2014's Game of the Year winner perhaps comes as a surprise, given that we weren't all that confident in its success when it was originally unveiled. Unsure if it was a movie tie-in or simply another in a long line of disappointing Lord of the Rings titles, a slew of intriguing trailers, conference appearances, and developer interviews meant that Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor slowly worked its way into our consciousness, and we're certainly glad that it did.
Playing as vengeful ranger Talion, you work to cripple the dark lord Sauron's army of orcs by putting down its monstrous leaders. Set in a relatively open world, you're free to tackle your enemies in any way that you want, taking out patrols using stealthy tactics or running into the fray with sword in hand.
Indeed, it's all about the gameplay when it comes to Monolith Games' fantasy romp. Boasting brilliant combat and skill trees that eventually forge our rugged hero into a force to be reckoned with, slaughtering orcs in intense close-quarters clashes is at the heart of the adventure.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Review
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn't perfect. The somewhat repetitive nature of the side content and lame final acts prevent it from achieving our top score, but do not mistake us when we say this, because it's one of the best games that we've played this year. It finds its own groove with its inspired yet satisfying combat, stealth, and open world navigation; it's one of the first Lord of the Rings games to take meaningful advantage of the property's world and lore; and it possesses a true stroke of genius with the Nemesis System. To put it another way, this game is like the One Ring: it'll take much for it to ebb away into the shores of time, but will surface in our memories for years to come due to its "preciousss" novelty.
But it's what ties into the act of killing uglies that really makes this release shine. Dubbed the 'Nemesis System', your opposition is randomised, and every orc, from foot soldier to war chief, has an identity and a set of strengths and weaknesses that you'll have to uncover before you take them on. The system isn't just a fancy outlining mechanic, either – it's at the very heart of the game.
By thinning the ranks, the pack shuffles, too. New chiefs move into place with new bodyguards and their own little crew, and the cycle begins again. You're essentially making your own subplots, creating rivalries with warriors who reappear on the battlefield with the scars that you gave them. Together with a decent main storyline, the dynamic nature of the game creates a fascinatingly engrossing vision of Mordor.
For a new property, Shadow of Mordor is impressive because of what it manages to achieve in terms of open ended gameplay. As the power of hardware increases, more and more developers are striving for game worlds that are increasingly dynamic and that react to your actions and feel alive even when you're not doing anything particularly interesting. Monolith Games' creation arguably takes this vision one large step further.
Do you agree that Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was the king of PlayStation consoles this year, or does it deserve casting into a furnace like a bothersome piece of bling? Grin or grunt in the comments section below.
[ Words: Robert Ramsey ]
Comments (17)
I haven't played Dragon Age so I agree 100% with Shadow of Mordor as GOTY.
It's too short I finished it and got bored within a few days! Dragon age was terrible aswell dunno why everyone loves it, I agree with infamous being up there and destiny even tho it's a grind ! Apart from that I don't think there's even been a game of the year
Great game and I love the nemesis system. One of my goty
Surprised by this but not shocked I bought it just before Xmas and was pleasently impressed I found the game very fun and challenging worth the purchase. Odd I own all but 1 of the games in the top 4 this year.
The fact that this is GOTY indicates it's been a poor year for games really.
After several hours I found it pretty repetitive & quite frustrating in parts.
Not played Dragon Age yet so can't comment on that.
Obvious.
But not undeserved.
Personally it wasnt the absolute highlight of my gaming year but it was definitely up there with the best of them!
I own both this and dragon age, and as soon as I finish unity (which may be today), I'm gonna have a tough pick on what to start first...
I've lost a ton of hours thanks to the dynamic nemesis, the adventures I had with the orcs on a personal level were more engaging than the story line itself at times!! The game was an after thought for me at first, but I'm glad I took the chance on it. Worth every penny. Only a handful of games were actually good last year, this was one, the rest suffered from too much hype syndrome. Lol.
Its a great game, love it (and i dont like open world games that much) ! But it does shows a lack of games in the PS4 IMO, in any other year i dont know if this game would be a top 3 contender
Between This War of Mine (PC), Talos Principle (PC), Grimrock 2 (PC) or Smash 4 (WiiU) is my GOTY, i would say This War of Mine slightly ahead
It's not a 10 but it is the best game? Haven't played it, but that enemy system sounds interesting. Again, surprised to see this win the big list. I chose to get DAI over this based on this site's reviews lol
I agree with this choice, i truly loved this game. It was immensely entertaining and the relationships you build with these orcs seem meaningful until you turn their body guards against them, user their fears against them and eventually decapitate them. I finally got my platinum from this game. That lvl 25 rune was difficult at first but i found a very easy way of doing it.
Fantastic game and hopefully a birth of a brand new franchise.
I agree too. Got it at a reduced price in the PSN store and had some great moments with it. It's very satisfying to beat some tough orc captain or chief.
I agree with the games on the list, but not the order they're in. My list goes like this:
Platinum: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Gold: InFamous: Second Son
Silver: Shadow of Mordor
Bronze: P.T.
Well deserved, SoM has been the most fun I've had in an open world sand box in 2014. Sunset Overdrive is an extremely close second.
I love this game. It was difficult at first but once you start unlocking some abilities it gets really good.
I have to say I don't get Dragon age Inquisition. I want to like it but it bores me to the point where I have literally fallen asleep trying to play it. Twice!
I enjoyed this game quite a bit but not as much as other titles.
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