18 Essential PS4 Games Every Owner Must Play

5. Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

From one action-adventure template to another, and Monolith's take on the Assassin's Creed formula showed Ubisoft just how it should be done. Shadow of Mordor turned into the game AC: Unity was always supposed to be, putting you in the shoes of warrior Talion and elf Celebrimbor simultaneously, the latter's magic turning you into an immortal figure that could then haunt Mordor from within.

This leads to the spectacular 'Nemesis System', a unique idea that means literally any hench-orc that takes you down in combat would then receive a promotion, becoming a notable figure in the world, who you can take down. There's a constant hierarchy of them in Mordor itself, all vying for power and killing each other off, which you can influence, turning anyone to your side and killing the rest.

Slowly, you build your army, and with this interworking power structure constantly shifting as various figures rise and fall, it creates a dynamic subsystem of micro-management that you can spend hours playing around in. Throw in all the stealth trimmings and counter-combat of an Assassin's Creed game, and you've got an entry into that series that Ubisoft must wish they made.

Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor is available to buy over at Amazon.