‘Shadow of Mordor’ falls victim to familiar setting

“Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor” should not be a “Lord of the Rings” video game. There is a superb open-world game here, but it’s mired in aesthetic mediocrity. Much of this game’s look, feel and narrative are either drab or tonally inappropriate.

Take the introduction, for example. Through a series of flashbacks, we are shown the brutal murders of Talion, a ranger of the Black Gate, and his family. Talion is captured by Orcs and forced to watch as the throats of his wife and son are slit by the Black Hand of Sauron. We see a close-up of his face as his own throat is slit in turn. This kind of intense graphic violence pervades the entirety of “Mordor” which, like its open-world peer “Assassin’s Creed,” relishes in “badass” slow-motion killings during combat.

“Lord of the Rings” is a violent story, to be sure. Each entry in the film series features extended sequences of fighting and war. But neither the films nor the books celebrate the act of killing like the combat in “Mordor” does; these absolutely brutal over-the-top executions would feel much more at home in “God of War.” This level of violence certainly has a place in video games, but a “Lord of the Rings” game is not that place. Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb intelligently said in his review that the game’s violence has likely caused Tolkien “quite a few rotations in his grave.”

However, if you can get past the game’s ultraviolence, boring cutscenes and blatant shoe-horning of popular “Lord of the Rings” characters into the narrative, there is a lot of fun to be had here. “Mordor” elevates itself above comparable open-world action games with its ingenious, much-touted Nemesis system, which randomly generates different enemies — each with unique names, features and traits — with each playthrough of the game.

The player is presented with a hierarchy of Orcs in Sauron’s army. Each “Uruk” captain and warchief is randomly generated, but they take on distinctive personalities and combat abilities. They don’t feel randomly generated; each is animated with incredible precision and their often comical personalities entertain throughout. No “Lord of the Rings” property has put so much effort into portraying the savage culture of the Orcs. I found myself eagerly anticipating what the next orc captain would say as we locked blades. The Orc dialogue is better than anything in the actual cutscenes.

Talion, now undead and inhabited by the spirit of a wraith, must kill his way to the top — to avenge his family or to save the world or something. It really doesn’t matter why; you’re going to have a lot of morally unaccountable fun doing it. The combat is almost identical to that of the acclaimed “Batman: Arkham” series (it’s likely shared technology, not theft — Warner Bros. published both games) and it’s just as fun here. The real kicker of the Nemesis system, though, is the role of death in the game. Death is more meaningful in “Mordor” than anything you’ve played in the last 10 years outside of “Dark Souls:” When Orcs kill you, they are showered with commendations and promoted within their ranks. They become harder to kill and sometimes gain new abilities that make them invincible to certain damage types. It’s a fun challenge, not an annoyance.

Around halfway through the game, Talion gains the ability to “Brand” the orc captains, which makes them fight for you. It’s a game-changer, one that in essence lets you steadily build your own massive Orc army. It alters the flow enough to ensure that the second half of the game doesn’t limp to the end.

Unfortunately, apart from the impressive detail in the Orc captains, the game doesn’t look or sound all that great. It’s certainly technically impressive on PS4, but Mordor just isn’t that interesting of a setting; it feels barren and dull even when the setting moves south and becomes greener later in the game. The music is unmemorable, consisting mostly of ambient celtic instrumental tracks tied together. It would be much better had they instead licensed the film soundtrack. The voice acting is also very standard, with Troy Baker (“The Last of Us”) and Nolan North (“Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune”) phoning in their least memorable parts yet. These guys are so talented, give them better roles!

Apparently the soon-to-be released last-generation versions of this game will have a significantly neutered version of the Nemesis system. If that turns out to be the case, stay away from those versions. The Nemesis system is the reason to play this game.

The enjoyment you will get from “Mordor” is completely foreign to the spirit of the “Lord of the Rings” series, but that doesn’t mean it lacks value. Perhaps if it were set in its own unique universe, it would have scored in the “A” range. Regardless, it’s big, dumb, violent open-world fun, like the kind you had with “Mercenaries,” “Assassin’s Creed” or “Far Cry.” If that sounds up your alley, you may want to take a walk through “Mordor.”

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was reviewed using a digital copy purchased by the reviewer.