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

But what this does is make you experience the rest of the game; your quest for revenge and dominance propels you to want to play the game in order to...

Beautifully crafted world; Enjoyable combat; Densely populated environments

Average story and conclusion; Mimics Assassin's Creed too much

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

stands out from other open-world action games by putting a great new layer on top of the trail that Batman blazed. I was surprised at how well it integrates its excellent combat with rewarding feedback and progression not just for me, but also for my enemies.

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

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

Video games based off of existing IPs have had a poor history of relying more on their lineage than actually delivering on a quality product. Thankfully, over the last few years we have been seeing more and more titles come out and show that games tied to other products have the unique ability to...

Nemesis System adds almost limitless gameplay possibilities; Combat is dynamic and keeps evolving; Presentation; Deep story; Great personification

Overly familiar core concepts; Load times