Short Summary:
Graphics: Decent, looks good on XB1, nothing I'd call "the best of next Gen".
Sound: Epic score, gets you in the mood to chop heads off, really nothing needs be said more than that.
Gameplay: The best game I've played in quite some time thanks to the Nemesis System. This will absolutely change the gaming landscape, and be imitated in refined in many games to come.
Detailed Review
A common complaint in present-day gaming is that most games, while fun experiences, do not add something new to their genre. Yet every now and then, an unexpected surprise comes around and gives us something totally new that undoubtedly changes the landscape for good, and for the better.
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor does just that. I'd consider myself something of a Tolkien fanatic, but I'll happily admit this game was under my radar until about a week prior to its release. That was when I read reviews/previews that were praising the new Nemesis System.
Let me lay it out plain for you here: Even if you have never read a single LOTR book or watched any of the movies this game is worth buying for the Nemesis System alone! This is the kind of mechanic that comes along and will change the landscape for multiple genres of video games. You will see incarnations of it in RPGs, FPSs, pretty much every game from here on out will attempt something similar to it, I can guarantee it.
Without the Nemesis System, Shadow of Mordor is a fairly derivative action game, with a story interesting enough to keep you going from start to finish. You play as Talion, a Ranger who guards The Black Gate some 80 years before Fellowship of the Ring takes place. You and your family get killed by some pretty badass lieutenants of Sauron in a pretty ruthless manner. So ruthless that you return from the dead as a wraith, with the undead spirit of an Elf (whom Tolkien fans will recognize as the story progresses) whose lost his memory and is as hell bent on revenge as Talion is.
It's a decent enough story to get you into the Nemesis System, and provide you with plenty of reasons to start picking off Orcs as your work up the hierarchy of Sauron's army. Enter the Nemesis System. Part of the main story is infiltrating the ranks of Sauron's army and find your way to the real baddies that killed you and your family. You do this by gathering intelligence on the Captains of Sauron's army (which is presented in a cool tier structure giving you a clear view of "Who's who in Mordor."
That intelligence allows you to discover a captain's location along with any weaknesses they may have. You then exploit said weaknesses to find new and creative ways to lop heads from shoulders. Again, this would be pretty standard, but here's how the Nemesis System comes into play (and pretty much will reinvent a lot of games in the future):
I was hunting down an Orc Captain called Grumok the Devourer. He was a walking tank who carried a machete that would make Jason and Freddy a little nervous. Finally I spotted him, or should I say he spotted me. "Man filth!" he shouted, "Let's see you squeal on the end of my sword!"
Well, he wasn't alone. He and his buddies proceeded to turn me into Ranger kibble. Interestingly enough, Grumok didn't make the final blow, one of his little no-name uruks did that. All of a sudden, camera pans on said nameless Uruk, who is now known as Raktak the Stomper. When you die, time passes, time enough for Orc politics to come into play. What kind of Politics? Well Raktak got promoted to a Captain for killing me. But there were already five captains. That didn't matter to Raktak, he simply killed the next guy in line and took his place.
And Grumok? Well he got stronger, and became a Veteran Captain. I was right pissed at him stomping me to bits, so I chased after him once I resurrected. This time I caught him alone. He spotted me, "Aww, didn't feel like staying dead, did you? I'll fix that!"
Well, he got a lot stronger. He took me down in two swipes, except when he had a chance for the final blow, he laughed at me and told me to come back after I've had some training! That bastard! This happened twice more, and provided him with a enough training that Grumok went from Lowly Captain to War Chief bodyguard. He hounded me throughout my quest as I picked off the other captains, and I started to defeat him in battles. But never decisively killing him. He'd come back scarred, bruised, hideous looking and dreadfully pissed off.
Suddenly I didn't care about LOTR anymore, or Talion's story. I had my own story. Grumok needed to get his face smashed in. That's when I realized the Nemesis System is almost a standalone game in itself. I can't say enough how amazing this system works. It never gets boring, hell I haven't even heard orcs repeat taunts yet (and I've probably heard close to 100 of them at this point). There is so much fun to be had in this mechanic alone, it's why I say buy this game even if you hate LOTR. Just to experience something so game changing as the Nemesis System.
Shadow of Mordor is a staple moment in gaming. It will be referenced in the future as "That game that brought something awesome to everything after it." The Nemesis System is something truly new and hellishly fun. On that alone? This is a must buy, must experience game.
That's my take. Take it or leave it.