Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

After a day with Shadow of Mordor on Xbox One, I can confidently recommend it just as strongly as the PS4 and PC versions. True, this is probably the worst-looking of the bunch by a small margin.

Addictive combat with a multitude of variants and silky smooth gameplay make this hard to put down. [Issue#255, p.51]

An open-world classic driven by systems over story. [Issue#117, p.76]

It’s a compelling experience unlike anything else out in the market, despite borrowing heavily from a couple of other big guns. Thoroughly recommend.

Monolith's last game was a real surprise: solid and entertaining, it manages on incorporating other games mechanics in a very effective way, while introducing a real innovation with the Nemesis System. Its only flaw lies in a too short main plot, but it deserves the attention of every LotR and action/RPGs lover.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor takes the combat of the Batman games, the stealth and exploration of the Assassin’s Creed games and combines them into a really fun package.

Delivers high on adventure and gaming. Middle Earth comes to life.

With a brilliant blend of silky smooth yet brutal combat and some memorable stealth sequences, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor offers up some of the best open world combat we have seen in quite some time. It is not without some faults, and will frustrate many to the core, but in the end you are left with an excellent Lord of the Rings game that should please any “Mature” gamer.

The much talked-about Nemesis System also plays a big role in injecting personality and connecting the player to the game world.

Monolith might not have the basics quite down, but the Nemesis system is the year's most original game mechanic, and makes for a game that feels - and reacts to your play - unlike any of its peers.