Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Reviews

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Sep 29, 2014

This perfectly competent open-world game gets a heck of a lot more interesting when it throws an endless host of savage, dynamic AI enemies into the mix.

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Guardian
Top Critic
Oct 7, 2014

Although saddled with an instantly forgettable title, Shadow of Mordor works hard to bring fun and life to the Tolkien universe – and manages both spectacularly

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9.5 / 10.0
Sep 25, 2014

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor tells a good story but provides the tools to discover even better tales

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9.5 / 10.0
Sep 29, 2014

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.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 9, 2014

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.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 1, 2014

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a stellar open world action adventure experience that, while borrowing from other, more popular franchises, manages to innovate by leaps and bounds through the Nemesis system, elevating the whole game above its standard story. The combat and exploration are fun, and while the game may seem a bit difficult, don't forget that running away is always a good idea.

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Dan Stapleton
Top Critic
9.3 / 10.0
Sep 25, 2014

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's great action and dynamic enemies make both victory and defeat an amazing experience.

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9.3 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2014

Exceptional fun

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9.3 / 10.0
Aug 21, 2017

In conclusion, Shadow of Mordor is the best LOTR game I have played in a long time, it reaches the expectations and although some are very critic on the similarity with the assassin's creed system, I have to say I really enjoyed playing this epic game full of emotion, adrenaline and a soundtrack that will blow up your mind. The challenge of completing the campaing 100% will make you spend hours of fun, as the secondary missions are very attractive and challenging but keeping a balance that makes them achievable for any player investing a moderate quantity of time, it is not just a game that incudes high definition graphics and sound quality, but much more than that.

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Sep 25, 2014

By turning your every death into the start of a personal vendetta, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor makes you that much more invested in its open-world. The savage combat and satisfying stealth are just the means to exacting your ultimate revenge.

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Sep 28, 2014

Shadow of Mordor is a great first step into the open-world action-adventure genre for Monolith. It up-ends what's come before with the Nemesis System, which brings the player closer to the game with personalized foes. The game isn't perfect - resurrecting foes can be frustrating - but those issues won't hold you back from enjoying yourself.

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Sep 25, 2014

Middle-earth just wants the player to explore it like a playground. You can climb up structures, leap from them to tackle a wild creature of the land, and even enlist your own group to drive the dramas that ensue. Shadow of Mordor paints the pictures that rest somewhere between bookends.

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9 / 10
Oct 10, 2014

Shadow of Mordor is without doubt the best Middle-earth game available on consoles. Though not entirely original (then again, what is nowadays?) all of the elements which it borrows flow in sync with Monolith's intuitive Nemesis system, creating something both immensely fun and replayable. That's not to say the game doesn't start to lose steam, especially once you've hit the thirty-hour mark, long after you've finished the story and explored the world. Still, when you eventually come to that milestone you will undoubtedly have had your fill.

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9 / 10
Sep 25, 2014

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor wears its influences on its sleeve, but integrates them so well with its own ideas that it stands up as a unique achievement on its own.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 6, 2014

Dark, compelling, and occasionally unflinchingly brutal, Shadow of Mordor is Lord of the Rings for grown-ups. It's not just a good game based on an established franchise, but a fantastic game in its own right and one that deserves to be judged purely by its own merits, and not by what has come before.

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9 / 10
Sep 25, 2014

A triumph of emergent gameplay, slightly let down by a heavily scripted ending.

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Oct 2, 2014

'Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor' combines familiar combat tricks and trademark Tolkien scenery with a unique Nemesis system to deliver one of the best new-gen experiences of the year.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 8, 2014

Combining the transversal and exploration of Assassin's Creed and the combat of the Batman: Arkham franchise, Monolith Productions has created not only the best title in the Middle-earth franchise, but probably the best action title of the year.

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Sep 25, 2014

As an open world game set in Middle-earth, Shadow of Mordor delivers unique emergent gameplay, finely-tuned combat mechanics and a story which avoids typical fantasy fare. While the main storyline can be finished relatively quickly, there is a lot of content in Mordor for you to pursue however you like.

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9 / 10
Oct 5, 2014

[T]his game is like the One Ring: it'll take much for it to ebb away into the shores of time, but will surface in our memories for years to come due to its "preciousss" novelty.

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