Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™

Amazing graphics. Great story behind it. Just wish there was more character custimization than the dlc. Overall worth the money. They could honestly sell it for more.

Although this game came out a decade ago, fun-factor is top notched. Highly recommend this game!!!!!!!!!

Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™ is easily one of the best action-adventure games I've played in a long time. From the moment I started, I was drawn into its dark, gritty world and spent hours playing without realizing how much time had passed.

The game’s story pulls you right into the heart of Mordor, and every element—the visuals, the lore, the quests—immerses you completely in Tolkien's world with a unique twist. The protagonist, Talion, and his abilities make for an incredibly dynamic experience, especially as you learn new moves and powers throughout the game. The combat is fluid and satisfying, with a mix of swordplay, stealth, and supernatural powers that keep every fight interesting and challenging. It’s a thrill to go up against Orcs and captains who remember their encounters with you, thanks to the game’s groundbreaking Nemesis System, which gives depth and personality to every enemy.

The background music complements the gameplay perfectly, creating an atmosphere that enhances each moment, whether you’re exploring the eerie landscapes or locked in an intense battle. All of these factors combined make it so easy to get lost in the world for hours on end.

Overall, Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™ is a must-play, especially for fans of action and fantasy games. It’s immersive, challenging, and incredibly satisfying—a true masterpiece in gaming.

Combat feels great like the Batman Arkham Series, originally played this back in 2015, revisiting to 100%! A must experience game for the nemesis system alone, it's a shame it's hasn't been in any other games besides this series.

A great game with excellent game play and story. Highly recommend.

This game delivers a thrilling experience for fans of action games and Tolkien lore alike, with the Nemesis System elevating it above many open-world titles. A must-play for those who love immersive combat and a dark fantasy atmosphere.

its a really fun game

the hunting and gathering challenges are so boring though as well as the saving survivors skip both of those

its fun to make the captains and warchiefs fight for you and some of the deaths look so cool

i think its like 40-50gb so not the best

overall enjoyable game

Game itself is good. Though there are some parts of this game that are quite annoying *side missions* but overall it is a good game

very fun to play, combat is the best

Combat and the Nemesis system is amazing in this game. For LOTR fans this game is a must try. But do ONLY bother buying base game. The paid DLCs are NOT worth it at all, they have more of the same rehashed stuffs and is very boring.

I only recommend the base game on sale.

There's a steep learning curve to get a good grasp of the game but after that, you will genuinely enjoy particularly the orc power struggle hierarchy concept. So glad I got this for 80% sale! Best game purchase so far this year :)

Overview: (spoiler free)
Shadow of Mordor is a lord of the rings based game that takes you throughout Mordor. Your main character, Talion, is a wraith who seeks to get revenge for his wife and son. This game takes you through a flurry of action, missions, challenges and more. It has unique game-play mechanics never seen before in a game .

Combat:
The combat in this game is really fun you can sneak around killing Uruks or take the other route and have a sword fight with them. Ranged combat is my personal favorite with a simple yet fun and satisfying mechanics. You get runes and upgrades for your weapons and skills as you play along in the game which adds various ways you can use combat in the game. You can scale almost any wall or cliff in this game which can lead you to different fighting styles.

(Pros)
-The fighting never gets boring
-Diverse fighting methods
-Interactive environment (to a degree)
-Special combat abilities adds copious amounts of fun

(Cons)
-None

Exploration:
The exploration in this game can be described as thrilling for a while but gets boring after hours of game play. You get to fight and ride wild beasts like war hounds (Catagores) and trolls (Grogs). There are orc strongholds and camps you can bombard and many way points called "forge towers" you can fast travel through. There is hunting challenges and survivalist challenges, optional, but adds a very nice touch of detail to the game

(Pros)
-Good explorations
-Immersive wildlife
-Good mechanics

(Cons)
-Gets boring after awhile
-Needs more wildlife
-Needs more creatures you can hunt or ride

Missions:
Missions in this game consist of weapon missions, stealth missions, and slave freeing missions. They are not required to progress the story but they can improve your combat

(Pros)
-Fun missons
-Adds things to do in the game

(Cons)
-Gets boring after copius amounts of them

Story:
The story may be one of the worst aspects of the game, if you expect to be a game where the story takes up the whole game you would be wrong. There are only around 20 story missions each taking around 5-10 minutes each and being lack luster in some parts. The overall story is put together somewhat good but It is not canon to actual lotr lore. It is missing some key places which would have been cool to see as there isnt much canon places to visit in this game.

(Pros)
-It has a decent story setup

(Cons)
-Story is way to short
- The ending is short and ends the game to fast
- Isnt canon
-Missing key locations which whould have been cool to see

Opinion:
I wasn't expecting much going into this game but I found myself wanting to 100% it after about 2 hrs of playing. The complex yet simple ranking system with the Uruks was something ive never seen before in any game. It has an addictive combat loop where its hard to get bored of, when you do get bored the progression of the game introduces new mechanics wich adds a whole other level of fun. If you want to 100% this game it can be done in one play through which is nice but can be boring completing all of the missions. I found some of the harder achievement really grindy and hard to get which I liked. Overall this game is a good buy if you want to experience middle earth and the fun combat. I have yet to play the newer game of this franchise called "Shadow of War" wich I am looking forward to playing as it brings even more new gameplay mechanics.

Shadow of Mordor manages to be both a fantastic action game and a respectful, creative take on Tolkien’s universe. With its exciting combat, brilliant Nemesis System, and engaging storyline, it’s an experience that stands out in the genre. A highly recommended adventure for anyone who loves rich lore, strategic battles, and a world that feels truly alive. This truly was a bussin game no cap

Nothing I can say that everyone else has not. The game is great. It's fun and very rewarding.

As a LOTR fan, this is one of if not the best LOTR games ever. I really love this game, the only nitpick i have is the final boss (Its a QTE) but luckily the Bright Lord DLC exists and has an even better final boss

This game is all about sneaking around and murdering orcs, so if you're into that, you'll enjoy yourself. It's not LOTR canon-compliant, and it's not story-heavy. But if you, like me, simply love sneaking around and murdering orcs, it's well worth the buy. The combat is fun and fast-paced, and the game rewards stealth and smart engagement planning.

Feels like Assassin's Creed... Combat system is very satisfying. Great variety on orcs/uruk hai, but Can be a bit repetitive. Graphics are very nice. 4k 60 fps, ultra settings and still minimal gpu/cpu hit. System : 6950XT with 5800x3d. gpu about 25-55%.. Low watt consumption...! Really economic game! lol

Good combat, very satisfying. Story is short but good. Boss fights were a little disappointing, but nemesis mechanic reigns supreme.

It's okay. Too stealth-y for my liking but it's okay. Has combo and all. I would say the control is better than The Witcher 3, sometimes a little bit dumb.
7.8/10

Cool concept horrible execution. Every single fight sees you facing 20+ orcs which isnt bad because combat is baby's first game easy where it is bad is you have ONE multi target attack (which does minimal damage) and the orcs will get reinforced every 30 seconds so you WILL be fighting the same group for 20+ minutes

The most frustrating game ever. Every mission is try to kill 1 guy while 100 other enemies spawn around him, and if you fail because they're too strong don't worry they get stronger next time.

I think this is where the AC mythology concept took the battle style specially from shooting using the bow and the teleporting style. 10/10 for this game even it's already a decade.

Bullshit ass game, nigga are always jumping me I cooked my build now i cant kill anything. We get the same fucking captains hunting me down this one nigga has to be immortal. Ive killed him and its like he's haunting me in my nightmares.

Shadow of Mordor is somewhere between a modern superhero title and everything Assassin's Creed, both of which I find to be incredibly boring. This and similar titles are geared towards less skilled gamers and IP fans, which is great for those who want to interact with universes they care about without unneeded frustration.

There's little precision or skill required to progress the game or tackle designated challenges, environmental traversal is highly automated, and there's little reward for exploration. I like LotR and some of the cannon, but there is not a single element I encountered while playing this game that brought even the slightest hint of joy.

This game is entirely worth it based on the Nemesis system alone. It's like playing a little political-RTS inside of the actual game. Rocksteady has successfully adapted the Arkham formula and added new items that shake up gameplay and contribute heavily to the experience. Most of these things pull from the LOTR universe nicely and nothing feels out-of-place for those who are invested in that story.

Like most open-world games, it does suffer some from the 'big world, nothing to do' once you beat the main campaign. The Nemesis system and the rune system mostly contribute to the replayability, especially when you factor in the Trials of War. Getting the right loadout means a lot for each of these challenges, though I only played Test of the Ring and of the Wild for the individual achievements.

There are some of the usual Arkham-jank items present, but this game is certainly designed to be more forgiving, allowing you to cancel finishers with a counter mid-animation (shame it was never implemented in Arkham itself). Additionally there are a huge number of ways to soften fights, like utilizing the slow-mo when aiming the bow, taming wild animals or combatants to fight with you, and an impressive skill-tree that has a much higher combat focus than Arkham does. This is because there is a lack of puzzles, most open-world challenges revolve around 'collect this item' or 'kill this enemy in a certain way'. Most of it doesn't overstay its welcome which is nice.

Traversal starts rough but gets way better once you unlock some abilities like the shadow strike or beast taming. Admittedly if there are no resources around you may find yourself running across a flat plain for a bit, but occasionally this gives you the opportunity to scoop up some intelligence on your walk to the next objective.

The DLC's are great, changing the gameplay cycle to focus more or less on different core aspects. Character writing can leave a bit to be desired, but it doesn't stray much from the methods of the source material. The Uruks are admittedly funny, but are the one exception to this. They are *very* much like the Arkham goons that yell 'da bat'. Stupid, unaware, and think they are invincible. Unlike Arkham however, they patrol outside of their regulated zones, can be converted to fight for you, and can even be scared off if you cause enough bloodshed.

The Nemesis system is great. Arkham usually treats informants as a way to get Riddler trophies (boring). Getting intel from Uruks grants the opportunity to convert an Uruk, who might later replace a captain's spot, and additionally;

1. Tells you where to find the Captain
2. Gives you weaknesses and strengths of the Captain

Both of these can be extremely pertinent based on the Captains power level, and sometimes Captains only have one way to be beaten. It can admittedly be a bit annoying to fight Captains with extremely limited weaknesses, because you'll be racking your brain on what you haven't tried while they final-stand you for the third time, but it does present an amount of challenge to a not-so-difficult game. The reality is that most encounters can become a lot easier if you prepare for them properly, and only become overly difficult when something doesn't go to plan. Planning and plotting the downfall of Sauron's army from within is a huge part of this game and while on the whole you don't feel like you're really scheming deeply, the player agency presented here is not something you see in many games in relation to AI systems. Enemy too tough? Find a weaker Warchief to brand and make him riot against the tougher one. Too many enemies? Grab a Caragor, become cavalry. You're pretty free to stack as many units together as you'd like in preparation for an attack if you know how to properly manipulate the Uruk society.

I think here and there are some systems that miss the mark, was not really a fan of scavenging for flower types, and have no idea what the point of the weapon legends were outside of a cosmetic upgrade, but overall the game is its own unique pocket of game design. Will certainly be playing the next one and can fully recommend this one.

The combat mechanics is great! The game keeps you engaged. Its really cool.

There are better The Lord of the Rings games out there, but I never had as much fun with any of them as I did with Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.

Shadow of Mordor plays like a mix of various other games. Assassin's Creed, Far Cry (movement, stealth) and Batman (combat) send their regards. Especially the free-flow-style fights play smoothly and are fun. The finishers are great and it is very satisfying to cause a real bloodbath among the Orcs/Uruks. Furthermore, the story, the soundtrack and the atmosphere fit wonderfully into Tolkien's universe.

But what really makes this game unique is the Nemesis system. In addition to the normal Orcs/Uruks you fight, there are captains and warchiefs. These are randomly generated, look different, have their own name and individual strengths and weaknesses. There is a hierarchy among them. They engage in competitive battles and other activities to increase their power and climb the ladder. And we can intervene in this power structure and influence it with our activities or non-activities. And not only that. We can also control them and then send our own Orc/Uruk into the race. This system isn't perfect, of course, but I found it very entertaining to add my own touch to the whole tussle.

I would definitely recommend Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

After the fiasco that Rings of Power has been I felt like coming back to this relatively old title and enjoy the well written and better developed character arcs that Shadow of Mordor has.
Great game and Celebrimbor is depicted as cool as he should be.

Replaying this game and its still great! Kinda like the new assassins creed games.

Great game, movement and combat mechanics are fantastic. Looking forward to playing Shadow of War

I intend to keep playing just to see if its a skill issue, but I feel like every time I try fighting an officer orc, even if they're 3 power, I end up getting swarmed by like five other captains and then I die because I'm fighting four bosses at the same time.
I really want to love this game; I love Lord of the Rings, I really like the combat style and the cinematic finishers, but every time I fight people its too easy or way too difficult.

I greatly enjoyed this game. it plays right into the world of middle earth very very well and makes for a great addition to the universe. massive world to explore and unlock secrets and plenty of quests to keep you busy for a long time. combat is like a mix between assasins creed 3 and the arkham games, so it is fantastic as well. you have to know your enemies and change how you fight based on that. 10/10 would recommend.

Have you ever played a game where the whole goal is to become as strong as you possibly can? Where you must raise up a army to fight by your side? In this game you will go through all the trials and tribulations to do just that…In the end…you will use your new found strength for QUICK TIME EVENTS!!!!! The game will slap you in the face with a task a goldfish could accomplish for that last two “fights”. What was the point of grinding out the talent tree and all of the upgrades if you don’t get to use them to fight the final boss? Over all the story and game play where great but it squanders everything it tries to accomplish with the ending. I would say give it a try as the story is captivating and raising an army is downright fun, but don’t be surprised is your left feeling empty when the ending arrives.

This game is Arkham + Assassin's Creed. It gets repetitive after a while but, the Nemesis system keeps the game fresh. Get it on sale.

No matter how many times I play it I fall in love with this game every single time. The fluidity of the combat, the sound design and soundtrack, the characters, and best of all how it ties in to LOTR lore. I adore this game and I recommend it to fans of the books/movies as well as people who have no knowledge on the franchise.

If you like a simple action rpg, similar to assassin's creed, that has a lotr skin... this games for you. plus it has a lot of the voice actors from critical role.

Pain and suffering, 0/10 best "broken" game I know of.
DLC are a must but not in the terms of the infamous Europa Universalis 4 with $200 worth of DLC adding stuff that should have been in the game from the get go.
Don't you love when Yugoslavia has atomic tech in 1936? So do I!

Pros: Some of my favorites in Shadow of Mordor are its achievements—neither frustratingly hard yet quite satisfying to unlock—something even a casual playthrough will let one attain. Then there is the combat, which is butter-smooth and relentless, never stagnating due to a well-developed skill tree. What really sets Nemesis apart, though, is how dynamic the Nemesis system changes the ranks and challenges of your enemies on the fly, keeping you on your toes. The storyline is pretty linear, but it has such an engaging nature with a cinematic feel that makes it all too real, easy to get lost in the narrative without having to invest too heavily. For us laid-back, immersive gamers, it’s a perfect fit.

Cons: The world design falls a bit flat. Although the map has some memorable zones, a large number of areas lack distinct detail that detracts from the immersion. The uniqueness in main spots and landmarks is not there to make them instantly recognizable; this repetitive texture could make the map feel smaller and less varied than it should be. Eventually, every nook starts looking the same, removing a feeling of adventure.

Conclusion: All in all, Shadow of Mordor brings in a lot of brilliance, especially in its combat and character systems—plus, it is really worth experiencing, especially if you are a fan of cinematic storytelling and strategic battles. Just be prepared for a little bit of repetition in the landscape.

Shallow story, but the combat system is incredibly fun. It expanded far beyond what I expected, although I do think you become a little too powerful to the point you can take down even the most powerful of enemies in seconds. The Nemesis system is also cool, basically a hierarchy of enemy power where you can dethrone them and new ones will take their place and whatnot.

Definitely play this if you want a fun combat game similar to the Arkham series. If you’re here for a solid LOTR story, you won’t find one. I couldn’t care less at what was happening, and the side missions and just killing Uruks was far more fun than the main story missions. A nice quick, fun combat game.

Good old days when games werent drowned in all sort of politics and lunacy, good story, good gameplay and very little if no bullshit that haunts our gaming experience in the 2020s. good work whoever made this eons ago, you are still appreciated.

There are better The Lord of the Rings games out there, but I never had as much fun with any of them as I did with Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.

Shadow of Mordor plays like a mix of various other games. Assassin's Creed, Far Cry (movement, stealth) and Batman (combat) send their regards. Especially the free-flow-style fights play smoothly and are fun. The finishers are great and it is very satisfying to cause a real bloodbath among the Orcs/Uruks. Furthermore, the story, the soundtrack and the atmosphere fit wonderfully into Tolkien's universe.

But what really makes this game unique is the Nemesis system. In addition to the normal Orcs/Uruks you fight, there are captains and warchiefs. These are randomly generated, look different, have their own name and individual strengths and weaknesses. There is a hierarchy among them. They engage in competitive battles and other activities to increase their power and climb the ladder. And we can intervene in this power structure and influence it with our activities or non-activities. And not only that. We can also control them and then send our own Orc/Uruk into the race. This system isn't perfect, of course, but I found it very entertaining to add my own touch to the whole tussle.

I would definitely recommend Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Kinda mediocre overall, really just "little" time killer for people who like this type of specific gameplay. 6/10 Get on major sale.

Story was simple if not boring, maybe even little prolonged more than it should be. Tho i did really enjoy the beast DLC story, probably cause it has the most characteristic character from the whole game in it as main lead. The most interesting parts were from pickupables but thats about it,

Both of the maps are mostly empty-ish with nothing new happening, and the parts that have something in it are way too complex sometimes for some of the gameplay wise mechanics.

I did really enjoy the gameplay tho,
the nemesis system is simple if not way too straightforward but it still added little spice to the game, the combat is more of a batman arkham style so thats up to prefferences. I also really enjoyed running around with graugs and other beasts. Stealth is quite fast and not too hard but still fun nontheless.

Graphics looked "ok" with that one DLC that bumps up the game graphics. You can still say that its older game with how it looks but overall it didnt aged poorly too much.

Difficulty? There is no slides or choices, so once you get basic understanding on what works how it turns into quite boring experience where i myself started doing things way faster.

Bugs? Actually barelly any, i did experience few crash moments when mass "dispatching" converted uruks/orcs and few other crash issues for the trials of war but outside of that and maybe few funky camera angles there isnt really anything big to mention. Actually really suprising.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!" - Boromir, son of Denethor II

Interesting mix between Assasin's Creed and Lord of The Rings. The game is pretty small short and simple, but it can be quite fun and if you can find it for cheap it's probably worth a play. :)

Played it quite a lot on the Playstation when it came out and it kicked ass
Played it a good amount again in anticipation of Shadow of War's release and it kicked ass
Played it again recently and it kicked ass
Game just kicks ass and still holds up 10 years later. Shadow of War is pretty much a direct upgrade, but that doesn't mean this game isn't great by itself

Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™ is a solid game with an engaging story and some innovative mechanics, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of a must-play title.

The Nemesis system is definitely the star of the show, adding a unique layer to enemy encounters and making the world feel more alive. However, the gameplay can get a bit repetitive after a while, and some of the missions feel frustrating—not because they’re hard, but rather because they lack variety or depth.

Compared to games like Elden Ring, it’s actually quite easy, so if you’re looking for a challenge, you may not find it here. Still, if you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings universe or enjoy open-world action games, it’s worth giving this one a shot. Just keep in mind that the novelty might wear off after a while.

good gameplay, fighting feels very smooth, fun game mechanics, but the story feels very fast paced and weird. 7.5/10

I am greatly enjoying this game. Replaying it for the first time since its initial release. Great game.

Big LOTR fan, this game is an immersive way to explore the story of a wartorn Mordor. The fluid combat system is really exciting and rewarding. I highly recommend this game.

I have love/hate relationship with this game. Story is in my opinion mediocre but combat system compensates that and is the highlight of this game.

Something about the nemesis system just hits hard. It's so different from other games. I love that you loosing have consequences. Such a shame that Warner Bros patented this mechanic because it could have easily revolutionized gaming industry and so many other games could have been such better.

Overall I still do recommend this game as you can easily sink in like 30 hours of enjoyable gameplay if you want to collect all missions/DLC's and collect all collectibles.