Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor nears perfection, but the demands of a scripted narrative work against its freeform structure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you embrace the tactical nature of its combat, which is rarely resolved on a single battlefield, then Shadow of Mordor stands largely without flaws.
Admittedly, traversing the map and knocking out events can get repetitive after a while, even with fast traveling unlocked. By making you care about even lesser enemies, however, Shadow of Mordor turns what's normally mindless filler into a worthwhile encounter. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got another Uruk to hunt down.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor may be one of the biggest surprises this year so far. Offering incredibly robust and fun gameplay, along with a detailed world of lore and characters this title doesn't only have the right to be called a great Lord of the Rings game, but a great game in its own right. Its only drawback is that it may be held back somewhat in favour of cross-generation programming.
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.
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.