Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor
Generally a well-received game, though I skipped it at the time. Figured with recent sale discounts, it might be worth picking up.
So what I get is a game that plays very well. There's an Assassin's Creed vibe, with running, riding, ambushing and flowing combat. QTEs are fairly rare, but they are there from time to time, and that was the biggest hitch for me due to using a PS3 controller but getting X360 controller prompts - still, usually workable. As you upgrade Talion (and get practice) the game does get easier. Early on, three orcs was potentially lethal, while toward the engame I could drop into 20+ without too much concern. The Nemesis system does (as pretty much every review has pointed out) push the game up a notch and make it stand out a bit better. While the first time Horza the something-or-other came back after being cut down I may have been frustrated, the following two or three times, I was amused. There is a little bit of personality and a sense of vendetta and accomplishment that can grow from the way the named orcs operate.
The other aspects of the open world gameplay are... okay, I guess. The way the two zones of Mordor are completely independent feels limiting. They're decently sized, but I was really getting bored of the first map about the time the second opened up and that left me with no desire to go back. And while there's an appropriate feeling of being "behind enemy lines," I personally find the feeling of isolation to be less than ideal. There are a couple rebel camps, of a sort, but they only really exist in cut scenes triggered off the main map.
The story plays pretty fast and loose with LotR canon, which isn't bad in and of itself. It works without being truly remarkable. The fights at the end, though, are disappointing at best, with the climactic confrontation being basically a QTE. Gollum's appearances are okay, but ultimately unnecessary. I would also say the pacing feels off to me. I suppose Lithariel's presence and disappearance is meant to add some urgency to the build-up at the end, but instead of saying "aw yeah, time to go after Sauron and friends!' I was more thinking along the lines of "well, I've got the five branded warchiefs and there's not much else to do, so I guess it's 'onward' time."
So... definitely playable. Some actiony fun with charm added by the possible open world situations you can get in with the orcish hierarchy. It won't be super memorable to me in the long run, though.
So what I get is a game that plays very well. There's an Assassin's Creed vibe, with running, riding, ambushing and flowing combat. QTEs are fairly rare, but they are there from time to time, and that was the biggest hitch for me due to using a PS3 controller but getting X360 controller prompts - still, usually workable. As you upgrade Talion (and get practice) the game does get easier. Early on, three orcs was potentially lethal, while toward the engame I could drop into 20+ without too much concern. The Nemesis system does (as pretty much every review has pointed out) push the game up a notch and make it stand out a bit better. While the first time Horza the something-or-other came back after being cut down I may have been frustrated, the following two or three times, I was amused. There is a little bit of personality and a sense of vendetta and accomplishment that can grow from the way the named orcs operate.
The other aspects of the open world gameplay are... okay, I guess. The way the two zones of Mordor are completely independent feels limiting. They're decently sized, but I was really getting bored of the first map about the time the second opened up and that left me with no desire to go back. And while there's an appropriate feeling of being "behind enemy lines," I personally find the feeling of isolation to be less than ideal. There are a couple rebel camps, of a sort, but they only really exist in cut scenes triggered off the main map.
The story plays pretty fast and loose with LotR canon, which isn't bad in and of itself. It works without being truly remarkable. The fights at the end, though, are disappointing at best, with the climactic confrontation being basically a QTE. Gollum's appearances are okay, but ultimately unnecessary. I would also say the pacing feels off to me. I suppose Lithariel's presence and disappearance is meant to add some urgency to the build-up at the end, but instead of saying "aw yeah, time to go after Sauron and friends!' I was more thinking along the lines of "well, I've got the five branded warchiefs and there's not much else to do, so I guess it's 'onward' time."
So... definitely playable. Some actiony fun with charm added by the possible open world situations you can get in with the orcish hierarchy. It won't be super memorable to me in the long run, though.
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