Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews
Despite a lacking story, the Nemesis System is still the coolest gameplay mechanic I have ever seen in a game. Fans of Shadow of Mordor will find lots to love about Shadow of War, and new fans will surely enjoy the addictive and impressive gameplay. Just don't go in expecting a canon Tolkien story.
Shadow of Mordor was a bombastic, grandiose romp through a very storied land, steeped in a much-beloved history, as penned by Tolkien. Shadow of War takes what made the original such a great experience and magnifies it tenfold, blowing it up into a titanic game. Embrace the Bright Lord and play this game if you've got even a passing interest in the Lord of the Rings saga. Even if you don't, this high-fantasy action game has a bit of everything.
With Uruk-hai rallied to your side, this return to Middle-earth impresses in its fearless ambition but is soon let down by repetitive mission design.
Lord of the Rings fans will eat this up, as will those who like to delve into a game world and walk away, hours and hours later, without ever coming closer to completion of a main quest mission. If you can ignore all the glitches and bugs, this game is for you.
A textbook example of how to make a great sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War takes the first game's template and expands upon it in a meaningful and interesting way. The result is a follow-up that's not only a lot bigger, but it's also a lot better. It talks the talk, and yes, it also Orcs the Orc.
If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings mythology, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Middle-earth games don't compliment the lore of the books. Spawned from a series of epic fantasy novels, this loud, insane, adrenaline-filled open-world adventure certainly isn't true to the works of author J.R.R. Tolkien. Perhaps you might slap your forehead in dismay by the goofy plot or looseness to the source material but what's undeniable is, that Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a lot of fun.
A hell of a lot of game for your money and for the most part a ton of fun, sadly it outstays its welcome leading to total fatigue as you enter the overly long unnecessary home stretch.
Endgame aside, Shadow of War hits the right marks, and is worth another run through the Black Gate.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War like its predecessor is built upon the dynamic "Nemesis System." While the sequel offers an interesting story, it often becomes convoluted between the various arcs it wants to go in. Thankfully, the second by second gameplay has never felt better. With the addition of Shadow Wars, the best parts of the game will continue long after the story ends.
At the end of the day, the big question is: Did I have fun? Yes, yes I did. I had fun killing the orcs, I loved the interactions with the story orcs, and when the combat behaves itself I enjoy the siege battles. The frustration isn't enough to make me glad it's over, and I'm looking forward to the additional story content coming in later. So with that, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find that corpse-loving orc again and kill it. With fire. And poison. And curse.
There's plenty here to love, but you will need patience and you will need resolve, because the orcs and their player-defined society is a thing of, as I said earlier, unnatural beauty, it's just a shame the rest of the game suffers in their expanded development wake.
An excellent sequel that goes on for perhaps a bit too long, just like The Hobbit
Monolith knew it had something when they took the Nemesis System, made famous in Shadow of Mordor, and expanded it exponentially. The world has never seen so many diverse Uruk-hai.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War aims for the spectacle of the films, but falls short with a directionless, lore-breaking campaign.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a definite improvement over Shadow of Mordor. People who played the first game and wanted to see serious growth will be pleased. There are times when it can feel a bit repetitive. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I could have spread the experience out over weeks, picking away at segments and really building up to those major sieges. But the Nemesis system does feel stronger this time around, with orcs that can be rather delightful as you continually fight them or prepare them to serve your own purposes in your army. If you don't take the story too seriously, you should have a good enough time.
Shadow of War may not be perfect. Its camera can still get lost, Talion’s free-running can often be a hindrance rather than a help, and the UI can sometimes bug out for no apparent reason in menus and the main game. But these are little issues in a very large game, and even with the Loot Boxes as optional purchases (they truly are optional), I can’t help but recommend this game to any and all fans of open world adventures. With or without the DLC there are dozens of hours of playtime to be had, and it’s mostly of the highest quality. Recommended.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an improvement over its predecessor in every way imaginable.
Shadow of War brings the video game to epic: it's an exciting tale in Middle-earth, less rich than Christian Cantamessa did with the first one, but in the same time throbbing.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Shadow of War is the perfect sequel- it builds on its predecessor's strengths, improves upon its weaknesses, and makes strong, smart additions of its own, bringing it all together for an addictive and unforgettable experience.
Providing thrilling gameplay, a flowing combat system, pleasing Tolkien landscape, challenging charismatic bosses, deeper story and a bigger end game mechanic to keep the player entertained for many many hours, today Middle Earth Shadow of War is one of the best games available in the third-person RPG-action genre.