Analysis of a computer game

Critical Evalauation Of Shadow Of Mordor

Shadow of Mordor is an Hack and Slash RPG game which takes place in a fantasy world set in the Lord of the rings films/books. The game takes place between the Hobbit trilogy and the Lord of the rings trilogy. You play as Talion and the aim of the game is to avenge the deaths of your family (and yourself) by killing the three main bosses. 

Shadow of Mordor has several ways you can play the game although most choose to either confront the enemies head on and slice your way through many enemies or to simply avoid as much as you can and completely the objective without being seen. Your methods of completing the missions will affect how you play the game. Your enemies will give you unique dialogues depending how you undertake the challenges. 

The focal point of the game is it's unique "Nemesis" system will allow unique gameplay through every encounter. As you progress your enemies will adapt and this helps bring each Shadow of Mordor fresh start into something unique.
The game design is often dimly lit and dirty looking which adds to the look that something nasty has happened/is happening here. The enemies themselves look fierce and foreboding which also clearly shows that they are your enemies and that you'll be fighting them often

The story of this game i thought was quite linear and i thought it was boring because it seemed repetitive at best. I believe that this game would appeal to somebody who is a fan of the Lord of the rings and hobbit films but i don't believe it offers much to anyone else who doesn't like them. I believe this game is aimed also at young adults.

For a hack and slash game there is nothing special about it other than the nemesis system which could alter the enemies perception of you and how you fight. It is a basic hack and slash. 

It is Photo-realistic/exaggerated art style and i think that it matches the overall feel of the game well, the game is dark and full of dull colours dominating all of this are greys'browns and reds. Green and brown are the most common colour of the enemy, along with chalky white enemies, each gives them a rather ghastly feel to them and most are mutilated or scarred in some ways but all are ugly.  The buildings are all very rustic as you'd expect, most of the enemies seems illiterate mostly or profoundly stupid with the exception of a few. Whether these are supernatural enemies or just intelligent regular enemies. 

I believe the most the most prominent hack and slash RPG games series would be the Diablo franchise. Compared to the Diablo series i would say that Diablo has more story and more things to appeal to gamers. Such as customisation to your items (changing the appearance of some items to look like others...only in Diablo 3) and multiple armor and weapon choices you can equip and choose from. Where as in Shadow of Mordor you cannot change what your armour or weapons look like. In Shadow of Mordor you have talents which can increase your effectiveness in aspects of the game, such as better stealth take-downs or it can make you better at fighting large groups of enemies. Both games have boss fights which nearly all hack and slash implement into the game to make it challenging. Most bosses reward better loot but in the case of Shadow of Mordor you gain power-ups for your weapons. You do get power-ups for your armour and weapons in Diablo however these come in the form of gems

I think for a hack and slash game it only partly delivers when compared to the likes of Diablo, i believe that there is a lack of story and i think it fails to draw the audience into the game. There are only limited options for customisation within the game, i think that the lack of customisation can hinder a game greatly. In conclusion i think that Shadow of Mordor is a above average game for gameplay mechanics but in terms of the game-play itself i would say that it falls short in some ways.