For borderline millennials like me, the period surrounding the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy was a magical one - from being blown away by Fellowship of the Ring in cinemas, to buying the solid tie-in games while waiting for the next movie, to watching the Extended Editions on DVD over the course of a weekend. But that moment has long since passed, the movie-licensed LoTR games of the last console generation were 'meh' at best, and The Hobbit movies left a sour aftertaste of the Middle-Earth universe in pop culture. So when a hack 'n slasher using the movie licensing - but not even really anything to do with it - popped up, we all pretty much dismissed it. Developed by Monolith Productions, who made the subpar Guardians of Middle-Earth, Shadow of Mordor took us on a brutal romp through the outskirts of Mordor that was arguably the best game of 2014. The combat is similar to that in the Batman: Arkham series (also published by Warner Bros), but Mordor has the edge in satisfaction thanks to the glorious brutality you can impart on your enemies; inky blood flying everywhere as you decapitate and impale the orc hordes, and at any point you can stop the action and rotate the camera around to admire your brutal sword-art. Mordor may not have much in the way of story, but the combat, visuals and interesting Nemesis system that sees you leading your own regiment of possessed orcs make this one of the biggest and most pleasant video surprises of recent years. Which games pleasantly surprised you over the years? Let us know with a comment, or express yourself in more detail by writing for WhatCulture!
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
