On a Stroll Through Mordor

Does one simply walk through Mordor? The answer is no. This year we learned why no one just walks in and throws jewelry into volcanoes. The only way to travel through the blasted lands is in an uncompromising ballet of death and destruction. The only way to exist in Mordor is to be the scariest being in Mordor.

Shadow of Mordor is great. The reviews are out there calling the “Nemesis System” one of the more innovative things to happen in video games for years and they are not far from the mark. Sure we have had games remember your actions and shape the plot based on your deeds but it has never been this in your face about it. When you run into an Orc that remembers you it is like seeing someone you despise at the super market and actually being able to put an arrow in their face, then if you see them again they will berate you for shooting them while wearing an eye patch. Entertaining as hell.

The Orcs actually have a personality that shows through when they are cinematically introduced to you. They are still bloodthirsty, violent savages that you have no problem murdering but the different captains have their own quirks. I fought one that liked to skin his enemies and he wore and crazy cape made of faces. Faces. This is well thought out design that is also focused and I would love to have more AAA titles like this in the future.

Mordor looks great, plays like a successful marriage of Assassin’s Creed and Batman, and knows exactly what it is. We are looking at one of the best licensed games of all time here and it will be credited for hopefully starting a new “fun” based string of games. I am all about fun like Hydro Thunder; actually that is a pretty good comparison: Shadow of Mordor is the Hydro Thunder of 3D open world stealth action games.

Now, let’s take the “Nemesis System” a little bit further and move it to Orks. Give me a Warhammer 40K game in this style and I may never put the controller down.