Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2369 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,686 out of 2369
  2. Mixed: 489 out of 2369
  3. Negative: 194 out of 2369
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  1. Ratingss
    Mar 10, 2023
    4
    A really repetitive game with casual gameplay lifted from other games, the only difficulty comes from enemies becoming immortal if their level is high enough, otherwise you can mindlessly kill hundreds of enemies until they give up which might be cool if you are in the mood but gets old fast
  2. vova22379
    Feb 17, 2023
    3
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  3. KinimodYunmi
    Dec 1, 2022
    4
    Ich habe gehört, dass dieses Spiel recht gut gehyped wurde, das kann ich aber überhaupt nicht nachvollziehen!

    Dieses Nemesis System ist absolut schrecklich, solch ein System ins Spiel zu nehmen ist eh nicht sonderlich innovativ, aber hier hat man es sogar noch schlechter hinbekommen, wenn du stirbst, hast du einfach wieder ~5 mehr zu erledigen, super! Wie lange soll das Spiel dauern?    Ich habe gehört, dass dieses Spiel recht gut gehyped wurde, das kann ich aber überhaupt nicht nachvollziehen!

    Dieses Nemesis System ist absolut schrecklich, solch ein System ins Spiel zu nehmen ist eh nicht sonderlich innovativ, aber hier hat man es sogar noch schlechter hinbekommen, wenn du stirbst, hast du einfach wieder ~5 mehr zu erledigen, super! Wie lange soll das Spiel dauern? JA!

    Generell ist das Spiel schon keine Performancebombe, aber wenn du schon 5 Orks beherrschst und sie rufst, dann laggt das Game aber mal so richtig vor sich hin, please - hat das mal jemand getestet?

    Und sonst gibt´s nicht viel zu sagen, da man immer wieder dasselbe macht. Es gibt 2-3 Mainquesttypen und 1-2 weitere Nebenquesttypen, die sich ständig wiederholen...
    Die Cutscenes sind auch für damalige Verhältnisse zu Release nicht annähernd Zeitgemäß.
    Die Welt ist trist und öde, gut passt zum Titel und das ist auch schon das einzige, was man dem Spiel positiv anrechnen kann.

    Großzügige 4/10    … Expand
  4. pashockys
    Nov 12, 2022
    4
    stupid and boring as hell, repetitive and not fun at all, i don't know why this game have a good rate
  5. Samvvel
    Mar 17, 2022
    1
    Why did they even bother releasing it on PC anyway? It is basically unplayable with a keyboard and a mouse. The keyboard layout is just all over the place, totally unfit for quick responses the entire combat system of this game is built on. Also plot-wise it does the most terrible and lazy thing of throwing everything at you within first 10 minutes. I'm not a big fan of Witcher 3, but atWhy did they even bother releasing it on PC anyway? It is basically unplayable with a keyboard and a mouse. The keyboard layout is just all over the place, totally unfit for quick responses the entire combat system of this game is built on. Also plot-wise it does the most terrible and lazy thing of throwing everything at you within first 10 minutes. I'm not a big fan of Witcher 3, but at least there you were given time to sink in, get a grasp of what's going on and proceed at your own pace.
    Basically the worst case of an Assassin's Creed clone.    … Expand
  6. ErdemMT5
    Feb 14, 2022
    3
    Shadow of Mordor, is an ''open world'' action adventure game.
    This game could be a great game if they continued to develop this game. This is to obvious that, this game didn't finished and they steal some game aspects from other games like AC seires and Batman series.Basicily, they stole all the main character's animations from Assassin creed seires, and all the fundemenetal combat    Shadow of Mordor, is an ''open world'' action adventure game.
    This game could be a great game if they continued to develop this game. This is to obvious that, this game didn't finished and they steal some game aspects from other games like AC seires and Batman series.Basicily, they stole all the main character's animations from Assassin creed seires, and all the fundemenetal combat mechanics from Batman series.
    And the ''open world'' is actually not an open world. The map feels like a souls-like games map. There is not a living society except for randomly distributed uruk-hai's. And there is no wild life either. Game only got three different creaturs. And two of three creaturs even not seeing oftnen. Open world events are too few either. Players can only do mainly three different events. And they are discovering some open world lores, opening fast travel points and weapon challenges.
    Main and side quest are all based on ''stealth'' and combat mechanics. And this mechanics are not too bad. Because all of fundamental combat mechanics are stolen from Batman series. Even the control scheme.
    Game's story is not worth to mention. It is a safe story of a husband's revenge. There is some popular character and events to make the story more attractive. But the story is not unique at all.
    Of course, as with all games, there are some special innovations. Game's top point is nemesis system. And it looks like they created this game for trying nemesis system. This system provides all the casual mordor soldiers to became an special captain or higher commenders. If a common soldier kill the main character, mordor's hierarchy changes a bit and this common soldier becames captain. This captains of mordor could fight with each other or they can hunt and recruit soldier. And if they succeed their power rates increase and they could be reach a higher position. And all the ork captain and warlords have some unique aspects like immune stealth attack, fear of ghuls. And the best points is all the captain and warlords have their different personalities.
    In my opinion, this game is created for testing new nemesis system. And therefore they are did not focus on game's content so much. In overall, this game is lack of content too much. But still worth to try nemesis system. I wish they were'nt theift.    … Expand
  7. Oleksandr_
    Feb 10, 2021
    0
    Patenting the nemesis system, despite your game being created base on others' ideas. The industry is built on innovating of existing ideas.
  8. NemesisBruh
    Feb 7, 2021
    0
    Imagine patenting the nemesis system, despite your game being an Assassin's Creed re-skin. Not to mention that nemesis system itself existed long before this game. The industry is built on innovating existing ideas. Everything is inspired by something that came before it. That's how games, art, music, writing, culture itself and everything else works. Patenting the nemesis system is likeImagine patenting the nemesis system, despite your game being an Assassin's Creed re-skin. Not to mention that nemesis system itself existed long before this game. The industry is built on innovating existing ideas. Everything is inspired by something that came before it. That's how games, art, music, writing, culture itself and everything else works. Patenting the nemesis system is like patenting a color blue, or like patenting an the idea of a powerful corrupting item in storytelling. WB Games needs to back down on this.… Expand
  9. TomOG22
    Jun 19, 2020
    3
    As a game the mechanics are pretty good. As a game set in Middle Earth, this game sucks. Little to no regard for the work of Tolkien. They could have set this anywhere and it would have been fine, but instead they wanted to tag along and ride the coat tails of a successful franchise without having to to adhere to the canon
  10. musicmaniac
    Jan 29, 2020
    2
    Very lackluster. The first game was a solid 7 but this didn't change too much from the original except throwing more enemies at you which just makes for an unfun experience.
    The game feels utterly redundant as well, felt like I was doing the same thing just in different areas. Couldn't even make it 5 hours in... just was do this over and over and over...
  11. ApexPhilosopher
    Oct 23, 2019
    3
    Boring, repetitive gameplay with no plot. It takes mechanics from Assassin's Creed and waters them down. Total cash-grab.
  12. zNeverSleeping
    Jul 13, 2019
    4
    Definição: Extremamente repetitivo.

    Após 3 horas de gameplay, comecei a perceber qual repetitivo e enchedor de linguiça o jogo é. A historia mal progride, mais está lá para servir de plano como um fundo para a gameplay, que se baseia em botão diteiro e esquedo do mouse; devo assefgurar que a mesma ainda é mal feita e trata os jogadores como deficientes (com todo respeito a eles). Tudo    Definição: Extremamente repetitivo.

    Após 3 horas de gameplay, comecei a perceber qual repetitivo e enchedor de linguiça o jogo é. A historia mal progride, mais está lá para servir de plano como um fundo para a gameplay, que se baseia em botão diteiro e esquedo do mouse; devo assefgurar que a mesma ainda é mal feita e trata os jogadores como deficientes (com todo respeito a eles). Tudo funciona de forma automatica, voce nem precisa se direcionar ao inimigo para bloqueá-lo, muito menos para atacá-lo (isso acaba te atrapalhando muito as vezes).

    E quando digo que o jogo enche linguica, quero dizer que ele te enche de pre-requisitos (mate x chefes para prosseguir) apenas para o jogo durar mais. Os combates são injustos e chatos, claramente feitos para fazer com que voce fique empacado as vezes. O mundo aberto - se é que posso chamar assim, é morto e vazio - figurativamente. A trilha sonora é boa e só.    … Expand
  13. AlirezASlayeR
    Feb 10, 2019
    3
    Mindless and boring copy of Assassins' Creed and Arkham City.
    The game was just too uninteresting to finish! And the EXTREMELY familiar controls to Arkham City made me feel like Rocksteady could actually SUE them!
  14. sweet
    Oct 22, 2018
    0
    To call this game mediocre would be giving it too much credit. It had some nice combat animations, and that's all. The story is forgettable. The combat is unchallenging and as much fun as cow clicker. The graphics are average. The world is small, uninteresting and full of all that boring junk marketing teams demand be in modern games, like climbable towers and endless worthlessTo call this game mediocre would be giving it too much credit. It had some nice combat animations, and that's all. The story is forgettable. The combat is unchallenging and as much fun as cow clicker. The graphics are average. The world is small, uninteresting and full of all that boring junk marketing teams demand be in modern games, like climbable towers and endless worthless collectables. Nearly all the "missions" are the same thing over and over. The nemesis system talked about so much quickly becomes an annoyance.… Expand
  15. Ted_Tris
    Oct 12, 2018
    0
    Unplayable, button mash gameplay, boring garbage.
    Game pad control is bad, keyboard-mouse control is too complicated.
    The fighting system is terrible.
    The number of enemies is infinite.
    Ugly
    V-sync not working on win 10.
    The sounds is weak
  16. kevinbrown
    Jul 15, 2018
    4
    The entire game is disappointing. Basically it's a melt of every game out there but badly done. Nothing makes sense, whether it is the gameplay, game mechanics, level design, overall progression, story...

    So Mordor really is 'that' big? Actually it is one of the smallest open world maps ever and I haven't mentioned the cheap level design; repetitive and empty, but first and foremost it    The entire game is disappointing. Basically it's a melt of every game out there but badly done. Nothing makes sense, whether it is the gameplay, game mechanics, level design, overall progression, story...

    So Mordor really is 'that' big? Actually it is one of the smallest open world maps ever and I haven't mentioned the cheap level design; repetitive and empty, but first and foremost it is pointless again.

    The gameplay itself look like it was rushed by developpers. Every mechanic introduced lacks a missing part. The system behind the gameplay is useless (eg: Sauron's army). You can just kill everyone on your path the same way and repeat it until the end of times. The powers, upgrades or anything else are useless.

    Don't waste your time, this is not the ultimate Lord of the Rings video game that you have been dreaming of for the past 15 years. Someday perhaps.    … Expand
  17. JJRambo
    Oct 18, 2017
    4
    the game looks fun, but it's a repetitive bottom smashing fest. Climbing walls it's so frustrating. The fighting is just smash one button with the occasional use of other buttons, you can fell satisfied for what you see on screen but the game tricks you while you smash that one button till your hands get numb.
    And then there's the micro transaction that don't even lets you play the game    the game looks fun, but it's a repetitive bottom smashing fest. Climbing walls it's so frustrating. The fighting is just smash one button with the occasional use of other buttons, you can fell satisfied for what you see on screen but the game tricks you while you smash that one button till your hands get numb.
    And then there's the micro transaction that don't even lets you play the game as it's intended, and day one DLC. So this game just sucks.    … Expand
  18. noirfx
    Oct 15, 2017
    0
    The game is ok, just remove microtransaction and everybody will be happy. Gamers are not stupid, you can't put loot crates into 60$ single player game.
  19. jamiemgr
    Jun 23, 2017
    4
    This game is ruined by it's terrible combat system. I got so bored with it that I lasted half an hour before uninstalling it. I hope the combat system has been changed for shadow of war or I will not be playing it. Shame because the story in Shadow of mordor looks good but I can't bring myself to play it with this atrocious combat system.
  20. Fuini
    Nov 11, 2015
    2
    Batman gameplay but with all the cons and none of the pros : too much slow motions, too much pauses in fights.
    Smash buttons, a new enemy appears, wait 30s , smash, eat some flower to recover HP, repeat.

    The story made no sense in Tolkien universe.... What do I have still to add ? Buy another game or the books, your money will be far better invested
  21. ElNova
    Oct 19, 2015
    0
    this is a game made for the new gamers, these gamers that like button smashing, repetitive gameplay, cliche and stupid story, all of this packed with great graphics, animation and gameplay.
    if ur an olds school gamer, this might not be for you, if you are from the new generation of gamers you probably love this game.

    hope this helps.
  22. BetaVersion
    Sep 5, 2015
    4
    One of the most boring and repetitive games i have played in a long time. Shadow of Mordor is an excellent example of degradation of AAA (or should i say "console") gaming.
  23. Horrux
    Jul 30, 2015
    3
    The graphis are good, but the game itself is a pure grind. You do the same thing over and over and over again, you don't acquire new skills or abilities, the game doesn't change. You kill Uruks. That's it.

    I don't know why people are rating this game so high, it is a pure borefest after the first hour or two. 3/10 for the good graphics and smooth gameplay. 0/10 for creativity,    The graphis are good, but the game itself is a pure grind. You do the same thing over and over and over again, you don't acquire new skills or abilities, the game doesn't change. You kill Uruks. That's it.

    I don't know why people are rating this game so high, it is a pure borefest after the first hour or two.

    3/10 for the good graphics and smooth gameplay. 0/10 for creativity, gameplay, progression, story, etc.    … Expand
  24. Namya
    Mar 27, 2015
    4
    Like someone said .. its like playing assasins creed but u kill orcs...it took me 20 hours to finish it... if u are a "GAMER" its a short game!! It was harder to kill the warchiefs than the epic enemies... it took 2 hits of e and a spacebar to kill sauron...wtf??????
  25. PessimisticMan
    Mar 20, 2015
    3
    For an incredibly hyped game that I had heard nothing but positive things about, I am unfortunately having to say that this game is not good (in my opinion). I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and the gameplay looked cool; but than I got the game and was welcomed with an incredibly frustrating experience.
    PROS:
    + The game looks gorgeous, very good graphics. + The combat actually flows    For an incredibly hyped game that I had heard nothing but positive things about, I am unfortunately having to say that this game is not good (in my opinion). I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan, and the gameplay looked cool; but than I got the game and was welcomed with an incredibly frustrating experience.
    PROS:
    + The game looks gorgeous, very good graphics.
    + The combat actually flows very nice! It's basically a direct copy of Batman, but that isn't a bad thing; games should learn from each other.
    + The Nemesis System is very unique and cool.
    CONS:
    - The story is boring - not interesting in the slightest. Missions are tedious and irritating.
    - While I did appreciate the Nemesis System, it functions in one of the stupidest most irritating ways ever: I do like the fact that when a captain kills you he gains power, that's cool - what isn't cool is that even if no one kills (for example, a caragor kills you) every fricken person gets a power-up even though they had nothing to do with your death - and yes, sometimes it is literally EVERYBODY!
    - The game is littered with poopy-designed enemies: caragors, shield-soldiers, hunters, etc.), and when you first encounter these enemies, from that point on they will pop-up EVERYWHERE, and trust me, that is NOT a hyperbole.
    - This game is not a fan of fair fights. This sucks because the Nemesis System had so much potential, but a lot of the time it is impossible to get a 1-on-1 fight with these captains (especially the warchiefs). You're usually confronted with not only the captain (or multiple captains), you get the bonus of fighting a dozen spear-throwing hunters, a half-dozen shield-soldiers, about 20 normal enemies, and sometimes, if you're really lucky, a caragor (literally out of nowhere) comes - ignores all the other enemies - tackles and instakills you! Brilliant game design, whatever type of monkey made this needs a raise.
    If you think I "don't like a challenge," you're wrong: Dark Souls is my favorite game, I love Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, Shadow of the Colossus, and Hotline Miami are some of my other favorites. But this game has extreme artificial difficulty, and other mechanics designed to be unfair (like captain's regenerating health) and this frustrating pile of dung has amassed millions of dollars and critical acclaim, great. Don't buy it if you like being a calm person.    … Expand
  26. Phallex
    Jan 6, 2015
    3
    Can't say I enjoy this game much. Not sure what all the hype is about. It's just the combat/interaction system from Assassin's Creed games (which I also find really dull, so hey-ho maybe it's just me) in a LoTR (sort of) setting. With a bit of a story...

    I'm already bored of the combat system, though I think it might be more rewarding with a controller. It can be a bit tricky to hit all    Can't say I enjoy this game much. Not sure what all the hype is about. It's just the combat/interaction system from Assassin's Creed games (which I also find really dull, so hey-ho maybe it's just me) in a LoTR (sort of) setting. With a bit of a story...

    I'm already bored of the combat system, though I think it might be more rewarding with a controller. It can be a bit tricky to hit all the timings right on a keyboard and keep the camera at the right angle with a mouse. I keep blocking off my own view with buildings and objects when I perform 'specials'.

    Looking at other's reviews I'd have to agree with them on the cons - it's the same thing over and over and over and over and over....very grindy, with a levelling system that rewards you with slightly more interesting/easier ways to grind. The nemesis thing...is an interesting idea, but who really cares what level the orc you're fighting is? Or how much he's climbed the ranks of the army? He still just hits you and you hit him until one of you is dead...    … Expand
  27. Not_Casual
    Dec 28, 2014
    4
    This game blends the playstyles of Assassin's Creed and the Batman games. And the core combat is harder, more fun than either of these games. However, the bland environment and lackluster storytelling make it a grind fest that quickly becomes boring. This game did not even need to have The Lord of the Rings in the title. They could've called it 'Orc Ganker' and the game would still haveThis game blends the playstyles of Assassin's Creed and the Batman games. And the core combat is harder, more fun than either of these games. However, the bland environment and lackluster storytelling make it a grind fest that quickly becomes boring. This game did not even need to have The Lord of the Rings in the title. They could've called it 'Orc Ganker' and the game would still have the same feel. Aside from orcs, you don't very often encounter creatures from the LOTR Universe outside the story mode. The combat is excellent at first, but rapidly degrades as enemies cannot compete with your powers later in the game. If this game had even half the story the batman games had, the improvement would be extreme, however the current story mode and environment is abysmal.… Expand
  28. Dcruize
    Dec 23, 2014
    2
    i was so disappointed with this game, it's yet another boring casual-friendly console action game with a combat system involving left/right mouse button spamming. You grind through uruk after uruk without much in the way of variation. Occasionally you die and respawn AC-style to go through the whole process again. Nemesis system is completely over-rated and quite pointless and the map isi was so disappointed with this game, it's yet another boring casual-friendly console action game with a combat system involving left/right mouse button spamming. You grind through uruk after uruk without much in the way of variation. Occasionally you die and respawn AC-style to go through the whole process again. Nemesis system is completely over-rated and quite pointless and the map is tediously small. So glad I didn't purchase it....… Expand
  29. daphnis26
    Nov 13, 2014
    3
    I loved The Lord of the Rings as a teen. I read the books over and over and over again. Back then the internet barely existed and I certainly didn't have access to it so I'd sift through bookstores and libraries hunting down every scrap of information I could find on Middle Earth. I'd secretely tear out pages when no one was looking and bring them home to my archive.

    It was also around    I loved The Lord of the Rings as a teen. I read the books over and over and over again. Back then the internet barely existed and I certainly didn't have access to it so I'd sift through bookstores and libraries hunting down every scrap of information I could find on Middle Earth. I'd secretely tear out pages when no one was looking and bring them home to my archive.

    It was also around this time that I discovered PC gaming, and one of my first games was a fantasy adventure game called Drakan, a vast and beautifully rendered world of endless mountains and seas, dark twisted places and hordes of goblins to kill and dismember. The worlds of Middle Earth and Drakan had one thing in common: they were immersive, I wanted to explore and learn everything about them. The developers of Drakan were later absorbed by Monolith to work on Shadow of Morder.

    Shadow of Morder is as impressive and hollow as a Hollywood movie.

    As soon as I step into the game I'm informed that I must kill spiders. Why? Why should I kill spiders? I haven't been convinced to kill them and I don't want to... but the UI informs me I must. So I kill a few spider... MISSION COMPLETE! Now the UI updates and tells me to kill flying creatures. Why should I? I really don't care, and I don't want to. Screw this, I'm going to explore. The UI pops up to inform me I must find and kill a slaver orc. I immediately begin scouring the horizon, excitedly plotting my kill. Then a dull UI prompt pops up to inform me the orc is located in "the next mission".

    The Next Mission? It feels like the programmers are speaking directly to me now. Why not use language from the lore, such as "Find him within the gates of Girith Gordor".

    On my way I encounter a band of orcs persuing an escaped slave. I hide and watch. 20 seconds later the slave escapes and the orcs stop their pursuit. One exclaims, "OH WELLLLL MUST HAVE BEEN RATS".
    So I run in and kill one, then climb up a tower to escape from the others. 20 seconds later "OH WELL, MUST HAVE BEEN RATS". I descend and kill the rest. Then more orcs spawn and begin to chase me so I ascend once again into my safe place. "OH WELL I GUESS IT WAS NOTHING"

    After repeating the orc killing-and-retreating-to-safetey process a few more times I decide to tackle the story mission. I am informed of the exact distance to the mission by the UI. I get there and am told to press "e" to enter the mission.

    I love being drawn into amazing fantasy worlds; to sink into rich atmosphere and lore, compelled to discover every hidden secret. Shadow of Morder does not provide this experience. Everything is force fed to you by UI messages and target markers. Maps tell you EXACTLY where to go and what to do. There is no discovery, no mystery, no higher narrative. It is pointless big budget action.

    I hope we get to explore Middle Earth again some day- without map markers and UI prompts.    … Expand
  30. TomasLacerda
    Nov 7, 2014
    3
    I can really respect whoever likes this game, but for me aint it. The combat is too basic, and utterly boring, seriously. The history is quite interesting, but the roaming, the combat, the clunky combat and animations really turned me off. I felt that this game was rushed, not polished at all.
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Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best PC Game of 2014
11
#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
10
#10 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Nov 1, 2014
    90
    Solid action wrapped in a fascinating simulated Orc society. [Nov 2014, p.52]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 25, 2014
    72
    After you get used to the world of Shadow of Mordor understanding comes: there is nothing to do in it. Chieftains – pretty serious opponents at first – in the end due to the lame balance become the whipping boys. Storyline is buried under muddy reasoning about rings, elves and dark lord. As a result you like the Shadow of Mordor gameplay but you do not want to go to the finish. [Nov 2014, p.64]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Oct 19, 2014
    70
    Only thanks to the Nemesis system stinky orcs from Peter Jackson’s movies rise above being cannon fodder and turn into actual characters. If this cool system weren’t here, no one would have looked twice at this hybrid clone of Batman: Arkham City and Assassin’s Creed.
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