One of Shadow of Mordor's most ambitious features scaled back for Xbox 360/PS3

One of the most ambitious features in Monolith's upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor--the Nemesis system--will be scaled back for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game.

Design director Michael de Plater said Monolith went to great lengths to make it so the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Shadow of Mordor are on the same level as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 iterations, but in some ways, this was just not possible.

"We're very focused on the PS4 and Xbox One," he told IGN. "We're focusing on the next-gen platforms, and then going to do whatever we can to get as much as possible on current-gen."

"To break it down, some of the stuff we're pretty confident will still be very similar on current gen: the core mechanics, like combat, stealth, ranged and movements; the basic control and gameplay, that should all be really solid," he added. "What it won't have is the same level of depth and variety and simulation within the 'Nemesis system'."

This is because the Nemesis system is "just so huge" in terms of content, calculations, and artificial intelligence, de Plater said. He said Monolith will try its best to get "as much of it in as we can," but it won't be the full vision for the Nemesis system.

The Nemesis system for Shadow of Mordor allows every enemy that players face to be a unique individual with their own personality, as well as strengths and weaknesses. These enemies will continue to do their tasks when off-screen and can even grow in rank and esteem when players meet them again. If a player chooses not to kill an enemy, the enemy will learn from the experience and grow stronger.

de Plater assured fans, however, that the Shadow of Mordor story and core gameplay will be "the same" across console generations.

According to The Witcher studio CD Projekt Red CEO Marcin Iwinski, cross-generation development will always mean that developers must compromise in one way or another. That's why CD Projekt Red is making The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt exclusive to Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Shadow of Mordor--which is most definitely not a movie game--is coming to Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC, but not Wii U. No release date has been announced.