Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Reviews
It sounds like an unholy Middle Earth mash-up of Arkham City and Assassin's Creed, but the Nemesis system helps turn Shadow of Mordor into something far more entertaining. With good, demanding combat, excellent stealth and enemies worth slaying it's more compulsive than you might expect, and it treats the license with some respect as well. This year's surprise sleeper hit? Don't bet against it.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor has a cool way to allow your actions to develop your enemies in its Nemesis system. And it looks nice, too, but shallow combat and frustrating design choices mar this Tolkien-inspired PC brawler.
Shadow of Mordor has gone from an afterthought to one of the most lovingly discussed games in the new console cycle. Playing it, it's easy to see why. Given the source material, it's a little disappointing that story wasn't stronger. However, the nemesis system, helped by solid navigation and combat systems, is a true innovation in an industry struggling to move forward. Shadow of Mordor is a surprising breath of fresh air.
Shadow of Mordor is the single best Lord of the Rings adaptation to date, and one of the very best third-person action games in many years. By taking some well-known mechanics and adding their own special twist with the Nemesis system, what Monolith has created is much more than the sum of its few borrowed parts.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor nears perfection, but the demands of a scripted narrative work against its freeform structure.
Shadow of Mordor is an automatic recommendation for anyone who enjoys 3rd-person melee combat action games. Whether you're a Tolkien fan or not, you'll find a lot to love in the game's satisfying combat and innovative mechanics.
While not perfect, Shadow of Mordor surpasses expectations - it's fun, engaging and truly impressive. The Nemesis System is a stroke of genius and sets this game apart from its competitors. A serious contender for Game of the Year.
The landscapes and exploration elements might not be on the level of some of its open-world brethren, but Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor delivers one of the best games to feature the intricate lore of J.R.R. Tolkien—and its innovative, addictive Nemesis system could redefine the way developers design enemy encounters in the future.
It's always a pleasure when a game is a no-brainer to recommend. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor fits into that category. It is dense with content, will envelop you within its world, and is worth every second of your attention it demands.
Despite borrowing some of its more prevalent mechanics from both Assassin's Creed and Batman, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor manages to be a very solid and memorable game.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is an entertaining game. It is a great take on Lord of the Rings lore and delivers an engaging open-world experience that PS4 and Xbox One owners will thoroughly enjoy. The repetitive mission structure is disappointing, but the game's world, characters, Nemesis System, and the storyline make this game a must-play for fans of The Lord of the Ring and open-world games.
With its top-notch aesthetics, richly flowing action, and uniquely personal ecosystem of foes, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one game you'll be happy to go there and back again with.
Good games based on J. R. R. Tolkien's works are surprisingly rare, and Shadow of Mordor is certainly a sword-thrusting lunge in the right direction. It's slick and fun, with solid production values and some new takes on what's becoming an overly familiar formula. There's just not quite enough here to make it truly preciousss.
Talion's story captures the essence of a Tolkien story. It's all about the journey. Friends are made, strangers are met and the true evil of Middle-earth is ever-present, but each story revolves around a true hero. Now Talion can stand next to the legends of Gimli, Frodo, Legolas and Aragorn.
If you're a fan of open world RPGs, love the idea of killing and enslaving orcs, and aren't too worried about tweaking Tolkien to serve the purpose of fun, you owe it to yourself to buy and play Shadow of Mordor. Talion's quest right up there as one of this year's best and Monolith should be very proud of their work.
Overall, there is simply too much to cover in Shadow of Mordor and this is one of its greatest assets. As you progress through the game things expand exponentially, giving more room to play around in, but on a learning curve that is paced out perfectly. Fantasy fans will probably owe it to themselves to give Shadow of Mordor a shot, especially if they are fans of Tolkien's work. If you are not overly familiar with the lore from the books and movies, you may find it difficult to appreciate most of the content available here, but you will still find a fantastically fun fantasy action title with a robust amount of content, with some familiar core gameplay.
At a glance, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor seems like an ill-inspired Tolkien action game. Delve deeper beneath the surface and you'll find an exciting game with fantastic production values, thoroughly enjoyable gameplay, a good dose of variety and a killer hook in the Nemesis System. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is simply the finest Tolkien game we've played in quite some time.
All in all, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a beautiful third-person action title that has deep role-playing game elements embedded firmly into it. You also get enormously detailed and deep environments, with unique enemies to populate it. This is simply a superb game.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an absolute blast to play. The gameplay builds off of the successes of Batman and Assassin's Creed and weaves a story through the world of LotR that connects very well within the framework of the overall universe. It's a title that I definitely recommend picking up since you'll certainly enjoy it if you do.