Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition

As of now, I have tested the game on a laptop (specs below). CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4600H GPU: AMD Radeon RX 5500M RAM: 16GBs Storage: SSD The game runs at 60fps smooth and stable with everything maxed out, at leaf-blower mode (so a 30fps cap is recommended), (AA+Blur, Tessellation, Order Independent Transparency and Depth of Field are DISABLED). In case the textures of NPC and character models don't load properly, reboot the game. The strong points of the game are its swordplay against masses of opponents, with varied specializations and the process of taking down their Captains and Warchiefs, NPCs with specific strengths and weaknesses, that set them apart from the game's basic opponents, reaching it's height (swordplay) with boss fights against the cast of main villains. Recommended for those with expectations for a game with satisfying brawling mechanics and related progression. Plot wise it represents an oversimplification of the Lord of the Rings' book universe, utilizing only as much as it is necessary to create a relatable to the universe brawling/sword-fighting experience. Not recommended for dedicated fans of Tolkien's universe looking for an immersive story. My rating of the game, based on the merits of its technical and game-play qualities is four (4) stars, while based on its faint plot is two (2) stars, with both aspects carrying the same weight in forming the average of a three (3) star final rating.

I've seen a lot of reviews here complaining about this or that mechanic or situation. I disagree. It takes timing and some strategy, but all the tools to win any encounter are provided. The story missions provide the basics, it is up to the player to sophisticate from that. My only gripes with this game are two, and I will offer other players a workable solution for each: 1. Pacing and "power fantasy" hazard: The game awards too much XP and Mirian, allowing for fast acquisition of abilities. This ruins the pacing by making the player so powerful that his ability progression may outpace his mastery of combat mechanics and enjoyment of their novelty. I recommend only picking a new ability after killing an arbitrary number of captains (10 or 5 or whatever works for you), and only adding rune slots for a weapon after you've done a challange mission relating to that weapon. Some abilities are overpowered. I recommend forgoing some of them if you can, and see what happens. I also recommend eschewing the dlc starting runes completely. Following this advice makes the game harder in the beginning, but more interesting, at a pace that forces you to master and experience the system fully. 2. The default music volume is too loud - sometimes it will mask audio cues in combat. Not strictly a problem as music volume is adjustable, but I think this should be pointed out. In other news: The Nemesis system is more sophisticated than people give it credit for. As you move through an area - it generates a sequence of events for you - in my estimation this is done through the same "pathing" mechanic used in story missions, it's simply not represented in the UI objectives etc. Play slower and with more intent, eschew fast travel as much as your time allows, and pay attention to the (uncaptioned) banter the enemies say.

Stealth action adventure where you mow down hordes or Uruks? Very nice Does it get repetitive? yes Lots of abilities to help you in battle, fastpaced combat and smooth controls. Proceduraly generated elite enemies spice it up, even if sometimes you get the short end of the stick, like a captain that is a battle master inmune to ranged attacks and cannot be jumped over. even if it's not canon the story is interesting, and since I'm not that into LOTR I couldn't care less about lore accuracy. Unfortunately I couldn't complete all side quests, the last quest for the sword bugged out and couldn't complete it even after several tries, other than that performance was flawless. It didn't blow my mind, but is good enough I was gonna give it a 4 star, but since the game robbed me from that sidequest I'll give it a three

How to do a lot with a little. You'll re-traverse the same territory over and over, whether completing the (short) main story, or grinding any of the repetitious side quests. Flashy Arkham-style combat combines well with Assassin's Creed-style stealth, but the lack of variety to the missions and areas can make the late game a chore. Graphics and production values are among the best of its time, though, and if you love hunting and defeating an endless stream of orc captains (using a framework called the Nemesis system), then the positives far outweigh the negatives. Plus the game can be completed in 30-40 hours, a rarity among more recent sandbox / open-world games. 7/10

There's a ton of content here for the price, the campaign is servicable, not ground-braking but it get's the job done, the gameplay is the selling point here, the combat is fluid as butter while also being visually amazing thanks to the graphics and animation. This is a must buy even without a sale, you'll get your money's worth.