Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Xbox 360

Shadow of Mordor is tough. It's part Assassin's Creed and... well, it's mostly Assassin's Creed in Mordor. Lots of parkour, building climbing, stealth kills (like an Assassin) but, while the mechanics are distinctly Ezio's, the game is much more than a reskinning. Let's get the easy stuff out of the way. The graphics are fantastic, stunning even. The ability trees and weapon enhancements (runes) feel, initially, to be superficial and tacked on, but come into their own just a few hours into the game when you realize you really need them and you don't know which will do you best. Sadly, you can't change weapons beyond the three you start with (Sword, Dagger and Bow). You can't go find Sting and put it in your inventory. In fact, there isn't an inventory. Health is replenished by finding plants and herbs on the ground and you have nothing to carry around. This is where choosing a rune that makes your sword replenish 24% health when doing a Flurry Kill is so important. But do you want that rune or 20% more damage when attacking from behind? The open world is quite large, and there's a ton of stuff to find in it that don't apply to the main story. Dagger, bow, sword, herblore, hunting and other challenges fill that world with even more artifacts, runes and memories to find out there for the completionist or to let you blow off some steam from the battles. The story is adequate for keeping the game moving forward, but it does feel a bit shallow. Nothing to complain about, it's the challenge that keeps me going. The challenge is the battles. This game is probably the first I've seen where the open world is also dynamic and shaped by the characters and bosses in it. I won't go as far as to say that each boss/Captain/Warchief is unique, but the system of Uruk tribal warfare is deep and very interactive. As you start finding these bosses and battling them, you can see the hierarchy change. Each Captain can be a bodyguard for a Warchief, so killing one will change the party of the Warchief when you go to kill him as a different Captain will taken the place of the slain one. Each boss has different strengths and weaknesses that change how you fight them. Stealth kills may be an option for one of the bodyguards, but not the Captains he has, so you might have to change your strategy. And you probably will, because these bosses are not easy kills. In fact, they're very very tough. Perhaps you have their weaknesses lined up and you're ready to go. As soon as you start the fight, he shouts for reinforcements and then one of those goes and lights a signal torch and suddenly there are 30 Orcs surrounding you, each you have to dodge, stun, kill, throw, interrogate, drain... whatever. It gets to be a very impressive fight. Orcs will shoot others if you line it up right, sometimes helping you. Other archers (Hunters) will shoot poison arrows so you don't get a visual indicator of when you might need to dodge or parry. Getting a hit streak offers you opportunities to use special moves and abilities. Knocking down one Orc doesn't mean you can quickly slice their head off, either, because the time to execute them leaves you open to attack and if you parry that attack, your execution is interrupted and the Orc survives. The bosses get weaker as you hit them in the right way, but then start to flee if you get them too weak without killing them. As their army surrounds you and you try to give chase you'll get bogged down in the horde and it'll be quite difficult to stop them. Grabbing them to kill them isn't easy either, as that takes a while and leaves you open, again, for attack. I have to interrupt that and mention the mechanics of fighting. It's frustrating. Not only is it quite difficult, but being unable to slice the head off (or otherwise stab) a downed enemy in one push of Square is enraging. It makes the fight more difficult, but it doesn't make sense. Likewise, so do some of the attack animations not make sense. Unfortunately, some animations and attacks take longer than others to finish. While this adds great variation to what could be a dull fight, you also don't really get to choose how most of your attacks will land. Some will be quick swipes and you can get back to another attacking enemy to counter, some attacks will be long blows and you'll be unable to counter the attacking enemy, which will then knock you backwards and another archer will get you while you're recovering and so on and so on until you are dead. Dying and respawning. It's fun and enraging (in a good way). It's explained away in the opening sequences as to why you are allowed to respawn in the game, which is quite nice and adds to the realism (as much as there can be) of the game. Dying by any hand (not beasts) can change the hierarchy of the bosses in the game. The Orc that kills you earns respect and power based on your death and can propel through the ranks riding your scabbard's tails. Likewise, you killing an Orc in that hierarchy will leave a void where new Orcs can rise or current ones be promoted even higher. Those Orcs will also take on roles as bodyguards for Warchiefs. Each one has different strengths, fears and weaknesses available to exploit, discovered through an Intel system. As battles between you and Orcs can change the hierarchy and the battlefield, so do battles between different Captains. It's incredible to see the battlefield changing constantly and it having a meaningful impact on how you plan your next encounter. Add to that, you can sometimes attend events, attacks, ambushes and executions between Uruk leaders that you can influence and change the battlefield as well. Simply put, it is brilliant. It's a truly unique game and it will have replayability for a long time. UPDATE: Well, just as I wrote this review, I thought I had neared the end of the game. It turns out that there was a second zone, a dwarf and some more story to go! I will have to go back on my previous statements about the story, it's actually quite interesting once it gets going. And it doesn't really get going until you get near the end of the game. Unfortunately I sort of blasted through the end of the story, and it was a lot easier than the battles before it. I can see now that if you don't get lost in the Orc games at the beginning of the game, you might be able to plow through the main story in 6 hours, putting it squarely in line with Advanced Warfare's duration. A bit disappointing, but I don't think most people are likely to want to play through it like that.

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is the LOTR game everyone has been waiting for. As you've probably heard by now, the gameplay is a wonderful blend of the Batman Arkham combat and Assassin's Creed parkour, all set in Middle Earth. If you like either one of those games, you should pick up a copy of Shadow of Mordor immediately. Combat: 10/10 If you've played any of the Batman Arkham games, imagine the combat being almost identical, except instead of using fists you have a sword and bow. For those of you who haven't played a game in that series, the combat is fast-paced and free-flowing. It is incredibly fun to jump right into a middle of a group of orcs and watch as Tailon hacks and slashes his way beautifully through the entire pack. You might struggle at first to avoid being hit while still dishing out damage to increase your hit counter (which allows for special finisher moves), but once you pick up on it you might give up on the stealth option all together to feel the accomplishment of single-handedly wiping out a couple dozen orcs with no problem. Movement: 9/10 Again, if you've played an Assassin's Creed game, imagine the movement being similar to that. If you haven't, imagine being able to sprint across an open field, dive over a rock and a fence, and then shimmy up a tower in a matter of seconds. The movement is more fluid than the AC series, in my opinion. Most objects are climbable so you don't have to run around for awhile trying to decide at what point you need to climb from. I took one star off of the movement score because there were a few times when Tailon would get a mind of his own when climbing. Overall though, it's quick, fluid, and generally glitch-free. Plot: 6.5/10 This one was the hardest for me to score. The plot isn't bad but it probably won't wow you either. I've seen better, I've seen worse. I won't share any plot points so as not to reveal any spoilers but the ending is "meh" and open to interpretation. They might lock this down with DLC but I can't verify that. I've read so many theories online that I'm not sure what I believe. Most importantly, you don't have to be a LOTR lore fanatic to follow along. I'm sure you might pick up a few extra plot points but it's not a game breaker. Boss Fights: 3/10 You're probably thinking, "How does boss fights count as a category by itself?" Well, personally I love and look forward to boss fights. I can't really categorize it with anything else because it's a mixture of the plot and combat. There are 3 main bosses in this game. Usually the closer you get to the end, the harder the bosses. ME:SoM went in a completely different direction on this one and I found it disappointing. The bosses get progressively easier. You only actually fight the first boss. I beat the second boss in about 2 minutes on my first try. You just sneak up behind his "doubles" and stealth kill 3 or 4 of them and it's over. The third and final boss, which you spend all game trying to locate, is just a QTE prompt. You press the button when it tells you to and that's it. Nemesis System: 8/10 I'm going to dedicate a little more writing to this because it's the new idea on the block. The Nemesis System is a new feature that debuted with ME:SoM. My overall opinion of it is that's it is an awesome idea and a fresh design. I do have one complaint but I'll outline that later. What the Nemesis System entails is that there are orc Captains and Warchiefs -- basically leaders of the pack. Each captain/warchief has special strengths and weaknesses that you can use to your advantage or ignore them to a fault. The orcs have a hierarchy of these captains and warchiefs. If you kill one captain, a captain of a lesser tier moves up to take his place. A big part of the game is using this to your advantage (which I will get to). The actual "nemesis" part of the Nemesis System is the way in which the orcs react to you. If a captain kills you, he will become your nemesis and he will remember you, which will shape the way he approaches you. For example: If a captain kills you and you go back to take care of him later, he will say something along the lines of "I killed you once! You should have stayed dead." It brings a fresh and reactive approach to the game. But that's not the only way to change the way the game reacts to you. It also takes into account the manner in which a deed is done. For example: If you burn a captain and he gets away, the next time you see him, he will make comments about being burned (or cut, or...). This might sound like "fluff" for the game but it really is a wonderful feature and makes the experience all the better without getting repetitive. I'm always interested in what new way they are going to threaten me. Side note: If this game has taught me anything, it's that orcs are a VERY confident species. Now, to how you can control the nemesis system to your advantage. In the second half of the game you will learn the "brand" ability, which allows you to mind-control orcs. You can brand your target outright OR you can brand the orc in the next line of succession, kill your target, and watch as your branded orc takes his position. It's very rewarding to take control of a low level captain and knock out his line of succession to watch him move up through the ranks. You can also use your branded orc captains to carry out assassinations of other captains, use them to gain intel (which gives you information on strengths and weaknesses of captains/warchiefs), or you can assign them to become a bodyguard of a warchief. Related note: *Warchiefs are at the top of the orc hierarchy. You have to do special missions to get them to show up and, when they do, they are accompanied by captain bodyguards.* When you brand a captain, you can tell him to fight to become a bodyguard of the warchief (which you will have to do a struggle mission to make happen). That'll allow you to take out warchiefs much easier because you can just turn their bodyguards against them to help fight the good fight. As for the part I alluded to earlier with the one problem I had with the system. To get an actual orc nemesis, they have to kill you (which will make them grow in power as well!). I'm not saying this to sound arrogant, but I only died a couple times throughout the entire game so I didn't have a nemesis for most of it. It's not a big deal but since they put so much effort into this system, it would have been nice to experience more regularly. Difficulty: ?/10 I can't score this one because it's mostly based on preference. The early game is tough, but not overly tough as you adapt to how the game works and Tailon's abilities. If you walk into an orc stronghold right from the start, you're going to have a bad time. You better have a damn good escape strategy. As you start to increase in power and gain new abilities, you become Tailon, Bringer of Destruction and Death to All Who Oppose. I didn't feel like the second half of the game was all that challenging, which I found disappointing but as I said, it's all a matter of preference. For me, I kind of abandoned all strategy and didn't plan my attacks. I just jumped right in the middle of the group and started hacking. Random thoughts: The greatest thing in this entire game and one of the coolest things of any game I've ever played, is the warchief entrance. You'll probably read what I write and think that it doesn't sound all that great but it's something you need to experience to see how great it is. When you beat the little mission to get to warchief to show up, the warchief will make a grand entrance where the orcs chant his name. Again, I know that doesn't sound all that cool but it's something you experience in-game. They put the warchief in slow-mo and he walks in like a bad ass while they are chanting his name. RUK-DUG! RUK-DUG! RUK-DUG! It reminds me of a show or movie where a gladiator enters the arena and the crowd is chanting his name, practically demoralizing and demeaning the opponent. Overall: 9/10 I alluded to the plot being average, the boss fights being unmemorable, and the late game difficulty being too easy, so how can I give it a 9/10? The gameplay is just that much fun. Never once did I say to myself throughout the entire game, "That is broken and needs to be fixed." It somehow manages to keep the action fresh without becoming repetitive. It's a bloody, fast-paced hack-n-slash masterpiece and this game alone will get me to commit to future games in the series.

I have to be honest about something. I wasn't exactly thrilled about Mordor, when it first came out. I tried so hard to get excited about it, but I just couldn't. Don't get me wrong, I planned on playing it, but not right away (hence the reason why I waited so late to play it). Now that I've played it, there's nothing quite like it. It was a very unpredictable experience because you'll never know what's going to happen next, and no two playthroughs are the same. Combat - I know I'm not going to surprise anyone by saying the combat is very similar to the Batman games — However, this next comment may surprise you. I think the combat is better than the Batman games — Much better, in my opinion. I hope I don't offend any Batman game enthusiasts, but the combat in that game can get a little stale, as time goes on. This is far from the case in Mordor! In fact, the combat becomes more fun, as you progress. For example; once you hit a 5 hit combo streak, you can take out your bow, and shoot someone with a flaming arrow! Flaming arrows not your thing? Not to worry, you can also do a finish move that'll chop their damn head off! There are other executions you can do, but those two happen to be my favorite. Weaponry - Some of you may get turned off when I tell you there's only three weapons in the game, but just hear me out, first. Listen, there's nothing wrong with a game that has an enormous variety of weapons (Lords of the Fallen), but I usually only end up using one or two of them anyway. If I had my wish, action games would only provide us with two or three weapons; something for melee combat, and something for ranged attacks. Mordor nailed this, in my opinion. You'll get a sword for melee attacks, a bow for attacking from a distance, and just to shake things up, you'll get a dagger for stealth attacks. If you plan on beating the game, you'll need to be proficient with all three. My favorite was probably the sword because there's nothing quite like slicing and dicing your way to victory! And don't worry, you'll get all three weapons very early in the game, unlike some dumb games that wait damn near to the end before giving you all of your weapons... Enemies - Now THIS is an interesting topic! I've read some reviews that claim all of the enemies are pretty much the same. Well, that's not true, and I would question the validity and integrity of anyone that's spewing such nonsense. Granted, they're all Orcs or Uruks, but they're definitely not the same. They look different, they have different weapons, they behave differently, and they all have their own name. I'm not going to get into the nemesis system because I know it's already been talked about a great deal, and I don't feel like it anyway, because my fingers are starting to get tired. Here's the driving force behind the title of my review. You might be partaking in a side-mission that has nothing to do with the main storyline. While you're focusing on trying to complete said side-mission, here comes an Orc Captain (again, he has nothing to do with what you're trying to accomplish). For all intents and purposes, these encounters with Orc Captains are mini boss battles, and they can happen at any time! I've never played a game where I was constantly on edge, because I didn't know when or where one of these guys were going to show up! I'm going to be transparent and tell you guys I was afraid of one Orc Captain in particular. He would constantly show up, and I ran like a little you know what (I don't recommend running, because if he sees you again, he'll let you know about it, and make you feel like a coward). For legal reasons, this particular Captain will remain unnamed. Suffice it to say, when I finally grew a pair, I got the last laugh, and I'll leave it at that... Even if I did tell you his name, don't expect to see him in your game, because the Orc Captain names and appearances are pretty random. You'll see names ranging from "Grublik the Flogger" to "Edected the Curio". Miscellaneous - Outside of the 20 main missions, there's a lot to do. You'll find tons and tons of side-missions to do, as well as several collectibles to track down. One of the more interesting side-missions was called the "Hunting Challenge", and you'll be tasked with hunting and killing different creatures. This was pretty neat, and reminded me a little of Red Dead Redemption. I probably spent more time doing the extra stuff, than I did playing the main missions (the main missions are pretty short). If you're a trophy hunter, you'll have a good shot at getting the Platinum, if you're willing to put up with a few annoyances... Shadow of Mordor is a great game, but it may not be for everyone. Here's the skinny; if you like games such as Batman, Tomb Raider, and Assassins Creed, I think you'll enjoy Mordor. However, if you you're not into those games, and prefer something like "The Last of Us" or "Heavy Rain", you might want to steer clear... I know I'm 'required' to point out at least one negative thing about Mordor, but I'm not sure I can do that. I'm not sure what you guys want me to say? There's nothing I dislike about the game. Ok, if someone told me I HAD to point out something negative, or I would be FORCED to play Evolve again, here's what I would come up with: There's a Wraith spirit that'll accompany you on your journey. This guy is a huge hater, and a massive TOOL, to the highest degree. See there, told you I didn't have anything. Rayman Legends; you're up next!

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a game I had little faith in. When I first saw it I thought it was a cash grab using the Lord of Rings name to get as much sales as possible. When I played the game I couldn’t anymore wrong. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor was not only an excellent game that fully lives of to its licensed material, it was one of the best games of 2014. Shadow of Mordor masterfully manages to take elements from games like God of War, Batman Arkham Series, and Assassin Creed in its game with a Middle Earth spin. The game also comes up with its own unique ideas. The Nemesis System is a new original idea, it allows the enemies of the game to evolve and grow just like the player. Random grunts can become the powerful war chiefs, rivalries can spawn between you and other enemies of the game. When you die you actually die, the game explains this in the story on why you’re character can’t die. When you get “killed” the enemy who killed you whether a grunt or a high level lieutenant grows in power and in rank. The story is pretty good you play as a Ranger of Gondor Talion a man banished from death who is trying to avenge the murders of himself and his family. It takes place between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It has one familiar face appear in the game from the movies. For the most part all of the characters in the game are new never before seen in the movies or books. While a huge character in the lore is here it is mostly new characters and one movie character. The biggest disappointment was the ending for two reasons. One the final boss fight was just a Quick Time Event and two this games ending, which I will not spoil pretty much sets it up for a sequel. If you’re a Tolkien purest then the game’s story is not for you, if you didn’t like movies then the game is not for you. The gameplay is fantastic, if you ever played the Arkham games it pretty plays exactly like that with more decapitations and blood. The enemy Uruks will pretty much always swarm you, at first you will get annihilate by all the Uruks but like all games with a leveling up system near the end of the game you are pretty much in God Mode and are unstoppable. The game has a stealth system where you can sneak up and stab you enemies instantly killing them. You start to see the AI’s downfall as the Uruks fail to notice you even if you’re in their face. As a range weapon you get a bow in arrow that as soon as it gets the right runes pretty much becomes overpowered and awesome. The games graphics are good to look at especially on next gen consoles and PC. The graphics give justice to the depiction of Mordor. Lighting is great and the cut scenes are excellently choreography. The game is an open world not the biggest but one of the most detailed, the game is packed with side missions, artifacts, and weapon upgrade missions. There is two parts of Mordor you get to explore, Nurn and the Sea of Nurnen. There are the same size and have virtually no loading in the area. You can fast travel to a specific area using synchronized towers in the game just like in Assassin’s Creed. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a delight to play the game is about twenty hours, thirty if you complete all the side quests and collect all the artifacts. It was one of the best games of 2014 and hands down the best Lord of the Rings game ever. Warner Bros did it again, first they made a good Batman game and now they made a good Lord of the Rings game an action that I thought was impossible. Since most Lord of the Rings games are cash grabs and are average at best. If you haven’t already buy this game it is worth the price. Monolith and Warner Bros made the one game to rule them all.

Shadow of Mordor attempts to be many things, but when it really comes down to it, it is one thing....and that is an orc-killing simulator. 90% of your time spent playing this game will be spent spontaneously killing orcs, or going on specific missions to kill an orc or orcs. This is both Shadow of Mordor's greatest strength and greatest weakness. Thankfully, the excellent gameplay makes the orc-killing process an almost-always enjoyable task, yet at the same time, the lack of variety in missions can make the proceedings drag at times. What really saves Shadow of Mordor from being a merely mediocre open world rpg-lite action game, and nearly propels it into the category of greatness, is its emergent storytelling, which the development studio refers to as the Nemesis system. This is truly a breakthrough and separates Shadow of Mordor from the rest of the pack. To start, Shadow of Mordor is a big-budget AAA video game, and it shows. Bringing a new perspective to the Lord of the Rings universe, you play as Talion, a ranger who was executed by Sauron's men at some point on the LOTR timeline between The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yet, as is soon revealed, Talion is spared from death by a mysterious elven wraith, who is also trapped between the world of the living and the dead. Binding himself to Talion, the duo set forth across the not-yet-completely-darkened land of Mordor to free themselves from this curse and discover the truth about their fates. The story is a bit ludicrous, and seems to exist only to justify Talion's inability to die, much to the frustration of the hordes of orc and uruk who are beginning to amass in Mordor. But despite this, there are still some very cool moments in this game, and although it's a perspective on the LOTR universe that may come off as jarringly unfamiliar at first, it's ultimately refreshing to have a game developer take a new look at this vast fantasy universe. Gameplay is rock solid. World traversal feels very much molded after the Assassin's Creed series, yet doesn't feel as twitchy and cumbersome as those games can often feel. It's not perfect, but it's an improvement that hopefully the folks over at Ubisoft will take note of. Combat, on the other hand, is very much in the mold of the Batman Arkham games, with a heavy emphasis on deadly supernatural abilities, courtesy of the wraith, that often feels like a third person Dishonored. Combat is awesome. It's brutal, bloody, and in-your-face. The huge skill tree gives you access to some truly awesome powers, and by the end of the game, you're nearly unstoppable. Whether you're sniping foes with arrows, stealthily stalking them with your dagger, or riding a caragor into a crowd of orcs to feast on their bones, combat feels dynamic and consistently fun, and it needs to be. You'll be doing a LOT of it. In fact, it's pretty much all you do in this game, as I mentioned earlier. Orcs are beginning to amass in Mordor and they are everywhere. And aside from some very cool creature hunting missions involving a memorable dwarf, pretty much every objective you fulfill in this game involves orc slaying. Not helping the issue is the map & world design, which is also somewhat bland and same-looking nearly everywhere you go. You'll be flipping to your world map quite often, as it's very difficult to discern one area from another in this game. So be forewarned...most of this game is going from similar looking place to similar looking place, killing basically only one kind of enemy. Shadow of Mordor has a trick up its sleeve, though. These orcs that you are running around so shamelessly killing in Mordor? They have hierarchies. They feud with each other for control, power, and rank. And when you begin to disrupt that rank, they remember. They'll try to kill you. If they succeed, they'll be rewarded and become more powerful, and they will be angered and dumbfounded when they see you again. If you injure them, they'll grow angrier and want revenge. And if they get it, it will make YOU angry. This is the magic of Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system. Your actions in the field, whether they be successes or failures, will impact the world around you in a very direct, quantifiable way. You'll begin to make enemies with particular orcs (who are always very nicely voice acted, animated, and even named) who you'll form personal vendettas against throughout your playthrough. Some of these scenarios may last several hours. Maybe your nemesis will show up in the middle of you trying to accomplish a main story-related quest, and disrupt everything. Maybe you'll interfere with his recruiting of other orcs. The possibilities are nearly endless, and best of all, it's all unique to your playthrough. No other Shadow of Mordor player will have the same tales to tell of their experiences in Mordor as yours. It's an amazing feature, and it's not only what helps Shadow of Mordor feel one of a kind, but also what makes it feel like the first true next generation game we've seen on these new consoles. It's the reason you should play this game. Overall, Shadow of Mordor is easy to recommend despite its significant flaws.

I have played a lot of games on the PS4, both from big name developers and smaller studios through the PlayStation Store. I've played action RPGS, platformers, sidescrollers, sports games, fighting games, shooters, RPGs, and story-based games. For me, the choice of the best game I've played on the PS4 so far is a toss up between Shadow of Mordor and The Last of Us Remastered. Gameplay: Fighting is a pure joy. The variety of ways to eviscerate a servant of Sauron is absolutely delightful. Your character feels powerful enough to face the forces arrayed against him, yet at the same time is not too powerful that the game becomes easy. You will die. A lot. But you will have a wicked fun time doing it, no matter how much you want to rage at the named Uruk-hai that killed you. Immersion: Oh, wow! That's all I can think to say about the developer's choice to NAME their monsters. I mean, who would have thought that fighting enemies with names (and their own skills, relationships, and look) would make the game so completely immersive. The bosses in this game, of which there are hundreds, have names and personalities, and will trash-talk you relentlessly. You will feel personally affronted when you confront them (especially if you lose to one) and you will feel personally vindicated when you take one out. I have never felt drawn into a main character's shoes in over 18 years of gaming as much as I have here. Moreover, the game does an excellent job of convincing you that you are in a "living" world. Things happen in the background. Sauron's servants fight each other. They kill each other. They get promoted. New boss-characters rise and fall. Unbelievable. Most of the time, I found myself ditching the story line and hunting down named enemies just for the fun (and challenge of it). More than once I had to back out of a fight, or skip it all together. More than once I made a poor choice to engage and got the soul kicked out of my poor hero. But I never stopped coming back for more. Storyline: Fantastically written. Voice acting was also superb. You will learn a lot about the forces and backstory of Mordor (and other areas). I was already a fan of the Lord of the Rings, but you'll enjoy this regardless. And while not really about the storyline, the graphics are great as well. Game Add-ons / In-game purchasing: This section will pretty much always result in me taking away stars from a game. I absolutely hate the concept on a full-priced premium game, and strongly believe that if a developer is going to go the way of in-game purchases and nickel-and-diming their players, they should not charge anything up front (or at the least something very little and very far from the typical "full-price"). Lucky for you, and me, and pretty much every gamer in existence and in the future, the developer did not waste our time with stuff like that here. You can play, beat, and ENJOY the entire game without being annoyed by the need for add-ons. They are there if you want to purchase them, and some you might even find appealing. But you will never feel like you had to get it, or that you were punished by the developer (in terms of the gameplay or your enjoyment of the game) by not getting it. I wish other developers would take a cue from the decisions made here. Summary: Ultimately, I parted with this game not because I got bored of it, but because it was so addictive that I knew I would play it for years just to hunt down named boss after named boss. The feeling of satisfaction when you succeed is awesome. Of course I beat the storyline, and that in itself was great. But when you have realized your full potential as a warrior, you feel like you never want to stop roaming the region to remind vicious orcs who the true master of Mordor is. If you have not played this game yet, get it now!

I got this game yesterday (January 7th, 2015) and played it for a good 5 or 6 hours. I have to say, I am incredibly impressed. I talked to a buddy of mine who suggested it. Reviews throughout the Internet recommended it. And heck, I love LotR, so why not? Lemme break it down a bit. :) Story: Slightly confusing at first, but strong. Right off the bat, you are thrown into combat, giving a "trial by fire" feel. It is interesting and fun to work through. It could start getting repetitive, but so far I haven't had that problem. World: I am still on the first world, Udun, but it is MASSIVE. I heard that there were only 3 places to explore here, and that sounded a bit off. Thing is, I have played it for a good while, going everywhere I can, and I STILL haven't even explored Udun. The place is ridiculously big. Movement: THIS is where I get all teary (along with combat). The movement is extremely reminiscent of Assassin's Creed, allowing you to climb up buildings with ease. But, for any AC player out there, we all know that walls can sometimes be a pain if they don't have any grips. The Ranger of the Black Gate doesn't give a damn. He does some super jump to climb up things, meaning you can climb anything 75% faster than in AC. It is awesome. Combat: FINALLY. The combat is fantastic. If you have played Batman, it is very similar to that. Stun using B, Attack using X, Counter using Y, Evade/Jump Over using A, Ground Kill using RT + X, etc. Combat can be difficult at times, as you can counter, but not counter-attack. So if you are in a horde of 50 Uruks, and you counter one, he is simply stunned and keeps coming for you. This makes it tough. I have grown to rely on flurry attacks (which are explained in game), and then executions. Despite that challenge, combat is still insanely fun. I was in a stronghold with dang near 100 Uruks, and somehow I managed to piss off every one. The combat is smooth and fun, so I fought them all, and killed them all. Even had hit streaks going close to x150. It is difficult, but so, so very satisfying. Stealth: Like Batman, you press RT to enter "Stealth Mode". You also can enter the Wraith World, which lets you see objects of interest, people to kill, advantages, etc. (Like Batman's detective mode). It is smooth, just like the rest of the game. You can climb buildings in stealth mode (or I should say levitate up them). And when you kill someone, it is just so fun. Graphics: Not the best I have ever seen, but very, very good. Crisp, clear and detailed landscapes throughout the game. Very impressive. Overall, one of the best games I have played. If you have the money, GET IT. It is amazing. :) -GLFJ EDIT: So, I have played it pretty hard the past few days. I have logged about 35 hours and 45 minutes, and have achieved 100% completion. So, this game definitely lasted a good while, and stayed interesting the whole time. Survival challenges could get tiresome, since all you are doing is finding 'shrooms and flowas. There are only TWO realms, Udun and Sea of Nurnen, but even after completing it, they still seem fairly large. Overall, a FANTASTIC game, with the ability to keep playing, and a huge interest in REplaying. I would still recommend it to anyone. :)

My favorite current gen (I guess we are through the period they were "next gen") console game. In visual terms, not the best looking game this generation, but gorgeous and beautifully rendered throughout. Character designs rival even those of the Lord of Rings and Hobbit films. Environment has time change, with light cascading and bringing life to the actually impressive live Mordor landscapes. Never had frame rate problems, and loading times are quite fast (and few actually, since most of the time is spent in the 2 huge open world environments). Gameplay wise, this is where the game is a 10 out 5 stars for me. Like others have said, it is the perfect combination of Batman Arkham games' combat (literally same controls and button mapping) with Assassin's Creed parkour and vertical movement. With these control sets, you have the freedom to approach enemies and missions with stealth to kill or "brain-wash enemies," full fledged hacking and slashing mobs (last time I tried counting there were over 40 Uruks surrounding me), setting wild animals to kill Uruks, or brain wash enough Uruks to have a group fighting on your side. The true hook of this game for me is the amazing Nemesis system. Enemies who kill your character, will remember doing so the next time you face them, and they will be better prepared to do it again too. And it goes in-depth to how you choose to take over high ranking enemies. You may choose to kill them, or brain-wash them so they become your captains to hunt their own superior officers. Also the time passing changes how your enemies fight in between one another for higher ranks, and how they gain more abilities. Finally the beauty of it all is that enemies' powers and abilities are randomly generated. So you need to gain intelligence by getting soldiers or captains and prodding through their mind (sort of "spiritual interrogation") and so you learn enemies' abilities and weaknesses. Overall, this game is amazing. Amazing replay value where enemies are randomly generated, beautiful soundtrack, amazing voice acting by all actors, excellent use of source material (both Silmarillion and Hobbit books are well referenced here, and built upon). Speaking of source material. For those of us who love not only Lord of the Rings books, but the Silmarillion, you will be even more entertained. Everything from plants, characters, lore references, locations and peoples, are appropriately referenced here. And they give great importance to a character that only had 4 lines of reference in Silmarillion (even though he is of great influence to all of Middle Earth's end of Second Age, and consequently all of Third Age). If you liked any of Batman Arkham games, anything Lord of the Rings, or games that have innovative core concepts, you will enjoy this true next gen (I mean current gen). Just beware that the game is quite gory, so it's not family friendly (for that matter I recommend Lego Lord of the Rings if you want to share the Tolkien joy with family).