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dillon.young's Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PC)
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| [February 24, 2017 02:12:30 AM]
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In this play session I didn't do much. The main quest is now to kill four Uruk warchiefs in a variety of manner. I killed one pretty easily by brutalizing an orc, thus scaring off most threats, leaving me with a one on one battle. Another one wasn't so easy, as he had two uruk guards with him. I butted heads with him several times before giving up for the night.
The nemesis system provides an interesting insight into uruk culture. Throughout the course of the game, the player is increasingly intimate with the personalities of many uruks- its the driving motivation as well as the most interesting mechanic of the game. However, I still feel strangely about how such wanton open disdain for an entire race of beings is portrayed. If we assume that uruks are an analogue for black people, the dialogue becomes much more sinister. This is reinforced when one realizes that there are only white humans. Another interesting omission is the lack of female uruks. I guess tolkien wasn't intersectional.
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| [February 23, 2017 06:26:04 AM]
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This game is yet another entry in the long list of open world boxes to check. One quick look at the map shows a bevy of repetitions to endure. Nevertheless, even though I've played the same mechanics to death in the Batman Arkham trilogy, every assassin's creed game ever made, and the more recent Mad Max, I still find it pretty fun. I am, however, disconcerted by the portrayal of orcs. While an intelligent race, they're characterized by seemingly only the negative aspects of humanity. In this playthrough I am introduced to ratbag, whom the main character allies with, to have eyes on the inside of the orc army. It's clear that the protagonist talion has a great disdain for him, and is greatly pained by masking it. I find it interesting that all orcs are able to destroy an entire village of elite paramilitary- clearly they're all incompetent with vital flaws and fears. I'm also interested in the distinction the game makes between orcs and humans. They both subject the other side to relentless horrors. Yet orcs are categorized as evil. Creative killing for sport is even rewarded in the game.
Meanwhile the main character is being haunted by this old elf dude. I learn that he probably made the evil rings of corruption. and hey, there's smeagle! I remember him from the movies. I remember him dying. Don't quite know how he climbed out of the bottom of an erupting volcano, but I guess it wasn't that big of a deal.
Anyway, putting this game in the lens of race is problematic, and in subsequent sessions I will try to dive deeper.
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dillon.young's Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 22 February, 2017
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