Recent reviews by SeamusZero

This game is absolutely fantastic. I can't possibly give enough praise to the Nemesis system that was developed for this game. When it was first announced, I thought to myself, "This system sounds great if it can deliver on at least half of what they've promised." Not only has Monolith delivered on half their promise, I would say they came through 100%.

While the story isn't spectacular, the Nemesis system more than makes up for it. Instead of having scripted enemies to fight (which there are a few of), you get randomly generated named orcs with their own traits, strengths and weaknesses. Some you may kill in your first encounter and never see again, some may escape to fight another battle, while some may manage to kill you or you might manage to escape. Even "killing" an named orc (referred to as a Captain or War Chief in the game) doesn't necessarily mean that they'll stay dead. Often times they'll come back with a fresh scar, burn marks or a bandaged face. Additionally, each subsequent time you encounter them they'll be a bit stronger.

The result is that you naturally develop rivalries (nemesies, if you will) through the natural course of the game. In that sense, you develop your own story as Orcs rise and fall throughout Sauron's army, making the game world feel so much more alive than other open world games. There are even internal conflicts between the Captains, so even without your intervention the Sauron's army is dynamic.

The game also creates a unique twist on death. The player character, Talion, exists as an immortal wraith-like character throughout the game. However, orcs are still able to "kill" him in battle. This results in a promotion for the orc that delivers the killing blow (unnamed orcs will receive a name and be immediately promoted to Captain). Also, some time will pass and internal conflicts between the Orcs will occur, so that some Captains will die while others might increase in power or receive promotions. In this sense, death is punishing in the sense that it makes your opponents more powerful, but rewarding in that it gives depth to your enemies and enriches the game world.

But enough about the Nemesis system, there are in fact other aspects to the game. Those familiar with the Batman Arkham games will feel right at home with both the mvoement and combat systems. Talion appears to be a master of parkour, able to climb just about everything in the environment. The space bar serves as the general "move fast/activate parkour" key, and the game does its best to interpret your intentions while Talion climbs, hops and leaps his way around Mordor. This is perhaps one of the game's few flaws, as climbing and jumping around certain obstacles can sometimes be a bit frustrating. However, the movement system is overall solid and this is a very minor issue.

Combat consists of timing out your attack and counter abilities, along with a few other special abilities (most of which you unlock throughout the game). Similar to Batman, Talion will typically do a good job of seeking out nearby opponents, leaving the player to concentrate on which ability to use. As the game progresses, orcs that require more strategy than a simple "Attack and counter until they die," are introduced. Also, many situations result in a near endless stream of orcs coming at you, to the point where sometimes escape is necessary (something that doesn't occur in the Batman Arkham series as enemies in a single encounter are finite).

Overall, the combat feels fluid and does require a degree of skill and concentration, despite the fact the it seems laughably easy in the early stages of the game. Talion's attack animations are also fantastic to watch, as the game's engine does an excellent job of employing appropriate animations for all possible combinations of Talion and the orc's positioning. The result is that attacks never look choppy or out of place, and the combat would almost appear scripted if you weren't controlling Talion yourself. Some of Talion's killing moves are absolutely spectacular to watch as well, as he brutally kills orcs in all manner of gory goodness.

Overall, I cannot recommend this game enough, especially if you are a fan of the Batman Arkham series. The Nemesis system is an exciting new feature that makes an already solid game feel so much more alive and vibrant. I can't wait to see the future of the Nemesis system and I hope that Monolith continues to improve on the system in future titles.