Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2699 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,017 out of 2699
  2. Mixed: 474 out of 2699
  3. Negative: 208 out of 2699
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  1. fserb
    Oct 1, 2014
    2
    The game feels like a poor Assassin's Creed rip off.

    The camera is so bad that it becomes a challenge in itself. If you fight near a wall it completely goes crazy and points to random directions. It reminds me of old N64 games. The stealth mechanics are bad. It's an open world most of the time, so the enemies just have super small sight. You can kill 3 enemies stealthly when they are    The game feels like a poor Assassin's Creed rip off.

    The camera is so bad that it becomes a challenge in itself. If you fight near a wall it completely goes crazy and points to random directions. It reminds me of old N64 games.

    The stealth mechanics are bad. It's an open world most of the time, so the enemies just have super small sight. You can kill 3 enemies stealthly when they are all side by side and nobody notices. It's made to look like you are stealth, but in fact I think they found out that in LoTR orcs are deaf and have very poor vision. Also, there is no "go behind the wall mechanics", so when you go close to a wall, the camera focus on the wall and the controller gets clumsy (since you can't walk by the wall).

    Combat mechanics are a bit better, but still clumsy. Fighting has lots of button smashing and the player moves in random directions sometimes. To compensate for the easiness of button smashing, the game throws tons of monsters at you at the same time. This changes the mechanic into: button smashing, run far from everyone (which you do faster than them anyway), wait for them to come in line, button smashing and repeat. Also, the bow mechanic is worse than Tomb Raider. The only ok point of the combat system is that you don't have to actually switch weapons (press square you use the sword, press R2/L2 you use the bow).
    The open world part seems to be ok so far and the nemesis/famous orcs part works well. The respawn system is very aggressive (more than Destiny, for example). It means it is virtually impossible to get rid of all orcs in an area before killing the big guys. You kill a bunch of them, walk 15 steps, look back and there are more of them again. The only way to clear an area is killing the bug guys. It is designed like this because the fighting is very easy 1vs1.    … Expand
  2. Peacen
    May 3, 2017
    4
    With Shadow of War rapidly approaching, many will choose to sate themselves with the first in the series, Shadow of Mordor. This review is for you guys, and hopefully you'll read it before buying. I'm not going to bog this down with credentials. Suffice, I've played enough for long enough, and know, above most things, objectivity is key.

    Shadow of Mordor is not a good game. It's not the    With Shadow of War rapidly approaching, many will choose to sate themselves with the first in the series, Shadow of Mordor. This review is for you guys, and hopefully you'll read it before buying. I'm not going to bog this down with credentials. Suffice, I've played enough for long enough, and know, above most things, objectivity is key.

    Shadow of Mordor is not a good game. It's not the steaming pile it's made out to be by its harsher critics, no, but it's also not very good. Breaking it down piecemeal:

    Fighting mechanics are stolen from Assassins Creed and the Batman series, fused into a simplistic three button counter dependent system that sits just slightly below AC's variety. Fighting bottlenecks in proportion to the number of enemies, meaning the more there are, the fewer options you have and the more you must comply with the game's ideal scripted fight scenario. It's all massively flashy, but also massively repetitive. Environmental attacks are possible, but often feel very scripted, thought there are quite a few varieties. The game is heavily inclined to sneaking, which it does passably, but not well, and being spotted is a common occurrence.

    Weapon selection is limited to three, all of which you gain from the start. Runes can be used to improve them and give attributes, which is a good mechanic that was unfortunately shallow. Damage upgrades are earned in tailored 'proving' quests. Application of these weapons is dictated by skill tree progression. There is a sense of achievement in the skill tree, making you feel like you're gaining strength with each notch, but there is no real versatility. It is obvious what you need, and what you'll upgrade early (ranged attacks are useless, early finishers are essential). If you fail to recognize this, later engagements become terribly long suffered and some downright impossible.

    Overland travel is limited, stunted and slow. An early game upgrade allows short dashes to be activated by leapfrogging rocks to get you where you need to be (yes, you read that right). Talion climbs well enough, but you'll begin to notice very clear passages and footholds to starkly defined second and third floors, which lifts the veil on what you considered to be a clever entry point.

    Enemies are varied, and kill animations are numerous. But SOM also sadly illustrates a very good idea gone wrong in a very thoughtless way: Immunities. Some Orc captains are immune to numerous damage types. You can't sneak stab, can't use arrows for headshots, etc. The problem is, instead of improving the actual fighting mechanics or skill of these tougher orcs, the game simply adds immunities. This is a broken mechanic, and once more forces a bottleneck. In addition, when an opponent can only be killed by aerial takedown, but the nearest chest high wall is four miles away, I can't exactly invite him with a phonecall. Resistances, not immunites, would've been the step back that completely fixed this issue.

    The story is shamefully weak for a Tolkien inspired game. Character roster is limited to about a dozen (including NPCs, excluding the procedurally generated orcs), and though these few are well realized (never let it be said the game lacks polish on character models) their backdrops, being the environments you find yourself in, are bland and feel very samey. It is understandable that the world has been ravaged, but that's not much of an excuse for the barren nature of it. You get the feeling that you're one of the last men on earth, and not in a good heroic ascension kind of way. As a character, Talion is strong and virtuous, but also very flat. There's no progression to his grief. And grief this man has (should have) much of.

    Lastly, the nemesis system is essentially pokemon without visual battles, gyms or a final boss. Before you're sold on the hype and bootlicking, know that there are no benefits to 'finishing' it. It's a collect-a-thon with no payout. And with Talion's abysmal walking speed, intervening when necessary to advance your chosen orc becomes a case of racing to keep in-game appointments you're essentially setting for yourself.

    I didn't enjoy SOM. It could've been much more and I think a lot of the love for it stems from the want for the old days of the intense LoTR games. But it isn't those games, and for an open world, it's surprisingly devoid of content. Everything is essential to your quest in becoming the greatest orc murderer there ever was, save for one or two Gollum missions added to break up the monotony. This is a shame, because it makes the world feel very dead.

    I can only conclude that many reviewers here seem to have been raised on less than excellent value, game wise, to give such shining reviews. Don't get me wrong, it's okay for it to not be good, to enjoy a game for inherent elements that appeal to you. But objectivity is vital to improvement. And improvement, in the case of SOM, is a necessity if games that follow it are to rise above this    … Expand
  3. hypernewbie
    Aug 27, 2017
    0
    The fact that this is actually game of the year reflects the sad, sad, sad state of the games industry, its a bloody joke. I agree that this should be game of the year, but the game of the year scores 0.

    The combat is **** complete nonsense. Swords don't work that way. 1v1 or 1v3 is pretty fun, and it looks like the entire kit is built around dispatching 3-4 groups of enemies. When do    The fact that this is actually game of the year reflects the sad, sad, sad state of the games industry, its a bloody joke. I agree that this should be game of the year, but the game of the year scores 0.

    The combat is **** complete nonsense. Swords don't work that way. 1v1 or 1v3 is pretty fun, and it looks like the entire kit is built around dispatching 3-4 groups of enemies. When do you EVER fight 3-4 groups of enemies in the game? 1% of the time. Almost never.

    It takes bloody ages to pick up your powerup in power struggles, and you have to do it or else 5000000000000000 other captains just happen to drive by. I've started a power struggle that went for 50 minutes straight because enemy captains just kept pouring in endlessly and endlessly and endlessly surrounded by more guys than dynasty warriors. I JUST WANT TO PICK UP MY DAMN LOOT FROM THE COUNTLESS I KILLED, GOD DAMN STOP SENDING IN ENEMIES.

    It's a set of finely combat mechanics that doesn't bloody work with each other. It's like someone made a very good car chassis and a very good engine but the engine has no hope of ever fitting in the chassis, so they just glued the two together. This is bad game design.    … Expand
  4. Irul
    Nov 1, 2014
    1
    Wow, this game is so boring. At the start it seems promissing. Impressive animation and nice graphics. After a few missions it turns so repetitive that u do not even have fun anymore. Just smash buttons until you get tired of it. Very repititive. Will not finish the game, prefer to replay other games than finish this one.
  5. Resuaicata
    Dec 1, 2016
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. How do I start this off... Simply don't buy it. I've spent 6 hours playing the game so far and I find the gaming boring/disinteresting.

    Here is why, I've played WAY better games with a very similar set up. If you want an awesome game with similar game mechanics but with a more interesting story/more in depth gameplay, I recommend picking up Assassins Creed 2&3.

    Now to why I find this game boring, other than it being a poorly executed "Copy" of the Assassins Creed franchise it has very little to offer. ***SPOILERS AHEAD**** The game literally starts you off trying VERY hard to get you to care about a wife/child you barely have 10 minutes with and then brutally murders them infront of you. After that you are thrown into a "Free world" crawling with Orcs or "Orruks". Now the trailers may seem "Awesome" but in reality you end up in almost non stop Mob fights with laser accurate archers killing you constantly. The game (Much like Assassins creed) has a stealth system, but it sucks. You basically jump bush to bush hoping a random orc in the middle of nowhere spots you to avoid the "Mob" battle that will ensue if he does.

    Also enjoy creating MULTIPLE bosses from dying to mob attacks that you can't escape from. You basically mash the "SQUARE" button all through out the fight, constantly having to tap Triangle to block, and occasionally pulling off executions. Again this is exactly how Assassins Creed works so I have to draw comparisons here but this game tries to be like AC but it fails miserably with a clunky system.

    I honestly can't comprehend how this game got such good reviews when there are other games out there that just do it "Better". Save your money or try the two games I recommended at the start. This game is just frustration packaged in Lord of the Rings.    … Expand
  6. Tru3_Canad1an
    Feb 6, 2021
    0
    **** you WB games **** you WB games **** you WB games **** you WB games **** you WB games **** you WB games **** you WB games
  7. MyRaceIsDoctor
    Oct 10, 2014
    3
    visuals are nice and sometimes this game has epic moments where the fall of the game starts is the combat. its boring , reptive and really ruins the atmosphere of the game. the game is way to easy after a hour and a half the game is pretty much a cake walk and there is no difficulty slider which it needs cause its just to easy. the last boss battle last 30 seconds and is just a few quickvisuals are nice and sometimes this game has epic moments where the fall of the game starts is the combat. its boring , reptive and really ruins the atmosphere of the game. the game is way to easy after a hour and a half the game is pretty much a cake walk and there is no difficulty slider which it needs cause its just to easy. the last boss battle last 30 seconds and is just a few quick time events which was extremely unforgivable after all the tension and ready to seek your revenge its a joke. i am glad i rented this because i got to say i was very disappointed. many orcs durring the times when you lead your army just seem ghost out and stand around when they are suppose to be killing other orcs which kills it for me since i was looking most forward to this game play element.… Expand
  8. TheWillydog
    Oct 17, 2014
    2
    I bought this game because it got such a high rating and I saw the words RPG and ADVENTURE in a review, I got bored of this game very quickly, fighting mechanics were familiar and gameplay felt repetitive. Kill orc, kill orc, kill orc, no roleplaying or adventure, just find an orc and slash.... repeat over and over.
    I took the game back to EB games a day later for a refund and I haven't    I bought this game because it got such a high rating and I saw the words RPG and ADVENTURE in a review, I got bored of this game very quickly, fighting mechanics were familiar and gameplay felt repetitive. Kill orc, kill orc, kill orc, no roleplaying or adventure, just find an orc and slash.... repeat over and over.
    I took the game back to EB games a day later for a refund and I haven't done that in years.
    I suggest you hire before you buy if you're looking for an rpg or adventure because this is just button mashing action.    … Expand
  9. AhmayVee
    Feb 22, 2016
    3
    This game has beautiful landscapes and is fun for the first several missions, but then turns into a very frustrating and defeating game. There are WAY too many enemies that spawn and it seems endless. I understand that in order to defeat specific enemies one has to achieve combos, but it becomes impossible with the amount of enemies that spawn. There is no real direction to the game. YouThis game has beautiful landscapes and is fun for the first several missions, but then turns into a very frustrating and defeating game. There are WAY too many enemies that spawn and it seems endless. I understand that in order to defeat specific enemies one has to achieve combos, but it becomes impossible with the amount of enemies that spawn. There is no real direction to the game. You are thrown into the world with too many options and every way you turn from the very beginning it seems that you are over matched and enemies are too strong. The mechanics are okay and the games explains moves well, but the game is overwhelming with the amount of enemies and small space on the map. This game turned from potentially fun to way too frustrating to finish.… Expand
  10. Spedtastic
    Oct 6, 2017
    0
    Boring, sub par graphics, dreadful story, grindy nature, repetitive and houses Microtransactions/loot chests. Its soo generic it hurts, another triple A game found in the bargain bin in a few months.
  11. John5417
    Sep 30, 2014
    1
    This game does a great inspiration to many other games and put on your hands a unique experience. I can say it's a revolution in gameplay. Future games, as ACUnity, will have to do better or equivalent to hitting the feet of SoM. A masterpiece. And it's not an exclusive! 10
  12. HarrySound
    Oct 27, 2014
    4
    This game is dull as dishwater.
    I bought it based on the positive reviews. It really IS Assassins Creed with Batman combat and the open world zone clearing of Viking.
    Movement is laggy , combat is button mashy , animation heavy and also laggy. Graphics are polished last gen era. Voice acting is the same old tired pompus english accents from London (oliver twist/orcs) , the Palace    This game is dull as dishwater.
    I bought it based on the positive reviews. It really IS Assassins Creed with Batman combat and the open world zone clearing of Viking.
    Movement is laggy , combat is button mashy , animation heavy and also laggy.
    Graphics are polished last gen era.
    Voice acting is the same old tired pompus english accents from London (oliver twist/orcs) , the Palace (posh) and the Farm (summerset).    … Expand
  13. jedi5diah
    Jan 4, 2015
    3
    Going past the hype and many so called "true, unpaid reviewers" recommended this game i went ahead to try it. i couldn't believe that anyone could actually complete this game. its extremely repetitive since the very beginning, esp the raved nemesis system. it just pops out anywhere and everywhere interrupting and was extremely irritating. Making the system redundant to have any realGoing past the hype and many so called "true, unpaid reviewers" recommended this game i went ahead to try it. i couldn't believe that anyone could actually complete this game. its extremely repetitive since the very beginning, esp the raved nemesis system. it just pops out anywhere and everywhere interrupting and was extremely irritating. Making the system redundant to have any real meaning because another one will spawn over n over again.

    Graphics
    Seriously just a better old gen version. it just look like any other game i played on PS3 esp on big led tv it just look pathetic.

    Art Direction
    its LOTR well, there's anything fresh or interesting anymore. so where are your companions? A ghostly elf is not!

    Gameplay
    i have no idea that pple can actually enjoy this, i cannot fathom. they simply swarm you with enemies and pops out a captain out of nowhere and one hit you again n again n again...    … Expand
  14. Kraft
    Oct 29, 2014
    1
    The graphics are nice, but the gameplay and the story are **** I don't think anyone has ever done sword-based combat well though. This game amounts to brief intervals of street fighter style mouse button mashing in between a ****load of long stupid cutscenes.
  15. Exilionus
    Dec 16, 2017
    0
    Not really sure what all praise is about with this game its complete trash. It’s unplayable because the camera will make you nauseated, it’s the same enemies and its the same area design throughout the game. It’s just one big hub not really an open world in my opinion, takes you literally less than a minute to run on the other side. It’s more like an arena... rather than an open worldNot really sure what all praise is about with this game its complete trash. It’s unplayable because the camera will make you nauseated, it’s the same enemies and its the same area design throughout the game. It’s just one big hub not really an open world in my opinion, takes you literally less than a minute to run on the other side. It’s more like an arena... rather than an open world with out any different locations to see.
    It doesnt feel completed, the world is empty devoid of anything interesting to see. The terrain looks like dinosaur poop and you’re surrounded by it all the time. The X button is used fore everything, running, dashing, jumping... Which creates a huge problem when trying to get away from enemies. Physics in this game doesnt exist... Almost nothing in the world gets destroyed by your arrow grenades or your weapons.
    Lets go back to the camera, you’re fixed to looking down towards the horizon. When trying to look around especially while running the camera wobbles instead of making a smooth transition. As you begin to run the camera centers itself on your character. A horrible design and concept... The fov is horrendous as well.
    The game is boring... It’s the same moves over and over again; granted you get special moves but they’re really not eye candy. Then theres this nemesis thing, I could care less abou it. The story is interesting and pretty gory. The voice acting is spite on and the fighting is crisp but the camera makes it nearly impossible to enjoy it.
    Stealth in this game is a big part of the game which can be stressful. We play games to have fun not take a lecture every five minutes on what to press. My God does this game have so many tutorial tips... The worst part you can disable it doing so and you’ll have no idea what to do or how to handle yourself. If you can put up with the camera great, but just a warning it’s not really open world and its the same boring bosses with different aesthetics. Still waiting for a good lots game, just seems its never going to happen.    … Expand
  16. AylanChaos
    Jan 5, 2015
    4
    I really wanted this game to be good. I tried playing it on three different occasions (thinking it was just me), but each time I played it - the game went completely flat after a couple of hours.

    The gameplay mechanics are downright ripped off from Assassin's Creed and Batman Arkam - yet they aren't done as well. The open world could not be more boring and disappointing. In the end,    I really wanted this game to be good. I tried playing it on three different occasions (thinking it was just me), but each time I played it - the game went completely flat after a couple of hours.

    The gameplay mechanics are downright ripped off from Assassin's Creed and Batman Arkam - yet they aren't done as well. The open world could not be more boring and disappointing. In the end, this is a fighting game disguised as an open world adventure.

    At it's very best, it's fun to hit the buttons for an hour to see some cool animations. Without that single component, I would have rated this game a 1. The graphics and sound are last generation polished up with stale overused voice acting. The story, well, there is none. Just an intro cliche revenge setup style cutscene and a "go get em tiger." Everything after that will put you to sleep.

    The gameplay I would only recommend to someone entirely new to the gaming scene or a child who is easily entertained. Every single thing this game does has been done (years ago) and done much better. The nemesis system is a cool concept, but only leads to the same repetitive "kill this guy, kill that guy" scenario.

    My gut told me that this game was going to be iffy, but it got so many good reviews from review sites. IGN gave this garbage a 9.3 and it's what led me to wasting 40 U.S. dollars on a game that I had to force myself to play multiple times only to come to the same conclusion that other negative reviews on metacritic have.

    Ultimately, this is the 2014 version of an old school hack and slash that goes nowhere in the end.    … Expand
  17. 3126235
    Jan 4, 2016
    2
    I have never played a game with such an unfair difficulty (at least not in the ps3/ps4 era). The game is terribly balanced in a way that makes it simply unfair to play. The game map is tiny and the story is incredibly boring
  18. dazerb
    Dec 2, 2014
    0
    Awful.
    Imagine mashing Batman and Assassins but doing it all far worse. Sound is the worst, bad, inconsistent - after guys are dead on the ground and you've walked away, you hear them scream in death. sound never seems to match gameplay.
    Story line is nonexistent. You can only figure out what's going on by reading ALL the little background pieces. the awful "save" moments - even a    Awful.
    Imagine mashing Batman and Assassins but doing it all far worse. Sound is the worst, bad, inconsistent - after guys are dead on the ground and you've walked away, you hear them scream in death. sound never seems to match gameplay.
    Story line is nonexistent. You can only figure out what's going on by reading ALL the little background pieces.
    the awful "save" moments - even a quick look at the map takes 10-15s to get into the map and another 10-15 s to get OUT of the map. You really have to decide how much time you want to stare at a black screen to review boss weaknesses.
    the 'nod' toward strategy play is about a complete farce.
    graphics are really bad. FAR worse than Bman or Assa, I get the limitations of open environment, but you never even get visual 'treat' in the lame cut scenes.
    My game froze several times over the weekend mid - mission, causing me to have to reboot and lose progress.
    The overall play is repetive and boring. After fooling with it a lot over the holiday, I am bored and don't care if I pick it up again.
    I feel like a fool for paying $59.99 for this TURD! Maybe I can sell the game now and get some $ back for ANYTHING else!    … Expand
  19. angryelves
    Oct 3, 2014
    2
    Talk about boring, all you do is kill orcs. Granted, the style of hunting orcs and taking them down is pretty cool. But after awhile of killing orc after orc, the game becomes very rote, and a game cannot survive long on one thing. The nemesis system is a good idea, but poorly implemented; the leveling up orc captains do not significantly contribute to Talion's story. Speaking of story...Talk about boring, all you do is kill orcs. Granted, the style of hunting orcs and taking them down is pretty cool. But after awhile of killing orc after orc, the game becomes very rote, and a game cannot survive long on one thing. The nemesis system is a good idea, but poorly implemented; the leveling up orc captains do not significantly contribute to Talion's story. Speaking of story... Shadow of Mordor lacks a bit in that department. Gladiator-like, the story seems unoriginal, and tired.

    This is a Batman combat feel with Assassin's Creed type of stalking. Definitely a rental, not a purchase type of game. Only rabid LOTR video game fans will appreciate this one for long.    … Expand
  20. vousje
    Oct 4, 2014
    0
    My hand is broken after playing nightmare joyless button smasher. Story is very bad. Lifeless battle system. Worst of batman and assassins creed. Why bother.
  21. Fartahontas
    Oct 5, 2014
    4
    Try to press X,triangle,O,and square at the same time, three of the four shoulder buttons, and coordinate both sticks at the same time. Got it? Now, run while doing that with the camera facing a direction other than the one in which you are running. Next, get killed and you pretty much have this game in a nutshell.
  22. AlexMaTePblu
    Sep 30, 2014
    4
    So if you were wondering what will happen if you blend Assassin's Creed and Batman together,this is the game for you.

    The story is basically non existent,typical revenge plot. Nemesis system is interesting in some ways,but became boring after like an hour,80% of the encounters with the captains/warchiefs are basically the same,some can just be killed faster. The gameplay...oh my    So if you were wondering what will happen if you blend Assassin's Creed and Batman together,this is the game for you.

    The story is basically non existent,typical revenge plot.

    Nemesis system is interesting in some ways,but became boring after like an hour,80% of the encounters with the captains/warchiefs are basically the same,some can just be killed faster.

    The gameplay...oh my **** god,it took me like 15 minutes to realise that the game is basically a Batman game,but with different visuals.EVEN THE KEY BINDINGS ARE THE SAME.I mean,wow...that is some lazy **** type of gameplay obviously was great in batman and worked there,but THIS is a fantasy "roleplaying"(yeah right) game in which there's so much enemies,and you choose to go with attacks from batman?Non targeting system would be fine in this,but this is just retarded copy

    Plus there is a parkour ,it's basically "assassin's creed type" of parkour,just a little bit faster.

    Game promised more that it could handled,i mean even if something is not that bad ...it's just average,no more - no less

    **** this game    … Expand
  23. SomeHooligan
    Oct 7, 2014
    4
    This game offers no real challenge to the player at all beyond the first ten minutes of learning the game mechanics. The Arkham Asylum type fighting system is really the worst possible choice they could have picked as it turns the whole game into a rhythmic quick-time event. Only one enemy attacks you at any given time even if you are surrounded, the rest stand around and wait their turnThis game offers no real challenge to the player at all beyond the first ten minutes of learning the game mechanics. The Arkham Asylum type fighting system is really the worst possible choice they could have picked as it turns the whole game into a rhythmic quick-time event. Only one enemy attacks you at any given time even if you are surrounded, the rest stand around and wait their turn like a bad kung fu movie. If you do find yourself somehow losing a fight (maybe you weren't paying attention or dropped your controller) you can simply just vault over all the enemies, and run up the face of a mountain to safety.

    Graphics and animation were nicely done, but seeing how this is 2014 this is hardly a compliment anymore in the gaming industry.    … Expand
  24. velvetmeds
    Oct 12, 2014
    0
    This game is incredibly overrated, wtf are reviewers and users thinking? The game has good fighting/combat, though even that is entirely ripped off of Batman Arkham (which still does it better than this game), everything else is a yawn fest. Bland, empty, lifeless open world which is a chore to travel through, boring story, lots of useless padding of the kind that you find in many UbisoftThis game is incredibly overrated, wtf are reviewers and users thinking? The game has good fighting/combat, though even that is entirely ripped off of Batman Arkham (which still does it better than this game), everything else is a yawn fest. Bland, empty, lifeless open world which is a chore to travel through, boring story, lots of useless padding of the kind that you find in many Ubisoft games... damn. This game would have been a lot better with a more tight, focused experience instead of trying to do many things and artificially increasing play time. But i guess this is what gamers want nowadays, doesn't matter if it's boring or not, they just want it to take hours to play through. Quantity over quality mentality...which i disagree with.… Expand
  25. countyourmacros
    Oct 6, 2014
    1
    Do not be FOOLED BY WARNER BROS PR TEAM who is clearly paying "users" to go and review this game positively.

    This is average at best. It's like the deformed love (hate) child of Assassin's Creed and Ryse. So incredibly boring. It takes FOREVER to kill an average Uruk or Orc, and more often than not you're stuck sneaking around. Nobody wants a LOTR games where you're stuck sneaking around.
  26. noobishka
    Oct 3, 2014
    1
    This game is disgraceful, it truly is very poor. Combat is dull and the free roaming has almost no joy in it. I wish I regain the hours i wasted on this excuse of a game.
  27. BlackNastyyy
    Oct 7, 2014
    4
    As much as I wanted to believe it wasn't going to be an Assassin's Creed clone, it turned out to just be Assassin's Creed 2 re-skinned with unimportant Lord of the Rings characters...

    Another hyped up disappointment in the year of 2014.
  28. DarthPreamp
    Oct 6, 2014
    4
    I haven't played a more broken game since Two Worlds. YIKES! Which is too bad, because there is an great game trapped inside a mess of development and testing.
  29. spyderdeman
    Oct 6, 2014
    0
    A copy of Assassin!

    Hackneyed plot, primitive fighting system, horrible management, and a complete lack of RPGs...

    P. S. Unable to play more than 20 minutes
  30. hiddenpheonix
    Oct 3, 2014
    0
    Right now, the game is broken. Bugs are huge and ridiculous.
    1) Auto save so if you screw up, they win by becoming more powerful and that's permanent. Enemies become invulnerable to your every attack unless certain circumstances line up just right in a highly unlikely way. And those invulnerable will have all the missions include them so the game gets stuck.
    2) Complex Quick time event,    Right now, the game is broken. Bugs are huge and ridiculous.
    1) Auto save so if you screw up, they win by becoming more powerful and that's permanent. Enemies become invulnerable to your every attack unless certain circumstances line up just right in a highly unlikely way. And those invulnerable will have all the missions include them so the game gets stuck.
    2) Complex Quick time event, which is horrible to begin with, pop up behind the interface so even if you manage to get the the circles lined up, half the time you have no clue what button to it because of course that changes too.
    3) 48 hours past game launch and still no prepurchase bonuses patched in to the game.
    4) walk near a wall, get stuck on that wall
    5)two hit kill enemies are everywhere
    6) nothing fixed or choice, everything is random like diablo loot
    7) Tiny map, like a GTA opening world
    Save your money.    … Expand
  31. devils3way
    Apr 7, 2015
    0
    Worst game ever made for this amount of money! If your going to spend a million dollars to produce a game give it a story to follow.Any story like the last of us or fallout not this running around with a sword god of war crap. Nobody want to play the same fight scene over and over! MY MONEY BACK PLEASE?
  32. dyrankun
    Oct 26, 2014
    4
    Not very impressed by this game. I usually don't give games poor reviews but I'm just not thrilled by it. In fact, I find myself forcing myself (unsuccessfully) to play just to try and get my moneys worth. I will say this however. Much of this is my own fault, for not looking into what the game actually was before I purchased it. I saw a new LOTR game with decent ratings, had someNot very impressed by this game. I usually don't give games poor reviews but I'm just not thrilled by it. In fact, I find myself forcing myself (unsuccessfully) to play just to try and get my moneys worth. I will say this however. Much of this is my own fault, for not looking into what the game actually was before I purchased it. I saw a new LOTR game with decent ratings, had some extra money to spend, and bought it on a whim. I was very disappointed by the fact that the entire game takes place in Mordor. Yes, I know, the game title should have been a dead give away, but I didn't honestly think you could make a LOTR game all within the land of mordor. What a shame. I read "Open world". Cool! I can finally play a LOTR game and go visit all those fond locations! nope. The environment is about what you would expect. It's not that it looks bad, its just that it becomes very dull, very fast. Everything looks the same after 10 minutes of play. Everything plays the same within 10 minutes as well. There's just no cohesion. I feel as if I'm running around in circles, from one quest marker to the next (enough with the quest marker formula already). It doesn't feel like I`m getting anywhere. I would say that open world is not my thing, except that TESO games are some of my absolute favorites, so that argument doesn`t stand. The combat is pretty dull in my opinion. hack hack hack, counter, hack, groundkill, rinse and repeat. There are so many enemies everywhere that even stealth stalking just feels insignificant. Oh cool, I stealth killed an orc, too bad theres 50 more in every direction I look. Just takes away from the impact of putting the effort in to stay in stealth, which by the way, you pretty much are forced to do when running anywhere. I don`t know, I could go on, but really, I feel like I`ve wasted enough time and money in this game. To put the effort in on a review of this game would just contribute to the waste. I bought this as a LOTR fan, hoping that someone finally made a decent LOTR game. How disappointing.… Expand
  33. DrZomboid
    Nov 28, 2016
    2
    Ugly art and poor environment design powered by limited and wild camera behavior. Limitless amount of ork spawn to help a boss. Good idea with nemesis system, but total mess. QTE button mashing fest.
  34. NoiNorac
    Nov 19, 2014
    2
    Don't buy it.

    The gameplay is horrendously lazy and the narrative rapes Tolkien's vision. If you want something to waste time with and don't care about Lord of the Rings, then buy something else.
  35. tiagodantas
    Feb 24, 2015
    4
    Super repetitive! There are not another words to describe this game. You have to be a super patient person to complete it. Even for a Lord of The Rings based game, is dispensable.
  36. GodHades100
    Jun 24, 2016
    4
    Shadow of Mordor is one of the best games i have ever played.Amazing grahpics , gameplay ,action.. Its really amazing BUT this game becomes really boring. I have spent approximately 25 hours playing this game and i seriously dont want to touch it again . The enemies are the same . The only thing you do is killing orks . The world is really small. if you like playing games for maximum 30Shadow of Mordor is one of the best games i have ever played.Amazing grahpics , gameplay ,action.. Its really amazing BUT this game becomes really boring. I have spent approximately 25 hours playing this game and i seriously dont want to touch it again . The enemies are the same . The only thing you do is killing orks . The world is really small. if you like playing games for maximum 30 hours then get it but if you want a game to spend over 30 hours then dont buy thi game… Expand
  37. PsychoShane123
    Feb 15, 2017
    2
    An ugly, boring world with no life or character, a story that's forgettable in every sense and combat you have seen elsewhere. Overrated for its "nemesis" system. .
  38. ItsAllOgre5
    Jul 6, 2017
    3
    I'm so lucky I bought this during a sale when it was like $5. The graphics are nice, but everything else just feels like a crappy version of Batman Arkham. You just hold up as the guy automatically vaults over obstacles, and then there is the braindead combat and constant cutscenes. The game is so shallow, I could not survive 2 hours.
  39. LordMOrion
    Mar 21, 2017
    2
    This is a poor game. The combat is repetitious and the penalty for losing just one boss fight can be massive. The orcs try to have different personalities but they end up all sounding the same. I get the basis of the Nemesis system but its actual implementation in this game feels extremely forced. I'll be honest and say that I really did not enjoy this game, I cannot bring myself to finishThis is a poor game. The combat is repetitious and the penalty for losing just one boss fight can be massive. The orcs try to have different personalities but they end up all sounding the same. I get the basis of the Nemesis system but its actual implementation in this game feels extremely forced. I'll be honest and say that I really did not enjoy this game, I cannot bring myself to finish it. The colour palette just makes me think of an old quarry. Everything is just a chore and I don't find it particularly rewarding.… Expand
  40. GRX3m0m
    Mar 8, 2023
    0
    How can you not add an invert X axis on a 2014 game? While not the majority, the number of gamers who can't play without it is still huge. Fastest 0 rating for a AAA game in my life.
  41. helloicool
    Oct 24, 2022
    0
    I hate to tell you, but this game just sucks. I got so board I quit the game. It is nothing like the Batman games. Batman is a 10.
  42. Derringer
    Dec 27, 2014
    1
    Its a reproachable behavior to buy good reviews for an awful game. This is a copy of Assassins Creed and its not Lord of the Rings anymore. They Ignore the Whole Story. I mean its so generic that even any other pseudo-epical plot (like narnia or hunger games, i dont know) will work with the same game mechanic. And one more thing: Its not an Open World Game anymore when the only thingIts a reproachable behavior to buy good reviews for an awful game. This is a copy of Assassins Creed and its not Lord of the Rings anymore. They Ignore the Whole Story. I mean its so generic that even any other pseudo-epical plot (like narnia or hunger games, i dont know) will work with the same game mechanic. And one more thing: Its not an Open World Game anymore when the only thing available to do is killing orcs and all the environment around you looks the same: Just rock, dust & orcs & rock & dust & orcs.… Expand
  43. that_paulrus
    Jan 12, 2015
    4
    The Nemesis system is a great mechanic but the rest of the game is a big miss for me. The plot is at sub-Destiny levels, and the main story can be finished in about 6 hours without rushing. The small supporting cast is comprised of throw-away stereotypes and although Troy Baker is always good, Talion is just another boring white bread protagonist. Others have mentioned camera issues,The Nemesis system is a great mechanic but the rest of the game is a big miss for me. The plot is at sub-Destiny levels, and the main story can be finished in about 6 hours without rushing. The small supporting cast is comprised of throw-away stereotypes and although Troy Baker is always good, Talion is just another boring white bread protagonist. Others have mentioned camera issues, which I also agree with. The combat is deeply unsatisfying and devolves into a button masher pretty quickly. Ranged combat can be fun but is overpowered, and the stealth mechanic is horribly broken; most of the time you can "stealth" kill an enemy right in front of their pals and no one notices. I played this directly after finishing DA:I and the entirety of the SoM area is about the size of the starting area in DA:I.

    The problem for me is that there's nothing to do once you beat the very short "story." Running from stronghold to stronghold fighting the same two enemy types by button mashing gets old quickly, especially given the insane respawn rate of enemies after you clear an area out. Picked it up at a good discount so it was still worth the money, but overall this is a forgettable, mediocre experience hiding behind its fun Nemesis system.    … Expand
  44. avirius
    Feb 10, 2015
    2
    This game is like so many other pretty things: it looks nice but that's the only good thing you can say.

    The Controls) The controls for this game are without doubt the most atrocious, ill-conceived random mishmash of nonsense that I have ever seen in a game. Button definitions are contextual, nothing new there, but the context changes so often that there is no way to memorize the    This game is like so many other pretty things: it looks nice but that's the only good thing you can say.

    The Controls)

    The controls for this game are without doubt the most atrocious, ill-conceived random mishmash of nonsense that I have ever seen in a game. Button definitions are contextual, nothing new there, but the context changes so often that there is no way to memorize the controls. The Square attacks, but if you hold down the stealth and tap some other button then it drops down from a ledge. I count 15 button type controls on my PS4 stick, not counting the system control/option buttons. As a game designer, if you have to resort to 3 button combinations to achieve your goals then you need to step back and reconsider your mappings and whether this game is really going to be playable.

    I can't stress this enough. This game is so complicated to play that I just eject the disc after 10 minutes or so and put it away for another month hopping it will improve with age. It doesn't.

    The Gameplay)

    Poor control layout aside, the game does look very nice which just serves to antagonize me since I know I will never see very much of it. So far, I have seen Orcs, slaves, and some cat-like thing. The Orcs are easy enough to fight in 1s and 2s but they tend to come in packs once you get them riled up. Good luck there. My ranger gets beaten nearly to death (probably since I can't remember to R1+tap R2 while pressing X or some nonsense) and then the game pauses momentarily to give me some chance to do something. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do but it draws a circle on the screen and puts an arrow and I think it wants me to do something with the left or right stick. Who knows. I see that a lot and it's my warning that I'm going to die in about 5 seconds. Time to get a sandwich and wait for the silly Nemesis system to promote and Orc. I read a lot about what a wonderful thing the nemesis system is. Maybe, but I see a lot of Orcs getting promoted (read more powerful) and I don't seem to be getting any better with these game mechanics.

    The camera and the stealth (and the camera while stealthed) are also troubling. The camera wants to re-center as I move and I find myself constantly fighting with he right stick. This has the effect of making the movement a little sickening around corners and it makes the game feel numb. That's a shame but wouldn't keep me from playing the game.

    Stealth is darned handy but darned difficult to maintain. You have to hold down a button constantly to stealth. Wow, who thought that was a good idea. Stealth is a necessity in this game since the wild array of randomly assigned controls is useless, kills mostly come from sneaking up on something and hitting it. So I stealth a lot. However, to stay stealthed, you must hold down R2 (I think it's R2) all the time. That's amazing, though in a very bad way.

    The Story)

    Honestly, I can't say much about the story. I can't get far enough into the game to really know if there is a story or not. I'm playing in Story Mode, though I don't know if there is a free exploration mode or not. Regardless, all I have seen are Orcs, slaves, and cat-like things.

    Conclusion)

    I've played games with marginal graphics and great controls that were fun but I can't say that I have ever played a game with great graphics and poor controls that was anything but a waste of money and time. Shadow of Mordor is a fine example of a pretty game with ill-thought, poorly implemented controls.

    Don't waste your time or your money unless your idea of a fun game is figuring out esoteric controls that are nearly impossible to remember and require vast dexterity (think hold down two buttons while tapping a third).    … Expand
  45. 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.
  46. Can170
    Dec 4, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Only good thing about this game is the combat system. However, I quit playing at the end of first hour. I hated the story. Basically, you are in Mordor, full of orcs and uruk-hais, trying to go mission to mission. The game wants you to move like an assassin in some points but the atmosphere doesn't allow. You are in Mordor, if they notice you, suddenly maybe 15 orc comes. It is annoying. Your movement capacity is so limited. You can't just climb over a rock. There are certain things you can climb. Instead of having a good time, I felt stressed when I was playing. The character starts the game very weak.… Expand
  47. 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
  48. Dibalin
    Oct 24, 2021
    0
    Отсутствует полная русская локализация. Нет озвучки!
  49. gamer664
    Apr 23, 2023
    0
    What is the point of stealth when enemies instantly respawn after you walked only 10 feet away lol. Terrible game design.
  50. pawlu
    May 18, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. QUICK TIME EVENT COMO ÚLTIMO BOSS ISSO EH UMA PIADA RUIM RUIM RUIM RUIM QUICK TIME EVENT LAST BOSS QUICK TIME EVENT LAST BOSS



    fun game tho    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PS4 Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2014
5
#5 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 85 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 85
  3. Negative: 0 out of 85
  1. Thunderbolt
    Jun 12, 2015
    90
    For people who are alright with playing fifteen hours or so of Helm’s Deep-style carnage, Shadow of Mordor is a delight – and even for people who couldn’t care less about Lord of the Rings, the exciting combat and unique Nemesis System are more than enough to make the experience worthwhile.
    Read full review
  2. The Digital Fix
    Dec 24, 2014
    90
    As a gamer you owe it to yourself to experience Shadow of Mordor if not for anything else other than the Nemesis system because playing a single-player game never made you feel less alone.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Dec 13, 2014
    75
    Batman’s Creed: Shadow of Mordor – Monolith’s inspirations are so obvious that you could call their game a rip-off. Its greatest sin though is the fact that it fails to vary gameplay the way Assassin’s Creed or Batman do and offers almost nothing apart from killing stuff and playing with the Nemesis system (which, I admit, has its moments). I got so tired with its repetitiveness that I wouldn’t have finished the game if I didn’t have to. [Dec 2014, p.48]
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