Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen vs Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is an action-RPG JRPG game from Capcom (2016) while Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an action-RPG open-world game from Feral Interactive (2014).
Quick answer: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor rates higher, 8.1 to 7.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the cheaper at $3.99.
What each one is
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is filed under Action-RPG and JRPG. In contrast, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor under Action-RPG and Open-World.
Set in a huge open world, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen presents a rewarding action combat experience.
Fight through Mordor and uncover the truth of the spirit that compels you, discover the origins of the Rings of Power, build your legend and ultimately confront the evil of Sauron in this new chronicle of Middle-earth.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
The game opens with a group led by a knight named Savan nearing the end of a quest to defeat the Dragon, a being that signals the end of days. An unknown time later in the present-day Duchy of Gransys, the protagonist's village of Cassardis is attacked by the newly-arrived Dragon. When the protagonist attacks the Dragon, the Dragon takes their heart. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Original version Reception In Japan, Dragon's Dogma received positive reviews from critics, where Famitsu gave the game an overall score of 34 out of 40, based on four reviewer scores of 8, 9, 8, and 9. Famitsu gave it a "Hall of Fame: Gold" award, praising "the game's variety in combat, the effectiveness of working together with Pawns, the exceptionally fun sidequests, and the uniqueness of each vocation. " In the Western world , Dragon's Dogma received… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting Shadow of Mordor is based on Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium and Peter Jackson's movie franchise. The game takes place in the 60-year gap between the events of Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . The family of Talion (voiced and motion captured by Troy Baker ), a ranger of Gondor responsible for guarding the Black Gate of Mordor, is killed by the armies of Sauron, but Talion is revived with "wraith-like abilities" and heads into… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic . The Nemesis system was praised by critics. According to Lucas Sullivan of GamesRadar , the system elevated Shadow of Mordor to excellence by making its villains memorable and adding personality to its protagonist. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.8/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (88%, 49,002) | Very Positive (93%, 96,948) |
| Critic aggregate | 81/100 | 84/100 |
| Price | $29.99 | $3.99 |
| Install size | 20 GB | 44 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2016 | 2014 |
| Developer | Capcom | Feral Interactive |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen vs Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenAction-RPG JRPG gameMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorAction-RPG open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenRPG, Open World, Character CustomizationMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorOpen World, Action, FantasyThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenScore 7.8 · 88% on Steam · 81 criticMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ✓Score 8.1 · 93% on Steam · 84 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen49,002 reviews · 1 add-on · 20 GBMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor96,948 reviews · 16 add-ons · 44 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen$29.99Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ✓$3.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dragon's Dogma: Dark ArisenVerifiedMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
- Xbox
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- The cheaper right now: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ($3.99)
- Lighter on storage: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (20 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
RPGOpen WorldFantasyActionAdventureSingleplayerAction RPGDark Fantasy
Where they differ
Character CustomizationDragonsExplorationGreat SoundtrackDifficultMultiplayer
StealthAssassinGoreParkourLore-RichBased On A Novel
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen | Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Radeon HD 5870 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5 660 CPU | Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | 3 GB |
| Install size | 20 GB | 44 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen · Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and 1 for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in scope?
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen has drawn 49,002 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 20 GB. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has drawn 96,948 Steam reviews, ships 16 add-ons and installs in 44 GB.
Is Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen or Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor rates higher (8.1 to 7.8). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen or Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor?
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is cheaper right now at $3.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen or Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor?
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor rates higher, 8.1 to 7.8 on the GamingPickz Score, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is the cheaper at $3.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.