Siobhan Keogh: Shadow of Mordor

A scene from the video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Siobhan Keogh isn't quite ready to jump into the LOTR gaming universe.

If there's one game everyone I know seems to be talking about right now, it's Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

It sounds pretty cool. Combat ripped from Batman: Arkham Asylum, climbing and exploration from Assassin's Creed, and a creative enemy system that everyone seems to be raving about.

I loved Assassin's Creed and Batman (although I admit to having given up on both franchises), so Shadow of Mordor should totally appeal to me.

But it doesn't. I can't even summon up a tiny spark of interest. Why? Because it's set in the Lord of the Rings universe.

That's a dumb reason, I know, especially as I used to adore J.R.R. Tolkien's world. I read all the books and pored over the appendices. As a teenager - and this is a really nerdy admission - a friend and I began to learn to speak Elvish, which is probably the least useful thing I could ever try to learn. And I hate to admit it, but I had a replica of the One Ring. I bought it intending to gift it to someone, but I loved it so much that I just kept it.

Unfortunately, living in New Zealand during the mania that came after Peter Jackson's movies began filming has left me completely and utterly indifferent to the existence of anything Lord of the Rings. It wasn't really the movies themselves - I quite enjoyed those - but the fact that I now can't walk through an airport without seeing dwarves or eagles and I can't watch TV without seeing this country referred to as Middle-earth. I totally understand why - it's great for tourism - but I'm just so tired of having Gollum's mug shoved in my face every five minutes.

As a result, I have actively avoided any and all attempts by friends and family to introduce me to Shadow of Mordor.

It got me thinking, though, about how many great games I routinely dismiss because I can't summon the energy to care. And how, usually, I end up giving them a go and enjoying them.

Take XCOM: Enemy Unknown, for example. I previewed it ahead of its release, and found it rather boring. For months I didn't bother with it, despite rave reviews. Then, just recently, I got over myself and gave it a shot. Turns out I just hadn't had enough time with the game in my preview session to get involved in the world. Most of my preview session had been a tutorial. I love Enemy Unknown now, even if I am terrible at it.

But perhaps my biggest oversight was Skyrim. I know, right? For a long time I refused to review two types of games: high fantasy games, and American RPGs. That's because I could often recognise that they were good games, but lost interest in them very quickly. Since Skyrim fell into both of those camps, I stayed well away from it. It wasn't until early this year that I finally picked it up - and really, really enjoyed it.

Granted, I never finished the game - but who finishes Skyrim, anyway?

With these two examples in mind, I know I should try out Shadow of Mordor. Even if it's Lord of the Rings-based, even if it's high fantasy. I love games, and if this many people I know are enjoying this one, then I probably will too.

But when it comes time to summon up the energy I'd rather play Chrono Trigger on my phone, or some PvP Destiny, or just mindlessly surf Reddit.

Sorry, Shadow of Mordor. Maybe in a year or two.

What: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
Rating: R13

- TimeOut