Middle earth shadow of mordor review. Not the heroes Mordor deserves, but the ones it needs. Minimum system requirements

Mordor. This country in the southeast of Middle-earth was not a hospitable place in any of the eras. Stronghold dark forces, surrounded by impenetrable mountain ranges, for centuries has become home to countless hordes of orcs and their master - the lord Sauron. Hot rocks at the foot of Orodruin, musty caves inhabited by monsters - in these parts even the air seems to be saturated with malice.

The frightening beauties of the Black Country were hidden from the eyes of casual travelers for many years - even in Lord of the Rings Online we were not allowed to enter the gates of Morannon, and in other projects, places that were briefly shown in Peter Jackson's film epic were only copied. And now the time has come: in the review of the game "Middle-earth: Shadows of Mordor" we will not only visit the abode of evil, but also find out how interesting this journey is.

“Maybe this is our end.
- End? No. Our path does not end with death. Death is just a continuation of the path inscribed by everyone.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Pathfinder's Notes

My name is Talion. In life, I was a ranger - guarding the borders at the Black Gate from outside threats, and now I fight with the orcs, trying to deal with those who changed my fate so much. Why am I writing this? Don't know. These records are unlikely to be seen by anyone, but there are not many types of leisure in Mordor: you either kill or die and start killing again.

What happened to me, those who will never read these lines will ask? It all started the day my family was killed in front of me. They were Sauron's servants performing some kind of black ritual. I also died, but not for long - death rejected me and continues to do so whenever enemies take over me. I am an immortal ghost: it is both a gift and a curse.

Not so gloomy and dark is the realm of Sauron. The bright rays of the sun look even into these lands.

After being reborn, I woke up in some kind of silver tower. It did not belong to this world, and to the orcs roaming below, this place seemed like an ordinary ruin. Yes, I got to the very heart of Mordor. Not a very friendly place, to tell the truth: around there are only mountains and bare stone, orc fortifications and ruins, overgrown with dense bushes with yellowed leaves.

You get used to an unfriendly environment quickly - it is much more difficult and unpleasant to come to terms with the constant proximity of the orcs. There aren't many of them in Mordor, but they are everywhere I go. Attempts to clear at least one piece of land from these pigs lead to nothing. Already tried. New ones come to the place of the dead, it is worth leaving at least a league.

Although the game was not produced by Ubisoft, Mordor was not without synchronization points. After visiting the forge tower, we will display on the map all tasks and gathering items in the region.

When I became immortal, I realized that I had learned nothing during my years of service. Even a small group of orcs becomes a problem, and if a captain has crept into their ranks, it is easier to give a fight than to accept a humiliating death, even if it is temporary. But one officer pretty tired me: his arrows did not take, he successfully parried attacks with a sword, and while I was looking for an approach to him, he won three times, and with each death I became stronger.

Realizing that I still had little strength for an open battle, I decided to change my approach. My allies in Mordor were bushes, hills and patience. Orcs are not very observant, lack hearing and rarely look around, and stealth strikes were good for me. Sometimes it’s even funny to me: with a dagger I kill any orc with one blow, and in a fair fight I would have to stab him with a sword seven times.

If you inherit orcs in the fortress, the life of a ranger can go topsy-turvy. In the literal sense of the word.

Ancient legends said that the orcs knew no fear. Oh, if you could see how they screech when you drop a nest of Morgai flies on them! And how they burn - a feast for the eyes! I don’t know what they melt with, but it’s worth throwing an arrow into the fire and they are immediately killed on the spot with a strong explosion, and the fire does not affect me ( marginal note: "pros of immortality - fire resistance").

But these are general phobias, and there are also individual ones. At first I thought that the leaders and captains were almost invulnerable, but it turned out that everyone has their own weak spots. Some are frightened at the sight of a graug (a monster that looks like cave troll), others take to their heels as their soldiers begin to fight among themselves. It remains to catch up with such a "brave", to capture and finish off with one blow.

Highlighted enemies can be lured. The convenience is that only one Orc takes the bait.

In my homeland, Gondor, it is often said that all orcs are the same person, and this is another very common misconception. Maybe they are all equally ugly, but they look different, especially the leaders and captains. Thin and stooped, broad in the shoulders, with growths and tumors on the face, a small skull, like a goblin. Moreover, their appearance is not a reflection of weaknesses and strengths, skills and fears.

Over time, it turned out that the only way to kill an orc was by cutting off the head. That is, to kill for sure. Having gained experience, I again met my sworn enemy and this time he won. My jubilation knew no bounds, but how surprised I was to meet this captain again - the scars on his face made him even more ferocious and he kept saying that I would have to regret that I did not kill him right away.

The first time this gentleman escaped with scars, the second time with a bandaged face. I'm afraid he won't survive another plastic surgery.

The first days in Mordor brought me closer to nature. I learned to heal with herbs, hunt wild animals and monsters. I noticed that the orcs are not very friendly with the local fauna. A well-placed bait to the ground attracts predators, and this helps to create turmoil in the ranks of the orcs.

Later, I learned how to tame karagors (such overgrown wargs), which allowed me not only to move quickly across the wide expanses of Udun, but also to fight on horseback. Some captains are vulnerable to mount attacks and run away as soon as they see them, so this experience will be useful to me in the future.

Ohedin Valannor

Contemptible man! Not only does he waste time on meaningless notes instead of getting down to business, he also keeps silent about his savior, the mighty Celebrimbor. It was my spirit that moved into the body of Talion - this is what made the former ranger immortal.

Why do I need this, you want to ask, you dirty Uruk who found these records, but was unable to read them due to illiteracy? It's about revenge. I forged the great rings, created a single Ring that can subdue the rest. Sauron deceived me, and when I realized it, it was already too late. He killed my family and then me, but I couldn't find peace...

All the characters in the game either look stupid, like this girl, or they don't, like main character.

Does this story seem ridiculous to you, stupid creature? I do not argue, it is. In places it goes against the known facts about Middle-earth, but otherwise it is simply boring. My fight with Talion is a continuous routine: kill the orcs there, save the slaves here, listen to one pointless conversation, then another.

Sometimes on our way there are unusual, shall we say, creatures. The pathetic Uruk Rat, who dreams of becoming a leader, a strange creature with big eyes and a hissing voice, mentioning some kind of charm. Later we met Marwen, the Queen of the Coast. This lady, frankly speaking, is not of this world, but not like Talion and I, in another sense.

A rare shot - emotions are seen on the face of the hero. Oh no, it seemed.

Sometimes my partner scares me. I remember Talion's face when his relatives were killed. I always see these eyes filled with complete indifference: during the battle with the orcs and when talking with the girl, and his eternally monotonous voice is like an elixir for insomnia. We elves often seem arrogant, hiding our feelings, but smart enough to know that humans don't behave like that.

Despite such quirks, we made a good team. I showed Talion how to break the will of the Uruk so that he would give out information about one of the captains. With a snap of his fingers, the ranger transforms into a ghostly archer and showers his enemies with a hail of arrows. And the newfound powers save Talion during any jumps from a height ( side note: "pros of immortality - no fall damage").

The touch of a ghost is an effective technique. First we'll interrogate the client, then we'll behead him. The main thing is not to confuse the sequence.

Do not think, miserable worm, that we are only engaged in the extermination of your relatives. Mordor is vast, and its corners are fraught with many secrets. Hills, plateaus, highlands, towers and fortresses - there is no place where an immortal warrior could not get through, and very quickly. Noticing the tracker, do not rush to rejoice: just a couple of jumps upstairs - and you will lose sight of us.

I said "us" because we act as one. Talion is able to look at the world through my eyes and notice the invisible. Only in the world of spirits can artifacts be discovered: after a good examination of each find and finding a memory point, we will learn the story of its origin. In the same vein, we are looking for itildins: there is only one memory, but it is connected with my past.

When Talion is not on a mission helping me explore Mordor, he writes down the legends of his weapons. Sword, bow and dagger - each has ten tests, and they are aimed at honing the skills of owning the appropriate weapon. If this is the legend of the sword, then it all comes down to skillful swordsmanship in the midst of enemies, and the dagger is a test of stealth and stealth elimination of targets.

Onion tests are the most unusual. Either you sneak into the cave and kill the ghouls with explosions, then you target the orcs, practically without leaving your spot.

Sometimes we get distracted by rescuing slaves - some of them then tell where the others are being held, and the tracker rushes there. At first I thought it was a waste of time, but then I noticed that the more we help the Outcasts, the more actively they fight the Uruks and share intel.

Talion Principle

The orcs call me from the grave. They do not know that I am invulnerable to their weapons and are always surprised when they see me again. A funny incident happened recently: one of the captains had a phobia of the dead and rushed to his heels as soon as he saw me. I did not kill him: it would be better if a coward commands the orcs, and not a strong and strong-willed leader who took his place.

Exhaustion is useful in exactly one case: when the enemy has already noticed you and has not yet begun to scream, call for help or run away.

Mordor is an amazing place. In the old days, I often climbed to the top of the bastions and peered into the distance, into pitch and frightening darkness, where the realms of Sauron and his followers stretched. Then I did not know that the world beyond the Black Gate could be so beautiful.

The plains and plateaus of Uduna are a barren desert where there is nothing but rocks, but when I went south to the vicinity of the Nurnen Sea, I was fascinated by the beauty of the green fields. There was no smell of sulfur in the air, and the moss-covered ruins looked beautiful against the backdrop of endless meadows. Only orcs seemed superfluous in this corner of the world, but it was for this reason that I came here.

"Shadows of Mordor" is perceived as an ordinary work based on motives, but the built-in encyclopedia with colorful art will please even ardent fans of the universe.

In Mordor, I explored two large areas - Udun and Nurn. Each is run by its own five leaders, and twenty more captains are in their service. Like simple orcs, cutting out the entire top will not work completely: someone else will always come to the place of the deceased, whether it be a leader or a simple captain - it's only a matter of time. I can only accelerate this natural selection.

Yes, I am not the only reason for the death of the orcs in these parts. They themselves arrange a struggle for power, killing each other in duels or in ambushes. Such feuds play into my hands: when I see two captains fighting, I study their strengths and weaknesses and try to help the one who is less protected. A fighter invulnerable to arrows and stealth finishers can become a big problem if he wins a high rank.

This is our information headquarters, where you can find out what is known about each of the leaders of the orcs and where to find them.

Slaughtering officers brings me runes that enhance weapons, and their quality depends on the rank of the slain. Some allow me to heal right in combat, others protect me from ranged attacks. If I use the Achilles' heel of the commander, I'm guaranteed to get a boost for the same weapon. For example, killing him with a headshot will give you a bow rune.

How to learn about the advantages, fears and weaknesses of the leaders? There are several ways: find information in their camps, find out from a rescued slave, or interrogate an orc, breaking his will. Ordinary soldiers will only reveal the identity and whereabouts of the captain, and some leaders can only be reached by interrogating his personal bodyguards.

The whole charm of the local "horses" is that neither a cliff nor a wall is an obstacle for them - they will deliver to at its best even to the top of the tower.

Arriving in the southern lands of Mordor, I learned to stigmatize the orcs - to subordinate them to my will, which gave me great room for maneuver. After capturing the enemy captain (leader's bodyguard), I ordered him to challenge his master, and then helped him deal with him. Later I will describe the principle of the stigma: well, what is the probability that this notebook will fall into the hands of some evil magician?

I'm so addicted to pampering with my new force that I didn’t even notice how all the leaders and captains in Nurn became my puppets, and there was simply no one to fight with (ordinary orcs do not count). But even here a solution was found in the form of the ability to instantly kill all subordinate officers. It remains to collect runes from them, spray unnecessary ones on Mirians and buy new improvements on them.

Gathering of two leaders. Given that the bodyguards of the enemy leader have already been recruited, I can not interfere in this fight.

If you look back at all my days spent in Mordor, they were not as bad as I expected. It is interesting to set the orcs against each other and watch how they fight among themselves. It became boring to fight myself in the end, because I became not only immortal, but also almost invincible. Orcs now have spearmen, berserkers, and shield bearers, but my abilities are many times greater than the strength of each of them, even if there are more than a dozen orcs in the arena.

Exploring the world evokes the same feeling. You can immediately go anywhere, but apart from the ruins and multi-tiered fortresses, there are not many places worthy of mention. Perhaps someday I will finish my business in Mordor and go to other lands, but that will be a completely different story.

Conclusion

In the first days after the release of "Shadow of Mordor", over forty thousand users united on Steam alone, which is several times higher than the online version of another novelty - Alien: Isolation. This is the first truly successful single-player project in the Middle-earth universe, not only financially, but also in terms of quality. Following Divinity: Original Sin is one of the main discoveries of the year.

The combat system, borrowed from Batman: Arkham, is perfectly combined with the endless struggle for power of the orc captains (Nemesis system) - there is always something to do in the game world, even if these are battles without any purpose. Only an absolutely empty plot with inexpressive characters and some monotony of the design of the game world are frustrating, but you can put up with these little things.

We're playing an action RPG set in the Lord of the Rings universe and can't believe that the mechanics of Assassin's Creed turned out to be more appropriate in the Lord of the Rings than, in fact, in the game about assassins

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one of the biggest surprises of this year. The developers did not hesitate to borrow key ideas from, put them in the Lord of the Rings universe, screwed the developed role system with interesting features - and you no longer pay attention to either the stupid “climb the tower and open the map area” system or repetitive tasks.

The game opens with the dramatic murder of protagonist Talion and his family by Sauron's minions. Our ward after death finds himself in the world of Mordor. The character discovers that he is quite alive, in addition, he got an assistant - the spirit of Celebrimor. This is the elf who forged the Rings of Power for Sauron. Returning to the world of the living as a ghost, Celebrimor augments our abilities and reveals plot details.

Uruk camps are scattered across the large and monotonous territory of Mordor. They are by default our enemies. You will have to kill more than one thousand bad-looking and similarly speaking opponents in order to get to the Dark Lord. The interactive field displays captains and leaders - these are our mini-bosses. At first, nothing is known about them: neither behavioral features, nor vulnerable points. Getting information about opponents (stealing data, or interrogating the “language”), we get closer to the enemies. When we decide that we are ready, we can attack. Just keep in mind that even the captain is a strong opponent, and by killing you, he will rise in level and become even more dangerous. An interesting point: Uruks are not very smart creatures, besides, their discipline is lame. Therefore, the creatures are constantly fighting for power, and the place of one captain can be taken by another.

The developers have given features to ordinary bosses. For example, one is invulnerable to arrows and frontal attacks, the other is a three-meter kid, but is terribly afraid of a swarm of insects. Taking into account these data, killing enemies will save nerves and time. For the destruction of strong opponents and the completion of quests, we get points that are spent on improving the characteristics of Talion and unlocking abilities. Many of them provide new opportunities for completing tasks. A silent kill from a height, an improvement in "stealth", a brutal execution of the enemy, seeing which the Uruks scatter in horror. By the way, Talion is excellent at climbing walls and climbing ledges. Features of buildings must also be taken into account when performing missions. Often the easiest path to a goal is through the upper levels, not the ground.

On a fairly large area there are a lot of secondary tasks. Most of them, unfortunately, are repeated: save the slaves, open the towers, eliminate the captain. But there is also interesting quests like creating a legend for a weapon, although this results in the same killing of hordes of Uruks. Also in there is an opportunity to avenge the death of the player. Periodically pop-up tasks "Vendetta" show the place of the murder of a random character, where we can deal with the Uruk who killed the hero.

The easiest way to complete missions is unnoticed, fortunately, there are great opportunities for this: silent murders, bushes in which you can hide, besides, the Uruks have serious hearing problems. But sooner or later the moment will come when you have to engage in open battle. To do this, the developers have created a simple but advanced combat system. Jumps, rolls, fatalities, the ability to draw energy from the Uruk or subdue it, counterattacks - a large arsenal of skills is easy to control. In something combat system, again, reminds, but here it is much simpler, although the functionality was not affected.

There is only one complaint about the battles - there are too many opponents. Uruks naturally trample you, a battle with three captains and one leader can start on a small patch, and ordinary enemies also help them. The developers are forcing us to delicately handle the sword and accurately guess the moment for attacks, while not forgetting about protection. Also keep in mind that after each of your deaths, the enemies grow in levels, so the longer you can not kill the boss, the worse you do yourself.

The action genre outweighs the RPG prefix. From last here- just a pumping tree. No dialogue, no choice, no behavior. But with this concept, Middle-earth proved to be a very viable product. Even monotonous tasks and a dead world do not spoil the impression. Fulfill story missions, open runes for weapons, learn to use new techniques in battle - and there will be happiness. Monolith developed not perfect, but high-quality and spectacular action in the eminent universe. For fans of The Lord of the Rings, there are both familiar characters and additions to the main story of literary works.

Surprisingly interesting action in the Lord of the Rings universe. If the developers moved away from the cloned side quests, it would be great.

The Gondorian ranger Talion is killed at the Black Gate along with his wife and son. However, he does not find eternal rest after death. The Ghost inhabits him, preventing him from leaving for another world. Talion is doomed to wander around Mordor until he destroys the Black commanders who sent his family to the next world, and gets to their master - the Dark Lord.

The ghost strengthened Talion as if the ranger possessed one of the Rings of Power: he sees the invisible to an ordinary creature, can instill fear in the enemy and subjugate his will. And all because the spirit that moved into Talion and endowed him with superpowers, once upon a time was the lord of Eregion and the greatest elven blacksmith. His name was Celebrimbor. He was strong and immortal, proud and merciless. It was pride that killed him. Succumbing to the deception of Sauron, who took on an alien form, the blacksmith helped him forge the Rings of Power. Secretly from Celebrimbor, Sauron created the One Ring of Omnipotence, which the whole world was obliged to serve. What happened in the past with Celebrimbor? Why does he wander as a spirit? Why did he move into Talion? Will they cope with the army of Sauron and its lord? What awaits them on their way to Barad-dûr? - you will learn about all this in this game. The plot is presented very well: high-quality cinematics (not like Blizzard, of course, but quite worthy) with flashbacks to the past; the local “code” is very useful, in which a lot of information appears over time - briefly and to the point; amazing "acting game" of absolutely all the characters, "live" facial expressions - sometimes it is forgotten that this is just a game. However, the compelling story plays a secondary role. The most important thing in the game is the Nemesis system, which we will discuss below.

Barad-dûr (the Black Tower) has been in ruins ever since the armies of Gondor defeated Sauron's army at the end of the Second Age.
However, as long as Sauron lives, Barad-dur cannot be completely destroyed. It was here that Sauron settled, returning to Mordor. Now, hiding behind a magical curtain, he began to restore his tower and prepare for the big War of the Ring.

In addition to this new system, which has not been seen anywhere else, the success of the game lies in the fact that it is not based on Jackson's films, but with its own original story. As Shadow of Mordor lead designer Bob Roberts said in an interview with Eurogamer: “Our goal was not to create a game based on films. We didn't want to repeat the same events, but only wanted to make the best game we can and let everyone know that it is with its own own history". The game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Talion will meet characters familiar to fans of the universe. For example, Gollum here turned out to be almost the same as in Jackson's films. True, his presence and connection with Celebrimbor are not entirely clear in the game. But still a very nice fan service, fans of the universe will be delighted.

uruki
Uruk Captains
Karagor

And now about Nemesis - the enemy hierarchy system, which makes this game extremely interesting and unique. The environment seems to be alive - the hierarchy of power of the Uruks changes depending on our actions and decisions.

The Nemesis system never ceases to amaze even after ten hours of play. For example, when we are about to perform some side quest like the “Legend of the Bow”, brave guys, they are Uruk captains, can suddenly come up to us and insist on a showdown: if, for example, one of them was unhappy that you decently brushed him off in the past, and this since he already appears with metal handkerchiefs on damaged places (or with burns on his face - it all depends on how you dealt with him last time) and universal hatred for you, then another - it is possible, by the way, that it can come with friends, he is simply unhappy that you, a miserable little man, roam his lands - therefore, the evil Uruk decides to block your path. AI is not the smartest here (peripheral vision does not work very well - which is typical for games in the stealth genre), but they are uruks for that, they are supposed to be stupid.

It is very funny to watch the rank shifts of the Uruks - everyone wants to be head and shoulders above the other elite Orks. In particular, substituting each other. It is also interesting to follow such events: for example, some ordinary Uruk kills you, he is promoted, he goes one step higher, he gets more decent armor. Time passes, self-confidence comes to him, and he already begins to think about why not remove the higher captains or leaders. Uruks are moderately intimidating and funny. But it may seem to someone that they are made too comically, but I would like real horror to come from them. But everyone will admire the elaboration of each Uruk - they are drawn in such detail that it seems as if they are real. And they are all different, with their weaknesses and quirks.

Below is a video with a scene where one funny Uruk offers our hero a deal. There is also a moment with the collection of information.

We were pleased with the epic scenes when we enter into a “dialogue” with a large Uruk - an incredible performance: he, stomping importantly (always in slow-mo) to the roar of the crowd chanting his name, steps towards you. All this looks very impressive and intimidating, not everyone can resist, having the opportunity to escape. The Horde calls out the name of every Uruk in such scenes - it sounds so powerful that even the blood runs cold. It is possible that a horde of football fans took part in this.

Clearing the area from the Uruks is a lot of fun. You can rush into the crowd and start kneading everyone in a row, or you can climb somewhere higher where you can’t see us, covertly cut out the archers, and then watch the fun: you can release the caragor from the cage and watch how it tears apart these slimy creatures, or drop the hive to their head and watch the panic of the Uruks, or shoot from a bow into a fire (if you pump the right skill, there will be an explosion in a decent radius), in which the evil big men comfortably spent time, after which they will be blown to the sides. Also, for example, when we release a caragora, it can be lured to the desired zone (for example, where the crowd has gathered) by dropping the bait.

I liked such a detail as "auto-following" - let's call it that; there are times when you need to follow some character to get to a key point, and along the way he tells all sorts of interesting things. In Shadow of Mordor, this function is very convenient - the main character stomps after the satellite, but you can spin, spin or turn in the other direction, but once you release the gamepad, our character will go further where he needs to go. This is very convenient, because you can calmly examine the environment and at the same time listen to the interlocutor, and not press the “forward” button all the way.

The gameplay of the game can be described by the following formula: Assassin's Creed + Batman: Arkham City. Don't sigh desperately. It's not just AC in the Middle Earth universe. And there is nothing wrong with borrowing good ideas. A couple of buttons - attacks and counterattacks - are enough for a spectacular battle (hello, Batman), plus the timely pressing of some combinations will delight the player with vivid slow-mo finishing scenes. For defeated enemies, they give points that can be invested in skills: stealth kills from above, immobilization when shot in the leg, the ability to ride a caragora, and much more. Abilities are interesting and useful - you won't be bored when testing each of them. There is no choice of difficulty level in the game - simple Uruks are often easy to knead, but sometimes you have to work hard, especially when meeting with captains or leaders.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will envelop with its atmosphere not only fans of the Middle-earth universe, but also people far from Tolkien's books. Music by Harry Shiman (he also wrote the OST for the series Bioshock games) fits perfectly into the game, giving it the true atmosphere of Mordor, which is not easy to leave. We will wait for new content, because SoM has a Season Pass. Monolith Productions (the creators of the F.E.A.R. series) did their best, surprising everyone with their new and extraordinary creation. The game turned out to be almost perfect, and deserves high praise. We look forward to the development of the Nemesis system, as well as its application in other interesting projects.

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One of best games in the universe of Middle-earth.

History located somewhere in betweenThe Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.The protagonist of the story is the resurrected ranger Talion, whose family died during the dark ritual of the Black Hand of Sauron and his army of orcs. Returning to the world of the living, with the support of the elven spirit, the protagonist acquires not only immortality, but also a new goal - the destruction of the generals of the army of the Dark Lord. But the path of revenge through thousands of evil creatures to the ruling elite is filled with horror and danger.

Given that your character is immortal, Monolith decided to add a pinch of hardcore to their soup. Now not only do you level up on killing enemies, but they also level up on you. When you die in battle, you give invaluable experience points to all the surviving participants in the battle, and they, having increased their levels, receive new deadly abilities and rise several steps up the hierarchical ladder of the forces of evil. Therefore, at the beginning of the game, each death of your hero makes the commanders of Sauron's army stronger and stronger, so at some point in time you will not even be able to damage them without first pumping the character. Moreover, the system Nemesis assumes the real course of the gameplay, and if during the execution of a side task one of the leaders is nearby, then the noise of the battle will not only attract his attention, but also call all his surrounding bodyguards. As a result, one hundred percent death and new ranks for grateful orcs will await you.

Such a system forces you to use the available opportunities as competently as possible, thinking through your actions several moves ahead, as if in turn-based strategy. This is what makes the game so exciting and addictive.

Each orc is unique, and if he was injured during a fight with you and survived, then do not be surprised that the next time he will remember a severed ear or a mutilated face. Not to mention that cunning enemies sometimes prefer to retreat when there is a real threat of death. Random skirmishes between clan leaders can help solve the problem of eliminating a strong enemy, but usually an even more insidious enemy takes the place of the vanquished. Of course, you can hunt lone orcs and learn from them about the weaknesses of the commanders, which range from fear of fire to caragor cats, which adds depth and interest to the game, but this is a long and difficult path - it is much easier to do otherwise, especially since the pyramid bosses are constantly updated with new orcs.

The key to success is gaining new abilities through completing side quests, which include freeing slaves, recovering the history of your legendary weapons through a series of special quests (stealth assassinations, archery and sword fights), and invisible participation in the confrontation between the leaders orcs, where you can help a weaker opponent. In the latter case Nemesis can play a cruel joke on you, and as a winner you can get an almost invulnerable general. side missions also vary in difficulty, and if in one case it is enough to simply free three slaves and get the precious 500 points of ability and a little more experience, then in the other case you should do the same without raising an alarm or destroying only specific targets.

The pumping system is divided into three components: firstly, the level of the character himself is pumped, which has its own limit and is responsible for the strength of the damage. Secondly, you gain experience points, which are converted into one new ability of your choice. And finally, you get ability points that can be used to buy extensions and upgrades for already unlocked skills or super moves.

Its main problem lies in the trinity of the system - it is enough to complete 5 side tasks and you will accumulate enough points of abilities to acquire endless finishing moves for 30 seconds of real time. Two legendary runes will help you speed up the cooldown of this skill by up to 30 seconds and increase the duration of the ability by another 10 seconds. Considering the fact that four or five finishing moves are enough to kill an Orc general, the game becomes incredibly easy. You no longer need to look for the weaknesses of enemies, interrogate orcs and plan a covert operation to eliminate the leader. You just come and arrange a bloody meat grinder, collecting runes from the defeated commanders, improving your weapons along the way.

Other abilities also lose their meaning, and you quickly skip the first part of the game. Of course they remain side quests with its own rules, but even there you can buy a super bow strike or invisibility and complete stealth tasks without any problems instead of long planning and tactics. Thus, the colorful super-hit system completely eliminates all the advantages of the system. Nemesis and the game becomes too easy. Yes, the enemies continue to attack you in squads, the leaders of the Orcs are accompanied by three or even four guards, sometimes you are forced to fulfill difficult conditions to lure the leaders into a duel, but the super-strike transforms the battles of equals into an unfair meat grinder. Against this background, the duel with the first boss, dying from five finishing moves, looks ridiculous.

Playing Batman-style cat and mouse with another or hunting a Troll leaves a trail of disappointment, not to mention an open and very primitive ending. The characters introduced in the course of the story, be it Gollum, a sexy elf princess or a sarcastic Dwarf, add color to the narrative, but frankly, the motivation of a hero who wants to get under the skirt of a beautiful warrior, but does not do this, remembering his dead wife, looks disappointingly stereotyped. The story of the cowardly orc-turned-chief ends strangely with no hope of a sequel. And this is not to mention Gollum, who is generally superfluous here with his ring.

The game also has little motivation for the players involved: if you've been collecting arcane tokens in hopes of opening mystical gates, then be prepared to be disappointed - all you get is a trophy or achievement. Completed all the missions for the sword, bow and dagger - no new features and increase in strength - just banal badges on the virtual uniform. Collecting herbs is generally nonsense and absurdity within the framework of the cruel concept of the game with a predictable reward at the end. QTEs are made so inconveniently that a miss often guarantees you death during an important fight, not to mention special tasks. A system in which you can move between different points-towers big map, but at the same time you have to stomp through the entire level to restart the failed task looks very strange against the background of competing games. Why I have to go back to restart the task - I do not understand. But network revenge for the death of friends who played Shadow of Mordor, is a great find that guarantees not only motivation, but also great trophies after the death of a vile villain.

The combat system, as noted above, exploits parkour and stealth attacks. Assassin's Creed and combinations Batman. Gaining strength on combo attacks, the character can brand opponents, luring them to his side, cut them into pieces with a luminous sword, teleport with lethal damage and blow up the head of the unfortunate victim. Special finishing moves, an attack mounted on Trolls and Karagoras can diversify fights or give an even greater scale to the genocide of orcs. You can also feed your lost energy from the life force of beasts or orcs stunned in battle, making you the ultimate fighting machine. Barrels of grog, campfires, Mordor fly hives, and cages of Karagors help create panic in enemy units.

As noted above, you can brand enemies, and here the system involves the use of high-level captains. Having seized power over the commander, you can send him against another governor or get a job as a bodyguard to the Clan Leader. In the latter case, the former captain will very quickly become a traitor and leader. The performance of a tough enemy in the style of boxing matches deserves special praise from the directors, as well as the excellent cast involved in the game. Troy Baker voiced the protagonist, Jennifer Hale as the beautiful Galadriel, Nolan North as the Black Hand, and Claudia Black as Queen Maven.

And I want to say a few words about localization. It is quite standard and more than acceptable, but the interface and tasks clearly translated two different teams. From this, the terms do not match, and in some places in the story, you do not quite understand what you need to do in one part or another of the game.

In the version for PS4 creators Shadow of Mordor used the speaker in the joystick, adding extra immersion to the game. Several exclusive tasks should also be a nice bonus for owners PlayStation.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor- really exciting game with successfully crossed combat mechanics, a good storyline and a revolutionary role-playing system Nemesis, suffering from imbalance, sometimes boring tasks, a secondary ending and unsuccessful QTE. It remains to believe that the sequel will turn out better and take into account all the mistakes of the original, while maintaining innovation.

Game completed on Xbox One, tested version for PS4.

Game tested on PC

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but games differ from books and movies in that they have gameplay. Thanks to him, we turn from passive observers into direct participants in what is happening. And when game process polished and captivating, we are ready to give up on everything else. If in super mario Bros. it was boring to play, no "princess in another castle”, even if it was written in detail, brightly voiced and beautifully drawn, it would not make you move on. There are, of course, notable exceptions to the rule (cf. heavy rain, where history dominates everything else), but they are exceptions.

And this lengthy tirade was born because Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor turned out to be perfect game to illustrate the "gameplay first" principle.

⇡ Revenge in spite of

No, of course not in new game Monolith Productions has a story. He talks about Talion, who, along with his family, was brutally killed by the commanders of Sauron. But death turned out to be just the beginning of the path for the pathfinder, on which the spirit of the greatest blacksmith of Middle-earth became his permanent companion. Together they must weaken the Dark Lord's army and try to turn it against him. The developers carefully treated Tolkien's legendarium, taking from it the story of the creator of the Rings of Power and mixing it with revenge motives of their own composition. Those who are familiar with the universe only from films and games and once read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings a long time ago will be interested in the details, but you should not expect anything extraordinary from the story as a whole.

The sword, bow and dagger have names that you can immortalize in legends

The characters encountered along the way of the story do not receive the desired development. The frail and cunning Uruk the Ratsarius, the leader of the outcasts Hirgon, the warrior Lithariel - all of them remain at the level of schematically sketched images. Against their background, the line of the dashing gnome-hunter Torvin looks more interesting, but it's like comparing a one-armed orc with armless ones. However, the plot and characters are needed here only to give meaning to the mass destruction of the evil inhabitants of Mordor.

Fights with crowds of brutalized greenskins turned out to be wildly exciting, and each one can be described in savoring detail. Here Talion flies over a hesitant orc, grabs him and sends him flying off a cliff, jumps to the next one and cuts off his head with a wide swing, and then, parrying the blow of a terrible ax, knocks down a third to the ground and finishes him off with frantic blows of a dagger. It looks dirty, furious and cruel - cold steel bites into the faces of ugly creatures, pierces their chests, breaks limbs and crushes bones. A terrible and bloody song of retribution, evil in response to evil.

There was a Bagabug - and there is no Bagabug

Over time, the slaughter is only gaining momentum - new tricks appear in our arsenal, and the ranks of opponents are replenished with javelin throwers, giants with tower shields and other guys who make you change tactics and use specialized skills. It will even come to mind control, thanks to which it will be possible to play monsters against each other. With stealth, the story is a little different - it consists entirely of obvious conventions (we rush along the rooftops right above the heads of the enemies, but no one sees or hears us), but its simplicity is offset by an abundance of opportunities and orcs generously placed here and there.

It is thanks to the diversity of the combat unit that the time spent in the wastelands of Mordor flies by unnoticed. Only after more than twenty hours, for the first time, do you catch yourself thinking that the plot has been completed, and you are still running on the same type of tasks (free slaves, improve the bow / dagger / sword, killing enemies, collect herbs / artifacts / hunting trophies) and exterminate green filth. But then you dismiss this thought and continue to play.

It is difficult to say whether the dagger in the head interferes with the sentinel - he was inattentive even without it

⇡ Your personal nemesis

The notorious Nemesis system, which allows you to make personal enemies and bring chaos to the already volatile hierarchy of the Dark Lord's army, gives a considerable share of the attractiveness of the battles. It was a pleasant surprise that it turned out to be a really working element of the game mechanics, and not one of the "features" made for the sake of being mentioned on reverse side boxes.

Orcs with their primitive brains are constantly squabbling among themselves for power - even though their muzzles are equally scary, everyone wants to stand out and take a step higher. Climbing the "career ladder" (and killing Talion), they gain strength and differ more and more noticeably in features and fighting style. At the same time, we are free to intervene in this fuss, taking advantage of every opportunity. For example, when the captain throws a feast, you can poison the grog and watch the poison do the dirty work for you. Uruks are also very fond of hunting - and while they are distracted by the beast, they are very easy to eliminate ...

Vacancies will not be empty for long: the killed Uruks are always replaced by others

It's hard to count how many times the pre-release buzz about the next "innovation" eventually turned into zilch. But Nemesis was able to deliver exactly what we were promised - new level depth in battles. Killing an orc covered in scars from your previous encounters is much more satisfying than some nameless martinet. It is no less pleasant to eliminate all the rivals of the next green-skinned protégé and watch him climb to the very top, so that later he will fall at the hands of his benefactor. This is done not for fun, but for the sake of benefit - the most powerful runes that increase the combat characteristics of Talion can only be removed from the corpses of elite commanders. Although who are we kidding - it's really funny in itself!

AT endless war and that's the whole point of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Talion cannot find peace in death, and more and more monsters gather under the banners of Sauron. But with such a chic combat system, we are ready to mow down his henchmen before the end of time.

Advantages:

• varied, intense and brutal battles;
• Nemesis personalizes enemies and makes fighting them a personal matter;
• great sound design.

Flaws:

• chaotic story, unmemorable characters;
• many possibilities and tricks are only unlocked in the second half of the game.

Middle-earth

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