No, that wasn't a typo people, rather my sad attempt at a funny title for what I can only surmise will be my first (mini) review!
2014 has been a trying year for yours truly, and as such I have retreated more and more into my favorite past time, which has had a stellar year by all accounts. I've had a chance to sample a number of these digital wares, and so far, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor stands head and shoulders above the rest.
The reason is simple, and for me, it IS the reason I play games in the first place. You see the core of every great game is the power fantasy, being put in the shoes of a character you can only ever dream of being, doing things you have only ever imagine, all the while your avatar being enough of a cypher for you to inhabit said shoes. In this, Shadow of Mordor excels at and indeed exceeds its peers (*cough* Assassins...*cough*)
For those not yet aware, Shadow of Mordor is a prequel story set in the expanded Lord of the Rings Universe. A simple revenge tale at it's outset, it follows a slain Gondorian Ranger by the name Talion bound in death to the spirit of Celebrimbor an Elven spirit also banished from death due to unfinished business (vengeance) with the minions of the dark lord Sauron. Fans will get the gist, as I couldn't explain further sans spoilers, and any uninitiated will be happy to know no prior knowledge is required to make sense of it all, on top of which the story really isn't the hook.
What sets this game apart, and the reason behind this review really is NOT the combat (which is great), nor the characters (who are awesome), or the art design (which is stellar) but rather the NEMESIS system. Any gamer worth their salt has heard of procedurally generated events, dynamic non-scripted AI yada yada yada, ad infinitum with few games actually coming close to achieving anything of the sort, despite many a valiant effort, until now.
The NEMESIS system is basically a power structure built into your main enemy type throughout the game...the Uruk-Hai or Orcs.
They operate around a hierarchy that goes from grunt to captain to chief to war-chief, and both your actions or lack thereof and internal power struggles affect their dynamics. Why is this impressive? For starters, dying at the hands of a grunt or captain will see them promoted to a higher rank. This means that unlike most other games you are more than guaranteed to encounter the very same enemy (name and all) albeit much more powerful, as you progress. Hence, a casual encounter at the beginning of the game with a low level enemy could have you face him as a chief, just because he killed you, and he WILL remember you! and taunt you accordingly.
The reverse is true as well, defeated captains can become arch enemies particular to your game, and I often found my presence afflicted by the carbuncle of Torz the Collector, Murmog the Dreamer and Uk'Buk the Slaughterer at wholly unexpected intervals. It must be said, despite meeting these and dozens of other high level characters throughout the game, I cannot recall hearing the same taunt, insult, chant or idle chatter in my 15 odd hour campaign. My hat is truly off to Monolith studios for a true step into next gen.
You can have all the graphics, online presence and name actors you want...but this is truly the wave of the future. Actually harboring contempt and unfiltered vitriol for a bunch of code streaming away in my PC is truly an achievement bordering on a modern wonder. So to all my fellow under-achievers, get out there and get this. You won't regret it. In fact "Fly you fools!"... "The precious awaits."
-C.K
2014 has been a trying year for yours truly, and as such I have retreated more and more into my favorite past time, which has had a stellar year by all accounts. I've had a chance to sample a number of these digital wares, and so far, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor stands head and shoulders above the rest.
The reason is simple, and for me, it IS the reason I play games in the first place. You see the core of every great game is the power fantasy, being put in the shoes of a character you can only ever dream of being, doing things you have only ever imagine, all the while your avatar being enough of a cypher for you to inhabit said shoes. In this, Shadow of Mordor excels at and indeed exceeds its peers (*cough* Assassins...*cough*)
For those not yet aware, Shadow of Mordor is a prequel story set in the expanded Lord of the Rings Universe. A simple revenge tale at it's outset, it follows a slain Gondorian Ranger by the name Talion bound in death to the spirit of Celebrimbor an Elven spirit also banished from death due to unfinished business (vengeance) with the minions of the dark lord Sauron. Fans will get the gist, as I couldn't explain further sans spoilers, and any uninitiated will be happy to know no prior knowledge is required to make sense of it all, on top of which the story really isn't the hook.
What sets this game apart, and the reason behind this review really is NOT the combat (which is great), nor the characters (who are awesome), or the art design (which is stellar) but rather the NEMESIS system. Any gamer worth their salt has heard of procedurally generated events, dynamic non-scripted AI yada yada yada, ad infinitum with few games actually coming close to achieving anything of the sort, despite many a valiant effort, until now.
The NEMESIS system is basically a power structure built into your main enemy type throughout the game...the Uruk-Hai or Orcs.
They operate around a hierarchy that goes from grunt to captain to chief to war-chief, and both your actions or lack thereof and internal power struggles affect their dynamics. Why is this impressive? For starters, dying at the hands of a grunt or captain will see them promoted to a higher rank. This means that unlike most other games you are more than guaranteed to encounter the very same enemy (name and all) albeit much more powerful, as you progress. Hence, a casual encounter at the beginning of the game with a low level enemy could have you face him as a chief, just because he killed you, and he WILL remember you! and taunt you accordingly.
The reverse is true as well, defeated captains can become arch enemies particular to your game, and I often found my presence afflicted by the carbuncle of Torz the Collector, Murmog the Dreamer and Uk'Buk the Slaughterer at wholly unexpected intervals. It must be said, despite meeting these and dozens of other high level characters throughout the game, I cannot recall hearing the same taunt, insult, chant or idle chatter in my 15 odd hour campaign. My hat is truly off to Monolith studios for a true step into next gen.
You can have all the graphics, online presence and name actors you want...but this is truly the wave of the future. Actually harboring contempt and unfiltered vitriol for a bunch of code streaming away in my PC is truly an achievement bordering on a modern wonder. So to all my fellow under-achievers, get out there and get this. You won't regret it. In fact "Fly you fools!"... "The precious awaits."
-C.K