Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor release date announced; pre-order bonuses revealed

It's been a while since we've last heard news regarding Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Monolith Productions' third-person action game set in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy universe of Middle-earth, but today Warner Bros. announced the game's release date while unveiling a brand new story trailer.

First off, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will be released for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on October 7, 2014.

Now that that's out of the way we can get down to the new trailer which provides some additional backstory on Talion, a valiant ranger whose family is slain right in front of him the night Sauron and his army return to Mordor, moments before his own life is taken. Talian, resurrected by a Spirit of vengeance and empowered with Wraith abilities, ventures into Mordor on a quest to destroy those who wronged him. Along the way, he'll learn the truth of the Spirit that compels him.

Like most release date announcements, we've also got some new info regarding Shadow of Mordor's pre-order goodies. For pre-ordering, you'll receive the Dark Ranger bonus pack, which adds the "Test of Power" challenge mode, an alternative "darker" skin for Talion and access to the Leaderboard.