E3 2014: The Ones That Stuck

When I think of the survival horror genre, I’m always jerked into the world of Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Though there is absolutely nothing wrong with those games, it never really occurred to me how awesome a survival horror game set in space would be—let alone one that finds our protagonist hunted by a sleek, ravenous Xenomorph. In Alien: Isolation, the player takes control of Ellen Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, who sets out on an ill-advised adventure to find out what happened to her mother after the disappearance of her ship, the Nostromo. The game relies heavily on stealth, scavenging and creative thinking to outwit the physically dominating alien presence that stalks around every dimly-lit corridor. In one scene, after hiding out in a locker, the player is prompted to press a button that makes Amanda hold her breath—yes, even breathing too loud means certain, bloody death in this game.

While making your way through an authentically-rendered medical installation, the Xenomorph is not your only threat. There are human survivors, driven mad by isolation and fear, along with synthetic humans who will attempt to beat Amanda to death if they find her. One of the most chilling scenes involved a synthetic who had been set ablaze by the player’s flamethrower, only to keep moving towards our hero. It’s a situation like this when quick reflexes and MacGyver-like resourcefulness are your only hope.

As I remember the many games that have adapted the Alien universe to the video game console, they’ve all been pretty much the same—a ‘roided out space marine gunning down hordes of slimy Xenomorphs. What they’ve lacked, and what it looks like Alien: Isolation has in spades, is the original feeling of helplessness and terror that the first Alien film brought to life.

Of all the titles that I saw at E3, this one took me by surprise the most. I had heard of this game before heading to the convention, and since I’m a Tolkien nerd, I was moderately excited. When I took my seat at the Monolith/Warner Bros. presentation of the upcoming title, I was expecting something along the lines of 2004’s Lord of the Rings: The Third Age—a game that followed the exploits of a non-canonical character

who just happens to look a hell of a lot like Viggo Mortensen

How very wrong I was.

Shadow of Mordor finds the player taking control of a man—okay, he kind of looks like Viggo Mortensen—who was stationed at the Black Gate of Mordor when Sauron finally gained enough strength to begin building his armies. After some unknown, but tragic, event, our hero was killed and brought back to life with what appears to be a Ringwraith inside of him. It’s a plot point that the developers kept under wraps, but it allows the character to do all kinds of nifty, wraith-like things—such as sneaking up behind enemies and slowing down time.

The game’s combat mechanic looks a lot like the one that the Batman Arkham games used to such great effect.  It’s a blast to pound criminals as the Dark Knight, but can you imagine that same fluidity coming from a character who wields two blades? If you’re imagining a situation in which several beheadings take place, you’re imagining correctly. The combat is frenetic and brutal, giving a slightly dark edge to the Middle Earth that Peter Jackson brought to life in his films.

Though the stealthy abilities and streamlined combat were awesome to behold, the real fun is had by pitting the Orcs against each other. One of the character’s main abilities is to dominate the minds of others. Once you deliver a sound beating to a chieftain, you can bend his mind to your will. This comes in handy, since you can send an Orc on a mission to upset the balance within his current tribe. It’s something that I’ve never seen in a game before, and the thought of experimenting with this new gameplay mechanic has me counting the days until Shadow of Mordor finally comes out.