Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a stellar sequel to a surprisingly great game. The Nemesis System remains the real star of the show in all of its expanded glory, and while its dynamic brilliance threatens to make the main story missions seem boring by comparison, there's enough heft to the overall package that you can look past its shortcomings. In the barrage of blockbusters hitting PS4 over the next few months, Shadow of War should not be missed.
I wish Shadow of War was as confident in itself as I am in it. Had Monolith proudly led with the Nemesis Fortress system and introduced players to it quickly, they would unquestionably be on the shortlist for making the Game of the Year. Thankfully, the system acts as the Mithril-strong foundations for the game, so while the additional elements may be generic and unwelcome, there is very little digging required to find the shining silver.
Like an ever-growing castle, Shadow of War takes the strong foundation of Shadows of Mordor and builds several more keeps and floors on top of it. The not-so-faithful narrative continues to be polarizing and the addition of microtransactions won't sit well with some fans. A more fleshed out Nemesis system combined with a ton of content and new features such as fortress sieges, however, provide hours and hours of gameplay for fans of the original. Plus you've got orcs that sing and perform poetry before they try to kick your butt. Just let that sink in for a bit...
Middle Earth: Shadow of War offers us the same as Shadows of Mordor, but better. A conservative game in the playable aspect that only has a few improvements, but enough to not think that we are looking at an expansion of the previous title. With entertaining and well-implemented ideas, an improved Nemesis system and a graphic section that without the best, at least is not hampered by the Old Gen versions.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Middle-earth: Shadow of War doubles down on every single aspect of Shadow of Mordor, for better and worse.
It's hard work following a sleeper hit, and at times Shadow of War looks like it's trying to do too much over too wide an area for a bit too long. Its storylines run the gamut from deftly handled through to daft, and ludicrous liberties are taken with Tolkien's characters and lore.
In almost all points larger, better and more sophisticated than the predecessor - but not in terms of operation and business model.
Review in German | Read full review
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a great sequel to one of the best videogames based on Tolkien's Universe.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
An expanded Nemesis System creates fascinatingly interesting player stories, and the amount of freedom afforded to the player is staggering for a game of this scope. Microtransactions never get in the way of the game itself, so any objection to them is based purely on personal principles. Lore purists may find fault with Middle-earth: Shadow of War, but those willing to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the game Monolith built around Tolkien's world will find the best Lord of the Rings game to date. With the immortal words of Samwise Gamgee at my lips, I smile and walk into Mordor, returning to the Gondorian boots of the Gravewalker: “Well, I'm back.”
Shadow of War offer probably one of the most interesting open world system. Very deep and intelligent,it's a true living world around us and nemesis system is still brillant. Sadly we have still some issues from the first game, like muddles combats and crazy difficulty at some moments. Also a fan of Tolkien can find lot of mistakes in the game...
Review in French | Read full review
Shadow of War is stellar in the moments the player focuses on the game's grander scope, but some of the mechanics that tie the rest together should have received a bit more attention. It may start off a bit slow, but the end payoff is more than worth it.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a massive and ambitious action game that delivers an epic sense of scale. From single stealthy murders up to the never-ending fortress battles available via online play, Shadow of War is a blast.
Shadow of War finds its success in perfectly expanding upon everything that made Shadow of Mordor so great. Despite the game's slow start, once you get into the weeds of Shadow of War's systems, you'll find yourself engrossed and addicted to its satisfying gameplay loop for hours on end. This increased depth along with the much larger scale of the world and battles within Shadow of War make it a far better game from top to bottom than that of its predecessor.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is Lord of the Rings turned up to 11. Improving on nearly every idea from the original Shadow of Mordor game, it's a gargantuan sequel in both size and scope.
Middle-earth Shadow of War consistently shocked and surprised me around every corner, with every Orc betrayal, every revelatory fortress takeover, and menacing look from the Bright Lord. It gripped me in ways I certainly didn't expect having played the first game, and I'm already missing my trip through Mordor. I can't wait to see more from this excellent franchise.
There is a chasm the size of middle-earth itself that separates the ingenuity of the game’s Nemesis system and the snorefest that is the game’s ‘point of interest’ system
Despite the odd lull in gameplay, repetitive objective or feeling as though there's too much scale weighing you down – Shadow of War is completely inspirational in the way it's attempting to further narrative storytelling in videogames. The overarching storyline involving Talion is an engrossing one yet that almost becomes a sub-plot in itself – second to the mini meta-narratives you'll create amongst the factions of Orcs and Warchiefs you meet along the way. The voice acting and motion capture performances are really solid and the presentation is glossy and big-budget; it's as close to actually being in Middle-Earth as you're ever going to get. I'm about as swept up in this game as a Drake riding off into a fiery sunset; fantastic.
An almost perfect sequel, but the true ending is behind lengthy grind or micropayments. Don't worry, though – you can see it somewhere else, and the rest of this exceptional game does not need them.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Loot boxes and a sexy Shelob aside Shadow of War is an impressive game in a franchise that whilst takes liberties with lore of the land produces a fascinating world full of captivating experiences.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel perfect for the fans of the original game and fans of repetitive gameplay. They’ll love this game but they won’t be surprised at all. The combat system is really cool, the story is okay (albeit too long) but all in all Monolith took a step back as if afraid to do something new.
Review in Polish | Read full review