The Therapist Gamer

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor was made for the PS3 generation of consoles, but it was also released for the PS4 generation and PC.  It is an open-world game that takes place in, that's right!, the Lord of the Rings universe.

 

The game plays a lot like the Assassin's Creed games, and comparisons between the two series are inevitable.  You climb lookout towers to have a portion of the map revealed, you climb and traverse like in the AC games, there are a variety of side quests, there are lots of fairly inconsequential collectible items, etc.  Some aspects of the game are not as good as the industry standard, but some aspects far exceed what has been done before.

 

Perhaps the most notable and fresh aspect of Shadow of Mordor is the enemy system.  Each enemy has a reputation and a place in orc/uruk society.  They get into fights with one another and increase in power.  At times this system is fairly unimportant, but it also adds a huge amount of replay value to the game and can make things very fun.  For example, each time you are killed the orc who killed you increases in power and can get a promotion.  Perhaps he was just a nobody but now he has some followers.  Naturally, you would want to exact revenge against this orc and reap the benefits that come with his death (orc leaders will drop "runes" which will improve your weapons).  

 

However, this can lead to an interesting cycle.  Just yesterday my friend was playing this game for the first time.  He was killed by an orc who increased in power as a result.  He went on a quest to kill this orc and succeeded, but was ultimately killed by two orc captains working together.  These two orcs both increased in power and my friend felt compelled to exact revenge on both of them.  Some time later his dream came true, but not before he set his sights on a Legendary Warchief, the leader of several orc Captains.  He became somewhat consumed with taking down this warchief, and died trying more than seven times.  Each time he died the warchief increased in power and gained new abilities, as did his bodyguards.  He told his wife he was shortly leaving for home, but so strong was his taste for revenge that he was still on my couch an hour later.  All of this resulted from the enemy system that, as far as I'm aware, is unique to this game.  He wasn't even completing quests in the game - he was just having fun!  If more games adopted such a system then I think it could be a very fun advancement in the gaming industry.  (I've included a video which briefly shows how the orcs gain power).

 

Some aspects of the game left me wanting.  There is a decent upgrade system, but I thought it was a bummer that there isn't a way to get any new weapons.  You can get runes to increase the power of your sword, dagger, and bow, but most of them don't really do much or make you feel stronger.  The environment itself is pretty bland.  I suppose I was hoping for more areas of Middle Earth (even though the game is called "Shadow of Mordor), so I was disappointed to play exclusively in what are probably the most bland areas of the Lord of the Rings universe.  The graphics are only okay - the orcs, uruk, and Gollum look great, but just about everything else looks well below the capabilities of the PS4.  The story was actually better than I thought, but it was still somewhat predictable and by-the-numbers.

 

Overall, I would say that this is probably the best Lord of the Rings-type game that I have ever played.  It's not quite what the Arkham games are for superhero games, but it's not far off.  The gameplay and mechanics work well and are fun, and the enemy system really is a great, fresh idea - which are fairly uncommon in the gaming industry.  Oh!  And it has a photo mode, which is a most welcome addition to this generation of gaming.  I look forward to the next game in the series!