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. Jitomate
    Oct 2, 2014
    10
    Gameplay mechanics and combat are finely polished and highly enjoyable. Monolith has managed to capture the LORT world perfectly and paired it with Batman AC like gameplay. This is a must play if you're a fan of either, but the game stands out on it's own regardless if the obvious influences those games had on it. Overall, an amazing game.
  2. Nistrega
    Sep 30, 2014
    10
    Finally we have a LoTR game worthy of many hours of our time! Shadow of Mordor brings free roaming adventure and game changing new features together to make one amazing game. One of those games where you get lost in its mechanics and find yourself putting the story on the back burner. For me that's a good sign of a game with good longevity.

    Nemesis system is great, combat is satisfying    Finally we have a LoTR game worthy of many hours of our time! Shadow of Mordor brings free roaming adventure and game changing new features together to make one amazing game. One of those games where you get lost in its mechanics and find yourself putting the story on the back burner. For me that's a good sign of a game with good longevity.

    Nemesis system is great, combat is satisfying and gory to boot. Story is there but I find myself making my own story to enhance the main one. RPG elements are there. I especially like how the weapons upgrade with ruins you collect off of war chiefs or other notable enemies. Graphics are great. There is not much tediousness that comes with the open world genre. You can fast travel pretty readily conveniently. But this is one of those worlds where I prefer to get lost in and take that short cut threw the woods.

    Even if you are not a fan of Lord of the Rings check this game out. It is an amazing game on its own.
    If you are a die hard Tolkeinite the lore should not be that blasphemous to you either.    … Expand
  3. Zyglroxenon
    Sep 30, 2014
    9
    Ultimately, I think this game is worthy of all the praise that it has received thus far. As a full disclosure, I haven't quite finished the game, but I've finished nearly all of the story missions, and I'm cleaning up some of the side stuff, and I decided to write this while taking a break. So, bar an abysmal ending, this review should hold up.

    RPG Mechanics    Ultimately, I think this game is worthy of all the praise that it has received thus far. As a full disclosure, I haven't quite finished the game, but I've finished nearly all of the story missions, and I'm cleaning up some of the side stuff, and I decided to write this while taking a break. So, bar an abysmal ending, this review should hold up.

    RPG Mechanics
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    The first thing you need to know about this game is that nearly the entire focus of the game is on combat. When it comes to the actual RPG mechanics of this RPG, it's pretty light, honestly. You go about and kill things and find collectibles and etcetera to acquire EXP/currency to upgrade your abilities/weapons and there's also a rune system which are used to augment your character into some more specific roles. From my understanding, what runes you actually acquire from the Orc Captains are pretty random, but the ones I've gotten tend to rely on random chance more than anything else, just straight percentage rolls. Which is ultimately fine, as your character has another means of upgrading, via a skill tree system which actually has a good amount of variety/customisation. It's a tiered system (which makes sense) and the abilities actually impact the way you play the game rather than just provide you with a bunch of passive stuff.

    Combat
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The actual combat in the game is very satisfying, albeit a bit easy. It takes cues from the Batman: Arkham series and just has a kind of freeflow combo system. A lot of games try to emulate this system, and a lot of games fail at this system. This game, fortunately, does the system well. The combat is very fluid and responsive and is generally very accurate. Also, the animation quality of this title is top notch, so moves flow into each other very well and your character looks completely natural while pulling off his extravagant combos. There is also a rudimentary stealth system that is functional, but very basic. You should not play this game in a stealth only approach, and if you do (if it's even possible), you are not very likely to have a lot of fun.

    Story
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The story is pretty serviceable. It hasn't been anything that has been cringeworthy, it feels pretty in place in a Tolkien universe. I've read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I haven't read the other Middle-Earth stuff, but as far as I can tell, the game doesn't really reuse any plot devices from the books and everything feels natural. I've had a lot of fun with the own stories that end up getting created as you play the game via the Nemesis system where you form your own rivalries with orcs and orcs will fight amongst themselves and vie for power. If you get killed by an orc, that orc gets more powerful and becomes your nemesis and you get to go hunt him down for revenge. It creates context to the battles you're fighting and gives the enemies more personality. Also, the voice acting in this game is top notch.

    Technical things
    -----------------------------------------------------
    This game ran at a smooth 60 fps and, as far as I'm aware, didn't dip anywhere. The graphical fidelity is quite good (Full HD res even!), the texture quality was very consistent, and I didn't notice much of anything like texture pop-in, etcetera. The draw distance is quite far as well. In my playthrough, I did not notice any bugs or glitches. Once in a while there was some odd collision detection with the environment as you go for a stealth kill but outside of that, nothing.

    Conclusion
    --------------------------------------
    The game is fun, pure and simple. The Nemesis system is pretty innovative as it allows you to play games in the shadows where you pit orcs against each other. I wanted to talk more about that, but it's kind of hard to put into text, you might want to watch a video that'll give you more detail on that. I recommend TotalBiscuit's video on YouTube.

    I gave this game a 9 because later on in the game, things do start to feel a bit repetitive. Unfortunately, I think that is just something that's inherent to the combat system and the game is very combat focused. Do not buy this game if you do not like the Arkham style combat system. Also, the game won't really present you with much of a challenge, which disappointed me a bit. One other gripe with this game is that there are a couple forced stealth sections, they are few in number but it's, y'know, a slap in the face to player choice and agency.

    When all is said and done though, I quite enjoy this game. It feels in place with Tolkien works and the combat mechanics are responsive, fluid, and fun while adding a bit of innovation to the genre via the Nemesis system. Also, the production values are top notch, truly an AAA title.

    Monolith is back to form.    … Expand
  4. ShortReviews
    Oct 1, 2014
    5
    A creative Nemesis system along with a Batman-ish style combat system which will entertain you for a few hours. However, soon the enjoyment dies down and becomes a repetitive button smasher. Try before buy.
  5. Ondopher
    Sep 30, 2014
    10
    With some issues aside, which I hope will be patched soon, the game stands to its hype. Extremely fun combat, with awesome visuals and not to mention the much loved world setting of Middle-earth, which I'm sure even non-Tolkien fans will rejoice. This is a RPG that I cannot wait to delve further into.
  6. mtlevan
    Sep 30, 2014
    10
    This is a huge Game of the Year contender. I find myself struggling to get sucked into and pull value out of games these days, but I started playing Shadow of Mordor last night and only stopped 11 hours later. I haven't done that since I was in college, and all I can think about is going home later to keep playing. The nemesis system is really incredible. It's the first time I feel likeThis is a huge Game of the Year contender. I find myself struggling to get sucked into and pull value out of games these days, but I started playing Shadow of Mordor last night and only stopped 11 hours later. I haven't done that since I was in college, and all I can think about is going home later to keep playing. The nemesis system is really incredible. It's the first time I feel like someone has truly made a game feel "next-gen" and innovative. Congratulations Monolith - you guys made the LOTR game I've wanted since I was a little kid. I really hope people purchase and support this game.… Expand
  7. GlennGJ
    Sep 30, 2014
    10
    This game is amazing, such a new and refreshing experience!. And also its 60 FPS 1080p! Excellent graphics, gameplay, voice acting, story, music etc. I can't find anything negative about this game so I'll give it a 10/10. Get this game NOW!
  8. PeteStaiv
    Sep 30, 2014
    9
    Easily the best game in Lord of The Rings Universe ever created! Fantastic combat system with top notch animation brings you the enjoyable gameplay experience! Fairly big open world with engaging story and side missions! And the best thing about it, innovative Nemesis system that creates emotional connection to your enemies! MUST BUY
  9. Arsiboy
    Sep 30, 2014
    10
    This is a very very fun game...I was expecting it would turn out to be a 7 rated game but never thought it would turn out 9.5 to 10. Stop reading and play this... your missing out....Ignore the negative reviews from AC fans.....
  10. Figma
    Sep 30, 2014
    9
    Very different from any game I have played before.
    Much more to do other than the main story. Filled with content.
    Graphics are top notch on the ps4.
    Only problem I have with this game is that the game play itself can get a bit repetitive.
  11. goodOctor
    Oct 1, 2014
    6
    VERY REPETITIVE ! Go there, kill enemies, win experience and repeat. Go there, kill enemies win experience and repeat ...

    Combat system stealed from Batman videogame, parkour system stealed form Assasins Creed. Nothing really exiting about nemesis system. The game is ok, wait and buy it for 30 € or less.
  12. 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
  13. aadms
    Oct 15, 2014
    8
    This game does justice to Tolkien's world. Without going into deep narrative, many items are found and characters are met throughout Mordor that tells the Silmarillion up to the events beginning The Lord of the Ring. The characters aren't top-notch realistic, yet the graphics, animation look great, especially in 1080p. The combat is more like Batman than like AC, although it does borrowThis game does justice to Tolkien's world. Without going into deep narrative, many items are found and characters are met throughout Mordor that tells the Silmarillion up to the events beginning The Lord of the Ring. The characters aren't top-notch realistic, yet the graphics, animation look great, especially in 1080p. The combat is more like Batman than like AC, although it does borrow AC's scaling walls as well as the rooftop strikes, but you level up your combat combos and skills like the Batman Arkham games. But, this game goes beyond what Batman offers in the combat scheme as the addition of "Wraith" skills makes combat something incredible to see once you get all the nuances down. The "nemesis" system is an awesome innovation that I would love to see more open world games utilize. I found myself getting caught up more in cleaning out orc strongholds and bending a makeshift army to my will, then searching out the story line in this open world. Sadly, while there is an emotional charged story, with both Tailon and Celebrimbor as your duel protagonists, it never really comes across compelling enough to get caught up in. Such as shame, because the voice acting and animations are very well done. And the last sad thing about this game is the final end battles with Sauron's servants that were very anti-climatically done. Think Tomb Raiders last game disappointing boss battle. But even with those issues, I found myself engrossed in the world of Mordor and quite a willing participant to rid Middle Earth of orcs in flourishing style.… Expand
  14. ToFewViews
    Nov 26, 2014
    7
    Lord of the Rings hasn't released a game in awhile so, We have "Middle-Earth:Shadow Of Mordor" to keep it all going. Shadow of Mordor has the same game engine as the Batman Arkham series so it will feel very familiar to some people. The game throws tons of enemas at you at once and gives you some fun and flashy moves to use in slaughtering your foes. The story is alright, It's nothingLord of the Rings hasn't released a game in awhile so, We have "Middle-Earth:Shadow Of Mordor" to keep it all going. Shadow of Mordor has the same game engine as the Batman Arkham series so it will feel very familiar to some people. The game throws tons of enemas at you at once and gives you some fun and flashy moves to use in slaughtering your foes. The story is alright, It's nothing amazing but keeps you interested.There was a very interesting system of Generals/Warchief you assassinate and progress through. On PS4 the game looks quite nice, big open spaces with tons of destruction and up close things don't lose there beauty. The addition of a Photo Mode in game is also nice,It give's people the ability to capture amazing kills.
    At launch the game had a few bugs but with a couple updates released it's smoothed out the game-play a lot. If you enjoyed the Batman games or the Lord of the Rings Universe you'll find this game quite enjoyable with it's fast paced and brutal combat.    … Expand
  15. Mosh603
    Nov 10, 2014
    8
    PROS:
    -The storyline is decent and entertaining
    -Fair amount of depth in the area of upgrading your character, not a massive amount but it still is challenging to upgrade your character fully -I enjoyed many aspects of the game's engine. I liked how characters would remember you, and certain specifics about the battle -The graphics looked decent -Good amount of game time. I've put 20    PROS:
    -The storyline is decent and entertaining
    -Fair amount of depth in the area of upgrading your character, not a massive amount but it still is challenging to upgrade your character fully
    -I enjoyed many aspects of the game's engine. I liked how characters would remember you, and certain specifics about the battle
    -The graphics looked decent
    -Good amount of game time. I've put 20 hours in and am only 50% complete

    CONS
    -Warner Bros knocked off Assassin's Creed in many ways and mixed it with their Batman games
    -The combat system lacks depth and is repetitive. It is a button masher for sure. All you do is hit Square and occasionally triangle
    -Some of the special moves were clunky to use
    -The main character could be more entertaining and have some more depth to him
    -Only 3 weapons
    -Some enemies take too many hits, especially in the beginning.
    -The camera is not good. It moves too much and is can be in the wrong position
    -The climbing can sometimes be inaccurate and frustrating

    Overall, I would recommend this game.    … Expand
  16. djrussell
    Oct 19, 2014
    9
    I really enjoyed this game, its everything I hoped it would be when first seeing it. The gameplay is reminiscent of Assassins Creed (free-roam, free-climbing) and Batman Arkham Asylum (combat), but it very much feels different. Even when you're completely leveled up its still possible to swamped by so many Orcs that even as a badass ranger you never truly feel safe in Mordor, this isI really enjoyed this game, its everything I hoped it would be when first seeing it. The gameplay is reminiscent of Assassins Creed (free-roam, free-climbing) and Batman Arkham Asylum (combat), but it very much feels different. Even when you're completely leveled up its still possible to swamped by so many Orcs that even as a badass ranger you never truly feel safe in Mordor, this is especially true at the beginning of the game. The story was also really good as well, although at times it felt a bit thrown together (you can approach certain missions in whatever order you want, so branching side-stories can feel lost in the overall narrative). My only major gripe is that after the campaign is finished the side missions (archer, sword, dagger and outcast missions) dont have enough variety to sustain 5-10hrs of grinding. It would have been good if cut-scene side-missions were available or the side-missions already in place had more variety and better objectives.… Expand
  17. Glenaldo
    Sep 8, 2015
    6
    Something's missing. This game is all about combat and it's very repetitive. It's not bad but I got tired really quick (didn't finish). Also, reading other reviews made me think graphics were incredible. They are not.
  18. goliva
    Nov 5, 2014
    9
    When you spend 70 bucks on a game, the least you should expect is a master piece like this. SoM has an awesome setting, the best integration between movie scenes and in game content I have ever seen and a vast beautiful open world to explore finding some random stuff to do the same way you could find it in Red Dead Redemption but with a strong influence from Batman Arkham series andWhen you spend 70 bucks on a game, the least you should expect is a master piece like this. SoM has an awesome setting, the best integration between movie scenes and in game content I have ever seen and a vast beautiful open world to explore finding some random stuff to do the same way you could find it in Red Dead Redemption but with a strong influence from Batman Arkham series and Assassin's Creed series. I don't like Lord of the Rings lore... I even hated it, but if you like epic games and Orcs (specially killing them) you won't be able to stop playing this. Also there are lots of collectibles and additions to complete. One of the most interesting things is also the way Sauron's army has its own living hierarchy. For an instance, if you die at the hands of an Orc boss, he will be rewarded with a higher Rank and you will see this in a screen that shows the current army's status, but also other Orcs can kill between them or the recently upgraded ones, taking their ranks. These things make them more powerfull, and is fun to find one who killed you in past again, and get revenge when he is suposed to be more powerfull and brags about thart fact. Also, there are many different ways to kill your enemies or create distractions... to mention one, you can just stay at distance and shot arows to free jailed beasts, and watch how they eat them all... or also runaway to avoid been eaten too! Brilliant!… Expand
  19. KarolosPR
    Oct 7, 2014
    10
    Taking into consideration some of the other major reviews, for example "IGN" and "GameSpot", I have to agree that the campaign, even though it is interesting to experience since it involves more of the lore of "Middle Earth", it is not the game's strongest factor/component. That does not necessarily mean that it disappoints, but that it leaves you wanting more. You get this feeling thatTaking into consideration some of the other major reviews, for example "IGN" and "GameSpot", I have to agree that the campaign, even though it is interesting to experience since it involves more of the lore of "Middle Earth", it is not the game's strongest factor/component. That does not necessarily mean that it disappoints, but that it leaves you wanting more. You get this feeling that the main story messes up what you already know from either the books or the movies (most common). My personal "Story" score would be a 7 or 8 out of 10. Of course, this game received good critic from major reviewers for a reason, and that reason is everything else excluding the "Main Story" of the game. This includes the fantastic gameplay with your epic sword, your ghostly bow, and finally your brutal stealthy dagger. Even more fun are the abilities that you have from being a "Wraith" where you are tremendously fast and blow you opponents heads off continuously. It is extremely fluid and responsive in every situation. There is nothing else to say about the gameplay since it is difficult to understand just from a review how impeccable it really is. This game was created, in my opinion, to introduce the "Nemesis System". Even though it is really easy to understand what it is doing while playing the game, I will just say this: Every kill you make, counts. Every kill your opponents make, especially counts! You could be fighting some random "Uruk" while exploring Mordor, and something happens and leads to your death. The random (could had avoided death) Uruk that killed you will now become a "Captain" and all the other "Captains" will increase there level. The thing is that if you are not careful while playing, and are constantly dying, the "Captains" can become a huge issue, getting into a point where they are totally harder than a "War-chief" (Commander of Captains). You might not understand what this means (not until you get the game), but basically keep in mind that you receive rewards to upgrade Talion , but think of his deaths as a "Double-Punishment Treat". You can always be able to kill even the hardest opponent, but don't expect it to be as easy as you might think since at that point, they will be invulnerable to simply everything.
    To conclude my simple review for "Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor", I say that it always falls down to you (reader of my review) whether or not to buy the game, maybe you're not into games like this, or maybe this game has made things difficult for in terms of how the game it-self is made up. I will have to admit though that when I bought the game I was not entirely sure I made the right choice for giving away $60, but after while, I realized that the game is unique in it's own, specific way and has come out to bring a different sense/feeling of gameplay compared to anything else out there in the market. It has come out to intrigue "Gamers", who are looking for something different in terms of game development.    … Expand
  20. MasiTronXIII
    Oct 15, 2014
    9
    I didn't know much about Shadow of Mordor going into it, but when you get started, this game simply feels incredible, running around Mordor in itself on next gen machines looks fantastic. The combat system is reminiscent of the Arkham combat systems, but this time you can brutally murder things, making it a step up in my opinion. The biggest knock on this game is it can get a bitI didn't know much about Shadow of Mordor going into it, but when you get started, this game simply feels incredible, running around Mordor in itself on next gen machines looks fantastic. The combat system is reminiscent of the Arkham combat systems, but this time you can brutally murder things, making it a step up in my opinion. The biggest knock on this game is it can get a bit repetitive sometimes. If you are a Lord of the rings fan, or a fan of the Arkham series, like myself, you will probably love this game. It's smooth and beautiful and a great step up on the next gen consoles. The nemesis system is incredible, within 2 hours I had been killed 6 times by one foolish uruk who made his way up the ranks, eventually I got revenge, only for him to come back with a face wound and for our battle to continue. It creates small stories and power struggles within the game and I absolutely love it. Overall Shadow of Mordor is an incredibly fun experience, though it is not without flaw and so much more could be done with it, I would highly recommend it. I look forward to more games following in the footsteps of this one… Expand
  21. sgtdegrandis
    Oct 8, 2014
    8
    this games is tons of fun however the biggest flaws are the QTE final boss battles also the missions themselves are just tutorials which is ok but i wish there was more to them also the story was not very interesting.

    now lets go to the goods first the combat is top notch you really feel like a complete badass also the killcam that happens when you charge your attacks are pretty epic    this games is tons of fun however the biggest flaws are the QTE final boss battles also the missions themselves are just tutorials which is ok but i wish there was more to them also the story was not very interesting.

    now lets go to the goods first the combat is top notch you really feel like a complete badass also the killcam that happens when you charge your attacks are pretty epic kinda reminds me of the movie "300"

    Nemesis System either works great or not at all what I mean is that my first play through I kept dying and the Orc that killed me leveled up to damn high and was untouchable but my second play through was very different all the Orc were to weak and never leveled up past 10    … Expand
  22. BaronMonaco
    Feb 10, 2016
    8
    Shadow of Mordor is an appealing title with nice graphics and of course the beloved universe of Lord of The Rings would it live up to those expectations, well I believe it does.

    First as I said the game looks good with a lot of details it also runs perfectly fine without any frame-drops even when there is a lot of characters on the screen and without any bug. The story may be the    Shadow of Mordor is an appealing title with nice graphics and of course the beloved universe of Lord of The Rings would it live up to those expectations, well I believe it does.

    First as I said the game looks good with a lot of details it also runs perfectly fine without any frame-drops even when there is a lot of characters on the screen and without any bug.

    The story may be the weak point of the game with undeveloped characters and missions that, for the most part, have too simple level-design it will not remain in your gamer memories. The universe could be more developed too with a bigger map with more locations and also more diversity in the enemies and allies, but it's still a pleasant world to play in.

    The side activities are a little repetitive too, but the Army system is a true marvel and will provide infinite content, it took me 30 hours to finish the game with approximately 10 of them spend only to slaying captains (in other words expect 20 hours to finish the game at 100 percent).

    But the game shines thanks to its gameplay, clearly inspired by Assassin's Creed and Batman Arkham series it also adds its own touch with the Wraith that gives you unique abilities like mounting wild beasts, controlling enemies or the nemesis system. I enjoyed every bit of the game.

    With Shadow of Mordor it seems Warner finally found the right formula to make great Lord of The Rings games, they still have to build on it, particularly increase the diversity in the game and not the same generics characters and story.    … Expand
  23. DMD
    Mar 10, 2015
    5
    I wonder if all the positive reviews played the same game I did. I don't deny it has its fun moments, and it has wonderful graphics and sound, but there are so many negatives that I only play the game now in short bursts.

    -Bow is underpowered, designed mostly to shoot down the middle-earth equivalent of exploding barrels. -Talion's default walk is very slow, so you're constantly    I wonder if all the positive reviews played the same game I did. I don't deny it has its fun moments, and it has wonderful graphics and sound, but there are so many negatives that I only play the game now in short bursts.

    -Bow is underpowered, designed mostly to shoot down the middle-earth equivalent of exploding barrels.
    -Talion's default walk is very slow, so you're constantly holding X down to dash. If in stealth, r2 and X.
    -Pointless grinding for upgrades that aren't all that useful.
    -bad combat. hit o to stun, x x x x, hit triangle to counter. If there are more than two bosses, run away.
    -TOO MANY ENEMIES. 20-30 normal orcs, and up to 5 bosses weren't all that uncommon. You can sometimes use stealth to thin the odds, but that's only for some missions; in the open world, it felt like most of the time you'd race to kill the boss before more linked.

    There were more issues, but the game felt grindy and unfun. The cool little Gollum missions and moments like riding a catagor seemed few and far between, as opposed to walking from point a to point B trying to kill an endless supply of respawning orcs who taunt you if they kill you. And those boss orcs are either randomly easy (die to a single headshot, can be stealth killed) or resist everything (can't be stunned, can't be flipped over, invulnerable to ranged attacks...) It's a gorgeous game, but not one I can play in long spurts without getting annoyed at.    … Expand
  24. Gamedetector
    May 11, 2015
    7
    Nemesis system is great, the graphics are nice, they do not bother at all, tasks, war is fun, but the scenario is boring. The game does not have a decent boss battle. Especially the last boss is a complete disgrace.
  25. WarX
    Oct 17, 2014
    9
    Best Lord of the Rings themed in recent times.
    Yes it have AC elements, but it's not a rip off, they have improved the formula. And the AC fan boys dont understand that.
  26. Moonraver005
    Oct 10, 2014
    10
    This game fell off my radar for a while; but now that I've picked it up I have been pleasantly surprised. Truly enjoyable from the beginning and a nice addition to the Middle Earth Universe. I ask everyone to give it a shot.
  27. nms1215
    Oct 12, 2014
    8
    Story: While not canon, this story explores a grey area in the mythology and proposes an interesting turn of events that are not to be expected by LOTR fans, but still appreciated. I love the LOTR lore, and this did nothing but interest me. I was not yelling at how it may contradict the lore, I was interested at how this provides a different take. I will leave it at that to avoid spoilers.Story: While not canon, this story explores a grey area in the mythology and proposes an interesting turn of events that are not to be expected by LOTR fans, but still appreciated. I love the LOTR lore, and this did nothing but interest me. I was not yelling at how it may contradict the lore, I was interested at how this provides a different take. I will leave it at that to avoid spoilers. The story is not in your face, but carefully in the background, allowing you to explore your two main characters while progressing further. The true fun is in the nemesis system.

    Gameplay: This game plays just like the Batman Arkham games, with a smooth free-flow combat system based around achieving combos and using various abilities. However, the nemesis system adds a whole new dimension to this game. Each uruk is unique--even the lowly grunts. Each one has the potential to rise and fall (die) in the ranks, develop new traits (weaknesses, strengths, etc.) based on their experiences, and also be your tool of manipulation. The real fun is choosing uruks that you enjoy and dominating them--this allows you to begin building your own line of uruks, having them train and gain power, get close to your target, or strike at other uruk leaders. If you like the combat of the Batman Arkham games, you will enjoy this combat, which includes the excellent gore and crude violence missing from Batman, as well as some great differences to make it its own.

    Graphics: While I felt like the main character (Talion) had a weird appearance to his face, you are usually over his shoulder so it is not often in view. Everything else looks fantastic. Not quite up to the current-gen standard, but clearly at the cross-gen peak.

    This game is a whole lot of fun. While the story may be short, the nemesis system offers endless hours of coming back and manipulating the ranks of your enemies.

    P.S. Some of these orcs will freak your out! One just kept breathing heavily in my face and it was creepy as hell!    … Expand
  28. Magus80
    Oct 9, 2014
    8
    +gameplay is fun and polished
    +plenty of content / collectibles
    +Nemesis system bring something new and fun +adorable orcs that can be killed in numerous ways -weak story and ending, absence of your favorite LotR monsters -repetitive missions that can get old fairly quickly -substantial content taken out of game for DLCs, wait for the GotY edition, of course -lack of varied    +gameplay is fun and polished
    +plenty of content / collectibles
    +Nemesis system bring something new and fun
    +adorable orcs that can be killed in numerous ways

    -weak story and ending, absence of your favorite LotR monsters
    -repetitive missions that can get old fairly quickly
    -substantial content taken out of game for DLCs, wait for the GotY edition, of course
    -lack of varied environments, it's just mostly forests, some rocks, castles and strongholds    … Expand
  29. St4rk
    Oct 19, 2014
    10
    By far my favourite PS4 game I have played since launch. A real jewel in the rough and a must play game for any fan of the sandbox/open world genre. Even if you aren't a fan of the LotR franchise this is a must own, form combat to graphics and scenery this game is just amazing. They've taken so many element of other games, Batman and Assassins Creed and perfected it and not to mention theBy far my favourite PS4 game I have played since launch. A real jewel in the rough and a must play game for any fan of the sandbox/open world genre. Even if you aren't a fan of the LotR franchise this is a must own, form combat to graphics and scenery this game is just amazing. They've taken so many element of other games, Batman and Assassins Creed and perfected it and not to mention the nemesis system which works so well and really adds some depth to the game. So far my no 1 for game of the year and there are only a handful of other titles I'd say can compete this year.… Expand
  30. p1menta
    Nov 15, 2019
    8
    started it thinking how boring it would be but it surprised me in a very food way.
    the missions are fun and interesting and diverse, the characters are somewhat charismatic, but you cant really connect to them as much. there's not enough time. Unfortunately the only one you'd have time to empatize to, Talion, the main character, is as boring as one can be. literally the most boring    started it thinking how boring it would be but it surprised me in a very food way.
    the missions are fun and interesting and diverse, the characters are somewhat charismatic, but you cant really connect to them as much. there's not enough time. Unfortunately the only one you'd have time to empatize to, Talion, the main character, is as boring as one can be. literally the most boring character i've seen in ages.    … Expand
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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

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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.
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  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.
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  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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