Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor has lost some of its online features as a result of what publishers Warner Brothers say are "changes with our network". I understand the frustration, though. I’m fascinated by video game interpretations of Middle-earth. If you do, another Orc with their own abilities will likely take their place. By stepping into the wraith world Talion can slow down time, teleport over distances and see targets from afar. These mysterious, ghostly creatures took possession of the barrows (graves) of old kings of Men. (There’s another example of unnatural attributes!). Gollum becomes a sidekick of some kind to Talion and Celebrimbor. The Middle-earth game series redefined how immersive a third-person, action-adventure game can be. We do know from LotR that Gollum had some “friends” whom he believed would help him (Fellowship, 56). The books are long over and the author long dead.. Nothing is cannon at this point. But, in the stricter terms of the Tolkien Estate, it should be regarded as entirely non-canon. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system, developed by a number of staff at Kirkland, Washington-based studio Monolith Productions, tracks … It's not a story Tolkien wrote, sketched, or ever considered (as far as we know). Tolkien was a devout Catholic. And you can please the purists, by making a Lord of the Rings game not some made-up crap with the Middle Earth name slapped on it to sell copies. I don’t think we would ever want to limit ourselves to only showing things that have been specifically included or shown in the books. It's canon for anything that chooses to acknowledge its existence and non-canon for anything that contradicts it. It's surprisingly beautiful and full of stupid stabby fun! Mordor is … So, to summarize. It's right there along with the Last Ringbearer, in the list of hilariously bad apocrypha. At the very least it's canon to its sequel lol. I didn’t really mean to say that the game is indeed canon. The new year has marked the end of online features in the original game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which discontinues the characters developed in the Nemesis System from moving to its sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War.. In fact, Tolkien had an aversion to even trying to understand evil motives.1 The uniqueness of Shadow of Mordor‘s gameplay is certainly opposed to Tolkien’s views. Looks like a sweet game but I am certain that, especially considering his convictions, Tolkein would not have regarded this as consistent with his “secondary creation!” (http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Secondary_world). In like manner even of the Eldar some who had become corrupted refused the summons, and then had little power to resist the counter-summons of Morgoth (Morgoth’s Ring, 223). There is an interesting tidbit in this passage, however. It’s almost a “what if?” scenario when you look at it that way. Thank you! So Morgoth was able to give Húrin unnatural powers of sight and hearing. The game is set in a fully open world, and features various role-playing game elements such as experience points and skills. Photo Credit: ShadowofMordor.com not to be confused with Shadows of Mordor. As you progress in the game, Talion will grow stronger, but so will his enemies.Talion has various unique Wraith abilities which give him an edge on the battlefield. I own both books cited in the article, but I don’t have them available for reference currently. they (rightfully) acknowledge that a video game is a completely different medium from a book and they may have to make some changes in order to create a good game. This was announced at the end of last year. Gollum is a distinctive and familiar face–and the only “evil” (corrupted may be a better word) character who has, well, character. He believed that there was such a thing as objective good and objective evil. Is Shadow of Mordor Canon? The Shadow Of... series could be counted as fanon, if it was respectful to lore, but it isn't, so it is not even fanon. Nevertheless, it is certainly possible to argue whether a licensed adaptation or a piece of fan-fiction is more or less consistent with the vision of Middle-earth that Tolkien presented. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor servers have shut down with immediate effect, publisher Warner Bros. announced yesterday on January 14. However, one thing does appear to be true–they are somehow bound to each other. (We can’t know for sure until the game comes out, of course.) It is also said that he will come back during the Last Battle and deal the final death-blow to Morgoth (Lost Road, 367). Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year edition was updated today on February 2nd. There is an interesting tidbit in this passage, however. He also believed that a good intention doesn’t excuse evil actions (as evidenced by Gandalf’s, Galadriel’s, and Faramir’s categorical refusals to use the Ring). they know they can’t please purists 100% (very true). At the very least it's canon to its sequel lol. By the same logic I can write a story about magic aliens visiting Middle-Earth and say ‘it can still be canon because we didn’t see anything like the dead marshes until we got to the dead marshes’. Gamers look at the trailers and pass judgement on the nemesis system (which allows the player to manipulate bad guys to do their bidding) or compare the gameplay to that of the Batman Arkham games or the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Interestingly, most of the cases that we’ve discusses so far have all been related to evil creatures. That being said, one can make an argument for many (though not all) basis premises for the game. In that sense I think there is no Middle-earth canon, because although Tolkien’s writings on Middle-earth taken together are authoritative (by definition, since they are by Tolkien), they are not self-consistent; Middle-earth did not reach a final form but was forever a work in progress. That’s a good point–because the game is essentially fan fiction, it can’t be canon. While certain elements of the story may be somewhat plausible, they go beyond what would have been possible in the Middle Earth Tolkien conceived. All rights reserved. Again, we see the special power that evil creatures can wield. The update that has been released today appears to be related to the removal of online features. Thanks for the article! Celebrimbor never came back as … Glad you enjoyed it! He was captured by Morgoth and given a particularly cruel torture. While it’s clear that the specific elements of the game aren’t text book canon, so to speak, neither are they major departures from canon. It’s a fair argument. Your email address will not be published. So no, the game isn’t canon. (Special thanks to James for his wonderful article on Dagor Dagorath, where I found this reference.) It occurs to me that there is an additional complication in the sense of a Tolkien “canon”, in that Tolkien’s writings can be viewed as translations of sources written by different authors (Bilbo, Frodo, “loremasters” etc.). While the ability to frustrate the nature of Man (that is, to prevent him from dying) is a rather more profound change, there’s still a precedence for giving mortals “extra” power. Do they have flesh? That’s an excellent point, Graham. It is, as others have said, pretty antithetical to Tolkien's work in both terms of violating canonical details in setting and metaphysics, but also in terms of themes. [I]n ancient days, while Morgoth was in Arda, or his servant Sauron after him…the [spirit] would flee in terror of the Shadow to any refuge–unless it were already committed to the Darkness and passed then into its dominion. After their time in Mandos is complete, Elves get new bodies that are identical to the ones they had before. ". In order to have a useful discussion, you have to use consistent, well-defined terms. Morgoth cursed Húrin’s children and then gave Húrin the ability to see how their lives played out. It’s not a story Tolkien wrote, outlined, or ever considered (as far as we know). www.psu.com Have you ever wondered why Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War ‘s excellent Nemesis System hasn’t been copied by every publisher in the industry and implemented into more games? There is one element, however, that stands starkly and indisputably in contrast to Tolkien’s work: (seemingly) good people using evil tactics. Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment has finally secured a patent for the Nemesis system found in their Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War titles. This is a much more thoughtful and reasonable answer than I would have expected. My understanding of “canon” is that it describes a body of work that is both authoritative and in all respects (specific details, general themes, etc.) It's canon for anything that chooses to acknowledge its existence and non-canon for anything that contradicts it. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries. If you fail, your nemesis is likely to get promoted, gain new abilities, and then reference your shameful defeat at their hands when they hunt you down for a rematch. They ponder their past lives there; it’s unclear how long they typically spend there (REFERENCE). © Valve Corporation. Is Shadow of Mordor Canon? There is a glaring difference between what these games have proclaimed to be, and what the developers at Monolith have said regarding their upcoming stealth action game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. I think a key part of the authenticity is that you do want to introduce something with a bit of mystery and a bit of wonder, but is still authentic in the canon, in the myth, in what we already know. The plot is not based on a story by Tolkien. I haven’t heard that interview yet, but it makes a lot of sense. One example that may be most pertinent is that of Húrin Thalion. BUT what Monolith did was to take the brilliant ideas of Tolkien and use that as the foundation to make what was despite it not being canon, in my personal opinion a really enjoyable set of games. Minas Ithil is the last human bastion defending Gondor from the hordes of Orcs that mass in Mordor under Sauron's command, and although they have beaten back the tides before - all that changes with the arrival of the Nazgul. This may be particularly confusing for those who aren’t familiar with Elves and their nature. Then Morgoth cursed Húrin and Morwen and their offspring, and set a doom upon them of darkness and sorrow; and taking Húrin from prison he set him in a chair of stone upon a high place of Thangorodrim. The patch notes for this update are seen here. Note: certain features for the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor videogame will no longer be available beginning Dec. 31, 2020. There’s nothing like the barrow-wights until we’ve seen the barrow-wights. That’s the impression I had after talking to Bob Roberts, the lead designer of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which comes out Sept. 30 for PlayStation 4, … Affected Features: • The Nemesis Forge feature will no longer be available. Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts. The only game I’ve seen that comes anywhere near close to being purist is Lord of the Rings Online. Are they incorporeal? They have all of their previous memories, too. Tolkien. A wraith or spirit is somehow bound to him (which seems to be a form of possession, although it’s not clear). This would seem to disprove the canonical nature of Shadow of Mordor. No Middle-Earth video game was, is or ever will be any kind of canon. Bearing in mind Michael de Plater’s comments, let’s go through the biggest red flags from the trailers. Sauron, also known as Annatar, the Dark Lord and the Great Deceiver, is the principal antagonist of Monolith's Middle Earth game franchise based on Tolkien's Lord of The Rings. The creators (I’m assuming that all of the people driving this game are on the same page as de Plater) have stated that: Although I was already beginning to change my tune on whether or not Shadow of Mordor is canon, this interview still opened my mind a little further. While certain elements of the story may be somewhat plausible, they go further than what would have been possible in the Middle-earth Tolkien conceived. There are many assumptions about things that might plausibly have happened within Tolkien’s world, but are not based on anything Tolkien himself ever wrote. Indeed, someone did help him escape from the Elves in Mirkwood (Fellowship, 249). After several failed attempts, WB Games has managed to successfully patent its nemesis system from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. It’s far too early to understand the exact nature of Talion’s and Celebrimbor’s relationship. Túrin Turambar also came close to death a number of times. It is possible for an Elf to refuse the summons (Morgoth’s Ring, 223). Required fields are marked *, Of Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits, and Their Creator. Does this have any precedence in Tolkien’s writings? This seems like another major departure from Tolkien’s world. The capitalization of filenames is not consistent throughout the game. The goal is for the Elf to pick up the life that he or she led before death (REFERENCE). I use the term “possession” loosely. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has been tested with the basic formatting option for Mac OS X, which is HFS+. So the keyboard and mouse controls on this game is trash. self-consistent. It most definitely is not canon. However, he did set out to write a sequel to LotR in which the young boys of Gondor were forming gangs and imitating orcs. Welome to Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor in 2018 "funny moments" gameplay! The argument could be made that Gollum wouldn’t become a sidekick for another creature–that he only cared about his Precious. Will be something to keep in mind whilst enjoying the game next week. Shadow of Mordor will be "very respectful" of LOTR canon, says dev Lead writer Christian Cantamessa attempts to assuage fan concerns … It most definitely is not canon. In fact, … Totally agree with your last point there; I was listening to an interview with the devs, they said something to the effect of “we really wanted to explore this theme of Boromir-esque ‘using the weapon of the enemy'”. No. Therefore, players will no longer be able to transfer their in-game Nemeses from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Shadow of Mordor Version 1.16 patch notes. Photo Credit: ShadowofMordor.com Should Tolkien be rolling over him his grave? The garrison is attacked by Sauron's Uruk forces led by three Black Númenórean captains; the Hammer of Sauron, the Tower of Sauron, and their leader the Black Hand of Sauron (Nolan North). De Plater further enhanced his credibility by quoting Tom Shippey (one of the most respected Tolkien scholars of our time). No, that's not what it means. Elves are immortal–as long as Arda (the world) lasts, each Elf will continue to exist (REFERENCE). Again, this seems to be a unique case. 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