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Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

 

With the next Hobbit movie on the verge of being released and my thoughts consumed by anything remotely related to the Lord of the Rings mythos and Tolkien lore, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor could be my perfect fix. It’s an open-world game being developed by Monolith and Warner Bros. and takes place between the events in the Hobbit and the Fellowship of the Ring. It features Talion, a ranger-wraith hybrid, who is seeking revenge for the murder of his wife and child. He was a ranger stationed at the Black Gates of Mordor and was murdered by the servants of Sauron. It might sound crazy for a ranger to be stationed there and have his family with him but this was before Sauron’s power grew and Mordor was rebuilt into the hell in the LOTR series. However it was still a chaotic landscape and tough for one to make a living, and ultimately Talion and his family paid the price. For some reason he’s resurrected and bound to a wraith and this is one of the mysteries to be solved but also creates the potential for some excellent game play mechanics.

On one hand he’s a ranger in every sense of the word so he has the gear of a ranger, looks like a ranger and also has a broken sword that belonged to his son, which he will now use as a dagger for stealth. And on the other hand he has wraith abilities such as Shadow Strike, which sounds very similar to the blink ability in Dishonored, and can strike terror in his foes bending some of them to his will. They can then be used to assassinate enemies, gather intel, or other tasks.

 Mordor_render

There’s also an interesting game play mechanic being referred to as the Nemesis System. So every enemy you face, if they survive, they will remember your actions so it’s even possible to end up having an archenemy based solely on your choices and their adaptation to it. Every enemy is described as being a “unique individual, differentiated by their personality, strengths and weaknesses” according to the press release from Warner Bros. ” Gamers are able to craft their own battles, enemies and rewards within the dynamic world that remembers and adapts to their choices, delivering a unique experience to every player.” That sounds incredible to me if it actually works that way when it’s released. This will also be interesting in terms of the story and can make the dual nature of Talion even more engrossing because it won’t just be friendly NPCs who have the potential to adapt to choices as part of the story but even enemies in the heat of battle. It’s an absolute must that I keep my eyes on this game because I’m definitely getting this one. There’s no release date but it’s being developed for all consoles (except Wii U) and PC.

19 comments

  1. fantasywind - January 14, 2014 3:27 PM

    Well I can understand the need for a reboot but I always secretly hoped for a real continuation of Thief (even though the story arch in Deadly Shadows seems closed). Anyway the plot does seem interesting the entire rebellion against the Baron (I always wanted to steal from him :):) but the thing about Garret’s student? I’m not sure about that (I might be wrong but from what I read there is something about a girl trained by Garret, I don’t know maybe I’m a bit biased, but we’ll see, single continuity would be better oh adn thanks goodness they removed the skills points gathering it’s unnecessary in such a game :).

    As for Elder Scrolls I enjoyed Morrowind and it’s addons, Oblivion was ok, but I haven’t played Skyrim so I don’t know anything about this game. As for Elder Scrolls Online well MMO in Tamriel sounds interesting even though it’s a typical commercial money grab haha like with Warcraft, but I truly enjoyed Tamriel lore so I hope they won’t turn it into WoW clone but the world will have it’s feel. The Gothic series was a great time for me when I was playing, the first part is (especially at the beginning) rather hard but once you level up things start to get interesting, I liked the game despite it’s poor graphic it had climate if you know what I’m talking about, oh yes and the magical barrier which surrounds the game world was cool (spoil*if you went close you could get shocked or even killed on lower levels trying to cross it haha*) the second was even better. The entire game series had great storyline, memorable characters (really helpful npc’s, you could immerse in the game world and once you earned some really good stuff armor or weapon you were proud of yourself, ah the good old days, I should play it once more :).

    I haven’t heard of Watch Dogs 🙂 i’ll look around for info maybe it will interest me too.

    Well have a good time reading witcher books! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kareem Ali - January 15, 2014 11:44 PM

      Thanks. And the Elder Scrolls Online feels more like an Elder Scrolls game than an MMO but I can’t say more about it from my hours of playing because of the non-disclosure act. I’ve put numerous weekends into the beta and I have to say I’m on board now and I’ll be one of those paying for it the first few months. I’ve been posting official updates from Zenimax Studios on here that you can check out to get a better idea of it.
      And I’ll wait and see the angle that aspect of the Thief story line takes int terms of another character being trained. It might work out very well. And definitely check out Watch Dogs, very interesting game play mechanics in an open world

      Reply
      • fantasywind - January 16, 2014 1:53 PM

        Wow sounds good (even though MMO is not my thing :), as for Thief story I read somewhere I don’t remember where, that this student thief character will come to blows with Garret at one point and maybe she will be the antagonist of sorts but I’m not sure (I would have to check it again) I’ll look around about Watch Dogs :). Nice talking with you! 🙂

        Reply
      • fantasywind - January 16, 2014 2:01 PM

        I found the info on Watch Dogs, very interesting, in some way it reminds of Deus Ex: Invisible War though there are differences of course 🙂 thanks for the tip :).

        Reply
        • Kareem Ali - January 17, 2014 8:43 AM

          You’re welcome! Thanks for all your info. Extremely helpful. Have you ever considered writing?

          Reply
          • fantasywind - January 18, 2014 1:25 PM

            Writing, me? Nah too little skill too little time :). Anyway thanks! Have fun with new games and give us new reviews ;). Also think about playing the Gothic I maybe you’ll enjoy it as much as I did :).

            Reply
            • Kareem Ali - January 19, 2014 1:38 AM

              Ok I definitely will. Thanks!

              Reply
            • Kareem Ali - January 24, 2014 1:06 PM

              Should check out the new Shadow of Mordor post and let me know what you think about the gameplay video

              Reply
  2. fantasywind - January 2, 2014 9:16 AM

    If the gyus who make this game would actually delve deeper into Tokien lore on Middle Earth they would choose far better time of action (not between Hobbit and Lotr but even earlier before the Great Plague when gondorians kept watch over Mordor and whole garrisons of soldiers, so presumably their ,,special forces” Rangers of Ithilien, commando with super stealth skills :), would be stationing all over the northern Black Land in huge fortress-cities with most likely supporting civilian population and families so then the concept would be totally canon…miraculously as it somehow never happens in other lotr related games :):). Anyway this Talion guy looks like more lively form of a Barrow Wight, nasty magic using (,,dreadful spells of the Barrow Wights of which whispered tales spoke”) undead entities (the glowing eyes are usual trait of those things and the whole posession business, though of course Wights are long dead posessed corpses partly mummified and Talion appears to be more…fresh :):). Also I hope they really made greater emphasis on stealth as during the Hobbit Sauron returns to Mordor (though not afficially revealed yet and his servants were already preparing the land for his coming for some time) and trying to make a frontal assault when the Big Boss is there without backup from armies of mighty elven warriors with allied dwarves of Durin’s folk and Dunedain/Numenoreans (as during war of Last Alliance beginning with long and terrible battle of Dagorlad) is suicide even for powerful characters (Frodo used only stealth and fortunate circumstances working on his favour and even then his excursion was soon detected). I also hope they get Mordor right it’s a vast realm with diverse environments so not only ashen plains and rocky deserts, mountainous rough terrain and dark valleys and hills with razor sharp rocks, carved deep chasm and fissures, slag piles, rivers of fire, gasping dust, ash and clouds and poisonous fumes in the air closer to Mount Doom (not to mention that Sauron’s powers can cover the land in magical Shadow blocking the light and afflicit living things, dark magic twisting the remaing lifeforms like in cursed Imlad Morgul, the Morgul Vale with it’s deadly white flowers releasing poisonous rotten scent, luminous ,,horrible of shape like demented form of an uneasy dream”, one of my favourite creepy places :), the areas of shrublands, with tussocks and high and thick bushes of thorns (with thorns nearly foot long if to believe Samwise Gamgee :), swarming with vicious insects, more fertile farmlans near Lake Nurnen with thousands of slaves and their overseers (more like inland salt sea), many rivers and streams (though some are toxic and poisoned or evilly enchanted like Morgulduin spreading noxious vapours), mud choked pools (and if you can find drinkable water it won’t taste pretty hehehe :), probaby also some grassy plains (otherwise where would they keep the black horses of cavalries of Mordor those stolen from Rohan and bred inside Mordor or taken from other lands, some troops of cavalry were stationing in Minas Morgul and many men serving Sauron were patrolling the net of well maintained roads on horse back besides orc troops and an army of spies, ,,best spell enslaved” or wicked animal spies like birds) thousnds upon thousands of orcs (labourers and well trained soldiers from various numerous orc-clans and tribes, Uruks ,,black orcs of great strength” standard footsoldiers and various other formations of heavy armed infantry or lightly armed mobile troops, orcs scouts and trackers, skilled orc archers and those who were the elite orc warriors), wargs and werewolves, thousands of trolls trained for battle and cunning of several breeds (hill-trolls of Gorgoroth and mountain-trolls and Olog-hai the trolls on steroids, more dangerous, more intelligent super trolls that only speak in Black Speech), also other wicked things and monsters of diverse kinds (,,Mordor draws all wicked things and Dark power bends all it’s will to gather them there”, ,,not all his servants are chattels and wraiths, there are orcs and trolls, wargs and werewolves and there are many men warriors and kings and their number is growing daily”): like demonic sentient Giant Spiders from the brood of Shelob with their own special powers (all over the Mountains of Shadow in the valleys and hills further in Mordor), possibly some lesser wraiths and evil spirits, maybe also those huge blood sucking bats like those who aided Bolg’s army in Battle of Five Armies (it’s pure speculation but maybe those were some lower breed of vampires from First Age like Thuringwethil was and Sauron took a form of a vampires once :), flying beasts of Nazgul in eyries in northern mountains (possibly bred in Ered Lithui the Ashen Mountains) the locatons in game must be in great numbers just like in lore: thousands of orc camps, mines and caves, tunnels and various devious routes and secret passges, strongholds outposts and fortresses, fortifications and towers: Durthang, Morannon the Black Gate with humongous towers of Carchost and Narchost at both sides, Minas Morgul, Cirith Ungol, fortification at Carach Angren (or Isenmouthe), armouries and smithies, workshop where weapons and armours and siege engines are produced. It’s a multitude that is necessary if this game has to be a new hit 🙂

    Reply
    • Kareem Ali - January 2, 2014 3:11 PM

      They might explore a lot of this. With the promise that enemies will learn from your actions and will affect future interactions then I assume there will be a variety of enemies with some intelligence. The fact that they’re even exploring this concept or half-ranger half-wraith, and in Mordor, makes me optimistic that we’ll be seeing more along the line of what you mentioned. Thanks

      Reply
      • fantasywind - January 4, 2014 10:49 AM

        We’ll see if their promises turn out true. I try not to set my hopes too high, somehow the most fascinating fictional universe never really got a game which would trully made justice to it :). Anyway the developpers mentioned it is supposed to be sandbox (I might be wrong but I could sworn that I read it somewhere) but it’s too early to say whether there will be total freedom of movement or simply a set of locations connected by loading screens or something like in Witcher 1 and 2 where each chapter had certain area to explore, now third part is supposed to be open world 🙂 or they’ll make action game with limited freedom in certain places like for example multiple ways for passing the level (I hope for a real open world and if the game succeeds maybe they make others going in the same direction, that would be thrilling). As far as I remember there are few good games made on Lotr franchise War in the North was very linear skipping from one location to other (though there were themes of exploration, secrets to find, but it’s poorly made and too short), strategies like Battle for Middle Earth (I and II) were quite nice but rts are not really my thing :). I heard over years many opinions that Middle Earth is rather impossible for making open world rpg, that there’s too little magic and things like that, I think them wrong, take Gothic series for example there is little magic in the beginning (save for special spell scrolls and rings and amulets that raise attributes) and only after choosing profession of a mage your character can trully use effective magic. With proper use of lore from Tolkien it could be done in my opinion without breaking rules set by author of the franchise. The only thing that could pose real problems is the vastness of the world but that can be solved by setting on specific regions large enough to explore for long with full detailed environment. Mordor surrounded by mountains might be first step towards this dream :).

        Reply
        • Kareem Ali - January 5, 2014 8:48 AM

          Yes it is supposed to be an open world experience. And like you I believe that there is enough for an entertaining open world experience in Middle Earth. Of course MMOs are different but LOTRO is an example of how there is indeed enough lore to create a fascinating world and experiences

          Reply
          • fantasywind - January 8, 2014 11:40 AM

            I have no experiences with MMO whatsoever but I heard lot of good about it. Anyway I’m interested have you play any of the Witcher games? If so what’s your opinion about those? I’ve read the books telling the story of witcher (they were quite good if not to mind the cynical worldview of author and the amount of really dark elements of his fictional universe :).

            Reply
            • Kareem Ali - January 8, 2014 10:00 PM

              Yes I’ve played the Witcher games and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I finished the second one about 4 times and kept repeating the ending sequences so I could see about 8 of the different endings. This was before I started my site so I don’t have a posted review for them. But I got a completely new rig just so I could play Witcher 2 and the Witcher 3 is one of my most anticipated games this year. I haven’t read any of the books, would you recommend them?

              Reply
              • fantasywind - January 9, 2014 11:06 AM

                If you like such grim dark world with adult themes (just like this was shown in games but sometimes even more 🙂 then definitely. The problem is, not all books are officially translated to english (I read them in original language :). Written by polish author Andrzej Sapkowski books about professional monster slayer are really enjoyable. First two tomes are collections of loosely tied short stories of main hero Geralt’s adventures in Northern Kingdoms (but there are connections between some of them and one or two are especially important for understanding the proper saga as the introduction to main plot in a sense). Those books are The Last Wish (official translation) second is Sword of Destiny (ommitted by official translators but there are fan translation available on web, especially in it there’s one such tale I mentioned). Then starts the five tome saga respectively: Blood of Elves, Times of Contempt, Baptism of Fire (not official but fantranslation), Tower of the Swallow (or Swallow’s Tower depending on translation but I think it’s not official yet), and finally The Lady of the Lake the last book (and end of saga games are suppose to represent the continuation of Geralt’s story) there is also prequel short story set in the same world (presumably about, well I don’t know whether to spoil to you I’ll just tell the title ,,The Road of no Return” and variation of alternate ending or author;s own fanfiction/parody short story ,,Something ends and something begins” (more or less :). I can’t be sure whether all fan translation are of good quality but I’ve seen some of them and thyose were quite good.

                Reply
                • fantasywind - January 9, 2014 11:39 AM

                  The games are filled with stuff from books or at least alluding to the events presented there so in some way you have already received spoilers but no fear, the story will captivate you. From the short stories I have my favourites (like The Eternal Fire from Sword of Destiny definitely you should try to find fan translation of Sword of Destiny cause some characters appearing later are introduced there). There are also some issues with different naming of things or so I heard, the character of Dandelion is named differently in some older translations (though I’m not sure about his statement, maybe not). Also there is low budget tv series based on the witcher books (short stories) but it’s terribly made, only 13 episodes some more or less serious departures from source material (as it always happens in adaptations, but it has it’s charm I like parts of soundtrack 🙂 it’s in polish but I’ve seen english subtitles.

                  Reply
                  • Kareem Ali - January 10, 2014 9:52 AM

                    Wow, thanks for the info. I’m definitely gonna check out all the books since I love the games. Hopefully I can find translations for all of them but even fan translations might be good enough as long as the story is still understandable. Or maybe it’s time to learn a new language lol. Most likely I’m getting Witcher 3 for the PC since that’s where my saved games are. What other games are you looking forward to this year?

                    Reply
                    • fantasywind - January 12, 2014 11:00 AM

                      New games this year hmmm I don’t really know which one I’ve waited the most (besides the Witcher 3 and now Shadows of Mordor due to my unsatisfied curiosity :), but I was interested in the new Thief. The info I found get me both interested and filled with dread in the same time (I’ve played previous games of the series and I came to like them very much :), apparently it will be err ,,restart of the series” whatever that means (probably it means they’ll strip it of things I liked the most about previous games 🙂 I’m pessimistic I know hehe). As far as I checked there was no sign of magical elements (like the pagan shamans, or glyph magic of the Keepers, in fact no sign of hammerites, pagans and keepers the most iconic factions in-universe what a shame not to mention the different voice actor for Garret the master thief, noooo, 🙂 only pure thieving elements though it’s not a bad thing if you know the game you’ll understand what I’m talking about 🙂 and maybe Legacy of the Void the next chapter of Starcraft story (if it is supposed to be released this year, I might be wrong though :).
                      Oh, one tip for you I found a thread on the witcher forum (pl.thewitcher.com ,,our community fan translations”) where you can find links to fan translations (as I suspected there are minor differences in naming, some monsters are named differently it can also happen in one or two stories that Dandelion will be named in original polish name: Jaskier (of course it’s his artistic pseudonym 🙂 the monster from witcher 1 known as devourer is also named black annis in some versions, I don’t know why but it’s a minor detail. Sapkowski made many names of imaginary monsters but rearely he describes them fully his world was build and expanded steadily from the stories to full complex storyline of five book saga (he’s not like Tolkien to make a map of his world, the fans made it for him based on info in texts :):):). Oh and the book Times of Contempt apparently already was translated officially in the passed year so for now officials are The Last Wish, Blood of Elves, Times of Contempt rest you must find yourself 🙂 as for learning polish it could be a challenge haha foreigners often tell it’s difficult language hehe for me it’s not I’m native speaker haha ;). The fan translation of Sword of Destiny I got to from link was really well made very accurate to original (I have all texts in polish on my disc :).
                      Oh have you ever played rpg games Gothic series gothic I, gothic II, gothic III and the very weak Arcania the gothic tale which (in my opinion was the worst part even featuring different hero). First two games are really old ones but I enjoyed them greatly I wonder what do you think, if you got your hands on them at all :):)?

                    • Kareem Ali - January 13, 2014 3:24 PM

                      Yeah Thief is one that I’m definitely looking forward to, and I think rebooting the series is a great idea since it’s been so long since the first one was released. I’m very optimistic from what I’ve read about it and I like the story line and the take on the character. I missed the panel at NYCC a few months ago because I was attending another one at the same time but the pure thieving elements should bode well. Of course other elements can make appearances in future installments if they don’t in this one.
                      I’m also looking forward to the Elder Scrolls Online since I’ve been involved in the beta and I loved Skyrim.
                      I played Arcania but I haven’t played any of the other games in that series but I’m very interested in them now without having to go back.
                      And I was able to find the Witcher books on Barnes and Noble so I’ll definitely be checking them out.
                      Another game I’m looking forward to that’s not fantasy is Watch Dogs. It was originally delayed and will now be releasing this year and I think that’s a good thing

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