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Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is the LOTR game everyone has been waiting for. As you've probably heard by now, the gameplay is a wonderful blend of the Batman Arkham combat and Assassin's Creed parkour, all set in Middle Earth. If you like either one of those games, you should pick up a copy of Shadow of Mordor immediately.
Combat: 10/10
If you've played any of the Batman Arkham games, imagine the combat being almost identical, except instead of using fists you have a sword and bow. For those of you who haven't played a game in that series, the combat is fast-paced and free-flowing. It is incredibly fun to jump right into a middle of a group of orcs and watch as Tailon hacks and slashes his way beautifully through the entire pack. You might struggle at first to avoid being hit while still dishing out damage to increase your hit counter (which allows for special finisher moves), but once you pick up on it you might give up on the stealth option all together to feel the accomplishment of single-handedly wiping out a couple dozen orcs with no problem.
Movement: 9/10
Again, if you've played an Assassin's Creed game, imagine the movement being similar to that. If you haven't, imagine being able to sprint across an open field, dive over a rock and a fence, and then shimmy up a tower in a matter of seconds. The movement is more fluid than the AC series, in my opinion. Most objects are climbable so you don't have to run around for awhile trying to decide at what point you need to climb from. I took one star off of the movement score because there were a few times when Tailon would get a mind of his own when climbing. Overall though, it's quick, fluid, and generally glitch-free.
Plot: 6.5/10
This one was the hardest for me to score. The plot isn't bad but it probably won't wow you either. I've seen better, I've seen worse. I won't share any plot points so as not to reveal any spoilers but the ending is "meh" and open to interpretation. They might lock this down with DLC but I can't verify that. I've read so many theories online that I'm not sure what I believe. Most importantly, you don't have to be a LOTR lore fanatic to follow along. I'm sure you might pick up a few extra plot points but it's not a game breaker.
Boss Fights: 3/10
You're probably thinking, "How does boss fights count as a category by itself?" Well, personally I love and look forward to boss fights. I can't really categorize it with anything else because it's a mixture of the plot and combat. There are 3 main bosses in this game. Usually the closer you get to the end, the harder the bosses. ME:SoM went in a completely different direction on this one and I found it disappointing. The bosses get progressively easier. You only actually fight the first boss. I beat the second boss in about 2 minutes on my first try. You just sneak up behind his "doubles" and stealth kill 3 or 4 of them and it's over. The third and final boss, which you spend all game trying to locate, is just a QTE prompt. You press the button when it tells you to and that's it.
Nemesis System: 8/10
I'm going to dedicate a little more writing to this because it's the new idea on the block.
The Nemesis System is a new feature that debuted with ME:SoM. My overall opinion of it is that's it is an awesome idea and a fresh design. I do have one complaint but I'll outline that later. What the Nemesis System entails is that there are orc Captains and Warchiefs -- basically leaders of the pack. Each captain/warchief has special strengths and weaknesses that you can use to your advantage or ignore them to a fault. The orcs have a hierarchy of these captains and warchiefs. If you kill one captain, a captain of a lesser tier moves up to take his place. A big part of the game is using this to your advantage (which I will get to). The actual "nemesis" part of the Nemesis System is the way in which the orcs react to you. If a captain kills you, he will become your nemesis and he will remember you, which will shape the way he approaches you. For example: If a captain kills you and you go back to take care of him later, he will say something along the lines of "I killed you once! You should have stayed dead." It brings a fresh and reactive approach to the game. But that's not the only way to change the way the game reacts to you. It also takes into account the manner in which a deed is done. For example: If you burn a captain and he gets away, the next time you see him, he will make comments about being burned (or cut, or...). This might sound like "fluff" for the game but it really is a wonderful feature and makes the experience all the better without getting repetitive. I'm always interested in what new way they are going to threaten me. Side note: If this game has taught me anything, it's that orcs are a VERY confident species.
Now, to how you can control the nemesis system to your advantage. In the second half of the game you will learn the "brand" ability, which allows you to mind-control orcs. You can brand your target outright OR you can brand the orc in the next line of succession, kill your target, and watch as your branded orc takes his position. It's very rewarding to take control of a low level captain and knock out his line of succession to watch him move up through the ranks. You can also use your branded orc captains to carry out assassinations of other captains, use them to gain intel (which gives you information on strengths and weaknesses of captains/warchiefs), or you can assign them to become a bodyguard of a warchief. Related note: *Warchiefs are at the top of the orc hierarchy. You have to do special missions to get them to show up and, when they do, they are accompanied by captain bodyguards.* When you brand a captain, you can tell him to fight to become a bodyguard of the warchief (which you will have to do a struggle mission to make happen). That'll allow you to take out warchiefs much easier because you can just turn their bodyguards against them to help fight the good fight.
As for the part I alluded to earlier with the one problem I had with the system. To get an actual orc nemesis, they have to kill you (which will make them grow in power as well!). I'm not saying this to sound arrogant, but I only died a couple times throughout the entire game so I didn't have a nemesis for most of it. It's not a big deal but since they put so much effort into this system, it would have been nice to experience more regularly.
Difficulty: ?/10
I can't score this one because it's mostly based on preference. The early game is tough, but not overly tough as you adapt to how the game works and Tailon's abilities. If you walk into an orc stronghold right from the start, you're going to have a bad time. You better have a damn good escape strategy. As you start to increase in power and gain new abilities, you become Tailon, Bringer of Destruction and Death to All Who Oppose. I didn't feel like the second half of the game was all that challenging, which I found disappointing but as I said, it's all a matter of preference. For me, I kind of abandoned all strategy and didn't plan my attacks. I just jumped right in the middle of the group and started hacking.
Random thoughts:
The greatest thing in this entire game and one of the coolest things of any game I've ever played, is the warchief entrance. You'll probably read what I write and think that it doesn't sound all that great but it's something you need to experience to see how great it is. When you beat the little mission to get to warchief to show up, the warchief will make a grand entrance where the orcs chant his name. Again, I know that doesn't sound all that cool but it's something you experience in-game. They put the warchief in slow-mo and he walks in like a bad ass while they are chanting his name. RUK-DUG! RUK-DUG! RUK-DUG! It reminds me of a show or movie where a gladiator enters the arena and the crowd is chanting his name, practically demoralizing and demeaning the opponent.
Overall: 9/10
I alluded to the plot being average, the boss fights being unmemorable, and the late game difficulty being too easy, so how can I give it a 9/10? The gameplay is just that much fun. Never once did I say to myself throughout the entire game, "That is broken and needs to be fixed." It somehow manages to keep the action fresh without becoming repetitive. It's a bloody, fast-paced hack-n-slash masterpiece and this game alone will get me to commit to future games in the series.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.02 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 0.5 x 5.3 x 6.7 inches |
| Item Weight | 0.02 Pounds |
| Brand Name | WB Games |
| Country of Origin | Andorra |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Warner Home Video - Games |
| Part Number | 0883929319572 |
| Model Year | 2014 |
| Size | 1 Pack |
