Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Announced

Warner Bros. and Monolith Productions have pulled the curtain back on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, a new third-person action RPG that serves as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings storyline. In the official announcement, the team touts the many choices available to the player in the game, as well as the skills, weapons, and special abilities we’ll have at our disposal as a Ranger of the Black Gate. Listen to the team talk about it in Game Informer’s coverage while at least one of them wears a classic Dungeons & Dragons t-shirt:

And a quick summary, per the official website:

You are Talion, a Ranger of the Black Gate, keeping watch over Mordor which has remained undisturbed for ages. In the blink of an eye, everything is taken from you – your friends, your family, and even your own life. Resurrected by a vengeful spirit, you must now embark on a relentless vendetta against those who have wronged you. Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle in Middle-earth.

– Harness the Spirit of vengeance to inflict brutal combos while mastering powerful new skills and weaponry.
– Exploit the individual fears, weakness and memories of your enemies as you dismantle Sauron’s forces from within.
– Become the most feared force in Mordor in a new chronicle set before the events of the Lord of the Rings.