Ashkil
Space Cowboy
Towns Folk
I recently finished Shadow of Mordor, which is out for PC and old and current gens of the Xbox and PlayStation so I thought I would write a review
Summary
Shadow of Mordor is an open world game set in Middle Earth, a fictional area created by J.R. R. Tolkien in his series, the lord of the rings, widely considered one of the greatest series of books of all time. Shadow of Mordor follows Talion, a ranger who has been brought back from the dead by being fused with an ancient elf king's spirit, and his attempts at breaking this curse.
Gameplay
Shadow of Mordor is an open world third person game much like Assassin's Creed. There are story missions as well as side missions that one can take at any time. Combat is very similar to the Arkham series, where you attack with one button and counter with another while building up a hit streak that allows for special moves after a certain point, as well as a bow for more long ranged combat. Talion also climbs buildings and does other parkour related activities, again like AC. Stealth is very much like Dishonoured with a dedicated stealth button and stealth kills.
The Good
Right from the beginning of the game, you're thrown into a completely open world. The game practically tells you to go explore on your own and this is wonderfully refreshing. Side quests and collectibles are present all over and practically beg you to find them all. The side missions make you use your skills in a different manner and are quite enjoyable.
The combat is satisfying, challenging and gloriously gory. Much like the Arkham series, this game has easy to learn combat that leaves you feeling extremely powerful yet provides enough of a challenge to stop it from being boring.
Parkour is upgraded from Assassin's Creed as it's much more responsive and much easier to use. Climbing on rooftops is an easy task and going down is also extremely easy unlike Assassin's Creed games where going down often meant falling to your death.
Stealth is incredible in the game, allowing you to sneak past multiple guards and kill an entire stronghold without being detected. It's admittedly not very realistic as it allows you to sneak almost right in front of enemies without being noticed but it's very satisfying to sneak kill multiple people anyway.
The characters are more than serviceable with both Ratbag and gollum being standouts. Talion, the main character, suits the dark grim mood as does the Elf spirit. The story however is only decent at best, with a few somewhat boring parts.
The nemesis system is the highlight of the game. Here if an Orc kills you it will become your nemesis and will recognize you whenever you cross paths. Dying to an orc then returning to kill it is one of the greatest feelings the game could give, and killing the &%$* orc that killed you after chasing it down is so beautifully satisfying.
The Bad
The biggest problem I had with the game is its length. The game is exceptionally short, especially considering it's a full priced game. I finished in somewhere between 20-25 hours, which is painfully short for an open world game.
The maps also are pretty small. There are only two areas, both of which are very very small, leading to some pretty bland repetition of the areas.
The pacing is poor too, with the beginning starting at a slow pace but then speeding up way too much making you reach the end far too quickly. Many powers are unlocked with progression into the story but there's not enough time to use the full arsenal at your disposal.
My final consensus is that Shadow of Mordor is an excellent game, but due to its short length it might be better to buy the game on discount. Also it's going to need a moderately beefy computer to run, so beware. Overall I give this game a 9/10.
Summary
Shadow of Mordor is an open world game set in Middle Earth, a fictional area created by J.R. R. Tolkien in his series, the lord of the rings, widely considered one of the greatest series of books of all time. Shadow of Mordor follows Talion, a ranger who has been brought back from the dead by being fused with an ancient elf king's spirit, and his attempts at breaking this curse.
Gameplay
Shadow of Mordor is an open world third person game much like Assassin's Creed. There are story missions as well as side missions that one can take at any time. Combat is very similar to the Arkham series, where you attack with one button and counter with another while building up a hit streak that allows for special moves after a certain point, as well as a bow for more long ranged combat. Talion also climbs buildings and does other parkour related activities, again like AC. Stealth is very much like Dishonoured with a dedicated stealth button and stealth kills.
The Good
Right from the beginning of the game, you're thrown into a completely open world. The game practically tells you to go explore on your own and this is wonderfully refreshing. Side quests and collectibles are present all over and practically beg you to find them all. The side missions make you use your skills in a different manner and are quite enjoyable.
The combat is satisfying, challenging and gloriously gory. Much like the Arkham series, this game has easy to learn combat that leaves you feeling extremely powerful yet provides enough of a challenge to stop it from being boring.
Parkour is upgraded from Assassin's Creed as it's much more responsive and much easier to use. Climbing on rooftops is an easy task and going down is also extremely easy unlike Assassin's Creed games where going down often meant falling to your death.
Stealth is incredible in the game, allowing you to sneak past multiple guards and kill an entire stronghold without being detected. It's admittedly not very realistic as it allows you to sneak almost right in front of enemies without being noticed but it's very satisfying to sneak kill multiple people anyway.
The characters are more than serviceable with both Ratbag and gollum being standouts. Talion, the main character, suits the dark grim mood as does the Elf spirit. The story however is only decent at best, with a few somewhat boring parts.
The nemesis system is the highlight of the game. Here if an Orc kills you it will become your nemesis and will recognize you whenever you cross paths. Dying to an orc then returning to kill it is one of the greatest feelings the game could give, and killing the &%$* orc that killed you after chasing it down is so beautifully satisfying.
The Bad
The biggest problem I had with the game is its length. The game is exceptionally short, especially considering it's a full priced game. I finished in somewhere between 20-25 hours, which is painfully short for an open world game.
The maps also are pretty small. There are only two areas, both of which are very very small, leading to some pretty bland repetition of the areas.
The pacing is poor too, with the beginning starting at a slow pace but then speeding up way too much making you reach the end far too quickly. Many powers are unlocked with progression into the story but there's not enough time to use the full arsenal at your disposal.
My final consensus is that Shadow of Mordor is an excellent game, but due to its short length it might be better to buy the game on discount. Also it's going to need a moderately beefy computer to run, so beware. Overall I give this game a 9/10.
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