Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor trailer shows angry orcs, brooding protagonist

Wanted: video game protagonist. Must have: smouldering anger, tragic backstory, Troy Baker's voice and own beard. Not a full wizard beard, or really anything that would put you in contention for the World Beard Championships. Just a little bit of stubble that offers a hint of unrestrained machismo while still being aesthetically pleasing and not requiring proprietary beard rendering technology.

Ah, Talion, you'll do nicely. Have we got the game for you. It's called Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. You'll get to do a launch trailer in which you brood meaningfully at some angry orcs.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is out now. It is—unexpectedly—very good. You'll find our review of Monolith's Tolkein's Creed stab-'em-up right here.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.