He's not human... he's like a piece of mithril.

Numerically, most of Shadow of Mordor is good, but unremarkable; free-flowing combat, easy-mode stealth sneaking, objective icons dotting the map, fast-travel towers, ability points -- even an underwhelming story, befitting genre expectations. But to write the game off as yet another open-world adaptation would be a severe disservice to its highlight feature, the Nemesis system: which comes to dominate, pun intended, the gameplay experience. (Even if it does take a while to warm up.)

The pacing is the only real grievance I can lodge against Shadow of Mordor, and by the campaign's halfway point - once the abiilty to brainwash orcs finally unlocks - the slow start seems totally worth it. In the first half of the game, Talion is just learning how to become a murder machine; in its second half, he becomes an agent of infiltration and conquest. Dead orcs get replaced, but dominated orcs remain in power, and can be used not only to defend Talion in the enemy-filled wilderness, but to target, chop down, and supplant high-ranking warchiefs.

Maybe the only thing more satisfying than finally taking revenge on an orc captain who's previously struck you down, is bending that orc captain to your will and watching him amass an army of like-minded minions. It is... incredible.

Well, to be a bit more critical, I do have to call out the campaign, which is well-acted and -written in moments but overall screams "cut content" (especially in the ending, which is a super-rushed sequence of anticlimactic quick-time events). And the lack of meaningful payoff for most of the game's collectible extras - like unlocking the "true power" of Talion's weapons, which uh, doesn't seem to make any difference at all - is a letdown as well. But these are par for the course, and, again, are effectively and completely overshadowed by how goddamned awesome it is to tear apart and take over Sauron's army.

And in a way, that's what makes Shadow of Mordor so awe-inspiring. Despite its flaws, and despite some lingering mediocrity, and even despite some weapons-grade bullshit regarding the game's promotion, I am still excited every time I find a new orc captain to dominate or slaughter.

I can only imagine how stupefyingly cool the next Nemesis-system game will be.

Better than: Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed III
Not as good as: Grand Theft Auto V (...because of heists), Saints Row IV
And I'm still floored at how well it handles player-death: although, after upgrading Talion's super-death ultra-powers, I haven't died in quite a while.

Progress: Finished the story, 93% completion.
(EDIT October 8th, 2014) Progress: 100%