It feels good to be gaming again.
I took something of a left turn and picked as my third game Middle earth: shadow of Mordor. As someone who first got online using a 28800 modem (which will, depending on who you are, mark me as either very young or very old) I actually got a bit of a geek thrill of buying the game digitally and setting off a 37 gigabyte download, half expecting to hear the infrastructure groan or at least notice something beginning to smoke.
But no, it all worked flawlessly and all I needed to do was have a bit of patience.
(Tricky enough, I tell you!)
It is great fun to dive into a third completely different genre in three games. This time it is also a clear step up in mechanics to get a handle on. Terrain traversal, sneaking, combat with combinations to execute in the right circumstances, an open world … For a little while at the start I felt just a bit overwhelmed as orcs kept kicking my ass at the same time as helpful tips and tutorials washed over me.
And then, things ever so slowly begin to fall into place. Stealth came first, nice and slow, few buttons to keep track of. Then, I started to remember to parry in combat, even managing a finishing move or two. Hunting orcs is getting seriously fun already.
I have not yet taken the time to get the hang of the bow, but the ability to explode fires seems mighty tempting so I think that needs to happen soon.
Not only is the style and genre vastly different, Mordor should also take around four times longer than Unravel to finish. I like to finish games I start, that is a pretty big part of the entertainment for me, but it was a long time since I took on a game this large so I am curious where and how it will go.
Anyway, good times. Mordor out!