Drizzlehell
Banned
When I look back at this series, there isn't much that stands out in my mind besides the nemesis system. It's the only standout feature, and the combat system was just copied from the Batman Arkham games, so I don't think Monolith deserves credit for that.
Still, the nemesis system is a great selling point, and it's the only reason these games are worth playing in my opinion. It's such an awesome idea that's executed almost perfectly. I love games that play around with the idea of emergent gameplay, and Monolith fully leaned into that design philosophy. Each playthrough can be a vastly different, personal experience that makes for great stories to pass around with your friends.
Now, you might say, "But Drizzle, those are great video game adaptations of Tolkien's work too!"
Well...I'm not so sure about that.
I'm not a die-hard Middle-Earth fan, but I've read the books and watched The Lord of The Rings trilogy of movies about 75 billion times. They're cinematic masterpieces, and I love these stories for their rich world-building and fun characters that you can root for. Unfortunately, almost none of that can be found in any of those Mordor games.
Pretty much everything about those games that doesn't involve combat or random Uruk encounters is forgettable and dull. The story is forgettable, the level design is flat and uninspired, and the quests and side activities are generic. It's just a bunch of cookie-cutter open-world fluff that would make for a 6/10 game - at best - if it wasn't for those other 2 elements that make the whole thing stand out from other open-world games. This is ridiculous considering the richness of the world-building in Middle-Earth. I wish we could get a proper triple-A RPG set in this world where you could visit various locations as they were presented in Jackson's movies. Detailed, varied, drenched in environmental storytelling and atmospheric presentation, with great writing and interesting quests... Basically The Witcher 3 but set in Middle-Earth. But what we got in Shadow of Mordor/War is uninteresting to explore, and without wishing to repeat myself too much, the only fun to be had in these open-world maps comes from parkouring around and slaughtering Uruks while playing around with the Nemesis system.
Don't get me wrong, it's damn fun to do those things while they still feel like a novelty, but once that novelty wears off, I feel like there's nothing else of substance to those games.
Still, the nemesis system is a great selling point, and it's the only reason these games are worth playing in my opinion. It's such an awesome idea that's executed almost perfectly. I love games that play around with the idea of emergent gameplay, and Monolith fully leaned into that design philosophy. Each playthrough can be a vastly different, personal experience that makes for great stories to pass around with your friends.
Now, you might say, "But Drizzle, those are great video game adaptations of Tolkien's work too!"
Well...I'm not so sure about that.
I'm not a die-hard Middle-Earth fan, but I've read the books and watched The Lord of The Rings trilogy of movies about 75 billion times. They're cinematic masterpieces, and I love these stories for their rich world-building and fun characters that you can root for. Unfortunately, almost none of that can be found in any of those Mordor games.
Pretty much everything about those games that doesn't involve combat or random Uruk encounters is forgettable and dull. The story is forgettable, the level design is flat and uninspired, and the quests and side activities are generic. It's just a bunch of cookie-cutter open-world fluff that would make for a 6/10 game - at best - if it wasn't for those other 2 elements that make the whole thing stand out from other open-world games. This is ridiculous considering the richness of the world-building in Middle-Earth. I wish we could get a proper triple-A RPG set in this world where you could visit various locations as they were presented in Jackson's movies. Detailed, varied, drenched in environmental storytelling and atmospheric presentation, with great writing and interesting quests... Basically The Witcher 3 but set in Middle-Earth. But what we got in Shadow of Mordor/War is uninteresting to explore, and without wishing to repeat myself too much, the only fun to be had in these open-world maps comes from parkouring around and slaughtering Uruks while playing around with the Nemesis system.
Don't get me wrong, it's damn fun to do those things while they still feel like a novelty, but once that novelty wears off, I feel like there's nothing else of substance to those games.
