I am a huge fan of all things Tolkien and LOTR. That being said, I found that this game relates to the source lore on a very minimum level, despite featuring the ring, sauron, gollum, a song about Durin yada yada yada, the general "feel" of the game and world does not - at least to me - any notable resemblance to the books / movies / whatnot. Then again, I still think it is enjoyable for it's own atmosphere and coherence. The world building, in terms of visuals, immersion ( the nemesis system, the interactive environment, the living & breathing world) is fantastic, as a sandbox and template for the story. The story itself on the other hand is terribly weak, confusing and does not make sense once you finished the game whatsover. I feels like someone has been trying to be incredibly edgy or different from the usual sword & sorcerey stuff, but I lost interest (and track) about half-way in. Plus, the last two boss fights are probably the worst in the history of gaming ( I am not spoiling anything, but you have to push the spacebar in time .... yeah.... I am not joking). Like I said before, if you think of it as a sandbox game (or actually playing the including sandbox / challenge modes) you will be throughly impressed by the games combat system, both ranged and melee - and I am glad to see a game that takes the Arkham series' visceral fighting system and translates to swords, bows, axes and shield. Talking of equipment, while I do enjoy upgrading weapons with runes and learning new skills, there is absolutely no loot system in this game (well, at least not for your gear itself), so dont think of it as an RPG, but more of an Action-Adventure game like Assassins Creed, Tomb Raider, Arkham Series etc. Yet, the combat is incredibly satisfying and you continue to enjoy it, partially because you learn new tricks and schemes to dispose of the Uruks. Of course, once you have maxed out these abilities (and probably after one playthrough) you might find the whole journey less invigorationg than the first time, given the fact the each and every time your character will be skilled exactly the same, no builds, no room for varying tactics or strategies, bit of a shame really. Why give us all the points we need to max everything out, why not "force" us to go for a specific build / weapon type. Let me choose to be heavy on ranged, stealth or melee but don't make me invincible. The nemesis system in very powerful and something I have not seen before, observing how those blasted Uruks rise in rank after sending you to the dumps creates a thirst for revenge that in turn is weirdly immersive and satisfying, a "natural" urge to proceed to fight the bad guys instead of being railroaded into saving the world by a weak story. So, I reckon and hope that there will be more games who will in future strive to create an in-game motiviation matrix that makes you pursue you target. Alas, Shadows of Mordor's difficulty is certainly nothin that will tickle your gamer's pride as this game is as easy as they come and it is nigh impossible not to finish it or get stuck and the tutorials really never stop, even the boss fights "tell" you how to beat the final bad guy. It is a guided experience much like the Telltale games (hit E, hold spacebar, do this, do that) - extremely watered down and while it is enjoyable - I never felt like I achieved much - at least not while playing story mode. In freeform mode however, chasing down "random" captains and following my own agend, I did feel like I had the power, foresight and vengeance to make a strong red-handed statement.
All in all, the game feels and plays great, the nemesis system is superb and so are the combat mechanics. Alas, it does lack the depth to make a second playthrough worthwhile, has a very non-climatic (awful) ending and the season pass - well, let's be honest - was a scam.
Great game. Lacks the vision and narrative to be a masterpiece. Solid sandbox.