Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10
Oct 28, 2020

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.

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3 / 5.0
Jan 10, 2019

It's a long game, but filled with repetition. If you want the most hours for your dollars, this might be a good place, but the time I spent here was only mediocre, and I could have found better.

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Unscored
Jan 23, 2018

Despite not very "armies that come together" fan I must admit that they are very frantic and not bad. Also mention that if we play online, we can invade the strengths of other players and take rewards for it, on the other hand we can also be invaded.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2017

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War has successfully improved all the good features of the last game. Despite all the graphical problems and its average storytelling, it is still a unique experience and I can tell you that Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a good game in total; especially if you are a fan of the previous games in the series or you’re an action adventure lover.

Review in Persian | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2017

On the other hand, the loot boxes won't stop me from replaying this game at least one more time, and to go through all of the expansions. I'm inevitably drawn to it, and I have to say that at least for me, the presence of loot boxes is not enough to stop me from enjoying it, probably much more than it should.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 13, 2017

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a worthy sequel to the original Shadow of Mordor game in many ways, but it manages to fall short in a handful of others that are impossible to completely dismiss. That is a shame, since Mordor was my contender for Game of the Year when it released, and I had high, similar hopes for Shadow of War that unfortunately doesn't reach those lofty expectations I had hope for.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
6 / 10
Nov 11, 2017

All in all, this title is worth a look; just don't expect to grow too attached to it.

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4.4 / 5.0
Nov 7, 2017

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.

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9 / 10
Nov 7, 2017

Even though I liked the first game better it obviously is superior to its predecessor. The new Ork system 2.0 has very much improved and fighting down bug castles is a blast. The loot system should be in the game but fortunately it's not needed at all to progress nicely.

Review in German | Read full review

80%
Nov 6, 2017

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a great action RPG that surpasses its predecessor, despite a couple of issues.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

Zoomg
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2017

Middle-earth: Shadow of War isn't a perfect game and the story has some problems, but it offers great gameplay and things like capturing enemy castles, riding a Drake and finishing different quests is very enjoyable. Middle-earth: Shadow of War, in fact, is the best game based on middle earth series.

Review in Persian | Read full review

GameMAG
xtr
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 4, 2017

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is not a bad game, but it becomes repetitive and boring in the process. You still can have fun, but we recommend short playing sessions.

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Yes
Nov 3, 2017

While no game is perfect, Middle-earth: Shadow of War still manages to get a lot of things right. It has its faults, sure, and the ones behind it made a few mistakes, but if you can see past that and see it for what it is at its core, I’m sure you’ll find a great adventure worthy of a few playthroughs. The improved Nemesis system is a joy to behold, and all the new places you can visit are great. Throw in a few highly cinematic fights and some fantastic attention to the history of the world, and you have a game that I’m a bit sad isn’t canon because it offers many smart and exciting additions to the story that I think might have impressed even Tolkien himself.

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 2, 2017

Endgame aside, Shadow of War hits the right marks, and is worth another run through the Black Gate.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 1, 2017

Shadow of War is bigger and better than its predecessor. With a revamped Nemesis System, there are limitless possibilities for each player. You'll definitely spend most of your time hunting and recruiting Orcs for your army. Microtransactions also make an appearance in this game, but can be completely ignored if you don't want to spend more than the full game value.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Nov 1, 2017

Middle-earth Shadow of War adds a lot to the already great formula, with the addition of sieges and the great additions to the nemesis system this is a game of the year contender for sure.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
Unscored
Oct 31, 2017

By operating under the maxim that "bigger is better" Monolith has turned in a sequel that's technically superior but lacking the efficiency and focus of its predecessor.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 30, 2017

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.

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7.8 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2017

Monolith’s Shadow of War is mostly sacrificed by gaming world’s enormous expectations. However, WB Games’ hyping up the game was also big enough to create this not so good atmosphere. Middle Earth: Shadow of War didn’t make it to satisfy its players the way it should’ve done. Yet it’s still an entertaining and elegant piece of work which is undoubtedly attractive for almost all of the fans of action-roleplaying games. Therefore, In spite of its flaws, Shadow of War is recommended to everyone.

Review in Persian | Read full review

Goomba Stomp
John Websell
7 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2017

Shadow of War is absurdly fun to play, with excellent combat mechanics, a deep progression system, and plenty of enemies to defeat. However, it's let down by an incoherent plot and its disappointingly poor treatment of Tolkien's work.

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