A surprisingly dark game set in J.R.R. Tolkien's universe launched yesterday--to an even more surprising level of critical acclaim. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is that game, and it goes off the beaten path that The Lord of the Rings video games have taken for the past twelve-or-so years. Rather than vanilla action-RPG elements, it combines a murder mystery, of sorts, with an open-world layout, combined with Assassin's Creed movement and kill sets.
This launch trailer doesn't contain gameplay, but certainly brings the cinematic drama. Watch the Everything You Need to Walk into Mordor video to see more gameplay.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is out now on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC.
