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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor By Muaz Mahmood
File:Shadow of Mordor cover art.png
The box art for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Developer(s)Monolith Productions[1]
Behaviour Interactive (PS3/X360)
Publisher(s)Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment[1]
Director(s)Michael de Plater
Producer(s)Mike Forgey
Designer(s)Bob Roberts
Chris Hoge
Writer(s)Christian Cantamessa
Composer(s)Garry Schyman
Nathan Grigg
EngineLithTech Jupiter EX
(modified with Nemesis System)
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows[1]
PlayStation 3[1]
PlayStation 4[1]
Xbox 360[1]
Xbox One[1]
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows'PlayStation 4, Xbox One'PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an action role-playing video game set in The Lord of the Rings universe, developed by Monolith Productions and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.[1][2] The story of the game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It was released on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.[1][2]

Gameplay

In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the player plays as a ranger by the name of Talion who has wraith-like abilities.[1] In this open world video game, players have the freedom to pursue side quests and roam around the world.[3]

The game allows people to create new characters and customize Talion as he starts his journey through Middle-earth by using a new system called the "Nemesis System," which remembers the player's interactions with specific types of characters they encounter and adjusts the manner in which these characters react to the player throughout the game.[1] Enemies also develop as Talion interacts with them; for example, an Uruk who was thrown into a fire by Talion might want revenge on him for being burned and disfigured.

The player has the option to level up the abilities of Talion both as a ranger and as a Wraith through two distinct skill trees.[3] Ranger abilities allow Talion to move silently through environments without attracting attention, while Wraith abilities allow him to impose his will on enemies and have them gather information for him, spread tales of Talion among enemies to decrease their morale, or assassinate their leaders.

In February 2014, Monolith Productions announced that the Nemesis System, being a large system, will be reduced in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 releases, also stating that they were "focusing on the next-gen platforms," meaning the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One systems. Furthermore, they stated that they are "going to do whatever we can to get as much as possible on current-gen." Monolith Productions also stated that "some of the stuff," meaning the "core mechanics," which are combat, stealth, ranger abilities and movements, the basic control and gameplay, will be the same on both generations of gaming consoles.[4]

Synopsis

Setting

The game takes place between the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.[1] The family of Talion (voiced and motion captured by Troy Baker), a ranger of Gondor responsible for guarding the Black Gate of Mordor, is killed by Sauron's armies, but Talion is revived with "wraith-like abilities" and heads into Mordor to exact his revenge.[2] Mordor is not yet a barren wasteland in this story.[5] The player will encounter Gollum (voiced by Liam O'Brien), discovering that Talion and Gollum have a lot in common.[3] Talion discovers that the wraith who revived him is Celebrimbor (voiced by Alastair Duncan), the greatest Elven smith master of the Second Age and the maker of the Rings of Power, who also seeks revenge against Sauron.

The beginning of the game is set during the abandonment of the watch on the Black Gate, despite that watch ending some 1,300 years prior to the game's start date.[6]

Plot

Talion, a ranger captain, is part of a Gondor garrison stationed at the Black Gate. The garrison is attacked by Sauron's Uruk forces led by 3 Black Númenórean captains; the Hammer of Sauron (John DiMaggio), the Tower of Sauron (J. B. Blanc), and their leader the Black Hand of Sauron (Nolan North). Talion, his wife Ioreth, and his son Dirhael are captured and ritually sacrificed by the Black Hand in an attempt to summon the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor. However, Celebrimbor (who suffers from amnesia due to his status as a wraith) instead ends up merging with Talion, saving him from death. The two of them set out to uncover Celebrimbor's identity as well as to avenge the death of Talion's family.

Over the course of their travels, Talion and Celebrimbor have multiple encounters with Gollum, who has the ability to see and speak with Celebrimbor due to his prior contact with the One Ring. Hoping that Celebrimbor will lead him to the One Ring, Gollum leads Celebrimbor to relics of his past, each of which restore parts of his lost memories. Celebrimbor gradually recalls how he was deceived by Sauron, in his guise as Annatar the Lord of Gifts, into forging the Rings of Power. Celebrimbor ultimately assisted Sauron in forging the One Ring, but was able to steal it from him. Celebrimbor proclaimed himself the Bright Lord of Mordor and raised an army of Orcs against Sauron. However, the Ring ultimately betrayed Celebrimbor and returned to Sauron. Sauron then punished Celebrimbor by executing his wife and daughter, then killing him.

In his search for the Black Hand, Talion allies himself with Hirgon, a ranger deserter who leads a community of Gondorian outcasts who have settled in Mordor, and Ratbag the Coward, an Orc who offers to bring Talion closer to the Black Hand in exchange for his assistance in ascending the Orc military hierarchy. Talion helps Ratbag ascend the ranks to the level of warchief by killing each of his immediate superiors so Ratbag can take their position, while also assisting Hirgon in saving outcasts who have been enslaved by Sauron's forces, including Hirgon's wife Eryn. Talion ultimately leads the outcasts in destroying a monument to Sauron, a public act of defiance intended to draw out the Black Hand. However, the Hammer of Sauron is sent instead; he executes Ratbag, battles Talion, and is ultimately killed by the ranger.

Talion is then sought out by the warrior Lithariel, the daughter of Queen Marwen, who claims to be able to assist Celebrimbor with his mission. Marwen is the ruler of Núrn, a kingdom of sea raiders located in the south of Mordor. She uses prophetic powers to guide Talion and Celebrimbor to another of Celebrimbor's relics. Later on, she advises them to use Celebrimbor's powers to take control of an army of Orcs, and use them to lead an assault against Sauron. Talion realizes that Marwen is being possessed by the wizard Saruman, and assists Lithariel in freeing her from his control. However, Talion still carries out Saruman's plan, and leads his army of mind-controlled orcs in an assault against the Black Hand's stronghold at Ered Glamhoth. However, instead of the Black Hand, Talion finds the Tower of Sauron waiting for him. The two do battle with Talion emerging the victor after viciously stabbing the Tower to death with his son's sword.

Talion travels to the Black Gate for a final confrontation with the Black Hand. However, the Black Hand incapacitates him with a spell that also restores the last of Celebrimbor's memories, then kills himself as part of a ritual that pulls Celebrimbor from Talion's body and forces him to merge with the Black Hand. This allows Sauron to possess the Black Hand's body and incarnate in physical form. However, Celebrimbor is able to briefly paralyze Sauron from within, allowing Talion to destroy his physical form. With the Black Hand dead, Celebrimbor wishes to depart for Valinor, but Talion convinces him to stay and attempt to overthrow Sauron. Gazing at Mount Doom, Talion declares his intention to forge a new Ring of Power.

Development

In August 2013, an artist leaked that Monolith Productions was working on a new AAA title, separate from Guardians of Middle-earth.[7] On November 12, 2013, it was announced that the game was titled Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.[8] The game was written by Christian Cantamessa, who was also a lead-writer and lead-designer on Rockstar San Diego's Red Dead Redemption.[3]

Music

The music in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was composed by Garry Schyman and Nathan Grigg. A soundtrack album was released digitally by WaterTower Music on September 30, 2014.[9]

Reception

Critical reception

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor garnered generally positive reviews from critics. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 4 version 87.05% [11] and 85/100,[14] the Xbox One version 86.60% [12] and 85/100, [15] and the PC version 87.00% [10] and 87/100.[13]

Lucas Sullivan from GamesRadar described the game as "the greatest Lord of the Rings game to date" and "one of the most entertaining open-world adventures around."[19]

Alexander Sliwinski from Joystiq gave the game a perfect score, praising the solid combat, story, voice acting, and overall execution. He also thought that the game stood out from other similar action-adventure titles because of its revolutionary new game mechanic, the Nemesis System. However, he was disappointed by the boss battles.[24]

Giant Bomb also gave the game a perfect score. The author compared the climbing and exploration aspects of the game to Assassin's Creed and compared the large-scale, counter-based melee combat to Batman: Arkham. He also praised the nemesis system as it can provide a nearly endless cycle of side content, and he added that it would be difficult to come away unsatisfied at the end of the game with the amount of gameplay featured.

Matt Miller from Game Informer gave the game an 8.25/10, praising the progression and upgrade mechanics, which can offer players meaningful and game-changing abilities that are unlocked gradually throughout the campaign. He also stated that with the revolutionary approach to mission design, the game successfully offers players a challenging and complex experience.[18]

Chris Carter from Destructoid gave the game a 6/10. He stated that the game does not deliver on everything it sets out to do. He criticized the story as rather generic, and he summarized it as "go here, kill this, draw out this big bad, then kill him for your family." He praised the well-designed open world and the side-quests, describing them as "more fun than the main story." He also stated that the Nemesis System was at first promising, but soon became gimmicky because the orcs in the game do not have unique personalities; all the named enemies in the game feel exactly the same. He also criticized the ending as extremely unfulfilling.[16] 

                                                  ===Review controversy===

In October 2014, whereas traditional video game review outlets were unable to obtain early access to the video game, Totalbiscuit revealed that Youtube vloggers had been offered early access to the game in exchange for agreeing to a restrictive contract which required them to be positive about it.[27][28][29][30] Federal Trade Commission rules require paid promotional deals on Youtube to be disclosed.[31][32]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor from Monolith is latest Lord of the Rings title". VG247. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  2. ^ a b c "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Announced". IGN. 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  3. ^ a b c d Purchese, Robert (2013-11-13). "Shadow of Mordor sounds like Arkham Batman games • News •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  4. ^ Luke Karmali (February 20, 2014). "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor 'Focused on PS4 and Xbox One'". IGN. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
  5. ^ "Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor is the new LotR RPG from Monolith". games.on.net. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  6. ^ Tolkien, J.R.R. (1955). The Return of the King (1966 ed.). Boston: Mariner. p. 1023. ISBN 978-0-547-92819-7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ "Lord of the Rings: hints suggests new triple-A game in development". VG247. 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  8. ^ Koch, Cameron (2013-11-12). "December Cover – Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor – News". GameInformer.com. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  9. ^ "Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Official Video Game Score". WaterTower Music. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for PC". GameRankings.
  11. ^ a b "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for PlayStation 4". GameRankings.
  12. ^ a b "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for Xbox One". GameRankings.
  13. ^ a b "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for PC". Metacritic.
  14. ^ a b "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for PlayStation 4 reviews". Metacritic.
  15. ^ a b "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for Xbox One". Metacritic.
  16. ^ a b Chris Carter (25 September 2014). "Review: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor". Destructoid. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  17. ^ Aoife Wilson (26 September 2014). "Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor review". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  18. ^ a b Matt Miller (25 September 2014). "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor: Emergent Action Evolves". Game Informer. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  19. ^ a b Lucas Sullivan (25 September 2014). "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor review". GamesRadar. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  20. ^ Kevin VanOrd (25 September 2014). "Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor review". Gamespot. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  21. ^ Brandon Jones (26 September 2014). "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  22. ^ "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Review". Giant Bomb. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  23. ^ Dan Stapleton (25 September 2014). "Shadow of Mordor review: Kicking ass and Tolkien Names". IGN. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  24. ^ a b Alexander Sliwinski (26 September 2014). "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor review: My precioussss". Joystiq. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  25. ^ Leif Johnson (29 September 2014). "Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor review". PCGamer. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  26. ^ Philip Kollar (26 September 2014). "Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor review: All Those Who Wander". Polygon. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  27. ^ Grayson, Nathan (2014-10-08). "The Messy Story Behind YouTubers Taking Money For Game Coverage". Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  28. ^ Kain, Erik (2014-10-08). "'Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor' Paid Branding Deals Should Have #GamerGate Up In Arms". Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  29. ^ Parfitt, Ben (2014-10-07). "YouTubers required to be positive in return for Shadow of Mordor review code, report claims". Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  30. ^ Sterling, Jim (2014-10-06). "Shadiness of Mordor". Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  31. ^ Usher, William (2014-10-13). "Shadow of Mordor Review Contract Causes Ruckus in the Gaming Industry". Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  32. ^ kidsleepy (2014-10-06). "Steam and now requiring disclosure of sponsored content". Retrieved 2014-10-19.

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