Spoilers ahead, given that I'm talking about the end of the game.
Sooo, I have something of a problem with Shadow of Mordor. First of all, the final fight is a quick time event, and that's garbage. More importantly, though, is regarding the Ring, Sauron, and Celebrimbor. As we get more of Celebrimbor's memories back, we suddenly are treated to a moment where Celebrimbor manages to control the Ring and snatch it off of Sauron's hands. They try to make up for it later by having Sauron summon it back, but already, that's bogus. I don't care how good of a ringsmith Celebrimbor is: the Ring is Sauron's power incarnate, and unless Celebrimbor is on the level of a Maia, that thing isn't coming off Sauron's finger for just anybody. It's basically the point of the Ring that no one can be it's master except Sauron. It's kind of why he's The Lord of the Rings. Mostly, it just makes Celebrimbor way more OP in a game where you are already way too OP. Also, considering that Sauron KO'd Gil Galad just by putting his hands on him, it's really, really unlikely that Celebrimbor is going to stand much of a chance.
Secondly, and much more irritating, is that after you finish your thrilling quick time event to beat the Hand of Sauron (gg!), Celebrimbor and Talion have a good talk about what they should do about Sauron, and the game leaves us with a final thought: "Time to forge a new Ring."
There's a good quote by Tolkein in response to the criticisms of The Lord of the Rings being an allusion to WWII in which he says that, if this were the case, than the Ring would not have been destroyed, but been replicated. The Ring is not a good thing to have. Even Gandalf, who is arguably the most powerful thing in Middle Earth aside from Sauron, wants none of it, because he knows that the only thing that will come from it is more evil. And out heroes, who have just spent about twenty hours of game time watching the evils of Sauron at work, think the best course of action is to try and make another one. Granted, this one won't have the spirit of Sauron corrupting one's soul while wearing it, but even still, it basically means that Talion and Celebrimbor are advocating an arms race, which is exactly what Tolkein said The Lord of the Rings should not be.
Sauron is not brought down because he's fought to a stand still, or over powered, or bested in combat. He's brought down because of the modesty, humbleness, sacrifice, and friendship of a pair of hobbits who are willing to sacrifice everything in order to protect the people they love. It's not about being more powerful, or more violent: those are the terms that Sauron thinks in, and, if anything, he expects of his enemies because that's what he himself would do. The fact that this great power would be thrown away for something like love is not a thought that has ever crossed his mind, and that is why he is ultimately defeated. And it bothers me that Shadow of Mordor leaves us with the belief that the rings and their power are a thing that should be used in anger and battle (because that went well for the Nine).
If the aim of the game was to show that having such power would ultimately only lead to corruption and ruin, then I could get behind. But, given that the game used the Ring to give a cutscene of Celebrimbor having super OP powers as he fights Sauron, I don't think that's going to be the case.
Spoilers ahead, given that I'm talking about the end of the game.
Sooo, I have something of a problem with Shadow of Mordor. First of all, the final fight is a quick time event, and that's garbage. More importantly, though, is regarding the Ring, Sauron, and Celebrimbor. As we get more of Celebrimbor's memories back, we suddenly are treated to a moment where Celebrimbor manages to control the Ring and snatch it off of Sauron's hands. They try to make up for it later by having Sauron summon it back, but already, that's bogus. I don't care how good of a ringsmith Celebrimbor is: the Ring is Sauron's power incarnate, and unless Celebrimbor is on the level of a Maia, that thing isn't coming off Sauron's finger for just anybody. It's basically the point of the Ring that no one can be it's master except Sauron. It's kind of why he's The Lord of the Rings. Mostly, it just makes Celebrimbor way more OP in a game where you are already way too OP. Also, considering that Sauron KO'd Gil Galad just by putting his hands on him, it's really, really unlikely that Celebrimbor is going to stand much of a chance.
Secondly, and much more irritating, is that after you finish your thrilling quick time event to beat the Hand of Sauron (gg!), Celebrimbor and Talion have a good talk about what they should do about Sauron, and the game leaves us with a final thought: "Time to forge a new Ring."
There's a good quote by Tolkein in response to the criticisms of The Lord of the Rings being an allusion to WWII in which he says that, if this were the case, than the Ring would not have been destroyed, but been replicated. The Ring is not a good thing to have. Even Gandalf, who is arguably the most powerful thing in Middle Earth aside from Sauron, wants none of it, because he knows that the only thing that will come from it is more evil. And out heroes, who have just spent about twenty hours of game time watching the evils of Sauron at work, think the best course of action is to try and make another one. Granted, this one won't have the spirit of Sauron corrupting one's soul while wearing it, but even still, it basically means that Talion and Celebrimbor are advocating an arms race, which is exactly what Tolkein said The Lord of the Rings should not be.
Sauron is not brought down because he's fought to a stand still, or over powered, or bested in combat. He's brought down because of the modesty, humbleness, sacrifice, and friendship of a pair of hobbits who are willing to sacrifice everything in order to protect the people they love. It's not about being more powerful, or more violent: those are the terms that Sauron thinks in, and, if anything, he expects of his enemies because that's what he himself would do. The fact that this great power would be thrown away for something like love is not a thought that has ever crossed his mind, and that is why he is ultimately defeated. And it bothers me that Shadow of Mordor leaves us with the belief that the rings and their power are a thing that should be used in anger and battle (because that went well for the Nine).
If the aim of the game was to show that having such power would ultimately only lead to corruption and ruin, then I could get behind. But, given that the game used the Ring to give a cutscene of Celebrimbor having super OP powers as he fights Sauron, I don't think that's going to be the case.