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The incomplete storytelling, combined with a series of tepid final encounters, unfortunately softens the sting of the conclusion's slashing and gnashing. The game's main villains appear before they're even properly introduced a Tolkien fanatic may be intrigued by their identities, but Shadow of Mordor does too little to make them anything more than mean guys in fancy armor. But for every recognizable character there is a less-established one, and both variations weave in and out of the story with little explanation, kickstarting the plot when necessary and then departing before you can truly come to know them. Gollum is as disquieting a presence as ever, and actor Liam O'Brien's excellent vocal performance is so on point, you would assume Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum on film, had reprised the role here.

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Shadow of Mordor hits the ground running, referring to the past and future both while crafting its own story within the crevasses left unexplored in book and movie form. Had I been more invested in the game's outcome, I might have appreciated those glimmers even more. There is hope in the hearty laugh of a dwarf that becomes your hunting partner, and in the gentle words of a daughter protective of her sorcerous mother. It is in the details that you find the glimmers of light, even though you know that no happy ending is nigh. They say that the devil is in the details, but in Mordor, the devil is plain to see. The same-ish landscapes wear thin in time, though a mid-game change of scenery allows you to breathe in air not yet fully spoiled by the evil Sauron's rancid presence. Your ears are invaded by the growls and grunts of the grotesque Uruk-hai that roam the land, and your eyes are overwhelmed by the crumbling ruins of once-proud buildings.

To exist here is to suffer a heavy heart. The game's occasionally iffy frame rate doesn't make a strong argument for the power of the new console generation, but the burnt orange-brown cliffs and clouded skies are nonetheless given their proper due. These touches give Shadow of Mordor a gossamer coating it greatly needed. Vague whispers and murmurs bring an eerie chill to an otherwise parched setting it's as if there is danger of being frozen even in this grim hellscape. When the wraith's anger becomes all-consuming, Talion's face melts away to reveal the apparition underneath. The ghostly wraith slides out of Talion's body from time to time to talk with him and then dissipates in a vaporous sigh. In any case, the Talion/wraith dichotomy leads to Shadow of Mordor's slickest moments.

The wraith's identity has been previously revealed, but I'd prefer not to disclose it here: the murky flashbacks that depict his past deeds are all the more impactful when you've denied yourself the spoiler.

Talion certainly seems like a good fit for Tolkien's universe, with his stringy shoulder-length hair, his stoic manner, and his three-syllable moniker, which recalls names like Faramir and Aragorn. I'll allow the more erudite Middle-earth experts to debate the authenticity of this wraith-ranger hybrid.

#HD SHADOW OF MORDOR CRACKED#

Their journey of discovery takes them through Mordor and a nearby region, where the cracked earth and the sight of suffering slaves serve as warning signs Death here is more common here than the healing herbs that sometimes rise from the decayed soil. For all purposes, Talion should be dead, but his spiritual homecoming has been delayed by this unholy union. You are a ranger called Talion-but you are also a bitter wraith who shares Talion's body, the two cursed by unknown forces, each seeking the answers that would allow for peace. Shadow of Mordor's hero-or heroes, as it were-shares little thematic DNA with Desmond Miles and his kin, however.

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