When a monster kills you, that tends to make things personal. Not for the monster of course—it's usually unaware that you've reloaded your checkpoint with a newly sparked sense of vengeance. Only, in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, lead character Talion can't be killed, and that means, when he comes back, enemies tend to remember. A new trailer depicts this Nemesis system, and the hordes of Orcs perplexed by the protagonist's return.
Perhaps more interesting than the system itself is what it means for the Orcs you possess. You can create power-struggles within the Orc faction, carefully moving your own guys up the ranks. In many ways, Shadow of Mordor has been notable mostly for its Assassin's Creed comparisons. But, if executed correctly, such systems could help it stand out from Ubisoft's series.
For more on the Nemesis system, check out Evan's hands-on report .
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is due out October 7.
