Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
10 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2017

Everything about this game outdoes the first, and with the expanded Nemesis System, superb combat, and epic story, you'll be immersed for a long time.

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100 / 100
Oct 10, 2017

With a major graphics evolution, a vast world to be explored, a better developed story and new gameplay mechanics, Middle-earth: Shadow of War shows how an adventure game should be. There will be hours and hours of exploration in Middle-earth which will make the player want to play it more and more. Put it simply, it's one of the best games of 2017.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

5 / 5.0
Oct 14, 2017

We can definitely say that game ticks every box which makes it a very exciting and enjoyable game. It is definitely a trendsetter and will be an inspiration for many games like these in the future.

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Oct 26, 2017

So, Middle-earth: Shadow of War has taken the addictive nature of Shadow of Mordor, thrown in various new beasts, creatures and Orc types to enhance the experience and made sure there’s a shed load of stuff to do across the massive regions within. Having spent many hours already slaying and recruiting, I can assure you that it’s a real joy to be back in Middle-earth.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2017

You are a merciless tornado of ruin touching down in an unforgiving world of battle and domination, and embracing that unfettered power is a joy

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2017

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.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2017

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.”

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94 / 100
Oct 5, 2017

The combat system from the first game is back and still just as great.

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9.2 / 10.0
Oct 20, 2017

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a large game, it provides countless hours of gameplay and consistently brings new twists along the way.

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92 / 100
Oct 11, 2017

Middle-earth: Shadow of War focuses on what made the first game a hit, improved on those strengths, and attempted to fix problems players had with the first game. The refined Nemesis system kept me on my toes since at any time the story could shift based on my actions or a new powerful Uruks could appear and completely decimate me.

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Dan Stapleton
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2017

Similar to the way Batman: Arkham City built on the foundation of Arkham Asylum, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is bigger and more ambitious in scope than Shadow of Mordor, with great results. The way it expands the Nemesis system with far greater variety and fortress sieges makes even better use of the stand-out generated characters, and its battles with memorable uruk captains remain challenging all the way through the campaign and into the clever asynchronous multiplayer beyond.

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Oct 5, 2017

A huge Lord of the Rings experience that's always enjoyable, although its scale leaves it straining at the seams at times.

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90 / 100
Oct 5, 2017

The visuals and the unnecesary endgame are the only bad things in a sequel that improves everything from the first game: the combat has been refined, the Nemesis System provides infinite stories, and the sieges contain all the epic (and more) that you'd expect from a product based in Tolkien's Legendarium.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2017

Monolith Productions manages to deliver a magnificent sequel to Shadow of Mordor. Allowing the players to recruit several types of different orcs that display unpredictable behavior thanks to the Nemesis system is a great experience. Overall, it happens to improve in almost every single area over its predecessor, and the possibility to use dragons as a tool for war is very pleasant.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Shacknews
Top Critic
9 / 10
Oct 5, 2017

If Shadow of War is guilty of anything, it's giving you too much to do. The world is seemingly bursting with content and side objectives. In cities, you can over take towers, much like the Assassin's Creed games. Upon taking a tower you'll reveal hidden points of interest within the city, such as collectibles, a “memories of Shelob” mini game, and side missions featuring the fall and demise of Celebrimbor. The game gives so much to keep you occupied and, with the great combat, you'll never get tire of working through it. It's a perfect example of a studio taking an already solid game and improving it on every front.

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Oct 12, 2017

Middle Earth: Shadow of War is bigger and better than its predecessor in almost every conceivable way.  If you don't mind the repetition found in most open world games, there's a robust strategy layer here that combines with a great combat system to offer hours and hours of Orc slaying, army building fun.

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Oct 5, 2017

Middle-earth: Shadow of War somehow finds a way to improve on the winning Shadow of Mordor formula and create an incredibly dense and entertaining new piece of Tolkien lore.

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Oct 15, 2017

Overall, Shadow of War is an excellent game that offers dozens of hours of enjoyable content. It's a game that's worthy of every minute you'll put into it.

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Oct 13, 2017

Shadow of War is such an enjoyable game – the Nemesis System and fortresses are intricate and provide unique, compelling gameplay. The combat mechanics are fluid and suit the game perfectly, allowing you to charge into a crowd of orcs and emerge unscathed or silently take out enemies from the shadows.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2017

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.

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