Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - The Bright Lord Reviews
Playing as The Bright Lord Celebrimbor isn't bad, but it's a big step away from what makes Shadow of Mordor special.
A disappointing follow-up to an amazing game.
A more robust offering than last time, and a more essential addition this time around, The Bright Lord is a solid way to top off Shadow of Mordor's Season Pass.
While we think that anyone who enjoyed Shadow of Mordor should submit to the Bright Lord's rule and purchase this DLC for the slight gameplay variations and advanced difficulty, those who aren't really drawn in by it might consider passing it up due to the low replay value and less than stellar storyline. Either way, it's more Shadow of Mordor with some slight twists, and that's still as good a reason as any to go there and back again with one of 2014's most triumphant titles.
While it's great to have a climactic final battle with Sauron, the rest of the game feels like a watered down version of the original. Add to that some weak storytelling and lack of character development and it ends up feeling like an ill conceived DLC prequel.
The Bright Lord is a bunch of frustrating fun, but it pays off at the end with new missions, upgrades and quick gameplay.
The dearth of narrative momentum or any characterization whatsoever is the most severe flaw of 'The Bright Lord'. I didn't mind returning to Mordor for a few hours, but the constant stream of timed missions and lack of real content or story means that I'll be forgetting what happened pretty quickly. This is season pass content so if you liked the original enough to commit to the pass, you might as well get your money's worth. If not, there's no need to pick it up.