“When I joined WB Games, it was growing fast,” said Fryer. “In Seattle we tripled in size through acquisitions and WB games expanded to over 1,500 people in a few short years. It was exciting and complete chaos. It took us a few years to get settled, but in that time, we built a team and culture that shipped Shadow of Mordor, arguably Monolith’s most successful title.”

Fryer spoke about assembling the team that would go on to create the Nemesis system during the studio’s time spent working on multiplayer titles like Gotham City Imposters and Guardians of Middle-earth. She points out that, considering Monolith’s trajectory from working on critically-acclaimed titles to filling its follow up with lootboxes, and ultimately getting shut down, meant that the studio had a leadership problem.

“It’s easy to blame Warner Bros. for everything that’s gone wrong, and it’s true, there were issues with the film studio,” explained Fryer. “For example, if a director didn’t want you to ship a game around the time of their movie, you didn’t ship the game.”

Fryer went on to talk about a game that was internally codenamed Apollo. The game was slated to feature Batman, and would have been set in the same setting as Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of movies. The video also shows off an early demo of Apollo, including UI details that indicated how missions would have worked in the title.

“The idea was the create an open world game,” said Fryer. “A place where gamers could explore and solve missions. They could use different approaches like combat or stealth. We even had a demo of the Batman Tumbler vehicle. It was cool.”

“WB was excited about the game and asked us to work on it in stealth mode until we could talk to Nolan,” she continued. “Well, unfortunately, when we finally spoke to him, he didn’t want us to do it. The Batman Begins game had come out and it was a disaster. And he didn’t want a repeat of that experience. It was completely understandable.”

She also mentioned that the studio had pitched to postpone the release of Apollo until after Nolan’s trilogy of movies were done. Company leadership, however, did not want to wait that long. Ultimately, work on the project was shelved back in 2011. Much of the team would then go on to work on console MOBA Guardians of Middle-earth. In the meantime, the work done on Apollo wasn’t considered a complete waste since its technology could then be used on other titles.

After spending some time talking about working on other projects, including Gotham City Imposters, as well as a tie-in game to The Hobbit movie series that was codenamed Hydra, Fryer talks about needing to change the studio’s priorities into being “game first” rather than tying projects in with movie releases.

An example given for the “game first” philosophy was Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, which was a Batman game released in the middle of Nolan’s ongoing trilogy and was developed without replicating the imagery from the movies. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was another example of the same philosophy, since it was a game based on a major film property that didn’t directly recreate similar imagery.

“Shadow of Mordor is another example of this game-first principle,” said Fryer. “It has a unique story and game mechanics, but it fit within the lore, it enhanced the story, and it brought in new fans. This is why I was surprised when I learned that Monolith had been working on a new IP. We had figured out how to work with WB. You could have ultimate creative freedom with your game as long as it loosely fit within the franchise.”

After spending some more time talking about how Monolith Productions as a studio was built with the idea of multiple projects being developed simultaneously, Fryer then went on to talk about how WB’s attempts at chasing trends is what ultimately led to the development of the Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor.

“It all started when Rocksteady shipped Arkham Asylum in 2009,” said Fryer. “It was selling great. Then suddenly, sales dropped off. They could see this because the data from their game analytics revealed that more people were playing than were paying.”

“The theory was that people would play through the game, and then return the game disc to a retailer and get paid, which was very common at the time. This was great for gamers, because they could buy the game and then sell it back to a company like GameStop and buy something else. It was great for GameStop because then they sold that used game for a discount and they pocketed the money. For game developers, though, it was a disaster, because they weren’t getting paid for every game. They were only getting paid for the first copy sold. They lost millions of dollars.”

During the development of Shadow of Mordor, the question internally at the studio became “how do we create a single-player game that is so compelling that people keep the disc in their library forever?”

“Constraints can lead to better design, and the stellar team we built solved for this constraint,” explained Fryer. “After shipping War in the North, several of the talented team members started on [Shadow of Mordor]. People like our incredible art director Phil [Straub] and our talented design director Michael.”

Ultimately, going by Fryer’s stories, it looks like a game that was never released based on Nolan’s Batman trilogy ended up forming the bones for what would ultimately become Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Cyberpunk 2077

Stuffing an open world with overabundant icons and waypoints usually hinders immersion, but Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City is such a superbly designed game, that constant signposting doesn’t affect the experience. It’s dense, labyrinthian, a steaming cesspool, gorgeous and bleak; its a city with many mysteries. Night City teaches us that regardless of cyber-genetic augmentation, its citizens are still people with thoughts and feelings. The same can be said of V, who through companions met during Night City’s plentiful and varied main missions often displays tenderness and empathy beyond their chrome. How V resolves side quests and the choices they make, it all impacts the conclusion to their story too.

]]> 606237 https://gamingbolt.com/11-amazing-action-adventure-games-you-need-to-play Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:03:01 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=594271 When you think of action-adventure titles, it’s usually a game with incredible set pieces, varied locations and a one-and-done narrative. Some titles portend to more, though, offering up memorable storylines but continuously giving in terms of content, additional activities and interesting things to do. Check out our picks for the best action-adventure games that fit this category.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Insomniac Games had much riding on it after the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man. How would it take advantage of the PS5’s technology? What direction would it go with the introduction of the Symbiote and Venom? While some looked at it as more of an iterative sequel than revolutionary, it’s interesting how much it does so well. The ability to play as either Miles Morales or Peter Parker is great, especially considering each has unique suits and abilities, while the Symbiote adds an extra layer of brutality to the latter.

Then there are all the technical improvements, from the almost non-existent loading times to the always-on ray tracing and increased scale of New York City. With so much to do and collect, the pacing never suffers for it, delivering a memorable story and fights. It also doesn’t hurt that new suits and features continue to be added with post-launch updates.

CONTROL

Those simply mainlining the game can finish Control in about a dozen hours, but with plenty of optional content also available, Remedy’s shooter is a game that you can easily get about 20 hours out of- and boy is it an unforgettable 20 hours. From excellent design and stellar atmosphere to bombastic action and gameplay, Control knows exactly how to keep you completely captivated from its first second until its last.

ALAN WAKE 2

Another Remedy Entertainment game, and a very different one from the one we just spoke about. As opposed to the adrenaline-fueled Control, Alan Wake 2 is much more deliberate and slower paced- and yet every second of this cerebral horror journey feels earned. Whether you’re playing as Alan in the horrifying Dark Place or as Saga in the safer yet still utterly bizarre real world, this is a game that never lets up.

LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN: THE MAN WHO ERASED HIS NAME

Ordinarily, a Yakuza / Like a Dragon game is not exactly the right choice for someone looking to play a brief, 15-20 hour game, but unlike its 50-100 hour behemoth siblings, last year’s Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a much shorter experience. Does it touch the heights that the likes of, say, Infinite Wealth or Yakuza 7 do? Maybe not. But with a strong story, predictably enjoyable brawler gameplay, and plenty of enjoyable side content, it’s well worth looking into nonetheless.

A PLAGUE TALE: REQUIEM

A shining example of how even smaller-budget games from independent teams can still deliver the kind of polished, compelling, narrative-driven experiences that you ordinarily expect from the AAA space, A Plague Tale: Requiem is everything that its excellent predecessor was, and then some. Delivering a solid blend of stealth, combat, storytelling, and light exploration, Asobo Studio’s action-adventure game is an 18-20 hour journey that shouldn’t be missed.

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

A major, AAA open world game being about 20 hours or so long for something looking to do the main story and a decent chunk of the side quests may be almost completely unheard of in 2024- but back in 2011, not only was Arkham City able to deliver that with no issues, in doing so, it also became widely touted as one of the greatest games ever made. You can foil The Joker and Hugo Strange’s plans, clean up the streets of Gotham City, and engage in a fair few optional quests and get a good, memorable 20 hours out of Batman: Arkham City.

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2

So maybe a modern AAA open world game being about 20 hours long isn’t completely unheard of. In a market that’s grown an unhealthy obsession with making games larger, last year, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was all too happy to deliver a relatively brief experience (by modern open world standards, at the very least) and it was better for it. A largely well-told main story, gripping optional content, meaningful gameplay improvements on top of an already excellent foundation- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 checked pretty much all of the boxes that it needed to.

SLEEPING DOGS

Sleeping Dogs is forever going to be remembered as one of the most criminally underappreciated games of all time, and yes, we’re going to talk it up every chance it gets for exactly that reason- including now. Because, after all, you’re going to struggle to find too many games that will make as strong of an impression on you across a 15-20 hour runtime as Square Enix’s 2012 open world game will. Even now, mor than a decade on from its launch, Sleeping Dogs remains a great game to go back to.

STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR

You can, of course, get way, way more than 20 hours out of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor if you choose to engage with its healthy quantities of optional content (which is excellent), but a quicker, briskly paced 20-hour story is also an option for those who want it. As the second instalment of the series Jedi: Survivor boasts stronger writing from a much more confident development team, with characters, a story, and gameplay improvements that all build on the first game’s foundations in meaningful ways.

METRO EXODUS

4A Games took the semi-open world approach with Metro Exodus, and fans of the game will tell you that it was absolutely the right choice. The post-apocalyptic shooter strikes an excellent balance between linear, scripted sections and more open-ended areas, while also delivering a much meatier experience than its two predecessors. Metro Exodus somehow manages to have its cake and eat it too, and stands as another great example of how balancing size against quality of content is perhaps way more important than pure quantity.

MAD MAX

Avalanche Studios has delivered a string of fun, explosive open world games over the years, so when people say that 2015’s Mad Max is easily one of the studio’s best games ever, you know that that’s not light praise. A blasted, desolate world full of zany personality, a strong gameplay foundation that emphasized explosive combat and vehicular action, and an addictive loop of content scattered throughout its world- in spite of being a classic case of “diamond in the rough”, 2015’s Mad Max still had all the elements in place to deliver a compelling gameplay experience. Of course, for anyone looking to do more than just the main story, the game is also much longer than 20 hours.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

We could have included one of several Metal Gear Solid games in this feature, but for now, let’s just stick with this one. From a design and gameplay perspective, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a hell of a stealth game even now, well over a decade and a half from its launch, and on top of that, typically enough for a Kojima game, it’s also a cinematic masterpiece. Does it have its fair share of narrative issues? Boy, does it. But ultimately, there’s way, way more to love about this package than not.

PREY

Arkane’s 2017 revival of the sci-fi IP Prey was not at all what fans of the original 2006 game may have expected it would be, but as an immersive sim, it’s better than most similar games in existence. Anyone clocking 20 hours into this masterpiece is going to be assured of a gripping, intricately handcrafted gaming experience that you’re not likely going to forget anytime soon. You can, of course, get way more out of the game if you wish (especially if you play the excellent Mooncrash DLC), but even a runthrough of just its main story is heavily recommended.

MARVEL’S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

We’d love to get a glimpse into an alternate reality where Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy released before Marvel’s Avengers did. The latter being as disappointing as it was led to poor sales for the former, but Eidos Montreal’s single-player action-adventure game was a really, really good game that deserved way more success. Boasting an incredibly written and wonderfully performed core cast of characters, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is an 18-20 hour journey that you shouldn’t be missing.

MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR

Obviously, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor can be significantly longer than 20 hours for those who wish to fully commit themselves to its open world, but even for someone just looking to play through its critical path, it’s a hell of a game. Slick combat and traversal, a fun take on a beloved IP and universe, and of course, an ingenious and innovative gameplay pillar in the Nemesis System- Shadow of Mordor has plenty of major strengths that make it an attractive prospect even now, a decade on from release.

WATCH DOGS 2

Whether or not we ever get a new Watch Dogs game is anyone’s best guess, but the franchise is, at the very least, going to have one major notch on its belt in the form of Watch Dogs 2. The sophomore Watch Dogs outing is still its best one, thanks to a fun, vibrant open world that was always a blast to explore and a much stronger cast of characters (coming with a much lighter tone) than its predecessor. Being a Ubisoft open world game, Watch Dogs 2 has dozens upon dozens of hours of content for players to dive into, but sticking to the golden path, you can hit credits in roughly 20 hours without too many issues.

What’s surprising is that even now, a decade on from its release, there’s nothing else out there that scratches the same itch as Shadow of Mordor. And that, of course, is down almost entirely to one thing in particular: the Nemesis system. Back in late 2014, Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system was all everyone was talking about, and at the time, it seemed almost guaranteed that the game had opened the floodgates for a deluge of pretenders that would come along and try to emulate what the Nemesis system had managed to do.

Even now, it’s easy to see where all that hubbub came from. The Nemesis system has lost little of its charm. Dynamic, emergent storytelling isn’t necessarily a rarity in games, but very rarely have we seen it implemented the way it was in Shadow of Mordor. Each battle against every orc felt like it came with added stakes. You might burn an orc to a crisp during a fight, but it somehow manages to get away, and the next time you cross swords, it’s going to remember what you did and come after you with everything it’s got. In another fight, an uruk might best you and kill you, following which it gets promoted through the ranks in Sauron’s army, making it an even tougher foe to take on in your next battle.

The Nemesis system kept track of all of that. Every time you fought against its procedurally generated orcs, the game would remember the outcome of the battle, and would then use that to fuel a dynamically changing ministory, reacting to your actions, victories, and defeats. On a wider scale, these threads would combine in the web of Sauron’s larger armies, with orcs rising and falling through the ranks based on your encounters with them. By dominating and interrogating arcs, players could even turn orcs against each other, creating yet more chaos and infighting, which, in turn, would create more ripples in the constantly evolving narrative.

Shadow of Mordor took an excellent idea and implemented it to perfection, and the experience it ended up delivering as a result was unlike anything out there. Yes, you had systemic games and games with emergent gameplay, but the Nemesis system created a distinct brand of gameplay and dynamic storytelling that set it apart from what was, even then, a saturated open world market (if not to the same degree as today).

It’s also worth pointing out that the Nemesis system did a lot of the heavy-lifting in Shadow of Mordor, because without it, it would be a much less remarkable game. With fun combat and traversal and thanks to the fact that it was a Lord of the Rings game, Shadow of Mordor obviously did have strengths in other areas as well, but outside of the Nemesis system, it was certainly lacking in originality. Its open world and traversal mechanics were strikingly similar to Assassin’s Creed, its combat bore a strong resemblance to the Batman: Arkham games, and its side quests and optional activities were pretty standard open world fare, by and large. The Nemesis system took what was a solid game and turned it into a legitimately unforgettable experience.

The game itself obviously knew what its biggest strength was as well. Developer Monolith Productions smartly designed many of Shadow of Mordor’s most crucial systems and mechanics around the Nemesis system. Some of those were the obvious ones that we’ve already spoken about here – like hammering cracks in Sauron’s forces and interrogating orcs to gain information on their leaders – but beyond those, other, ancillary mechanics tied into that core as well. For instance, progression – whether by gaining bonus XP or acquiring powerful runes – was often tied to uncovering and exploiting orc leaders’ weaknesses. Meanwhile, players could also track down orcs that had killed other players in special Vendetta missions, adding another wrinkle to the game’s emergent storytelling tendencies. Time and time again, in more ways than one, Shadow of Mordor would keep finding ways to make the Nemesis system shine.

Of course, no one could have predicted back when Shadow of Mordor first came out that it would still be as unique in ten years’ time as it was back then. Countless people have wondered countless times over the last decade why we haven’t seen more games trying to do something similar to the Nemesis system, and we continue to be baffled by that as well. Sure, we got Middle-earth: Shadow of War in 2017, which obviously followed in its predecessor’s footsteps, but from its grindy progression mechanics to its bloated open world to its aggressive monetization, it had more than a few issues that prevented it from touching the same heights as Shadow of Mordor.

Thankfully, those who’ve been desperate to see the Nemesis system in another open world game do have something to look forward to. Shadow of Mordor and War developer Monolith Productions is currently working on Wonder Woman, which WB Games has confirmed is going to be a single player open world game that will use the Nemesis system. Exactly how the game will do that in its Themyscira setting remains to be seen, but it’s an intriguing prospect nonetheless, to say the least.

Beyond that, there’s also EA and Cliffhanger Games’ single player open world Black Panther game, which is being led by Kevin Stephens, who was previously the studio head at Monolith Productions during the Middle-earth games’ development. Though Black Panther isn’t using the Nemesis system per se, it’s using something that does sound a whole lot like it. Cliffhanger Games has dubbed it the “open story” system, and describes it as a “highly innovative” system for narrative design and presentation that will make use of “interconnected systems” revolving around dialogue and conversation trees. Details are currently obviously scant, but given the studio leadership’s pedigree, the idea of an open world game set in Wakanda that tries to do something similar to what the Nemesis system did is an interesting one.

And that’s really what it all comes down to: Shadow of Mordor captured the strengths of its central gameplay pillar so perfectly, we’ve been chasing that high ever since. Nothing has managed to give us that same feeling again – hell, nothing has even really tried – which has only made us look back on Shadow of Mordor itself that much more fondly.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

However, there are games which turn out even better than expected. Even if they looked good, the final result is something truly special. Here are 15 games that are way better than they initially had any right to be.

Inside

Coming off the success of Limbo, Playdead Games began work on Inside, a spiritual successor of sorts. Many praised the former for its presentation and gameplay in 2010. However, despite starting development on Inside two months later, it was a long journey for the studio. Revealed in 2014, it faced some delays, which wasn’t enough to create overwhelming concern. At the time, many expected Inside to be good, but not that good.

And it was more than good on release in 2016. Earning near-universal praise from critics, its dark mood and storytelling were arguably superior to Limbo. The short length also exemplified how a video game could deliver pitch-perfect pacing with compelling puzzles and mechanics, on top of an incredible plot that didn’t hold the player’s hand.

Several years later, Inside is remembered even more fondly than Limbo, transcending its indie identity to become one of the best games ever made.

Check out the range of titles coming to both Extra and Premium:

• Adventure Time Pirates of the Enchiridion (PS4)
• Ben 10: Power Trip (PS5, PS4)
• The Escapists 2 (PS4)
• Evil Genius 2: World Domination (PS5, PS4)
• Far Cry 5 (PS4)
• Far Cry New Dawn (PS4)
• Far Cry Primal (PS4)
• Gigantosaurus The Game (PS4)
• Judgment (PS5, PS4)
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4)
• Middle-Earth: Shadow of War (PS4)
• Mortal Shell (PS5, PS4)
• The Pedestrian (PS5, PS4)
• Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition (PS4)
• WWE 2K22 (PS4)
• Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PS4)
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5, PS4)
• Worms W.M.D (PS4)

Some heavy hitters include Judgment and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, playable on PS5 and PS4. Far Cry 5 and New Dawn may also be worth jumping into, while Far Cry Primal offers a prehistoric spin on the series’ open-world gameplay.

Premium subscribers also get new Classic titles this month, including Pinball Heroes and Ridge Racer 2 on the PlayStation Portable. Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus on the PlayStation One and Ninja Theory’s Heavenly Sword on PS3 are also being added. For more details on the free titles offered with PlayStation Plus Essential, head here.

PlayStation Plus Extra is available for $14.99 monthly and $99.99 yearly. PlayStation Plus Premium costs $17.99 monthly and $119.99 yearly. Stay tuned for more details on future additions to both tiers in the coming weeks.

Nemesis System – Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

It seemed fairly simple at first – specific Orcs in Shadow of Mordor were randomly generated with different traits, strengths and weaknesses. Dying to one made it stronger, moving it up the Orc hierarchy, but even failing to secure the kill ensured it would remember you. With tons of different voice-lines, inter-connected allegiances and so on – not to mention the ability to influence the same and eventually bend Orcs to your will – the Nemesis system became one of the most innovative mechanics in gaming. It was expanded even further in Shadow of War with Nemesis Fortresses, bodyguards, betrayals, different classes, and tribes, expanding the web of possibilities even more.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Arguably the most influential open world title of the past few years, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t about pursuing icons or clearing out question marks. Instead, it emphasizes freedom and open exploration, as players can go anywhere and tackle just about anything in their quest to defeat Ganon. The game’s sandbox nature, which rewards ingenuity, is still amazing as fans continue to discover unique things after all these years.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

The Metal Gear Solid franchise had always been known for its cinematic story-telling and excellent stealth mechanics. But Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater took things in a somewhat different direction, removing the series’ signature radar and emphasizing the environment as one’s greatest tool. Camouflage, CQC mechanics and even some light survival mechanics also added to the feeling of being behind enemy lines while delivering the signature characterization and complex plot that fans loved.