An alright follow up to the original AA Trilogy.

I was surprised by how much I liked Apollo. He doesn't quite hold up to Phoenix, but he's definitely interesting and charismatic. Trucy is probably my favorite of the new cast members though. She's hilarious, adorable, and extremely compelling throughout. Most of the cast otherwise I was rather indifferent on if I'm being honest. Gavin was a bit unbearable at times, and most of the Witnesses were intended to be comic relief but were honestly just kind of annoying. It failed to capture the classic AA charm in many categories and instead came off a bit jarring.

The Trials and Investigations were also a lot more one note than AA1-3. It was rarely ever challenging and everything was rather straightforward. I remember having to aggressively examine location after location in the first three games, wheres each case in AA4 you MAYBE examined one or two things? And Gavin wasn't a very good rival for Apollo. He barely challenged you, only really chiming in occasionally with the same one or two phrases.

The writing in general was a step down though. In Turnabout Serenade I knew who the culprit was the second they showed him on screen. Each case was just generally easy to guess what happened, and who was guilty. Turnabout Trump was probably my favorite case in the game, and it's the very first one and the shortest one by far. I didn't care for Turnabout Corner at all. I'd say it was still better than Big Top though at least.

I do like the ending a lot. The connections between Apollo and Trucy that were established is a good direction. The Jurist system seems to be a good thing, and I hope to see it more in the future. Phoenix stole the game from Apollo though. His overarching story and the theme of creating a better courts system just blew away any of Apollo's personal development, and often times made Apollo feel like a side character in the greater scheme of things.

The biggest problem the game has tho is no Miles Edgeworth. Automatic 0/10 for no Miles Edgeworth

Just a review of the singleplayer

The score would be a lot higher, but the allied AI is really awful at times. On numerous levels my allies just ran into locked doors endlessly of stood around already captured control points. The follow function is useful, but it's limited to 2 allies at a time, meaning 90% of your force is off doing random glitched animations while you have to tackle the objective yourself. Feels less like forces fighting each other in combat, and more like a 1 vs 100 match up.

Other than that, the maps are really fun. Objectives are rather limited, but when everything is working, the combat is fun enough to pull you through.

A thrilling detective tale of a city plagued by corruption, and a PI too cowardly to stand up in open defiance of it.

The writing is spectacular. Every single twist and turn creating a new gasp as the story reaches new heights.

Typically Adventure games such as this have me wishing they were shorter. But all I crave now is more from Backbone.

A thrilling murder mystery Visual Novel that perfectly captures what so many love about the genre. The twists and turns will have you constantly guessing what's going to happen next, and who the true culprit is.

An easy way to detect a good Visual Novel is by taking a look at the cast. The depth of the characters and their chemistry with one another is key to creating a compelling visual novel that will continuously keep the player engaged. The Missing Heir nails that. The protagonist either connects with everyone he meets, or there is a stiff tension that manages to make even you uncomfortable by it. As the story progresses you'll likely become very attached to some of those who are affected directly by the mystery, and have to watch helplessly unable to assist their sorrows.

Another strong quality of any good mystery Visual Novel is the ability to keep you guessing. I believe I suspected nearly every character except for the actual culprit (as you knew them at least) of the crime at one point or another. The game consistently blew my socks off, especially towards the end.

It is really only held back by a few annoying to discover progressions, and slight pacing issues at times. Nothing major though. Overall, very satisfied with the purchase. Very glad that these games finally made it to the west officially.

Overview

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is an original story set in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. The game is an open world, Action Adventure title. It was developed by Monolith Productions and published by WB Interactive Entertainment. The team went to great lengths to ensure that the game meshed with greater LOTR universe. So, as well as being canonically accurate to Tolkien's works, it also fits into Peter Jackson's movie timeline. The studio also had both the Tolkien Estate and Peter Jackson involved in the writing the game.

It takes place during the 60 year gap between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. It follows the Captain of the Black Gate. An outpost for the Rangers that stands at the border of Mordor. The protagonist, Talion is forced to watch as the Black Captain's of Sauron murder his men, his son, and his wife before killing him. Only he doesn't stay dead. Somehow he winds up connected to a Wraith. And every time he dies, he comes back to life. Earning him the title of Grave Walker and Death Walker from the Orcs of Mordor.

Writing

I wasn't expecting much in terms of story, but I was impressed. Besides some pacing issues, the game posses an extremely good story of revenge. Talion's only motivation is to kill the Black Hand, the Captain responsible for his family's death. The Wraith in turn, seeks revenge against Sauron for the same reason. The game goes to great lengths to establish Talion is nearly heartless. The development away from this starts off as subtle, before the ending of the game pays off with some stellar character development (as well as setting up the sequel). The details in the game are outstanding as well. Such as the dagger that he posses, being the broken sword of his murdered son. The name of the Sword (Acharn) meaning "vengeance". The Lore implementation is satisfactory as well. There are many relics you can find that paint a deeper picture of Mordor, Middle Earth itself, and all of its inhabitants from various eras. I also really like that the game doesn't rely heavily on pre-existing characters. Gollum is seen occasionally, and there is Sauron obviously. But otherwise is features a great, original cast. That at times isn't fleshed out enough.

Gameplay

The gameplay cannot be understated. While seemingly simple at first, just one button for sword attacks, it quickly deepens itself. Stealth mechanics, various executions, shadow strike attacks, dodging, countering, area effects, beast taming etc. Timing is absolutely essential and the game does not hold back. It will gladly throw hoards of enemies at you. But every area is perfectly crafted to allow you to tackle each encounter however you want. The freedom the game offers is part of what makes it so great. You're constantly being put into new situations and being told to figure out how to adapt, or die and try again. But, with the Nemesis system you are punished for dying. The Orcs that kill you are promoted and made stronger due to your death. They gain more strengths, have less weaknesses, even becoming completely invulnerable to certain attacks. They will also remember you, and if you anger them it only makes then stronger. The entire concept of the Nemesis system is so well thought out and executed in the game. It ties the message of revenge into the core gameplay. Every aspect tying together for a greater message.

Content

I want to highlight how well the game handles the side content. Most open world games are overstuffed with collectibles and filler missions. But Shadow of Mordor does a great job of fixing those problems. There aren't 30 tall towers to climb that take 10 minutes each to do. There's like 10 short towers that take 30 seconds to do and offer combat and visual advantages. Almost all the side missons are great. The Legend missions are challenging, the survival/hunting missions make the world feel more alive (although i wish the flowers did more than just heal), only missions that are kinda ehhh are the Outcast missions. They're all just very similar, and very easy, and take a lot longer sometimes than other missions. BUT! There's only 24 of them. I beat the game with 100% completion in less than 25 hours. Shadow of Mordor simply knows not to overstay the welcome.

Design

I touched on the game design a little already, so I won't spend too much time talking about it. But yeah, the level design is spectacular. The combat design is very deep, offering a multitude of ways to play, and never allowing a dull moment. It also nails avoding ludonarrative dissonance. Everything you see Talion and the cast do in cutscenes, can also be done during gameplay. It makes the whole game feel more coherent, and allows you to do a lot of really cool stuff.

Now, the art direcrion and OST are also rather good. Character designs are all extremely good. Even the Orcs are given great treatment with many unique designs that match their personality. The game lacks color for the first half, then pops full of it upon entering the second area. The contrast is really great, and the music help solidify this. The OST is also full of leitmotifs, that tighten the composition into something more meaningful. Once again tying the message of revenge back together.

Overall:

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a near masterpiece. Stunning gameplay, a good story with a greater message, phenomenal game design, and a perfect example of what western devs SHOULD do with their Open World games. I highly recommend this game to not only LOTR fans, but to any video game fans itching for a great open world. Who knows? You might just get into a whole new franchise while you're at it!

Score: 8.5/10