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It is starting to look more and more like 2014 is going to be the year of the RPG. Games like The Witcher 3, Dragon Age 3, and Dark Souls 2 all seem poised to make a huge splash. Even smaller titles like Bravely Default and Tales of Xillia 2 are getting a lot of buzz. Ever since it's announcement via the cover story at Game Informer a few months ago, I've been more and more excited about 'Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor'. While not the biggest fan of the more widely known stories associated with that universe (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), I am definitely not blind to the brilliance of it's world and its lore.
Monolith has finally started to trickle out gameplay walkthroughs so that we can finally get a glimpse of the new "Nemesis" system in action. A system that strikes me as the first innovative system to be unveiled on new hardware. This system, if it works as promised, will stand tall as one of the first examples of what it means to be "next-gen." It promises that all major enemy types in the game will be dynamically generated and will remember their encounters with the player if they live to tell about it. As you can see in the walkthrough, this can lead to some exciting encounters and even allow the player to craft his own unique story and water-cooler moments. I was blown away by the ability to enslave enemies and give them orders that shape future missions and story outcomes. How cool is it that you can turn your nemesis into a sleeper assassin!? On top of that, your likelihood of success is driven by numbers and environmental factors.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the combat but it appears to be taking some notes from the insanely popular system that got its start with Batman Arkham Origins. It's fast paced, cinematic, and beautifully choreographed. I especially enjoyed the contextual attacks that involved throwing enemies into camp fires. On top of that, the Wraith abilities appear to be useful and satisfying in traversal, combat, and exploration which ensures they won't be under-utilized and forgotten. Could this game be an amalgamation of everything that I love about Arkham, Dishonored, and The Witcher? It certainly seems that way.
I still want to see how open the world actually is and what kinds of environments will come into play as the game opens up but what I have seen so far is incredibly promising. It is great to see Monolith break free of their comfort zone lately since they left the Condemned and FEAR franchise behind. Both Gotham City Imposters and Middle Earth are drastically different experiences but appear to be extremely competent efforts within their respective genres.
I'll be honest, The Witcher 3 looked absolutely mind-blowing at E3 last year but Middle Earth is currently tied for my most anticipated game of the year. What did you think of the gameplay debut and which triple-A RPG are you looking forward to the most in 2014?
Comments
10 years, 3 months ago
Looks pretty cool. Hopefully this will be really good and force Ubisoft into taking a good hard look at Assassin's Creed.
10 years, 3 months ago
Watching this trailer kind of makes me sad. The combat looks amazing and the nemesis system appears to the right step forward for games this gen. It reminds me of Assassins Creed mixed with the most recent Batman Arkam series. I just hope the world isnt always dark and gitty. I want to see more experimentation withe level design to give the world a unique feel. But only seeing Xbox One and 360 for console release was a disappointment. I was 100% set on purchasing a WiiU this year. Now I'm unsure whether to buy an Xbox One or the WiiU when I get the chance. Its a tough decision.
10 years, 3 months ago
This game does look pretty amazing. I hope they can pull off the Nemesis system well so it doesn't feel overly scripted.
10 years, 3 months ago
Hoping to see unique areas and a lot of variation compared to dark and gloomy. Then again, it is Mordor. But that shouldn't shy them away for looking into lighter, perhaps a bit varied landscape in the future development.
As a 'pre alpha' (although what ISNT pre alpha or beta these days at this point), it looks pretty interesting and exciting.
10 years, 3 months ago
Honestly it's pretty hard for me to get excited for a game which so closely resembles assassins creed. It could be good though, here's to hoping.
10 years, 3 months ago
YOU BURNED MY FACE! GRAAAAGGH
I really hope they do the nemesis system well. it can potentially be amazing or the most irritating thing of 2014
10 years, 3 months ago
I am a pretty big LotR fan and have desperately played every single game (except the moba) that has been released hoping that one of these games will deliver the sort of experience I want from a game set in this universe. So far this has yet to happen, but man this game looks like it could deliver. I mean at least it goes beyond the normal hack and slash ventures that were simply riding off the names of a given movie lol. Nick, I completely understand your excitement and 2014 is looking good to me. Hopefully Monolith pulls this one off.
10 years, 3 months ago
This looks really awesome. As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and the universes, I can't wait to get my hands on this. I was very surprised and quite shocked with the nemesis system, it looks like it could be really awesome if done right. I'm looking forward to The Witcher 3 the most but Shadows of Mordor is a close second. It'll be a great year for games!
10 years, 3 months ago
I got healthier watching that. SO GOOD! I really hope the Nemesis system is as cracked up as they say because me being a huge LoTR fan means imma be playing this game like crazy!
10 years, 3 months ago
LOTR movie canon again + AssCreed = nope....
10 years, 3 months ago
Nick, this game looks fucking amazing. I'm glad I've started using this site for updates on games or what not. All I know is I'm buying this game and it is now my most anticipated game of 2014.
10 years, 3 months ago
Looks like Assassins Creed in Mordor with magic.
10 years, 3 months ago
I'm surprised no one has commented about this. Most probably why everyone is drawing the Assassin's Creed comparison.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/01/23/shadow-of-mordor-accused-of-using-assassins-creed-ii-code
10 years, 3 months ago
Hopefully this game can be more of an Assassins Creeds game then the recent entries of the AC series. I miss games like 2 and Brotherhood where you actually felt like an assassin.
10 years, 3 months ago
I'm not really a big Middle Earth fan, but that Nemesis system looks really neat if they do it correctly. A deep and complex relationship system in any game is always a plus to me and if this delivers, I might buy it. For one thing, I hope the Nemesis system works not only to the player's advantage, but also to the enemy's advantage.
For example, if an enemy is too strong for the player to defeat and thus the player has to retreat. Will the Nemesis system work positively in the enemy's factor as well (such as the enemy having more armor/weapons/troops), making the second encounter for the player harder?
If the system can deliver something like that, plus more, then this game will really be up my alley.