The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum

[Steelmaker]

New screen shots have surfaced (sorry, I can't post them directly)

https://www.gamestar.de/galerien/der...um,134723.html

[NARMAK]

Oh boy, that does look a bit woeful. A bit too animated looking like a cartoon version of Gollum and plastic.

Not for me it seems at full price.

[Blu Lemmy]

Doesn't look great

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

Oh boy, that does look a bit woeful. A bit too animated looking like a cartoon version of Gollum and plastic.

Not for me it seems at full price.

Originally Posted by Blu Lemmy

Doesn't look great

See, this is what I'm saying. I think graphics are not going to be the defining factor next generation. The law of diminishing returns will be evident, perhaps more than any other generation. I really do think that's why Sony is pushing so hard with this narrative of OTHER aspects to pay attention to for the next gen experience like instant loading, the Tempest audio engine, the immersive controller features like haptic feedback, built in mic, create button, and just many other quality of life features because they know that graphics alone aren't going to be enough to sway people. Now of course, that's not to say graphics won't be beautiful next generation. I'm sure they will be. I'm just saying I don't think the jump in graphical fidelity from current gen to next gen will be that breath-taking compared to generations past.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

See, this is what I'm saying. I think graphics are not going to be the defining factor next generation. The law of diminishing returns will be evident, perhaps more than any other generation. I really do think that's why Sony is pushing so hard with this narrative of OTHER aspects to pay attention to for the next gen experience like instant loading, the Tempest audio engine, the immersive controller features like haptic feedback, built in mic, create button, and just many other quality of life features because they know that graphics alone aren't going to be enough to sway people. Now of course, that's not to say graphics won't be beautiful next generation. I'm sure they will be. I'm just saying I don't think the jump in graphical fidelity from current gen to next gen will be that breath-taking compared to generations past.

The way i see it is that a game dev can hide a lot more inexperience in terms of their ability to do more realistic looking stuff by using such an art style which is why i don't think we can take this as an example. Hellblade 2 for example has done a "Whoa!" job so far for me showing how next gen could look tbh over current and that's before 1st parties like Guerrilla Games show off a sequel to Horizon etc.

So i think in a way it's good that devs for these more lacklustre looking games are getting attention now because once those big hitters unveil, these will not get a look in.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

The way i see it is that a game dev can hide a lot more inexperience in terms of their ability to do more realistic looking stuff by using such an art style which is why i don't think we can take this as an example. Hellblade 2 for example has done a "Whoa!" job so far for me showing how next gen could look tbh over current and that's before 1st parties like Guerrilla Games show off a sequel to Horizon etc.

So i think in a way it's good that devs for these more lacklustre looking games are getting attention now because once those big hitters unveil, these will not get a look in.

That Hellblade 2 trailer was a cinematic proof of concept. I'm not convinced that the actual in game graphics will look that way. Look at the Halo Infinite trailer. I think that is a much more realistic example of what next gen will be for the most part.

[Zivouhr]

The Lord of The Rings Gollum First Look: PS5 & Xbox Series X Gameplay Screenshots, Details & More - YouTube

Gollum on PS5 looks highly detailed in terms of visuals based on those screenshots, with nice lighting and artistry. The designs are not from the film series, and more stylized, which is fine by me. Being able to play as Gollum, exploring a hopefully open world, sounds cool.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

That Hellblade 2 trailer was a cinematic proof of concept. I'm not convinced that the actual in game graphics will look that way. Look at the Halo Infinite trailer. I think that is a much more realistic example of what next gen will be for the most part.

DF thought the cinematic had aberrations in it that implied it could be in engine stuff and they're really pushing the pixels with a reduced "black bar" to help them push that graphical edge.

[TheWildWhelk]

Some people don't like the portrayal of Gollum in the game, probably because their only reference to him is the Jackson films; my first encounter outside of the books was the stunning voice work of the late Peter Woodethorpe, who so impressively played Gollum in the Ralph Bakshi film, he reprised the same role for the BBC's audio dramatisation of Lord Of The Rings in 1981...

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

DF thought the cinematic had aberrations in it that implied it could be in engine stuff and they're really pushing the pixels with a reduced "black bar" to help them push that graphical edge.

I do believe it was in-engine, much the same way that original Uncharted 4 (where Drake is laying unconscious on the ground with flies buzzing around his face) was in-engine. But once you add so many other variables to the game like environments, AI, controls, audio, etc there is at least a slight downgrade. We all saw it once gameplay videos started coming out of Uncharted 4 and we'll see it with this game. Not to say the game won't look amazing because I absolutely believe it will. I just don't think it will quite be on the same level of detail as that trailer was.

[Zivouhr]

Also keeping in mind, that Smeagol was once a hobbit like Frodo, and in this Gollum PS5 game, he may gradually morph over time into a more despicable form, less peach and more gray.

Originally Posted by TheWildWhelk

Some people don't like the portrayal of Gollum in the game, probably because their only reference to him is the Jackson films; my first encounter outside of the books was the stunning voice work of the late Peter Woodethorpe, who so impressively played Gollum in the Ralph Bakshi film, he reprised the same role for the BBC's audio dramatisation of Lord Of The Rings in 1981...

Same here. That movie is still fun to watch and the portrayal of Gollum is still effective, even if the ending of the film was cut short. Bakshi I believe was hoping to add a 2nd film back then but it didn't happen.

[NARMAK]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

I do believe it was in-engine, much the same way that original Uncharted 4 (where Drake is laying unconscious on the ground with flies buzzing around his face) was in-engine. But once you add so many other variables to the game like environments, AI, controls, audio, etc there is at least a slight downgrade. We all saw it once gameplay videos started coming out of Uncharted 4 and we'll see it with this game. Not to say the game won't look amazing because I absolutely believe it will. I just don't think it will quite be on the same level of detail as that trailer was.

We'll see how it goes but i think The Order 1886 is the closest approximation of the black bar gameplay i meant Hellblade 2 could do to push that graphical quality. Either way, we'll see.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by NARMAK

We'll see how it goes but i think The Order 1886 is the closest approximation of the black bar gameplay i meant Hellblade 2 could do to push that graphical quality. Either way, we'll see.

I need to go back and play that. I have it downloaded but I never got around to playing it.

[Blu Lemmy]

^ The Order 1886?

I thought that was great

[Zivouhr]

If this game is a journey from early Smeagol, warping over time into the fully corrupted and gaunt Gollum, that could be interesting, leading up to the final end at Mount Doom with Frodo and Sam.

[Himmel]

https://youtu.be/tFYCR1G2n9k

[joshsquash729]

I missed the original announcement for the game, so today was the first I'd ever heard of it. It's definitely an interesting idea for a game. Never thought of playing as Smeagol/Gollum. I expect it'll probably have a morality system, where certain actions take you closer to Gollum taking over, and some to Smeagol? My interest is definitely piqued!

[Zivouhr]

Gollum as a playable character should be fun, exploring the wilderness hopefully freely. Not just Mordor, but all of Middle Earth.

I can imagine a progression. First he steals the ring for his birthday. Then eventually things progress to where he has to hunt down the hobbits and track them, report to Sauron, etc. 2021 I believe.

[Mavrick]

Pushed to 2022 https://www.psu.com/news/the-lord-of...-as-publisher/

[tcripe]

Expecting to see lots of game delays this year.