Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year - PlayStation 4

While it could easily be written off as Assassin's Creed of the Rings, Shadow of Mordor is elevated by its fluid combat systems, solid stealth mechanics, wide variety of side-content, and excellent Nemesis System. Taking the reigns of ranger Talion, Shadow of Mordor has the player stalking around its titular wasteland, eking out vengeance for his slain family. Aiding Talion/possessing his body is Celebrimbor, the spirit of a long dead Elven king who unwittingly forged the Rings of Power for Sauron way back in the day... cue tons of lore sure to give Tolkein fans plenty to get excited about. I personally haven't been into Middle Earth material since I LOTR came out back in the early 2000s, so the story here and its various winks to the franchise rarely did anything for me. Story aside, Shadow of Mordor excels on nearly front. Taking cues from the Batman: Arkham series with empowering, large-scale combat scenarios with over-the-top combos and lovely animation, Shadow of Mordor offers some of the best action gameplay of any open world title on the market. And, like the Arkham games, Mordor features great stealth mechanics that feel rewarding even when the player inevitably slips up and gets caught. One of the strengths of this game is its endless ability to turn accidents into set-pieces of awesome action-packed ingenuity, and it delivers those strengths in spades. The Nemesis System, which I thought would be gimmicky, is actually quite satisfying. Whenever an orc (boss and grunt, alike) kills Talion, that enemy increases in power and becomes a "nemesis", an NPC with a distinct personality and bone to pick with the player. These nemesis enemies will often hunt down Talion, leading to challenging battles and inspired encounters. Though the system leans on procedural generation of enemy stats and behaviors, it still adds a surprisingly effective dose of life to the proceedings and encourages the player to keep returning to the blasted lands of Mordor long after they've completed the main story-line. GOTY Edition also features two take-em-or-leave-em DLC expansions that aren't bad, but don't offer nearly as much depth or longevity as the main game. Still, for the paltry $20 I put down for it, Shadow of Mordor: GOTY Edition was well worth the investment with excellent mechanics and plenty of replay value.

This is one of the most fun games that I've played in quite some time. I think that the story is great and it gives a lot of background info for LoTR fans. I was never a huge fan of the books, but I've read them all several times (more because they are hailed as being masterpieces than for any other reason). I like how the lore in the game does answer some of the questions that are left open from reading the books; like why they didn't just jump on the back of a giant eagle and throw the ring into the volcano to begin with. The gameplay is amazing, in my opinion. At the beginning it can be a bit daunting when you are trying to remember which buttons do what, but once you get the hang of it, it is great fun loping along on the back of a caragor, challenging war-chiefs, and creating armies of Uruk thralls. There is such a great variety of way for you to take out your enemies that it just doesn't get old. I had already unlocked almost all of the abilities before I even got half way through the game because I was having so much fun decimating Sauron's army and I forgot to do the story missions. It's gory for sure, justifying the mature rating, but as long as gratuitous violence against imaginary creatures doesn't bother you then you'll enjoy making their heads explode using your wraith powers. It may take me a while to get to the extra content at this rate, but I'll enjoy every minute of it, I'm sure. I know that this kind of game isn't for everyone, but I've always been into hack and slash games like Dynasty Warriors and God of War. This is by far the best game I've bought in years. Gameplay - 5 stars Story - 5 stars Replay Value - 5 stars Overall - Buy it

So I'm one of those who loves spending days playing video games. And not just for fun, but to look deeper into the production - modeling, animation, script writing, coding etc. It just fascinates me. I have ton's of games on steam and recently stared playing with ps4 ( been using xbox 360, wii, wii u etc. ) Anyway, I got this game, nicely packed with, disc is in great condition and very fast delivery. Game it self is one of the better. Unique ( with enemies being able to level up and get stronger after you die), combat system is very well developed - easy to use, fun to play, great cinematics as well as finishing moves. So I offered my friend to play a game. He's 67 yo, and you'd be surprised, as someone who never played video games, he liked it. With no skills on controller or gaming, he liked he combat as well and now in the evenings, he's the one taking away my play time, because of this awesome game. Yep totally worth getting it, if you want to fight lots of enemies at once, and if you enjoy great combat.

Fantastic game if you like ARPG. Combat is very fluid, controls are very responsive and game moves at a decent pace. Graphics are phenomenal and FPS remains constant. It does get a little repetitive towards the end, but the combat is what makes this game so fun to play, The moves seem so fluid, especially when surrounded by hordes of Uruk. I will also never tire of stealth killing mobs, the sound effects are so perfectly matched. The game environment does a good job of portraying Middle Earth. Not an excessively long game, the game maps seem large at first, but movement around the battlefields does not take long, especially once you have Fast Travel unlocked in the different zones. Definitely recommend for fans of Batman, who want to focus more on killing than stealth. Why waste time sneaking around killing that one guy when you can wade through an entire stronghold of Uruks to Brutalize the target you are after?

I will admit to being very 'apprehensive' about this game when I first heard if it. I remember my frustration with the previous LOT games that were released by EA, and I didn't want that horror on my conscience again, not that they were terribly bad just that they COULD VE been so much better. It wasn't until I saw my nephew playing this that I decided to give it a try. Let me tell you now, IT IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!! From the jump off it grabs you and sucks you right in, I played for 6 hours straight and DID NOT MOVE. The fighting system is easy just like the Batman games and you can really 'get jiggy wit it.' I could really go on and on but I wont. Point is I totally recommend this game to anyone looking for a solid game, a good challenge and a really fun escape from the daily monotony that is most of the time just 'Life'.. BUY IT YOU WONT REGRET IT!!!!

Wow, when i first saw this game a ear ago for some reason it caught my attention, I like the Lord of the Rings movies and the idea of fighting some of those epic battles like Legolas and others would get into sounded really fun. So it shipped out quick and when I updated it and started playing, I played it for 5 hours straight... I could not put the controller down, and I'm going to order another controller because the game is so much fun. You get to fight orcs and fight them in a Batman Arkham combat style which fits this game perfectly. Killing the Orcs never gets old, and then there is something called the nemesis system, you might have heard about this system, it basically creates Bosses out of Orcs you fail to defeat in battle, and what is really cool is that if they kill you, they remember and taunt you when you come back. Oh yeah, you are basically immortal, some kind of man possessed by a ghost, that gives you Supernatural powers! So yeah the game gets even better even after you are a bad arse ranger, you become a Supernatural Ranger. This fighting system is so cool too, because it's like the battles are choreographed but they are all random, and the Orcs fight you and randomize their attacks. You can counter just like in Batman Arkham City etc. and you also get to shoot magic arrows, and ride something called carogaurs{sp} I don't know if I'm spelling that right, but they are like a tiger/gargoyle like from the first Ghostbusters movie. Oh and i played for about 4 hours before i found out you have this supernatural power called "drain". I was like whoa, i should have used that more, no wonder i never had magic arrows, and it's cool too because it stuns orcs. Now i've gotten my butt kicked a few times trying to get revenge on the Bosses, and they get stronger each time they kill you or they survive an encounter with you, lol. They also taunt you when you come across them again. You'll spend the first 2 hours learning how to be a badarse MMA sword fighter/Supernatural ghost fighter, and it's fun because soon you'll be creeping up on a gang of orcs, take out 1 or 2 with a stealth kill then finish the other 10 with your untouchable fighting skills. This game makes you feel like a badarse and it's pretty fun. It doesn't really get boring either because as more orc reinforcements pour in and you keep dropping them you feel like you are getting better and better at fighting them. You might be on the edge of your chair as you get surrounded by 10 orcs and you start going steven segal on them. A definite buy! If you like fighting games, Batman games and Supernatural Lord of the Rings goodness check this out.

This review is for the PS4 version. The game of the year edition includes: The Lord of the Hunt Mission, Bright Lord Story Mission, Test of Power Challenge Mode, Test of Speed Challenge Mode, Test of Wisdom Challenge Mode, Endless Challenge Mode, Dark Ranger Skin, Captain of the Watch Skin, Hidden Blade Rune, Deadly Archer Rune, Flame of Anor Rune, Rising Storm Rune, Guardians of the Flaming Eye Warband Mission, The Berserks Warband Mission and the Skull Crushers Warband Mission. All of the content is on disk and not via a download code. After reading about this game in an online forum post and thinking it had an interesting take on its method of gameplay with an adaptive enemy, I decided I wanted to get the game. After seeing it on sale for 18 bucks with all of the bonus content, I grabbed it. This game includes some gameplay elements that are similar to the Assassin’s Creed series, Batman, Far Cry, among others in terms of style and the types of missions and objectives that the game has. It is an open world style game that includes some RPG elements that allow for building abilities and improving your weapons and fighting ability. For the most part, the game is well done with how it incorporates elements from other games and creates a whole new unique gaming experience. I didn’t realize the game was set in the Lord of the Rings world so much until I saw my favorite Gollem from the movies make an appearance. Graphics are pretty fantastic in the game. The details are amazing even down to the smallest elements. This has been one of the nicest looking games, graphically, I have played in a while. One of my gripes though are with the game map. I really wish it had some more detail and the ability to zoom in closer than you can. I found myself trying to find such things as artifacts which the map says is at a particular location only to be standing in that area and I still can’t find it. The game to me is a bit confusing at first as there I don’t think the game does a good job at easing you into the game so much. It pretty much dumps you into the story and you start exploring and learning more about the world as you explore. I am pretty early into the game but it seems to me that this is more of a stealth based game than action as it much easier to get rid of the enemies via stealth than trying to straight up battle them as you can quickly get overwhelmed. I am a bit surprised at how easy it is to kill via stealth in some circumstances, such as when several Orcs are walking together and you can pick them off from behind, one by one, with none of them noticing. With that being said though, this game is not particularly easy, especially early on. There are tons of enemies around the game map and one of my early frustrations with the game is how quickly the area repopulates with enemies. I have cleared and area and literally sat in an area and watch the game magically pop in new enemies into the same area I just cleared. With the nemesis system, the game gets harder with failure as well, which seems to happen often, especially for me early on. Luckily you can build up your abilities, which helps with the difficulty. The fights are cool though and pretty violent and gory as you would expect in this style of game. I do enjoy the fights for the most part with the exception of the instant appearance of more bad guys just after you eliminate the ones in the area. The double button execution moves feel a bit clumsy to me though. Like any game, it has taken me some time to get use to some of the controls. I like the whole strength and weaknesses aspect of the bosses and the gathering of intel to find out what those are. There are some frustrating moments with this though as when I track an intel giving orc only to find him getting killed by a monster before I could get there. I also wish you could skip through the Orc boss introductions as well as they are interesting at first but get a bit annoying after a while though. I am not crazy about the save feature in the game or rather lack of save feature. The game auto saves at certain moments in the game, which I assume is designed to keep players from avoiding the build of enemies when you lose to them but I would prefer at least the ability to manually save for us less hard core players with maybe a hardcore mode that disables that feature. The issue I mainly have with the auto save is that I am not sure when it occurs with the small icon that pops up. I found for me, the best way to avoid bad things happening is to run and hide and then transport myself to a tower, which I know then saves the game and saves me from facing an even tougher opponent. Although it is not a big deal for me as I prefer to play solo, there is no multiplayer for this game. The main story quest itself isn’t the best I have ever seen but it is interesting enough to keep me involved in the plight of the main character. There are plenty of side quests and things to discover and collect as well. As it is common with these games, sometimes the camera views get a bit wonky at inappropriate times. I have not found it to be as bad as some games I have played though. For under 20 bucks, this is a worthwhile purchase, especially with all the add-on content. It is fun to play but a bit frustrating at times as well. The only thing that will keep me from playing to completion is if the frustration/boredom factor gets too high with repeatedly battling a high-level boss. 4 stars

Game came fast with delivery, and the gameplay is very good. It's like a cross between Batman Arkham Asylum Combat System with Assassin Creed Like Parkour and Stealth Mechanics. The Nemesis System has Uruks Fighting among each other trying to grap power within Saurons Army. Whether you die by Uruks or have time pass, every enemy levels up and the chance for stronger runes to drop increases as well. Sending a Death Threat Via Uruks will jump uruks by 3-8 levels depending on their current level and allows for an increase chance of Epic Runes being drop. Despite the fact the story isn't canon the game is probably the best Lord of the Rings Game i've played in 10 years and I'm a massive fan of the lore. The Game of the year edition is a must buy for any ps4/xbox one gamer and fan of the series :D

My copy of Mordor I received was flawless. Case and disc lookef fantastic. I will be sure to buy from this seller again. As for the game if you like Assassin Creed and Middle Earth this is your game.

El envío llego antes de tiempo (un día antes) el paquete, que vino de Estados Unidos, llego un poco arrugado, lo cual me decepciono un poco, comparen eso con que el juego dentro de la caja venía suelto, como acostumbra a pasar, pero no por que sea algo general, quiere decir que sea algo bueno, aun así de parte de Amazon, esta bien. En cuanto al juego, este es un juego que acabe y jugue bastante, compre dos veces ya en versión digital en dos "sistemas" distintos, la compu, y el play 4, quería tener aun así el juego en físico y gracias a una oferta no solamente pude comprarlo en esa versión sino que también fue la del juego del año, el contenido de esta versión no es realmente algo imprescindible, algunos trajes, misiones extras, y unos poderes que te vuelen casi invencible en ciertas situaciones del juego, si es que sabes como sacar uso de estos. La gran... "gracia" del juego proviene de los juegos de poder en los cuales uno puede tener efecto ante los "Uruks" el enemigo principal del juego, similar, pero como dice el juego, "seres mas peligrosos que los orcos". El sistema funciona de una manera bastante sencilla pero da la ilusión de que tiene mucha profundidad, entonces llega a sentirse bastante satisfactorio cuando, por ejemplo, uno se encuentra con un Uruk que ya venció horas antes en el juego, cubierto de quemaduras, o cicatrices, (dependiendo de como es que lo hayas venció en el ultimo encuentro) a cobrar venganza por lo que le has hecho. La historia esta bien, es decente, tiene unos personajes buenos, sobretodo el protagonista, pero es una clásica historia de venganza que borda en el cliché, no preste demasiada atención a esta por esto mismo, simplemente no gano mi atención, el gran aspecto de la narrativa en verdad se vera demostrado por las historias que tu mismo vas creando a partir de las decisiones que tomas en el juego, eventualmente terminaras por recibir un poder que te terminara dando la habilidad de "dominar" a ciertos Uruks, quienes quieras, para conformar un ejercito de estos mismos. Otras veces podrás mandar amenazas en contra de Uruks capitanes, así como formar amistades, y destruirlas, todo esto cobra vida a partir de que los Uruks, generalmente, y sobretodo los capitanes, tienen mucho carácter, apenas te vean dependiendo de ciertas características emblemáticas de su personalidad estos se burlaran de ti, o te amenazaran, esto se extenderá también a sus vulnerabilidades así como a sus ventajas, cada capitán Uruk puede tener ambas de estas, por ejemplo, puede haber uno cubierto de llagas y cicatrices que se aterra y huye de la batalla al ver a un "Caragor" un animal tipo tigre que el jugador puede montar eventualmente en el juego al mejorar sus habilidades. En cuanto a las habilidades, y el combate en general, este toma "mecánicas céntricas" de juegos como Batman Arkham Asylum, es un sencillo, golpeas con un botón, cuando alguien termine por atacarte contra-atacas con otro, etc... Pero Shadow of Mordor no solamente te da la habilidad de hacer algo como eso, eventualmente puedes utilizar ejecuciones, o ataques brutales que puedes realizar en enemigos que aun no se han percatado de tu presencia, eventualmente a la mitad de una batalla puedes "dominar" a muchos Uruks para que peleen por ti, solo para después activar otra habilidad que destruya a cada uno de estos seres "dominados" haciendo que el contador de tu "combo" este siendo el numero de golpes que has dado, incremente. El juego también tiene un sistema de sigilo que es sencillo pero satisfactorio, te escabulles en un principio detrás de tus enemigos para apuñalarlos, pero después puedes obtener poderes que te ayuden a saltar de uno a otro ejecutándolos por medio de una especie de "teletrans-portacion", en ocasión, puedes también utilizar tu arco y flecha para disparar hacía las cabezas de los Uruks, asesinándolos al momento. Todo funciona increíblemente bien en conjunto, que supongo es el "genio" de este juego, todos los sistemas parecen funcionar en combinación con una, u otra mecánica , haciendo que el juego se sienta increíblemente fluido sin importar que sea lo que estes haciendo. Shadow of Mordor no es solamente un juego que defina madurez en términos de diseño, sino también en el entendimiento de este mismo, y a partir de ello, como este puede llegar afectar al jugador de forma positiva.

The gameplay trailer won me over. It reminded me of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. I am now interested in the Lord of the Rings because of this game. NOTE: This game is rated Mature.

Great game for the reduced price. I like it so much I bought the sequel too. Nemesis system is fun and keeps things fresh.

ロードオブザリングのファンなら、とても楽しいゲームです。操作も簡単で、お好みのやりかたで相手を倒せるので、面白いです。