IGN 9.3/10
Negatives: Plot dwindles
Positives: Orcs and cutscenes interesting, Nemesis adds intrigue
“My interest in the plot dwindled toward the end, but it does a fair job of explaining why Talion has such sweet supernatural powers with his sword, dagger, and bow.”
“I never really got tired of the action-pausing cutscenes that play when a captain shows up. There are enough different voices and multiple possible lines that I rarely saw repeats, and the uruk faces are surprisingly well animated and expressive.”
“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 going on in the background: an intriguing hierarchy of enemies that gives every victory and defeat extra meaning.”
Destructoid 6/10
Negatives: Generic revenge plot, unfulfilling finale, repetitive cutscenes, Nemesis becomes gimmicky, orcs and fighting become repetitive
Positives: Not a bad game.
“In short, it’s basically the setup for God of War, and the basic revenge tale theme permeates throughout in a generic fashion.”
“The rest is basically going to be ‘go here, kill this, draw out this big bad, then kill him for your family’ type plots.”
“The finale has a few cool cutscenes here and there, but considering that the last boss is a quick time event, it’s ultimately unfulfilling.”
“… after watching that [cut]scene multiple times over the course of the game and having every fight play out in the same exact manner, it feels like another gimmick.”
“In theory, it’s a very cool idea. But like many hyped-up mechanics, the Nemesis system ultimately becomes gimmicky very quickly. Yes, the names are randomized and some of the appearances look different enough, but after an hour of seeing it in action everything blends together. Orcs don’t have unique personalities per se, just unique weaknesses… and generic parameters. Fights against 90% of the captains, warchiefs, and named enemies in the game feel exactly the same.”
“It isn’t a bad game, it just feels far too repetitive for its own good.”
Polygon 9.5/10
Negatives: Try as you might to find them, there were no explanations for the 0.5 deficit.
Positives: Fluid world, Revenge plot done well
“an open world that actually feels like it lives, breathes, morphs and moves with or without your own actions”
“Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor provides a clearer road map for the next generation of AAA games than anything that has come previously.”
“Some of that setup may sound like fantasy nonsense if you’re not already a huge Lord of the Rings fan, but even as someone lukewarm on Tolkien’s books, I found the plot engaging. Talion begins the game as a generic, revenge-driven video game protagonist, but he exhibits a more nuanced and interesting personality as it progresses.”
So it sounds like people can’t decide whether they love orcs, or whether they really love orcs (because who doesn’t love orcs?). The limits of the game’s repetition is hotly contested. Any interested player will need to decide whether the game’s defining features fail to remain interesting after 10 hours.
Have you passed your judgement on Shadow of Mordor? Let us know how you’re enjoying the game, or whether you’ll be picking it up anytime soon.
