Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor PS4 Reviews

Licensed games are, by and large, atrocious — especially when they're related to J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy franchise Lord of the Rings. That doesn't appear to be the case with Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, however, as the tasty tie-in has proved more Gandalf than Gollum. We haven't quite completed our tour through the fictional realm just yet, but we've pulled together some of the best reviews from around the web in order to tide you over until then.

Joystiq - 5/5

What would have otherwise been a competent sandbox game with solid combat mechanics and an interesting twist on a known fantasy world is elevated by the Nemesis System. Shadow of Mordor is the strategic person's action game.

Polygon - 9.5/10

Shadow of Mordor is that ultimate rarity. It tells a fun little story that would be enough to hold up most games on their own. But it also provides all of the tools to ensure that the most interesting tales to come out of the game will be the ones that were not scripted.

IGN - 9.3/10

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor 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. I’ve had many more memorable and unpredictable battles with its randomized Warchiefs and captains than I did in the scripted campaign missions, and I expect those to keep on coming.

Game Informer - 8.25/10

The final hour of Monolith’s Middle-earth adventure falls flat, as the story falteringly tries to pull together a number of disparate threads, and the mostly triumphant nemesis system fails to stick the landing. Even with these and other features that rubbed me the wrong way, I can’t help but cheer for Monolith’s ambition. Shadow of Mordor is an unabashedly challenging and complex experience, sometimes at the expense of accessibility. I’m thrilled that we’ve got a new franchise in the fertile ground of Tolkien’s fiction. Add in a borderline revolutionary approach to mission design, and this is a firm foundation for a stellar new series.

Destructoid - 6/10

The final hour of Monolith’s Middle-earth adventure falls flat, as the story falteringly tries to pull together a number of disparate threads, and the mostly triumphant nemesis system fails to stick the landing. Even with these and other features that rubbed me the wrong way, I can’t help but cheer for Monolith’s ambition. Shadow of Mordor is an unabashedly challenging and complex experience, sometimes at the expense of accessibility. I’m thrilled that we’ve got a new franchise in the fertile ground of Tolkien’s fiction. Add in a borderline revolutionary approach to mission design, and this is a firm foundation for a stellar new series.


Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor certainly doesn't sound like Bore-dor, then — but will you be picking up the fantasy release? Show your sword in the comments section below