Within the first 30 minutes of playing Shadow of Mordor, its core DNA is clearly apparent. This is a game that doesn't hide its roots; it's not embarrassed about where it has borrowed mechanics from other games that have inspired it.

Setting a new standard for the open-world action game, Shadow of Mordor provides gamers with a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding experience. The Nemesis system is a satisfying innovation that essentially allows players to create their own boss battles, and player choice has rarely been as...

+ The Nemesis system; + Combat; + Taking control of enemy minds

- The main story campaigns can be a little jarring

The Legend, the Lore, the Artistry, the Deftness, the World and the Characters, these are some of the things which J.R.R Tolkien brought to life in his Lord of the Rings books, and which were transferred ever so well into film format.

Brilliant Combat l Compelling Narrative l Unbelievable voice acting l Super Graphics l Pretty Much Everything

AI can appear a bit dim l Parkour is not as fluid as it could be

The Lord of the Rings trilogy may have come to an end, though the lore of Middle-earth has been revived with the recent Hobbit movies. Games have also been faithfully recreating the fantasy setting, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the latest one to do so.

Large open world to explore; Responsive battle system

Short single player campaign; Minor slowdown in some parts

With stealth, platforming and similar assets and animations, Monolith's Lord of the Rings title Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has more than a little Assassin's Creed flavour to it. Its counter and combo focused fighting also echoes the free flowing combat of the Batman: Arkham games.

When Talion, one of the last Gondorian Rangers keeping watch at the Black Gate, and his family are brutally executed the night of Sauron's return to Mordor, he awakens to find himself inhabited by an Elvish Wraith, "banished from death" – trapped between the worlds of light and dark – and bound to...

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is one of the big surprises of 2014. During a crowded release time in gaming, Shadow of Mordor is able to offer an interesting experience due to its Nemesis system, combat, and stealth mechanics.

Monolith and Warner Bros. Interactive risked a lot in creating Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. They obviously risked the ire of diehard Tolkien fans around the world (I'm looking at Vader), since they created new characters and wrote a story outside of Tolkien's words.

Solid gameplay that requires real strategy and planning and really forces players to be against dying; as crazy as that sounds

Generic protagonist and safe-ish storyline walk a very fine line to prevent hardcore Tolkien fans from rallying against the game too much; and at the same time; it's not entirely open to those who know nothing about Lord of the Rings

What attracted me foremost to Shadow of Mordor, apart from the Lord of the Rings connection, was the combat system - which is essentially the same as the Batman Arkham series! As a result when you go against the evil Orc's and other minions of Mordor you really feel like a bad-ass ranger, with the...

As far as licensed games go, most of them aren't even worth mentioning. But there are some rare cases that fire on every cylinder and live up to their parent franchises. And once in a blue moon, you might get a video game that surpasses the quality of the film it's based on.