Middle-earth: Shadow of War won’t let you replay failed missions – life just goes on

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During tonight’s E3 Coliseum show, Troy Baker, the voice of Middle-earth: Shadow of War’s protagonist, chatted with Michael de Plater from Monolith about the upcoming sequel. You can see the full video above, but the siege gameplay shown did highlight some interesting innovations.  

Check out our list of the best sandbox games if you want to play your way. 

One of the first things to come up is orc naming conventions. The game’s orc captains all have unique names and titles, such as Greg the Groinsnatcher, Bob the Builder, and Harry the Hatchet.

Orcs can get nicknames for performing certain feats this time, though. Say one takes down a dragon in a big battle, they might get the title “Dragonslayer,” They can get these titles from multiple other sources too, such as scars or defeating the player in combat. It should make them more memorable.

The series’ Nemesis System has always been about generating personal stories, but this sequel aims to ramp it up even more. In fact, if you mess up, you’ll be forced to live with your mistakes.

Towards the end of the video, Plater says missions that you fail can’t be attempted again. If you die during a castle siege, time will roll forward – your enemies will gain in strength, and your allies will be captured. It sounds like it will be a natural evolution of what made the first game stand out. Hopefully it all fits together.