think we will have to disagree there and considering Meta is on 91 on critic reviews (not taking user reviews) all praising those elements i think you may be having the same problem as some have when they go back to Half-life , they compare it to modern day games and not to the current generation.

Sorry matey, when I play an FPS/stealth game it having competent mechanics I will be using for 7-8 hours takes precedence over quirky humor.

If I just want that, can just watch Austin Powers, Johhny English or the Roger Moore era movies. The game aspect, the interactivity with mechanics, is what separates it. And on that front it fails.

Fear is undoubtedly a better game in my eyes. It has it's problems, namely repetitive environments and a distinct lack of variation in enemies. But the AI and combat encounters are so dam good, it's teeters on irrelevant. Mechanically that game is absolutely boss. With a good story (for an FPS) and atmosphere.

Metacritic doesn't mean anything to me, but your welcome to use it to justify your own views. Games like Goldeneye have scored better than the vast majority of PC FPS, but by todays standards it's pretty terrible.

Fear hasn't got that problem.

it was incredibly overrated. and metacritic never matters.

compare to either newer FPS or older FPS. NOLF was bad. its not RPG where we can excuse for having bad gameplay. its FPS and bad gameplay mechanics in FPS is something that is not acceptable.

STALKER SOC has only 82 on metacritic and its by far best FPS game ever made even more so than Half life. the most innovative FPS game too when it was released.

Well, in your opinion

I played STALKER and it was mediocre and had no story any clear line and had horrible mechanics.

So good that we all have our likes and dislikes.

FOR FPS/stealth game, Riddick EFBB is still king. perfect example of how to make FPS/Stealth hybrid.

Metro series also offer good FPS/stealth gameplay but Riddick is a king.

actually it has story. you have object to kill strelok only to find out that you are strelok. your memory was lost.

the atmosphere make Stalker. the zone is probably the best gaming universe i have ever seen. when i played STALKER for first time long ago. i was just blown away that a video game can be this immersive and atmospheric?? i couldnot stop playing.

Games like STALKER and Metro are the reason why FPS is my genre of choice. If it was for goldeneye, perfect dark or NOLF. i would have hated FPS genre.

And when I play. I want the humour and the story, not the mechanics because those quickly get boring, and I do not play games because I am bored or want to be bored

Also, you can´t compare playing a game to watching a movie or reading a book, it´s a like comparing eating to watching pictures and say "hey you do not need to eat, I can just watch the picture"

So sure FEAR for you is better, for me, NOLF is better and NOLF was in terms of Monolith a bigger hit.

But ya it´s all subjective. So let´s agree to disagree on these games.