Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews
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.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War plays to the strength of its predecessor by doubling down on the Nemesis System. In a lot of ways, this works in the game’s favor. Creating rivalries and forced companionship out of the wildly eccentric hordes under Sauron is an absolute joy. Whether Talion is attacking strongholds or defending his own, these personalities punctuate the action. The height of this achievement quickly reveals the areas of Shadow of War that have fallen short, such as the narrative that dips into a monotonous grind and the overly cluttered systems present in the menus. Still, Shadow of War‘s attention builds itself around the Nemesis backbone and it succeeds more than it fails by doing so for the majority of this adventure.
There’s a lot to like and the nemesis system is really great but I wish that the game built around it was more interesting and engaging.
The game is fun, wide and well done. The sound makes everything even more appreciable. I enjoyed completing it almost 100% and I spent the last 10 days doing it. I did not regret it and recommend it to everyone. In a video game where you want everything right away, perfectionism is a manna from the sky. However, the game is not free from defects. Some missions, long and especially towards the end, may be repetitive but not a special note. What I did not appreciate was the ability to make micro-transactions by buying the pincers (both real and real money) to find objects and followers as well as bonuses to various experience and token. This was not necessary for me: the game is perfectly feasible without spending a single coin (especially referring to real money), but sometimes it can be a short cut for "lazy" players in finding the strongest object for pure luck without engaging in discovering legendary objects after finishing certain missions. After that, the title really deserves and is a perfect follow-up to L'Ombra di Mordor!
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
Middle-earth: The Shadow of War is the perfect synthesis of modern action-adventure. Thanks to an impeccable combat system, a fascinating story and an incredible story, the latest fantasy creature by Monolith Productions and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is not just a repetition of the gameplay that has characterized the previous chapter but, conversely, draws inspiration from them to give us a more free and, in many respects, daring adventure.
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.
I rubbed my ring finger and murmured "my precious" – as I had grown really fond of my War experience. I'd wager it'll be in my top five games of the year, without a shadow of a doubt.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is amazing and I totally loved every moment of my time in the game, the new improved nemesis system, fortress and a shed load more glorious goodies, makes this installement worth the purchase.
I never really got into Shadow of Mordor the way many others did. Shadow of War, however, is another story entirely and is definitely one of this year’s games that you should not miss.
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.
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
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
All in all, as a newcomer, Middle-earth: Shadow of War brings somewhat clunky controls, unnecessary loot boxes and an ending effectively locked behind either paying or grinding leads to a sour first impression. The game looks brilliant, sounds brilliant and really grips you with it’s updated rendition of the Nemesis System… But I can’t help but feel that there’s better out there. It’s a fun walk through Mordor, but a fun game…? Perhaps not entirely.
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.
It’s a shame really, because under a whole load of mess, there’s a game just waiting to be refined and perfected. Shadow of War did in fact right some wrongs, but it lumped them in with some odd choices that really prevent you from investing in a system that they have peacocked left and right.
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
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