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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
PlayStation 4
Orc Mass Murder Simulator 2014
4/5 stars
Licensed games often get hammered - and often for good reason. Because they are mostly cheap, lazy cash-ins with little to no story, tedious gameplay, next to no character development and pretty much anything else you can associated with terrible games. But just because most licensed games fall into this trap doesn't mean you can't have a shining gem every once in awhile. When I finally couldn't pass up an offer for a cheap PS4, the first game I purchased was Shadow of Mordor. It had been earning near universal praise - from critics and gamers alike. It had been described as a cross between Assassin's Creed (which I have never touched) and the new Batman Arkham whatever games (which I thoroughly enjoyed). Taking the plunge into this "kinda-sorta next-generation" I have to say it was a good way to start things off.
Presentation: Let's not mince words - on these powerful, new systems, Shadow of Mordor looks pretty fantastic. I've heard terrible things about the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, and had I not gotten a good deal, I may have been stuck with an inferior product. But as it stands, there is not a single complaint I can honestly make. Graphics are stunning - both in character and environment. Animation is fluid and the blood flows vibrant and red. Out of the two main areas, the second has more lush color - but even if the first area has a case of the "browns" it still comes alive. Ruins feel like ruins, caves drip with moisture and there is dynamic day/night and weather. If you want a game to showcase this current generation, Shadow of Mordor hits all the right notes.
Aside from the great graphics, the game features an excellent voice cast. Go-to "man's man" Troy Baker (BioShock Infinite and Last of Us) voices the main character, Talion while Alastair Duncan (character actor and prolific voice artist himself) plays the other half, the spirit of ring-forger Celebrimbor. Claudia Black (who is familiar to Farscape fans) shows up as Queen Marwen, while voice actress extraordinaire Laura Bailey takes on the role of her daughter, Ioreth. Granted, they couldn't get Andy Serkis to reprise his role as Gollum, but Liam O'Brien does a serviceable job of filling in those shoes. And so many Orcs - Phil LaMarr gets the job of voicing the most prominent one Ratbag, but so many familiar voice actors are on board - Nolan North, John DiMaggio, Fred Tatasciore, Michael Gough and Steve Blum are just a few (some of who pull double duty). It's an impressive lineup.
The music is also really good - it really evokes the mood of the films - likewise the sound effects (from the sound of your blade to stomping of your feet to massive beasts) really stands out as well. If you have a good theater system set up in conjunction with your TV - I bet this sounds every big as good as any recent blockbuster. Take it all together - this is one well-put-together game - I encountered only one bug during the entire game and that was falling inside a mountain - but I was able to fast travel and escape that easy enough. There were a few times I thought I was going to get stuck, but each time I managed to free myself.
Story: The single player story isn't the most original - Talion, a ranger working the Black Gate of Mordor - seeks revenge after his family is killed and he himself would join them, but a spirit inhabits his body and essentially makes him immortal. At first this elf is seemingly just one of many seeking revenge himself - but through the story and unlocking the various towers and artifacts, you learn his is none other than Celebrimbor - the forger of the rings of power, and, more importantly, the One Ring itself. And while you get a sense of Talion, the game really seems to be Celebrimbor's story just as much as the ranger. As you begin, the land has been overrun by the orc army of Sauron. They have enslaved pretty much all the human population, leaving a ragtag bunch of ex-rangers and mercenaries to attempt to fight back. Talion is after the big three: The Hammer, The Tower and The Hand - aside from the (still dormant) Nazgul, Sauron's most trusted, and deadly, leaders.
The first half of the game involves helping these rebels in their fight, though Talion at first considers them no better than traitors - but they earn his respect, and his help. This early part also sees quests involving Gollum (the hobbit-turned something who still covets his "Precious" and hopes Talion can lead him back to it) along with Ratbag, a cowardly orc who wants to rise through the ranks and, with Talions help, will lead him to The Hammer.
The second part switches to Núrn, the seaside kingdom where Queen Marwen reigns. But she is unwell, forcing her daughter, Ioreth, to find her medicine while the orcs continue their push. Also in this part is the Dwarven hunter, Torvin (probably the most amusing character in the rather dour game), who needs Talion's help to bring down the legendary Graug (an Ogre-type beast) - one that claimed the life of his former hunter partner. Talion's efforts lead him to those he seeks - but not without cost. Let's just say the game isn't rainbows and sunshine.
Gameplay: The gameplay reminded me a lot of the Batman games (as well as the last Far Cry game I played) - I can't speak for Assassin's Creed (not a fan) - but I'm sure that comparison is likely true as well. Talion can parkour the hell out of everything - climb walls, rock faces, whatever - and has three weapons - a sword (for standard melee), a dagger (for stealth kills) and a bow (ranged attacks). Each weapon can be upgraded with runes (found by killing orc captains and warchiefs) and rune slots are unlocked with Mithrin (which can be earned for doing just about everything - completing challenges, collecting artifacts and even healing with plants) - along with various abilities. The stealth is very similar to Far Cry 3 in that enemies are not so smart - sneaking isn't difficult and taking out enemies is a breeze. The combat is very much Batman-esque - attack, counter and build up your meter. Once you reach enough of a chain, you can execute enemies (resulting in a gruesome, slow cutscene - decapitation is preferred). As you level up (by completing story and Orc-related mayhem) you can unlock better attacks, various upgrades and overall make things easy. If there is one complaint, it's that by the end of the game everything was way too easy.
Ranged attacks are interesting. You can slow down time and fire as many arrows as you can for a short while. You can run out of arrows, but in spirit mode they are easy enough to find. By the end of the game, you won't have to worry about that much as runes and upgrades make running out nearly impossible (unless you really try). Speaking of spirit mode - it's useful for tracking down powerful orcs (namely the captains) as well as tracking down artifacts and other collectibles. Certain points in the game you need it to track.
Enemies range for common orcs to the more powerful captains the the uber-powerful warchiefs. Other enemies include the vaguely cat-like Caragor, the swarming Ghuls and the titan ogre-like Graug. Each creature also has an alpha version (unlocked during the second part of the game). But what you really want to know about is the Nemesis System, right? The big get for Shadow of Mordor is the nifty addition. To break it down - when you die (and you will die) if an Orc (be is a regular nobody or an already-strong Captain) kills you, they increase in power. A regular orc becomes a captain automatically, a captain gains more power. Even if you are killed outside of battle (by, say, a hungry Caragor) - events trigger that raise power. Orc captains have various things - feasts, hunts, duels, executions, that you can interrupt to "weaken Sauron's army" as the game proclaims. But should you fall, all these evens become a success and every Orc gains power.
Now, when you fight an Orc captain - many things can happen. They may flee and live to fight another day, you may exploits a weakness they have and make them flee or you may "kill" them - but wait - sometimes they don't stay dead. Unless you truly decapitate them (or explode their head with a wraith attack) - they can (and often will) come back. Burned, metal plates, scars - if you drive an orc away or fail to kill him in the right way, he will often return. The best part is - all the orcs are different (well, mostly - if you kill enough, they will repeat eventually) - they will make fun of you, complain about how you treated them (burning never makes orcs happy) and maybe even chase you down. It's great - and you will find an orc you hate: for me, it was a crossbow-wielding bastard by the name of Frog-Blood who is invulnerable to nearly everything (stealth, ranged and combat finishers) and you can't vault over him and he poisons you and he can't be harmed by animals - the only thing he's weak against? Fire. I burned him once - but he didn't stay dead and he continues to haunt my game. Each orc has strengths and weaknesses - some can be exploited (instant kills with stealth or ranged attacks) but some have huge shields and deadly attacks. It's a good mix - and this is an excellent system to follow.
If there is one main weakness is that the game gets repetitive and by the end, if you unlock everything, way too easy. The boss battle are pretty much a joke (at least they were to me) and the story ends on a kind of "meh" note. That being said, the game does provide near limitless possibilities or orc killing - though giving it a rest every now and then is encouraged.
Replayability: While I don't think the story mode lends much to replaying it (nor the grind of collecting so much crap scattered about) - with the Nemesis System you don't have to start over, as the game never truly ends. There will always be more orcs, hell, you can create your own monsters until you find one worthy to face you. Starting over is pointless, but never letting it go - nearly priceless.
Overall: A great way to usher in the new generation. There's little doubt why it gained so much acclaim and it's certainly a standout in the usual terrible field of licenses property. Other then getting a bit repetitive and losing much of the challenge when you unlock everything, I don't have much bad to say about it.
Presentation: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replayability: 3.5/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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