Three years ago, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor gave Lord of the Rings fans the video game that they never knew they wanted. Later this year, the sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, is pushing the battles to the next level and introducing a new Lord of the Rings: you!

In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, players will once again assume control of the fallen ranger known as Talion, who shares his body with the spirit of Celebrimbor, an elf lord with his own grudge against Sauron. To further pursue their mutual vengeance, Talion and Celebrimbor have created a new ring of power in the fires of Mount Doom, and together they are raising an army within Mordor itself to challenge Sauron’s supremacy.

Warner Bros. Interactive has released an extended gameplay video from Shadow of War that follows Talion as he leads his forces against an enemy fortress in the mountain valley of Seregost. The updated Nemesis system was also on full display, as one of Talion’s enemies came back to haunt him. But in this game, you can also make friends and allies as well, as illustrated by two of Talion’s fighters who went out of their way to aid him during the siege. Once the battle is over, the player gets to choose which of his allies to reward; which opens up another side of the gameplay as Talion slowly takes over Mordor.

While the game technically takes place between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, it really does feel like it’s moving into its own alternate reality. The recently released teaser trailer hinted that Talion and Celebrimbor would be violently separated, but they are still united in a single body during this extended preview. Given how powerful they’ve become, perhaps the only thing that could stop them would be if Talion and Celebrimbor turn on each other. Because there can only be one Lord of the Rings.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be released in August of this year. What was your favorite aspect of Shadow of Mordor? What are you looking forward to most with the new game? Let us know in the comments below!

What do you think about the epic new direction of this sequel? Unleash your thoughts in the comment section below!

Image: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment