Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor vs The Lord of the Rings Online
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an action-RPG open-world game from Feral Interactive (2014) while The Lord of the Rings Online is a mmorpg open-world game from Standing Stone Games (2012).
Quick answer: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor rates higher, 8.1 to 7.1 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Lord of the Rings Online is the cheaper at Free.
What each one is
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is filed under Action-RPG and Open-World. In contrast, The Lord of the Rings Online under Mmorpg and Open-World.
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.
Join the world’s greatest fellowship of players in the award-winning online re-creation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendary Middle-earth.
Story, characters and reception
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)
Plot
The main or "Epic" storyline is told across "Volumes", which are released in "Books" consisting of a series of quests called "Chapters". Volume I: Shadows of Angmar The first Epic Volume starts shortly after Frodo and his friends have left the Shire . The player arrive at Bree , where they become acquainted with Aragorn and Gandalf and get involved in the larger affairs of Middle-Earth . (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception The Lord of the Rings Online received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic . GameDaily awarded the game 9/10, praising its rich, fantasy-themed universe, well-integrated trait and title system, and a story that remains true to the works of Tolkien. Yahoo! (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | The Lord of the Rings Online | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.1/10 | 7.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (93%, 96,948) | Very Positive (81%, 23,171) |
| Critic aggregate | 84/100 | 86/100 |
| Price | $3.99 | Free |
| Install size | 44 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2014 | 2012 |
| Developer | Feral Interactive | Standing Stone Games |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor vs The Lord of the Rings Online, 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
Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorAction-RPG open-world gameThe Lord of the Rings OnlineMmorpg open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorOpen World, Action, FantasyThe Lord of the Rings OnlineFree to Play, MMORPG, Massively MultiplayerThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ✓Score 8.1 · 93% on Steam · 84 criticThe Lord of the Rings OnlineScore 7.1 · 81% on Steam · 86 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor96,948 reviews · 16 add-ons · 44 GBThe Lord of the Rings Online23,171 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor$3.99The Lord of the Rings Online ✓FreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ✓VerifiedThe Lord of the Rings OnlinePlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueMiddle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and The Lord of the Rings Online 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: The Lord of the Rings Online (Free)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (verified)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (96,948 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Open WorldActionFantasyAdventureThird PersonSingleplayerRPGStory Rich
Where they differ
StealthAction RPGAssassinHack and SlashGoreParkour
Free to PlayMMORPGMassively MultiplayerMultiplayerCharacter CustomizationExploration
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Lord of the Rings Online is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor | The Lord of the Rings Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core i5-750, 2.67 GHz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 3 GB | — |
| Install size | 44 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor · The Lord of the Rings Online.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and 1 for The Lord of the Rings Online. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and The Lord of the Rings Online in scope?
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has drawn 96,948 Steam reviews, ships 16 add-ons and installs in 44 GB. The Lord of the Rings Online has drawn 23,171 Steam reviews.
Is Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or The Lord of the Rings Online better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor rates higher (8.1 to 7.1). 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, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or The Lord of the Rings Online?
The Lord of the Rings Online is cheaper right now at Free, against $3.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or The Lord of the Rings Online?
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor rates higher, 8.1 to 7.1 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Lord of the Rings Online is the cheaper at Free. 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.