Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews
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.
Brandon Sanderson has an interesting quote after setting a couple of rules in writing fantasy that says “Don't let rules limit your fantasies”. Monolith does that. They take a new approach towards Tolkien's lore and expand on their already successful formula to create on of the best games of 2017. Though the final value can be thwarted due to low difficulty level and microtransactions.
Review in Persian | Read full review
A handful of issues, some much more annoying than others, do not negate how solid of an action RPG Middle-earth: Shadow of War is. A tremendous achievement for the team at Monolith Productions, this is an exciting, if not sometimes slow, and too often unfair, title that manages to be as impressively fun as it is big. While those issues will definitely find their way into your grinding teeth and clenching hands at least a few times throughout the experience, Middle-earth: Shadow of War has more than enough merit to keep drawing you back in.
Middle Earth: Shadow of War is a game unlike anything before it. The already excellent systems introduced in its predecessor have been made better in every way with new consequences and rewarding wrinkles.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is great for veterans and tough for newcomers, but a joy to play for either party once you get a hang of the mechanics. It gets tedious at times, and there are missed opportunities here and there, but the Nemesis System that was a beacon of success in the first game has come back bigger and better than ever. It's definitely a return to Middle-earth that is worth the play, and an homage to Tolkien's works that everyone can appreciate.
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.
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: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a great expansion, built on the foundation of it's predecessor. But still, it's not a prefect product. Shadow of war is an undeniably messy experience. While the core mechanics, specially the nemesis system are fun and solid, the whole game feels sloppy and the adventure is forgettable.
Review in Persian | Read full review
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.