The world of men is about to get some more of that sweet nemesis-system action.
Warner Bros. announced today that it is launching Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the sequel to Shadow of Mordor (read GamesBeat’s review), this summer for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game will debut August 22, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is working with Microsoft to make this newest entry in The Lord of the Rings universe a part of the Xbox Play Anywhere program. That means you can buy it for your console and then play it on Xbox One, Windows 10, or the upgraded Xbox One Scorpio when that launches this holiday.
In Shadow of War, you must now fight through a Middle-earth at war. Sauron has risen, he is building his army, and it is up to you to do something about it. You’ll once again play as the ranger Talion from the first game, only this go around you’ve forged your own ring of power. And it seems likely that you’ll use the capabilities of that mythical item during gameplay.
Shadow of Mordor was one of the early standout game for the PS4 and Xbox One generation of consoles. It combined an Assassin’s Creed-style open world with combat from WB’s own Batman games. But the highlight of the original game was its nemesis system, which was a dynamic, procedurally generated mechanic where players would fight against an army of orcs that featured lieutenants and generals that could die and get promoted depending on your actions. Fans of nemesis system expected to see it in a number of other games following Shadow of Mordor’s success, but that has not panned out. Instead, it looks like Shadow of War is the next time we’ll see this mechanic in use.
