Venti Orc Slaying

I'm always a little bit sad when the Steam Sales are over.  There's something exciting about logging in to check out the daily deals and play the goofy minigames or collect stickers.  I made over $2 on event trading cards (this in no way offsets the amount of money that I spent)!  Currently I'm trying to sort through my purchases and see if my money was well spent.  So far most of my purchases have been highly enjoyable and well worth the sale price.

The first game I decided to check out was Middle-earth:  Shadow of  Mordor.  As a fan of the Lord of the Rings movies I was initially intrigued by the game but hesitant because it seemed like something I wouldn't normally play.  But hey, that's what sales are for--so you can take risks at a low, low price.  I picked up Shadow of Mordor for $4.99--for the same price as a fancy cup of coffee I can spend countless hours murdering orcs (and now it's on sale for $4!).  And dammit if orc murdering isn't a whole lotta fun!

The orc captain that just wouldn't die.

In Shadow of Mordor you play as a slain and then possessed/cursed ranger named Talion.  Talion and fam are killed by a particularly nasty group of orcs that are led by an enigmatic figure known as the Black Hand.  Fortunately a friendly elf wraith decides to use Talion to help break his own curse.  This means that Talion can utilize his own highly powerful abilities as well as those of his ghostly pal...oh, and he can't die...because he's already dead.  Yeah, it's all kinds of awesome.

The story follows Talion as he attempts to learn the identity and track down the Black Hand.  To me, it isn't the story that makes Shadow of Mordor a highly enjoyable game--hands down, it's the combat.  I'm the kind of person who loves a game with a strong story and detailed characters so I was surprised to find myself straying so far away from the main objectives to simply track down orc captains.  You have some options when it comes to combat--you can be the stealthy, sneaky type or you can brute force your way through most situations.  The stealthy approach offers more experience and makes for some of the most enjoyable kills.

Probably the most unique part of the game is the nemesis system.  I had read a little about it before I purchased the game but didn't really understand it until I saw it in action.  As part of the main storyline you learn that there are orc warchiefs who serve even higher ranking members of the Black Hand's entourage.  By killing those warchiefs you can draw out these high ranking characters and then fight them.  Below the warchiefs are the captains who have more powerful combat abilities than your typical orc.  Captains serve the warchiefs as bodyguards so unless you feel like taking on a warchief and ALL his bodyguards it is usually a good idea to take them out first.  Things get really interesting when you die--Talion can't actually die, but he can be killed and then brought back by his wraithy friend.  If you are killed by a captain he will gain power and rank--there's a whole shuffling that takes place upon your death.  Orcs move up the ladder and replace other captains that you have killed and they gain special powers which make them even tougher to kill the next time around.  If at all possible, try to avoid dying.

Pash after 3ish evolutions.  We were BFF's.

The best part about this system is that there's always a captain around that needs killing.  And,  every once in awhile one of those captains decides that he doesn't want to stay dead and keeps coming back even stronger.  In my case it was the orc Pash the Devourer.  Pash was a normal looking captain...then he sprouted a metal protuberance from his head and was generally unhappy with my continued desire to kill him.

He finally met his demise as my nemesis before the final sequence to end the game...or did he?

Another interesting feature is the ability to complete vendetta missions.  If an orc captain happens to slay you, another player (in their own game) can target that particular captain and kill them.  You get extra experience for completing a vendetta and it's oddly satisfying seeing the message that you have been avenged.

Shadow of Mordor is possibly the best $4.99 that I've ever spent.  I played through the main campaign and had a blast (I will admit that I got a little bored at one point).  The graphics are fabulous, it runs like a charm, and the combat is highly enjoyable (if not a bit on the easy side...unless you get a particularly evolved captain--I got one whose only vulnerability was to fire...that was a rough fight).  Right now it's on sale for $4...the same price as a latte but with way more dead orcs.