# Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its interlocking Nemesis procedural systems and satisfying open-world play. Critics note an IP royalty agreement scars its good mechanics.

## Why people recommend it

- Interlocking procedural systems and open-world play (2 comments): "an amazing set of interlocking procedural systems" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47234995)) "the nemesis system, movement and general open worldness of it was all so satisfying" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46458381))
- Innovative ideas that pushed games forward (2 comments): "Real cool stuff and definitely pushed the industry forward." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50281919)) "Great idea, would've been neat to see in other games." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46350464))

## What people warn about

- IP royalty agreement scars good mechanics (1 comments): "good game mechanics scarred by an IP royalty agreement" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46429596))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Grand Theft Auto V](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grand-theft-auto-v.md): 21 recommend
- [Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grand-theft-auto-san-andreas.md): 10 recommend
- [Hedra](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hedra.md): 7 recommend
- [Grand Theft Auto III](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grand-theft-auto-iii.md): 6 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Middle-earth+Shadow+of+Mordor+game&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor", https://hackerapproved.com/p/shadow-of-mordor/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).