Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor Review

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor Review

     Monolith Games who? Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a game that surprised a lot of people, including me. You play as Talion, a ranger of Gondor whose job is guarding the Black Gate of Mordor. You, along with your wife and son are murdered in cold blood by Sauron’s army. But, Talion is resurrected by a wraith, Celebrimbor and his spirit becomes one with that of a wraith. Together, Talion and Celebrimbor are an unstoppable force as you mow down countless Uruks with an array of weapons.

     “Middle Earth” is heavily infliuenced by the Assassin’s Creed and Batman Arkham series and it translates well. I would even go to the length of saying that certain mechanics are implemented better here than they have ever been in those games. The game features two styles of play. You can stick to stealth or you can just walk into the middle of an Uruk stronghold with your sword out ready to slice and dice. A core mechanic in the game allows you to build up your hit streak, unleashing an execution, triggering some satisfyingly gruesome attacks.  Stealth plays well allowing for aerial attacks, sneaking behind enemies or pulling enemies off ledges. If you really want an advantage, taking control over a Caragor or a Graug will level the playing field.

      The game features a simple upgrade system. Some will help with your main weapons and others will improve your wraith abilities. You have a variety of skills, each assisting in a certain department. Runes are essentially “buffs” for your weapons. Each weapon has rune slots. The more runes you add, the more powerful your weapons become. I defeated a very high level Uruk and gained a rune that added a 50% increase to all sword damage. To level up Talion, you need ability points, which can be earned through fighting Uruks, or by doing missions. Your other skill tree is leveled up using an in-game currency that is obtained doing missions. Missions range from freeing slaves, combat challenges, taking on Uruk camps, etc.

     There are more powerful enemies than just low-level Uruks though. There are captains and warchiefs. The captains are the people below the warchiefs. The warchiefs are the almighty, powerful leaders. Both enemies have unique strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited to your advantage. No two enemies are the same; each has completely different looks, different strengths and weaknesses, and buckle up because here’s the motherload, the Nemesis System. Here’s an example, you kill an Uruk by shooting him in the eye, or at least you think you killed him. If he comes back he will have a metal plate over his eye and blame you for it. If an enemy kills you, he will rise up through the ranks gaining power. Being the most defining feature of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, the Nemesis System is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It screams innovation.

     Graphically, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a quality game built on all systems. The environments are lush with green fields and rotting, but still beautiful architecture. Character models are impressive, but some are lacking in detail. Collectibles are all over the place, and the amount of lore Monolith has jammed into their game is tremendous. You’re even guaranteed to see some classic characters from the Lord of The Rings universe along the way. All collectibles are detailed beautifully and each even has its own “memory” listed.

     “Middle Earth’s” story isn’t anything special and the narration isn’t going to enthrall you, however, with everything else the game has going on, it’s the first time in a long time I can say that you should pay $60 bucks for a game. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is the surprise hit of the year, and in my book, the number one contender for Game of The Year right now. I give it a 9/10.

PROS:
- Excellent Copy-Catting
- Nemesis System
- Next-Gen Graphics
- Lord of The Rings Lore

CONS:
- Weak Story/Narration