Monolith Productions, Inc., based in Kirkland, Washington, is an American video game developer developing monolith productions video games.
However, since August 2004, the company has become a Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment subsidiary.
Monolith Productions Video Games
The company’s most well-known works in the Monolith Productions video games include Blood, No One Lives Forever, and FEAR Monolith created the LithTech game engine, which was utilized in most of their games beginning in September 1998 with Shogo: Mobile Armor Division.
Monolith also published games between 1997 and 1999, some produced by the studio and others by other parties.
The game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was launched in 2014, and a sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, was released in 2017.
The business revealed in 2021 that they are working on a Wonder Woman video game. Read on as this article takes you through some of the Monolith productions video games.
1. Blood
Blood is a first-person shooter video game released by GT Interactive Software and developed by Monolith Productions.
On March 7, 1997, the shareware version for MS-DOS was published, followed by the complete version on May 21 in North America and June 20 in Europe. Blood is spilled throughout an undetermined time frame.
The several levels include aspects from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, futuristic and retro-futuristic technologies, and a bizarre Western motif.
Many components, such as weapons and pop-culture references, are outdated. Blood II: The Chosen, the sequel, moves the game forward to 1928.
In addition, According to review aggregator website Metacritic, Blood garnered “generally good” reviews from professional reviewers based on seven reviews.
Also, the elaborate and innovative level designs, witty wisecracks and pop culture references, over-the-top gore, variety of locales, and inventive, unorthodox weaponry received high accolades from critics.
2. Claw
Claw is a 1997 Monolith Productions 2D side-scroller platform video game about an anthropomorphic pirate cat on a quest to locate an ancient amulet while fighting monsters and solving puzzles.
It’s Monolith’s second album, after Blood, released in May of the same year. Furthermore, the Cocker-Spaniards (a dog species, a pun on Cocker Spaniel) capture and jail a famous cat pirate, Captain Nathaniel Joseph Claw, after the attack and sink his ship.
He discovers a note and a fragment of a map buried in the wall of his prison cell as he awaits his execution.
In addition, Claw which is one of the monolith productions video games, garnered a mixed bag of reviews, ranging from positive to negative.
Claw received a favorable review from Allgame, which compared its entertainment value to the Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot series.
3. Get Medieval
Get Medieval is one of the monolith video games that is a 1998 action game created by Monolith Productions and released for Windows.
It’s an overhead shooter in which the player controls one of four dungeon characters. The gameplay is getting medieval, reminiscent of Atari Games’ 1985 arcade game Gauntlet.
It has three modes (Dragon Quest, Random Dungeon, Custom Dungeon) and four difficulty levels to choose from. Archer (Eryc), Barbarian (Zared), Sorceress (Levina), and Avenger (Kellina) are the four-player characters in the game.
They differ solely in speed and strength, and the slowest character (Zared) is the most powerful, while the fastest (Eryc) is the most vulnerable.
In addition, this is one of the monolith productions video games that, According to the review aggregate website GameRankings, the game garnered average reviews.
4. Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
Monolith Productions released Shogo: Mobile Armor Division in 1998 as a Mecha first-person shooter video game.
Monolith’s flagship Lithtech engine was used for the first time in this game. Like other traditional FPS games, the game allows the user to control a giant mech and execute missions on foot.
Shogo combines traditional on-foot first-person shooter action with anime-style bipedal mech warfare. Unlike mech simulator games like the MechWarrior series, Shogo’s mechs operate like first-person shooter games.
In addition, According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, the game earned “favorable” reviews, two points shy of “universal acclaim.”
5. Blood II: The Chosen one
Blood II: The Chosen is a first-person shooter computer game published by GT Interactive and developed by Monolith Productions.
Unlike the first book, Blood, set in 1928, this one is set in 2028. Therefore, it includes science fiction technology, mainly from the cyberpunk genre, dystopian aspects, traditional weaponry, and magical things.
The game involves a substantial amount of brutal violence and black humor, similar to its predecessor. Furthermore, In single-player mode, the player can select one of the four Chosen characters.
Because each Chosen has different marksmanship abilities, maximum hit points, and armor levels, the gameplay of Blood II is influenced by the character you choose at the start of the game. However, the story mode can only be completed by playing Caleb.
6. Gruntz
Gruntz is a PC puzzle/strategy game developed by Monolith Productions and released in February 1999. It comes with a level editor and can be played solo and multiplayer. Critics gave the game largely positive to very positive reviews.
7. Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact
Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact is a Microsoft Windows-only action video game created by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive.
Ice-T provided the voice for the game’s main character, Agent Nathaniel Cain. A Dreamcast version was in the works; however, it was finally shelved.
A world-renowned genetic engineer, Doctor Joan Aiken, developed a technique to use the new section of the human brain via a serum several decades before the game begins.
In addition, this is one of the monolith productions video games that, According to Metacritic, a review aggregation website, the game garnered “average” reviews. “A colorful game that starts fun but gradually becomes repetitive,” NextGen’s Jim Preston said.
8. The Operative: No One Lives Forever
The Operative: No One Lives Forever (abbreviated as NOLF) is a first-person shooter video game with stealth gameplay aspects released for Microsoft Windows in 2000.
It was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive. Later versions of the game were released for the PlayStation 2 and Mac OS X.
No One Lives Forever is a story-driven game set in the 1960s. It has received critical acclaim for its artistic representation of the era in the style of various spy films and television series from the time and its wit.
Players take control of Cate Archer, a female heroine who works for a secret organization that keeps an eye on world peace. The game includes various gadgets disguised as common feminine fashion items and various guns.
Furthermore, No One Lives Forever received positive reviews upon its initial release, and it currently holds an 88.34 percent rating on the game ranking site GameRankings (based on 28 reviews),
9. Aliens vs. Predator 2
Aliens Versus Predator 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter video game released by Sierra On-Line in October 2001 for Microsoft Windows and July 2003 for Mac OS X.
The game is played from the perspective of a first-person shooter. Players control three characters in single-player mode, each with powers and story modes.
An online multiplayer feature that allows players to compete in competitive matches as one of four teams is no longer officially supported and requires a community-made patch to enable multiplayer.
In addition, According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, the game received “favorable” reviews.
10. No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way
No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM’s Way is a first-person shooter computer game created by Monolith Productions and published by Sierra Entertainment.
It was released in 2002 for Windows and later converted to MacOS in 2003. According to the game, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union are building over the tiny but strategically important Isle of Khios.
Now the sole Commander of UNITY, Jones takes a vacation a year after the previous game’s events and leaves Bruno Lawrie, the Temporary Director of UNITY, in command.
In addition, According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, the game earned “universal acclaim.” After Battlefield 1942, GameSpot rated the second-best computer game of September 2002.
11. Tron 2.0
Monolith Productions has released Tron 2.0, a first-person shooter video game. Buena Vista Interactive released the Microsoft Windows version on August 26, 2003, and MacPlay published the Mac OS X version on April 21, 2004.
Although certain cutscenes occur within the ENCOM research facility, the single-player adventure is entirely within the computer’s environment.
In addition, According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, the PC version earned “favorable” reviews, while the Game Boy Advance and Xbox versions received “average” reviews.
12. Contract J.A.C.K
Contract JACK is a precursor to No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM’s Way, released in 2003. Monolith Productions created it, while Sierra Entertainment, a Vivendi Universal Games subsidiary, released it.
The events of JACK (“Just Another Contract Killer”) occur between the events of No One Lives Forever: The Operative and No One Lives Forever 2.
In addition, this is one of the monolith production video games that, According to Metacritic, a review aggregate website, the game garnered mixed reviews.
13. The Matrix Online
The Matrix Online (abbreviated as MxO) was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Monolith Productions and eventually acquired by Sony Online Entertainment a few months after its first release.
The player takes on the role of a red pill in The Matrix Online. Once trapped inside the Matrix, a human has now been freed and told the truth about humanity’s incarceration.
When creating a new character, the player is offered the option of choosing either a blue pill (which will return them to their previous life).
Or a red pill (which will release their mind from the Matrix and allow them to take on the body of a physical human and experience reality).
In addition, According to video game review aggregator Metacritic, the game garnered “mixed or mediocre” reviews.
14. F.E.A.R
Monolith Productions’ FEAR: First Encounter Assault Recon is a survival horror first-person shooter video game published by Vivendi Universal Games and Warner Bros Games.
It was published for Microsoft Windows on October 17, 2005. FEAR is a first-person shooter that mimics conflict. The player may see their character’s torso and feet while looking down because their body is fully present.
The protagonist’s hands and legs can be shown doing the required movements in scripted scenarios. Such as rising from a lying posture, fast-roping from a helicopter, or climbing ladders.
15. Condemned: Criminal Origin
Condemned: Criminal Origins is a Sega-published first-person survival horror game developed by Monolith Productions.
The game starts with Ethan Thomas, an SCU agent, coming to the scene of a murder. He and his colleagues enter an abandoned structure surrounded by psychopaths and crooks.
They are investigating a crime scene involving a young woman, and she is strangulated on the floor, seated across a table from a male mannequin.
Ethan and his coworkers agree that the murder was most likely perpetrated by the Match Maker, a serial killer Ethan has been looking into. One of the cops smells cigarette smoke after collecting evidence from the site.
In addition, According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, Criminal Origins garnered “generally good reviews” on both platforms.
16. Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Condemned 2: Bloodshot is a psychological survival horror video game developed by Monolith Productions and released by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles.
This video game takes place 11 months after Condemned: Criminal Origins. The strange phenomenon that has caused mad violence and mass psychosis among Metro Metropolis’s homeless population has only worsened, with enormous riots erupting across the city.
After resigning from the FBI’s Serial Crime Unit following the Serial Killer X investigation events, protagonist Ethan Thomas has fallen into a downward spiral. He is now homeless, violent, and an alcoholic.
In addition, According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, Condemned 2: Bloodshot earned positive reviews on both platforms.
17. F.E.A.R 2: Project Original
FEAR 2: Project Origin is a survival horror first-person shooter developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros.
Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The gameplay of FEAR 2 keeps the essential aspects from the first game, such as slo-mo fighting, martial arts strikes, and improved AI.
The AI in the first FEAR was known for exploiting the settings, hiding behind pillars, and destroying tables, and many of these behaviors have been carried over to the sequel.
Iron sight aiming, building cover by moving objects, and utilizing mechs during vehicle segments are all new additions. In addition, The expansion was met with mixed reviews.
The review aggregation website Metacritic has a 57/100 rating. It’s been compared to Project Origin by critics and spectators, but without the scares.
18. Gotham City Impostors
Monolith Productions and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have released Gotham City Impostors, a first-person shooter multiplayer-only video game. At most, 12 players can play simultaneously in Gotham City Impostors.
Players can alter their appearance, accessories, and other aspects of the game. It has a bright and over-the-top visual style, including settings such as an amusement park.
19. Guardians of Middle-earth
Guardians of Middle-earth is a multiplayer online battle arena video game released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Monolith Productions.
The standard aspects of a traditional multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game are included in Guardians of Middle-earth, emphasizing team collaboration.
Up to 10 players can split into two teams of five and choose from a pool of 36 guardians from The Lord of the Rings series, including Gandalf, Sauron, and Radagast, to work together to destroy the rival team’s base and win matches.
In addition, This video game Guardians of Middle-earth was met with a mixed review, and IGN gave it a 7.5/10 rating.
20. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a 2014 action-adventure video game published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Monolith Productions.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a third-person open-world action-adventure video game. The player takes control of Talion, a ranger who seeks vengeance on the armies of Sauron.
After his family, including his wife and son, is murdered by those who lead them. Parkour, riding monsters, and visiting Forge Towers, which act as fast travel stations, are all options for getting around the game.
Furthermore, According to review aggregator Metacritic, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor garnered “generally good” reviews.
21. Middle-Earth Shadow of War
Monolith Productions and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment collaborated on Middle-earth: Shadow of War, an action role-playing video game.
It is the sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, published globally on October 10, 2017, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Like its predecessor, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an action role-playing game set in an open world and played from a third-person perspective.
The player controls Talion, a Gondor ranger with various innate athletic and combat abilities and unique skills supplied by the wrath of the elf lord Celebrimbor, with whom he shares his body.
The player combines their powers to perform several objectives, most of which are intended at disrupting Sauron’s army.
In addition, According to Metacritic, Middle-earth: Shadow of War garnered “generally good” reviews from reviewers.
