Genre: Action-adventure
Year: 2014
Developed by: Monolith Productions
Published by: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PS3, PS4, XBOX One, PC
#192
Feeling Like: Arkham Nemesis
Pushing through the 500 is a constant reminder to relax. Despite my internal clashes of opinion or fear that somebody will pointedly accuse me of NOT liking a game more than the previous entry, there isn’t ever going to be a scenario like that beyond a beer fueled, friendly discussion. For the most part, it’s just Henry vs. Henry.
So when I get to something like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, I have to once again tell myself to chill out. It doesn’t matter that I don’t recall a single plot point, or much of the gameplay cycle, or what happened at the end, or if it counts as Tolkien canon (it doesn’t), or if Gollum is in it (he is) or if it actually deserves to be #192, and by definition, must be the best game I’ve written about so far.
And, I guess, it is!
But I certainly can’t talk about it as much as I’d like to. The highs of the experience justify spot #192, but I surely can’t channel J.R.R’s storytelling ability for you. My deepest apologies. Even a video recap has me questioning whether I have the capacity to follow a story at all. Still, there was enough for me in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to more than enjoy myself.
I mean when you take the Batman-style combat mechanics from the Arkham games and put them in a Lord of the Rings setting, you’re already off to a good start. Now add in a ton of violence and gore; I’m talking lopping off heads every few minutes, stabbing Orcs through the backs of their skulls and half a dozen other combinations of steel meeting flesh with no reservations and you’ll quickly get the notion that this is not for the squeamish.
Oh boy, did they nail the power fantasy here. As you learn more stealth takedowns and magic powers, you become a godless killing machine well before the end of the game. My absolute favorite was brainwashing the Orcs to fight other Orcs. An unfair fight quickly became a ridiculous walkover for me as my hordes of unwilling mind-slaves circled whatever target I had my eye on. If the Orcs weren’t such disgusting brutes, I might feel sorry for them.
Of course the star of the show is the Nemesis system, a genius idea that elevates the game beyond just another Batman/Ubisoft clone. If you’re killed by a Named Orc, they’ll grow in strength. They’ll gain a new weapon, get promoted and come back at you with even more attitude than before and will be significantly harder to kill. One upgrade isn’t too much of a problem, but eventually it’ll snowball to the point where you’re praying you won’t run into Grom when you’re trying very hard not to arouse his attention while doing a specific quest. I like how they all come with their own mini intro music, like in pro wrestling. GROM! GROM! GROM!
And Grom is coming for me.
Eventually it gets to a point where your nemesis only has one weakness and after 20 hours or so of relying on the same combinations, I really had to vary up my plan of attack. It was mildly frustrating, but also it organically led to an incredible rivalry that other games simply can’t emulate. Bravo!
It’s a cool game, simple as that. It’s aged well, the main character has shades of Aragorn with a ghost buddy that gives him magical powers. You’re free to explore the open world and tackle most challenges at your whim. It’s focused, but with enough bloat to satisfy even the most hardcore achievement hunter. I faltered a bit near the end, as hunting down specific Orcs took longer than I’d like, but that’s a small blemish on an otherwise pretty stellar product. I’m not going to go all-in on the other Middle-earth/Lord of the Rings video game properties (I skipped the sequel) but beheading orcs with my medieval Batman/Ghost superhero while seeking revenge for my murdered family really scratched an itch.
Bon!
The 500 