Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Batman Arkham
Stealth Games 6 years before Batman: Arkham, Saints Row developer Volition kept working on a stealth Batman game even after its original idea got scrapped for being worse than GTA 3
Action RPGs Experts say Monolith's patented Nemesis System doesn't have to die with its Lord of the Rings games: "You can see some similar design language in the Mercenary system in Assassin's Creed Odyssey"
Batman: Arkham Knight Riddler guide
Action Games Batman Arkham Knight Riddler guide to solve every challenge
Spider-Man 2 PC
Action Games The 10 best superhero games that you should play today
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Games Warner Bros. triples down on Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and DC in organization restructure, putting Batman: Arkham Origins and NetherRealm studio heads in charge
Black Panther game logo
Action Games Canceled EA Black Panther game reportedly had its own version of Monolith’s patented Nemesis System, which studio closures keep punting toward oblivion
A screenshot of a bunch of DC villains during one of the best games like Borderlands, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Action Games After Suicide Squad's $200 million flop and a massacre of studios, Warner Bros acknowledges it has "no releases" out, it's spending 66% less on game content, and the Hogwarts Legacy boom is wearing off
  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor

Middle-earth: Shadows of Mordor is Batman: Aragorn City

News
By David Houghton published 13 August 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Captain Ghost hands

Captain Ghost hands

I played Middle-earth: Shadows of Mordor today. I had a very good time with it. The reason? I really like Rocksteadys Arkham games. And a great deal of the time, playing Mordor is like playing a video game adaptation of some non-existent, magical-medieval, alt-universe Batman comic. Henry has already covered the branching, evolving, organic world of the game, whose characters and power structures adapt on the fly in response to your actions. Ill divert you here to read about those. But suffice to say, they do work, and theyre really rather impressive. Instead I want to talk about Mordors core gameplay. Its damn fun stuff, and theres no denying it. But neither will you be able to pretend that you dont find it just a little bit overly familiar.

Orc-slaying combat? X or Square is your attack button, Y or Triangle performs counters when enemy attack icons flash up on screen. And A or X sends you flipping over your foes heads to perform a rear-angled stabbing. Its really useful against the heavy Orcs with shields. And you can do finishers when they hit the ground. Yeah, I know. As for general athleticism, A or X also performs your evasive roll, while holding it down initiates smooth sprints, mantling, climbing, and acrobatic leaps off cliff. Look, I know, okay?

And while the flashbacks are certainly jarring at first, eventually they--almost--dissolve, because Mordor uses them within a very different context. During my Orc-hunting missions, in which I was tasked with tracking and eliminating several Generals via a variety of different means, I found myself engaging in all kinds of dynamic, open-world shenanigans. Rather than the linear levels of an Arkham game, Mordor plays out over open countryside approaches and wide, intricate, multi-levelled sandbox forts. The means of attacking them might be the same as those of the Dark Knight, but the options within are something else entirely.

Its all about freedom of strategy, angle of attack, and choosing stealth or assault over large environments and emergent situations. Imagine Batman tackling a Far Cry 3 base assault, and youre sort of there. Is all of this enough to distract from the games oxygen-clear mechanical inspirations? Its hard to say how it will all feel over the course of a whole campaign, but for now Im hopeful. I had a great deal of fun with Mordor today, despite the tooth-rattling Gotham City reverberations. And after all, if youre going to steal, steal from the bat, er, best.

Eager to know more? Click on through the following slides for additional images and info!

Page 1 of 4
Page 1 of 4
Okay, so there are no batarangs. Archery is your long-range tool here. Its great for steal kills and recon alike

Okay, so there are no batarangs. Archery is your long-range tool here. Its great for steal kills and recon alike

Page 2 of 4
Page 2 of 4
As well as stealth-killing enemies, you can also stealth-convert them to your side, Theyre not bright, but they make a great meat-shield

As well as stealth-killing enemies, you can also stealth-convert them to your side, Theyre not bright, but they make a great meat-shield

Page 3 of 4
Page 3 of 4
You can also recruit beasts. Its riskier, but you can ride them into battle if you succeed. You cannot do this with Orcs.

You can also recruit beasts. Its riskier, but you can ride them into battle if you succeed. You cannot do this with Orcs.

Page 4 of 4
Page 4 of 4
CATEGORIES
PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms
David Houghton
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
See more Playstation News
Read more
Batman Arkham
6 years before Batman: Arkham, Saints Row developer Volition kept working on a stealth Batman game even after its original idea got scrapped for being worse than GTA 3
Experts say Monolith's patented Nemesis System doesn't have to die with its Lord of the Rings games: "You can see some similar design language in the Mercenary system in Assassin's Creed Odyssey"
Batman: Arkham Knight Riddler guide
Batman Arkham Knight Riddler guide to solve every challenge
Spider-Man 2 PC
The 10 best superhero games that you should play today
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Warner Bros. triples down on Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat, and DC in organization restructure, putting Batman: Arkham Origins and NetherRealm studio heads in charge
Black Panther game logo
Canceled EA Black Panther game reportedly had its own version of Monolith’s patented Nemesis System, which studio closures keep punting toward oblivion
Latest in RPG
Karlach uses her fire powers to light a cigar in Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says the biggest misconception around the Tiefling is that she's a "sweet" and "happy-go-lucky person": "She was a piece of work in hell"
A cropped screenshot from Undertale, showing Frisk and Sans standing in Grillby's in Snowdin.
17 years after it was released, I'm tracing Undertale and Deltarune's origins back to Toby Fox's spooky Earthbound mod
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Gustave in a French-inspired outfit
The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann joins the chorus of industry praise for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 after rolling credits: "One of the most moving, creative stories I played in a long time"
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 is officially happening with CDPR and Studio Trigger back for the "standalone 10-episode story from the world of Cyberpunk 2077"
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 combat
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 master laughs in the face of the RPG's challenge modifiers, as not even the game's toughest boss with 100 times more health can withstand 1.4 trillion damage
Elder Scrolls Online
After 18 years, Elder Scrolls Online director and studio head Matt Firor is leaving the company amid Microsoft layoffs: "There are many more stories to be told, adventures to be had"
Latest in News
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail Futures Unwritten Ultimate raid
Final Fantasy 14 director Yoshi-P admits recent raid was "a misstep in development" that "wasn't meant to be hardcore," says Square is "trying to satisfy both" casual and hardcore MMO players
Elden Ring Nightreign Gaping Jaw
I hope you're ready for round 2, because Elden Ring Nightreign is bringing back 3 weeks of mega-bosses – except this time they come in pairs for more varied pain: "F*** my life"
Dune
You'll never guess what they're officially calling Dune 3
Fullmetal Alchemist
20 years after Fullmetal Alchemist, still one of the highest-rated anime of all time, creator Hiromu Arakawa has a new anime in the works at the same studio
A series of pink and cute PC accessories sitting on a pink GamesRadar background.
These cute and cozy Prime Day deals are going to make my dream PC setup a reality
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us Part 2 is fast becoming Sony's Skyrim: Naughty Dog has come up with yet another excuse to revisit it – a "chronological experience" update that rearranges the story
  1. A Gundam style mech in Mecha Break
    1
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  2. 2
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  3. 3
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  4. 4
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  5. 5
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...