![]() ![]() The jump between “Shadow of Mordor” and its sequel mirrors the leap of “ Assassin’s Creed” to “ Assassin’s Creed II.” This part of “Shadow of War” made me realize the overall vision for the game. It’s almost like a more story-driven version of the Riddler’s quests in Rocksteady’s “Batman: Arkham” series.Īfter dabbling in those missions, I took on the Balrog quest. These events have their own cutscenes, but what’s unusual is that they grade players’ performances on a bronze, silver and gold scale. I also ran into a side quest line focused on the Celebrimbor’s past. On top of that, rare and epic pieces of gear have tasks that unlock more buffs. Players can augment the gear with gems that boost stats and provide bonuses in vitality, wealth and strength. This makes the game more “Diablo”-like as Talion defeats foes and earns armor and weapons that are aimed at different playstyles. Before I took on the mission, I had a chance to get a quick overview of the gear system. I played a story mission that focused on an orc tribe, trying to summon a Balrog. The third time I saw “Shadow of War” was at an Xbox event this September. This is another layer of strategy that influences how players shape the world. Lastly, the orc tribe of whomever is promoted to warlord has an effect on the region and how its resources are used. The bottom line is that the orcs players recruit have the potential to have personalities, and it will be interesting to see if these minions become something more than faceless stats and numbers to players. Some can be funny in a “Guardians of the Galaxy”-Draxx-type-of-way. They can become jealous if one is promoted over the other. The E3 demo showed they can be more nuanced. I thought they’d all be stock characters - bloodthirsty murderers with an ugly face. What will determine the success of this version of the Nemesis system is how players relate to their subordinates and if they bond with the warchiefs they promote and delegate responsibilities to.Īt first, I was repulsed at the thought of leading orcs. ![]() The revamped system grabs players and makes them feel more involved by letting them lead an army. The procedurally generated storytelling gave players some interesting moments with foes that ran away or enemies that kill you, but in “Shadow of War,” it seems as though they expanded the potential for narratives. Monolith scratched the surface of the gameplay’s potential. The idea of using this Nemesis system and expanding it even further to create moments like this is capitalizes on the magic of the first game. I was able to kill the enemy but my savior ultimately died in the battle. During my attack, I was almost killed by one of orcs, but my brute leader saved me. All the while, there’s an epic battle that roils around them.Īs players press further into the fortress, they have to capture different control points that also happen to be guarded by enemy warchiefs. They can use Talion’s power to scale walls and undermine defenses. Players can send spies as an orc war leader. The important element is that there are several ways to take down a fort. Players can go the more devious route and dominate an orc and gain intelligence on the fortress. Those brutes could bring the walls down or if they’re having trouble, players can use Talion’s bow to fire arrows at enemies tossing fire from the ramparts. It’s overwhelming at first, but as the army follows the plan, players can see holes in the defenses. The impressive AI displays total chaos as a player’s armies clashes with rival orcs. ![]() It’s similar to what Talion does in these siege moments. Where “Fantasy Empire” got interesting is that during certain assaults a player’s avatar could enter the fray, and if they were good enough, they could turn the tide of battle. ![]() It was a more advanced iteration of “ Risk.” As players conquered more territory, some soldiers died but the survivors gained elite status. The process reminded of an old Dungeons & Dragons PC game called “ Fantasy Empires.” In that 1990s title, players led a nation and expanded it by taking over territory and building larger and larger armies. Lastly, I brought in a tribe with cursed artillery to counter weaker opponents. I brought in Olog-hai brutes to destroy the walls and chose the savage dual wielder forces because they can help take the control points faster. I staffed it with orc leaders that had a strategic purpose. I had an army, and I built it to take over a fort. The second time I saw “Shadow of War” was during E3, and this time, I had some hands-on time. ![]()
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