Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Looks Utterly Ridiculous

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is getting a sequel, and the sequel is taking advantage of advances in technology to deliver ridiculous visuals.

In case 2017 didn’t have enough in terms of video games, now you’ll have Men and Elves vying for your attention later this summer. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor will have a sequel game, creatively named Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.

With a tip of the hat to Kotaku, here’s the trailer featuring what may very well be actual cutscenes:

If those do so happen to be cutscenes, or mocked-up versions thereof, then do we really need to say more than we can’t reprint our actual verbal reactions to seeing this trailer? Like, when we say we can’t, we mean it. They simply stun the viewer. The level of visual detail practically demands that you watch at least a few times. Even if they aren’t true cutscenes, they do suggest that the game will go for an even darker aesthetic than the first game.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the original game stars Talion, who once served at the Black Gate of Mordor. (We assume you’re vaguely familiar with the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.) After death, he becomes basically fused with a wraith, an Elven spirit with an agenda of his own, though the two maintain distinct personalities. Together, they head into Mordor and proceed to wreak havoc.

As you can tell from the above trailer, the Lord of the Rings has not taken kindly to this at all, especially if you’re familiar with the rest of the story of the game. If you aren’t, suffice it to say crafting a new Ring does not fall highly on Sauron’s list of things he wants to see in the world.

In fact, he’s angry enough that he’s called up his Ringwraiths, the Nazgul, as well, and one suspects that they would make an excellent recurring enemy. There are nine of them, which seems a bit excessive for a single boss fight. Additionally, it’d be impossible to kill their leader, the Witch-king of Angmar. (He cannot fall to a man, after all, and Talion still qualifies as a man.)

Next: More on Mass Effect: Andromeda

The end of the trailer promises Shadow of War gameplay on March 8, and Kotaku reports an August 22 release date.