Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews
Monolith studio built on the success of the Nemesis System in Shadow of Mordor and presented it better in the new Shadow of War, with excellent RPG mechanics making it an RPG game rather than an action game. Although the story is very linear and weak in the game I found myself spending hours and hours playing to form my army and attack other fortresses, as well as daily challenges and community challenges that would make me play the game for a long time without boredom.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Middle-earth: Shadow of War wants to be too much at the same time and ends up (besides a greatly improved Nemesis System) in a repetitive mess that doesn't shine in terms of story and graphics. The integration of the Lootboxes doesn't effect the game as much as we expected but it still shouldn't be in a Singleplayer title to begin with. Fans of Lord of the Rings still get to see some of their fan favourites and the gameplay this time is really solid.
Review in German | Read full review
Shadow of War is a nice sequel to Shadow of Mordor. But, as with Mordor, some of the plot holes and annoyances are here and it stops this from becoming a great game. For me Monolith have gone out to improve the Nemesis system, which they have done very well with. But, in doing so forgot the most important part of any game. Tell a good story! If you’re a Tolkien fan and have issues with the lore being played around with, you will find yourself as rage filled as some of the orcs you’re going to be fighting. But, if you’re a casual LOTR / fantasy fan, then the story is there for you to enjoy and make the most of.
Ultimately, Shadow of War is a good game that isn’t as endearing as its predecessor or as revolutionary in its ideas. While it adds layers of new mechanics on top of the emergent gameplay found in the first, its creaky fundamentals, questionable endgame, and lackluster story hold it back from being quite as essential as what came before it.
Shadow of War has got off to a rocky start, with potential PR issues with the likes of charitable DLCs, and loot boxes making their way into single player games; I could have ended up being a disaster. However Warner Brothers and Monolith Productions have pulled off a spectacular single player game that does the original justice. If you ignore the bandwagoning hate on loot packages, because really, you don’t need them at all, then Shadow of War should really be a contender for game of the year. You could easily rack up a hundred hours worth of content from finding all the collectables and messing around in the nemesis system.
Shadow of War is like someone telling you a really exciting story, but they're so indulged in it that they trip over their words and you end up confused and you can't grasp the great magnitude of the adventure in their brain. Muddled but ultimately satisfying and fun, this is a gorgeous Orc pancake with a little too much sickly syrup.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is great sequel even if it still carries the fault the original game. At least, the Nemesis system now truly feels alive and makes it one of the greatest game mechanics applied in a game. All the strengths of the previous game are reinforced, unfortunately some problems persist and I regret mostly the rough technical side of a game that could look much better for a 2017 release.
Shadow of War is incredibly ambitious and delivers so much compared to Shadow of Mordor. The Nemesis system is bigger, badder, and more complex than ever.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an amazing game. The unique Nemesis system gives us better world design and Orc encounters leading to a truly enjoyable experience.
The new nemesis system guarantees great challenges against ferocious orcs. A great game that will take us in the depths of Mordor.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War expands on the unique ideas of its predecessor to varying degrees of success. There are deeper mechanics, the Nemesis system is buffed up and much more prevalent and there are interesting characters that you meet on your adventure. However, it adheres too much on the previous game's mechanics and often feels like a retread. There is a mountain of content to play through and even though much of it can feel the same after a while, the momentum it sustains can keep you engaged. A very solid open-world experience awaits you if you choose to jump in and if you enjoyed the previous game, you will have a lot more of it to play in this iteration.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a large game, it provides countless hours of gameplay and consistently brings new twists along the way.
So, I’m not giving this the recommended sticker. It’s too inconsistent for that. But I will say by ignoring the microtransctions and accepting the story for what it was I did have a blast playing Shadow of War, and found myself constantly going back to track down a few more Captains or to just play around with Nemesis system.
It’s the best Lord of the Rings game I’ve played to date and I recommend this game to any lord of the rings fan who’s into the lore.
Unfortunately, while Shadow of War is a decent enough game, it never manages to capture what made the original so special. Bigger isn't always better and in Shadow of War's case its doubly true.
Shadow of War is a worthy sequel and we've given it a Must Buy. However, note that the Loot Box system is optional if you're willing to work with the game's system and actually play the game (which is what you should be doing!).
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Middle-earth: Shadow of War. I'm a huge fan of the lore and world here, so that should come as no surprise. What ultimately clinches the deal however, is just how much fun this is to play. I'm utterly addicted to the Nemesis system and everything it churns out, not to mention taking part in epic sieges and open warfare. Yes, the soundtrack is honestly a letdown. On top of that, I'm wary of the very idea of lootboxes touching a singleplayer game, even one as content-packed as this. Not to mention, if you aren't enjoying everything the game has to offer, it might feel like a bit of a grind towards the end. Ultimately however, that doesn't take away too much from what Monolith Productions has accomplished here: An epic conclusion to the story that was started in Shadow of Mordor, a legitimately living world that reacts to player decisions or indecision, and a game set in Middle Earth that feels awesome to play.
While the story feels half-baked at times, the follower and Nemesis systems and the consistency of the world of Mordor make Shadow of War a remarkably fun romp through Middle-Earth.
Shadow of War managed to grab hold of me much harder than any other open-world game ever has. Despite its inherant faults, I still had a great time playing through, and can’t say I regret the hours I put in to it.