Preview - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Monolith Productions is due to release Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, on September 30, 2014. After the likes of Guardians of Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor seems to be a really fresh and ambitious video game based on Tolkien's fantasy universe. Although recent discussions regarding the game criticize it for it’s close similarities to action genre giants, such as Assassin's Creed and the Batman: Arkham series, the world around those duplicated elements look amazingly rich and fascinating, complete with strategic surprises.

A big strength of Middle-earth is that the story isn't directly tied to the movies or the books. This allows for an unfolding of a story which isn't already known and by hearted. There is more excitement around other characters rather than the traditional Gandalf or the Hobbits. Exploring an original story of retribution and salvation, the game gives the player the role of Talion, a skilled Ranger of Gondor who guarded the Black gate, until the night his family is slain in front of him, when Sauron and his army return to Mordor. He too is killed that night, but is Resurrected by a Spirit of vengeance and empowered with Wraith abilities. He is 'banished from death', revived, and bound to an Elvish Wraith named Celebrimbor, granting them incredible joint power. Celebrimbor is a notable character in Middle-earth lore, having forged the Rings of Power, so the fact that he's to be a central character here has been hugely well received by hardcore fans.

Similarities to existing games

Shadow of Mordor has a lot to offer than simply being a rip-off of Assassins Creed, with a Lord of the Rings theme - as it has often been criticized. However, when it comes to traversing the open world, the resemblance is simply uncanny. Seeing Talion run up a wall, climb plank by plank to the roof, then glide down for an assassination, it looks like it was peeled right out of Ubisoft's historical series. (watch the video below)

Meanwhile, the combat seems to take its cues from Warner's own Batman: Arkham series, with combos and counter moves that chain together as you're attacked by groups of foes. Between these approaches, each big encounter in the game offers multiple paths and philosophies to employ. Do you charge into battle or use your stealth and agility to sneak around unseen? The choice is often yours.

Nemesis : the game’s USP

Shadow of Mordor would basically be a mash up of genres and a mere replicate of popular games if it had not been for the Nemesis system. This Nemesis system is what ties together the whole world and gives every action a sense of stability.

Every enemy that players face is a unique individual, differentiated by their personality, strengths and weaknesses. Through the Nemesis System, enemy relationships and characteristics are shaped by the player's actions and decisions, which create personal archenemies that remember and adapt to the player and are distinct to every gameplay session. For example, if you brutally beat an Orc and it escapes, the next encounter with it will be contextualised appropriately – the enemy will remember what you did, and react accordingly. Did you kill a major captain in the world? His minions aren't going to forget that, and they'll come after you aggressively in combat. The exciting part in this is that it allows the knowledge that there is a large thriving Orc society which is affected by what you do. Every action has the potential to disrupt their structure and drive their motives. There is also an in-game flow chart of how the individually named Orcs relate to others found in the world. And they'll get stronger and evolve over time, just as you will. This allows for each gameplay to have a personal touch.

Talion's abilities

The power of Celebrimbor within him turns Talion into a powerful man in the world of Middle-earth. He now has ability to utilize the power to follow enemies into Mordor, identify enemies in the Wraith world to read their strengths and weaknesses – and then alter his battle tactics accordingly back in the living world.

Wraith powers manifest in the heat of action, whether it's teleporting around when in pursuit of a foe or nailing long-range archery shots, but you can also terrorise enemies and take control of them. For example, you can possess an Orc and send him on an assassination mission, or have him spy on or spread fear amidst his allies. Choosing the terror option creates missions in the open world that allow you to pursue different paths.

These factors are what make Shadow of Mordor look so persuasive: that it is based on familiar action favourites yet does not follow the conventional. Instead it is bold enough to venture in new directions and try new and ambitious things. Most gamers realise this and, what at first seemed like just a mere copy of big hitters, is now generating all the right kind of buzzes at the big gaming conventions of late.

Release dates

Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor launches on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 3 October, while the PC version will actually beat the consoles to the UK on 30 September, since that's when the North American versions launch. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions were originally supposed to debut at the same time, but Warner Bros. has opted to delay those last-gen releases until 21 November to "take more time in development." Also, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, won't be fully featured, and won't have the full Nemesis system in place. We may not know until launch how extensive those versions may be, but assume that anything mentioned above is only confirmed for newer hardware.

Minimum Requirements

OS: 64-bit: Vista, Win 7, Win 8

Processor: Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4 GHz

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 | AMD Radeon HD 6950

DirectX: Version 11

Network: Broadband Internet connection

Hard Drive: 25 GB available space

Price

The game is selling for $59.99 on console and $49.99 as a digital download for PC.This week GMG is running a 25% off coupon slashing $12.50 off the $49.99 list price for the PC digital version (aka Steam key). That’s $22.50 cheaper than on console!

Pre-ordering Shadow of Mordor on the PC also gets you a nifty “The Dark Ranger” DLC bonus – also available on the console version. The pack contains an exclusive playable character skin darker than the vanilla version. The DLC also include a “Test of Power” challenge mode, pitting you against Sauron’s minions and allowing you to get upgrades before starting the campaign.