Shadows of Mordor looks interesting. Had I not seen the title of the video before I loaded it, I might have been easily convinced I was looking at footage of a new Assassin’s Creed game. I haven’t decided if that’s a compliment or not. I like Assassin’s Creed (again, anyway), but we have an Assassin’s Creed already.

The Nemesis system in Shadows of Mordor did grab my attention, however.

According to the trailer, enemies will, at times, procedurally develop into antagonists for your hero. This is supposed to be dynamic, in that it will happen differently for each person/playthrough, and these enemies will carry with them marks and memories of your previous battles (and also a healthy lust for vengeance). For instance if you throw an enemy into a fire, half of his face might be burned off, a scar he will carry from there on out. The extent to which your handiwork will be on display remains to be seen.

It’s still early in development, but the concept is intriguing and Shadows of Mordor is now on my radar. Lord of the Rings games have been very hit or miss… especially the ones that try to fill in “behind the scenes” of what you read in the books. I certainly won’t argue if we get a good one.