5 Open-World Franchises That Should Steal Shadow Of Mordor's Nemesis System

Open-world games are more popular than ever, and while we're still seeing some of the best the genre has to offer, there's always room for improvement. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor may not be the largest sandbox around, but it makes up for it in spades with the intriguing nemesis system. This feature procedurally generates powerful Uruk captains with distinct names, appearances, and attributes. Players can kill these named bad guys for powerful upgrades, or accidentally earn them promotions by dying by their hand. The nemesis system has inspired us, and we've already started thinking about other open-world series that would be even more fun with something similar.

Borderlands
Gearbox's open-world, loot-crazy shooter has a legion of dedicated fans. The core loop of gunning down psychos and collecting dozens of procedurally generated guns (like rifles that scream at us) is a great time, and we don't want that to change. However, boss battles have never been a strong point for the series, and it could benefit greatly from a nemesis system-style feature that allows for crazy bandits to show up on the battlefield. Imagine blasting skags when suddenly a powerful, high-level enemy starts running at you while spewing quirky insults. Borderlands' eye-catching art design and knack for introducing new characters would gel wonderfully with something similar to Shadow of Mordor's generated Uruk generals. When defeated, these goons could drop even better loot, or become more powerful when they force you to respawn at a New-U Station.

Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar's vision of the Old West is spot-on, and we don't want to see the core of beautifully designed frontiers and memorable characters change. However, layering a system on top of the open-world structure that creates random outlaws to hunt down would be a blast. One moment you could be skinning rabbits, then the next thing you know Slick Shot Jimmy pegs you with a barrel of buckshot and suddenly you've got a new nemesis. Maybe a particularly deadly grizzly bear keeps giving you a hard time? Either way, charging after personal bounties on horseback across the prairies sounds like a perfect addition to the winning formula. Even more, a rivalry could form over a heated poker game or something similar, with a resentful gambler tracking you across the wilderness with a chip on his shoulder.

Batman
Shadow of Mordor already falls under the Warner Bros. Interactive umbrella, same as the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series. Mordor borrows a page from Batman's combat, so it's only fitting Rocksteady might borrow from Monolith Productions' inventive nemesis system. Similar to Talion's quest to take out five Warchiefs, Batman is usually after a handful of villains from the iconic rogues gallery. Bad guys like The Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, etc. could be on top of the food chain with motivated thugs beneath them vying for power. Arkham City and Arkham Origins have beautiful open worlds, but not much in the way of motivation to explore Gotham's darkest alleyways. Personal vendettas with wannabe big bads sounds like the perfect motivator.

Dead Rising
Mowing through dense crowds of zombies in Capcom's open-world zombie game is always a cathartic treat, but we're also huge fans of fighting the series' goofy psychos. Generally, these encounters feel separate from exploring the undead-addled environments, having you engage a specific mission that you know ahead of time will be a showdown with a psychotic post-apocalyptic survivor. Enduring the waves of zombies would become even more tense and risky if procedurally generated psychos popped up out of nowhere. Mad butchers, angry soccer moms, demented construction workers, etc. might pop in unexpectedly to make your life a bit harder. Even better, Capcom could make these psychos become stronger via infection and mutation, punishing players for getting killed by them.

Elder Scrolls
Bethesda's open-world RPG series is one of the best in the genre, but one thing that the developer excels in is adding meaningful new systems on top of a solid foundation. Something similar to the nemesis system would blend in perfectly. Many fans tell tales of fully ignoring story quests in favor of open-ended exploration, and powerful, procedurally generated enemies like trolls, evil mages, or even dragons would make treading through uncharted territory even more exciting. This collection of evildoers could even be loosely allied under one dark overlord, giving them motivation to fight amongst themselves to climb the ranks and grow stronger. The idea of pursuing a cowardly target across the expanse of Tamriel sounds like a great time. Additionally, your character doesn't have to be the only hero trying to save the realm. Players might run into rival questers that remember previous encounters and try to compete for the gold and glory.

What series, open-world or otherwise, would you like to see the nemesis system influence?