Shadow Of Mordor Is The Most Underrated Game Of All Time
Shadow of Mordor is the most underrated game in the history of gaming and I'm kinda pissed off that it doesn't get the recognition it deserves!
This all stemmed from a Gametime graphic:
The BEST open world game ever...and don't get me wrong, there's a lot of solid games listed here + Fallout: New Vegas (not including Fallout 3 is a crime against humanity).
Now instead of picking the best open world game ever, my peanut brain starting thinking - what's the most underrated open world game that no one talks about? The answer couldn't have been more obvious to me.
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Shadow of Mordor has one of the most unique crossovers I've ever seen in a video game. It combines Assassin's Creed style open-world with a Lord of the Rings storyline and world. For me, it's the perfect storm. Even though Smeagol scared the living shit outta me as a kid (and still does tbh), I've loved LOTR since I first saw The Fellowship of the Ring. So being able to play an Assassin's Creed styled video game within that LOTR lore was a dream come true.
The game dropped in September of 2014, I was a freshman at Fairfield University and all I had was time. I got the game for Christmas from my brother and played it every night for like 6 hours straight. I was HOOKED to say the least.
This game captivated me so much that it's the last game I felt the urge to complete 100% of all challenges and storyline. Yup, that's right - Achievement hunting was back for me during my Shadow of Mordor phase. Every side quest, every challenge, and every Xbox achievement was completed and it took me roughly 150+ hours.
Without ruining the storyline, the basis of the game is that Talion is seeking revenge on Sauron after Sauron's forces kill Talion and his family. The most chaotic part of the entire game is that Talion is actually killed in the opening scene of the game. However, a wraith of the Elven Lord Celebrimbor keeps Talion alive using his wraith-like abilities. So, Talion is guided by Celebrimbor to seek revenge.
That's why you see Talion able to walk with these ghost-like figures. He's able to access the real world and the wraith world of the undead.
Aside from the setting of the world, the game is made by Warner Bros and immediately you can feel the Assassin's Creed influence on the game. Instead of accessing "viewpoints" to unlock the map, Talion has to climb up to certain vantage points to access "forge towers." Don't let the names trip you up - they work exactly the same way. Talion is able to use stealth and assassinations just like Assassin's Creed combat. Meanwhile the normal combat feels extremely similar to Batman: Arkham Knight - extremely smooth and fluid with the constant ability to counter incoming enemy attacks.
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Throughout the game you level up Talion and his skill tree to make him even a more dominant force when he fights Uruks and Orcs.
While progressing throughout the game, you find out the Uruks have an entire army system filled with Warchiefs and Captains. Think of it like the Uruk Mob - certain Captains pledge their allegiance to specific Warchiefs which enhance the defenses at certain strongholds.
The reason I bring this up, the game is SO deep and you can really craft the game to your play style. You're able to turn Captains on your side and have them betray their Warchief or pit two Captains against each other and watch them fight. Shadow of Mordor is truly one of the most complete games I've ever played and the storyline captivated me more than any other game of recent memory.
"Shadow of Mordor" was followed up by a sequel named "Shadow of War" which was just as captivating as the original.
I'm still hoping there's a third Shadow of _ being developed as we speak. I NEED another game like this to come out - it's been too long!!!!
Enough of my take, here's what Twitter answered to the Gametime graphic:
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