The Short Version: A fantastic start for what we hope will become a fresh Tolkien franchise. There are some solid (if not borrowed) foundations and the Nemesis surpasses our expectations by providing a fresh experience to enemy design.

Nemesis system adds unique personality to enemies; Can approach targets in multiple ways; High production values

Melee combat feels limited; First map is a little dull; Talion is super boring

J.R.R. Tolkiens people are protective of the late authors fiction, and rightfully so. This high level of quality control led to three epic Lord of the Rings films, with Return of the King winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004, and also two The Hobbit movies and even notable video...

Nemesis System is unlike anything weve seen in an action adventure game; Visceral combat with plenty of gore; Quality storytelling that bridges The Hobbit and War of the Ring

Somewhat finicky controls; but issues are rare

A very good game with a very good graphics..... The storyline of the game may be boring but u will have fun throughout the game and I assure u that u will not be disappointed while playing this game.....

Really enjoyed this game. Great gameplay, good graphics. Challenging at the start of the game, but once into the game it gets easy to pick up the controls and progress through the game. One of the best games so far on ps4

Well, I'm guessing Ubisoft is feeling pretty ridiculous right now. They've churned out approximately 19, 546 Assassin's Creed titles over the last seven years, and not one is as concise, free-flowing and action-packed as Monolith's Shadow of Mordor .

Seeing almost any of the wraith powers for the first time

Bizarre pacing kills all momentum and drags the campaign down

The best thing about playing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is that it makes me feel over-the-top powerful without sacrificing the fear of defeat. It's got great free-flowing combat and a good-sized, good-looking open world full of Lord of the Rings lore to find, but what makes it special is what's...

Great combat; Enemy progression; Losing matters; Mind control

Unexciting campaign missions

I scale up a tower I have never climbed before and survey the land. There are new events in which to participate now, and new adventures to undertake. I leap to the ground below from this dizzying height, landing safely and breaking multiple laws of physics in the process.

Challenging combat encounters make every skill feel useful; Fluid locomotion makes interacting with the game a joy; Nemesis system is fun to mess with; Outstanding sound design enhances the sense of otherworldly peril

Erratic story that concludes with anticlimactic battles; The most interesting mechanics don't appear until halfway through the story

The Nemesis system alone is worth giving this a go, let alone the Lord Of The Rings setting. Better than every other LOTR game, never again will we settle for mediocrity when our favourite book/film licenses get picked up.

Open-ended stealth; with nary a fail-state in sight; The Nemesis system helps to build some epic stories

Being cross-gen: the environments suffer because of it; Some mechanics feel derivative alongside the newer ideas

A splinter of procedural creativity keeps this derivative open-worlder feeling fresh.

In the pantheon of video gaming, there isn't much like riding around an open world without consequence of law or rule enforcement or even the recklessness of any attempt I might have at completing a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater line in real life.

Deep combat and traversal mechanics; Exceedingly varied skill tree and rune system; Excellent voice acting and sound design; Gorgeous landscapes; Multiple points of entry and exit of elaborate level design; Mission variety

Tons of Uruk to kill or control