RIP I love the Mordor games and am still playing shadow of war to as close to 100% as I feel like.
There are two mechanics that I really like which integrate the fact that you are playing a game into the game world.
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most obviously is you can't lose because dying just respawns you, it is explained in-story and the death only has very (mild) penalties
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the environment is set up so that you can always run from a fight, outside of occasional set piece missions. However despite this you do end up dying a decent amount because you really want to get that captain and also you know it really doesn't cost much when it happens. The main penalty for dying is the orc taunting you which is compounded by the fact that you KNOW you could have just run away. But that just makes taking his head on the next go that much more satisfying.
Played lots of kingmaker and yeah the story characters werent White men but it wasnt turbo mega gay. Like one the one who is a degenerate is an arguably black-coded orc and is chaotic evil, and there is a line to reply that you will knock him out if he hits on you again. The feminist warrior woman is so over the top you can treat it like satire.
Also other than a few character specific missions you can play the whole game with mercs who you configure however you want.
I've become pretty sensitive to this stuff and kingmaker didn't set me off despite a few potholes.
James is casually walking toward his mailbox. The weather is clear and the leaves are starting to change in Autumn. In the distance, a dog barks and blackbirds flutter out of the trees.
He reaches for the mailbox and pauses for a second. Something feels wrong but he can't quite figure it out. He shrugs and opens it. Out of nowhere lightning flashes and thunder cracks. He looks up at the sky surprised but it is still clear.
Now clearly unnerved he looks inside. The box's only contents is a haphazardly taped together bubble wrap envelope with JAMES as the single word on it written in shaky, smeared ballpoint pen.
He reaches to grab it and it feels as if his body is resisting the action, but that doesn't make any sense so he continues. He moment he contacts the package his vision briefly flashes negative. The sky darkens. He grabs it and his hand starts to shake. He has to use both hands and clutch it against his body to keep from dropping it.
There is a faint whoosh and a golf-ball sized hail cracks the windshield of the car across the street, startling him. More hail starts to fall and car alarms start going off. James quickly scurries back to his house, crying out as an icy projectile glances off his temple leaving a small cut. He fumbles to get his door open and another hailstone finds its bruising his shoulder.
He throws the door open, lunges inside and slams it behind him. Just as suddenly as the storm started it immediately stops.
The scene zooms out from his door and ominous music starts to play. The scene fades and just before it goes to black the Sonichu medallion flashes on the screen for an instant. Then cut to black and silence.
Its good up until he starts crying about Christian Nationalism. Then his 90s liberal atheist roots start to show through. He has graduated to full lolcow on twitter at this point.