Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor was one of the best AAA releases of the year, primarily thanks to the refreshing Nemesis System. The combat was generally varied and satisfying, while high production values really helped players immerse themselves in the darker regions of Middle-Earth. While the sandbox elements of Shadow of Mordor were strong, the same could not be said of the story quests. The majority of the main campaign was passable, but the boss fights were a tragic disappointment that prevented the game from attaining classic status. In particular, the final two boss fights managed to irritate fans that had spent much of the game building up their character to prepare for the climactic encounters. Rather than a straight up fight, utilising everything wed learned up to that point, the battles boiled down to little more than a series of quick time encounters. Its a lazy way to make fights seem more cinematic, and felt totally unnecessary after the Nemesis System had provided such interested encounters for the bulk of the game.
