Let me say this: the Nemesis System will change the RPG industry
You won’t find a more engrossing open-world next-gen action
game than Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. I’m having as much fun with it as Dragons Dogma, which is to
say, a lot of fun. It’s got all the elements to make a successful RPG—upgrades galore,
loot finding, varied action, good pacing, a compelling story—but where the real
world-building begins is in the Nemesis System. This is one of the smartest and
nuanced mechanics I’ve ever seen in a game. Other writers have described it
before, and probably better than I can, but I will say that it adds a level of
realism and player investment that I’ve never seen before.
Dying by the hands of an Orc that killed you before and leveled
up in the Orc ranks (because of your death)… that’s humiliating. I wanted to
hunt down that rhyming, spitting butthole-eyed toad and turn his throat into a
sprinkler. In time, I did. And man, it felt good.
Mastering the controls takes a little while if you aren’t familiar
with other fighting games like the recent Batman series. In about 2 hours, I
was grinning with every beautifully choreographed execution kill. So yeah, the
developers mashed up the best of Assassin’s Creed and Batman, blended together
tried-and-true RPG elements, and worked hard to make this world real. What did
they get? A hit. They hit it out of the park. I’ll go as far as to say that the
Nemesis System has raised the bar and will set a standard for AI and new types
of storytelling.
I can’t wait to see where they take this in the inevitable
sequel. Hats off to WB Games.
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