Middle-earth: Shadow of War

 PC
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 401 out of 1110
  2. Mixed: 180 out of 1110
  3. Negative: 529 out of 1110

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  1. PenetratorGod
    Aug 21, 2023
    5
    I haven't been able to play this game for many years, even though I really wanted to. It seemed like a failure compared to the first game. First of all, the size of the game takes up too much space even for today. 100 GB is a very exaggerated size. It's hard to understand why they decided to release it without compressing it like this. The story is mediocre again like the first game, but II haven't been able to play this game for many years, even though I really wanted to. It seemed like a failure compared to the first game. First of all, the size of the game takes up too much space even for today. 100 GB is a very exaggerated size. It's hard to understand why they decided to release it without compressing it like this. The story is mediocre again like the first game, but I can't talk much about the gameplay because I haven't played much. The game looks boring. I will change the review if I try it again in the future.… Expand
  2. Babutto
    Jul 29, 2023
    7
    A legit game.

    Pros.: - Story. - Cut scenes. - Gameplay is neat. - Multiple quests. - Multiple skills. Gemstones were also cool. - Ratbag. Yep. - Shelob! Real babe. Cons.: - Act II is garbage. - Could be more quests anchored to the LoTR lore. - Another bait for the continuation. - Idiotic mechanic of introductions that cannot be turned off from the game. Have to manipulate    A legit game.

    Pros.:
    - Story.
    - Cut scenes.
    - Gameplay is neat.
    - Multiple quests.
    - Multiple skills. Gemstones were also cool.
    - Ratbag. Yep.
    - Shelob! Real babe.

    Cons.:
    - Act II is garbage.
    - Could be more quests anchored to the LoTR lore.
    - Another bait for the continuation.
    - Idiotic mechanic of introductions that cannot be turned off from the game. Have to manipulate with the files.    … Expand
  3. 34m2121
    Jul 4, 2023
    6
    Önceki oyundaki nemesis sistemini tamamıyla oyunun ana odağı yapmışlar ama oyun kendini aşırı tekrar ediyor.
  4. Svenergy
    Jun 16, 2023
    7
    Good not great. Had some nice concepts with the nemesis system and some good writing but fell short in meaningful character progression, shallow and broken completionist tasks, and lack of true customization.
  5. Scoutajayjay
    May 30, 2023
    7
    So I brought the game on sale for around 20$ and I have to say, there is a great game for that price. The action is above average, if I have to give a similarity, it would be batman arkham. Next up is the story, It took me around 25 hours to do the story which is definitely not that long. The game's nemesis system is a fun and creative way to add additional playtime and fun. I can't waitSo I brought the game on sale for around 20$ and I have to say, there is a great game for that price. The action is above average, if I have to give a similarity, it would be batman arkham. Next up is the story, It took me around 25 hours to do the story which is definitely not that long. The game's nemesis system is a fun and creative way to add additional playtime and fun. I can't wait for this studio's next game since they have all the formulas for a good action-RPG game.… Expand
  6. realWhiteMan
    Apr 9, 2023
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My rating is based on my impressions of the game. This is not an objective review. I play quite a big number of titles per year and decided to review them as a peace of art and not as a product.… Expand
  7. Aetherreal
    Apr 5, 2023
    6
    An interesting sequel in many ways, but it doesn't hit quite the same as the first one.

    Pros: Greatly expanded Nemesis system from the first game. Super interesting mechanics and interactions. Interesting musical flair added during battles (synced to hits landing). Might become annoying with time. Micro-transactions were removed after the significant backlash. Cons: Visually, it    An interesting sequel in many ways, but it doesn't hit quite the same as the first one.

    Pros:
    Greatly expanded Nemesis system from the first game. Super interesting mechanics and interactions.
    Interesting musical flair added during battles (synced to hits landing). Might become annoying with time.
    Micro-transactions were removed after the significant backlash.

    Cons:
    Visually, it feels like a knock-off Witcher 3. Saturated colours and so on, but just not polished enough to actually look good. The bleak and dark aesthetic of SOM was much more gripping and fitting to the series' depiction of Mordor.
    Mechanics overload - every button has 12 different actions and you will end up not using many of them.
    Nemesis mini-cutscenes are unskippable - this becomes annoying when you hear the same dialogue repeatedly.
    Performance is not as sharp as first game.
    Making the orcs more goofy instead of brutal was a straight-up bad call. Creatures that are supposed to be violent and bashful are now quirky and clumsy. It feels less epic to control them.
    Significantly more grind-heavy than the previous game.
    Why does the main character look so disfigured compared to his model in the first game? What happened?    … Expand
  8. jelikey
    Mar 3, 2023
    7
    O jogo ia muito bem, mas no ato 4 perde a mao, entra num grid louco korean style, fica repetitivo e chato demais!!!
    E o pior que o true end está nessa parte, mas ai vc pode pagar uns trocados e pegar orcks mais fortes, ou seja, jogo foi pensando em loot box o tempo todo
  9. mkhue108
    Feb 26, 2023
    7
    Enjoy the nemesis system but the gameplay will get grindy and very repetitive.
  10. mkyut
    Nov 9, 2022
    5
    The game is very average and expect you to get a lot of dlc to make it a better game
  11. justashk
    Oct 14, 2022
    6
    I got tired of it after a short time
    The steps were repetitive And the appeal of the story was very low
    I was very excited for this game but I was disappointed
  12. Chaothic
    Jul 30, 2022
    5
    The unexpected worst game played this year so far (besides diablo immoral ofc).
    The nemesis system is highly overrated and gets tiresome fast with all the interruptions and sometimes absolute aids RNG of it (i.e. overlord literally immune to everything except stealth sure is fun - hint: stealth doesn't work there).
    An infinite enemy spawn out of thin air combined with an absolute ****    The unexpected worst game played this year so far (besides diablo immoral ofc).
    The nemesis system is highly overrated and gets tiresome fast with all the interruptions and sometimes absolute aids RNG of it (i.e. overlord literally immune to everything except stealth sure is fun - hint: stealth doesn't work there).
    An infinite enemy spawn out of thin air combined with an absolute **** for combat flow, abysmal targetting and clunky controls in general, only add to the toxicity of gameplay.
    It's OK'ish for the story alone until the final act, but after that, all the issues of the game show off, and only those with too much free time and patience for their own good can enjoy.    … Expand
  13. Zeneko90
    Jul 14, 2022
    7
    Nettes. Spiel es hat echt viel Spaß gemacht. Mehr davon! Nicht zu lang, nicht zu kurz. Genau richtig.
  14. AJCk19
    Jun 27, 2022
    5
    +5 stars for the nemesis system.

    -5 stars for everything else being bad. You want a action rpg? Literally pick anything else. I'm getting tired of the Batman Arkham style of combat. Stuff like Kingdom Hearts or Kingdom of Amalur has way better gameplay when it comes to action.
  15. Polthank
    Mar 12, 2022
    7
    A basic story, great combat and very colorful but its status as a must-have game in your library is earned by the unique nemesis system.
  16. antonzhalob
    Oct 16, 2021
    7
    Не плохое завершении Дилогии о средиземье! 40 часов экшона и сюжета!
    Вполне не плохо - если проходить в 2021 году!
  17. Lubo789
    Jun 14, 2021
    5
    Nice story, very good gameplay. I really liked capturing forts and building my army, but after 10 or 15 hours it gets repetitive. Also having microtransaction in a game like this is unacceptable.
  18. YetAnotherJohn
    Jun 8, 2021
    6
    I bought this game at a discount on Steam in 2021, after most, if not all, of the micro-transactions had already been removed. Many of the user reviews focus on that admittedly ugly stain on the game, so I think it's important to point that out because even without them I still didn't enjoy the experience as much as I had hoped. This is a 6 out of 10, closer to a 5 than a 7, and I wouldn'tI bought this game at a discount on Steam in 2021, after most, if not all, of the micro-transactions had already been removed. Many of the user reviews focus on that admittedly ugly stain on the game, so I think it's important to point that out because even without them I still didn't enjoy the experience as much as I had hoped. This is a 6 out of 10, closer to a 5 than a 7, and I wouldn't recommend buying it unless at a discount or if you're REALLY desperate for more of the same gameplay as the previous installment.

    I had a lot of fun with Shadow of Mordor, the previous game of the franchise, and just like then, the nemesis system absolutely carries Shadow of War on its back, that's undeniable. It serves as both the main source of fun and surprise in the game and, by comparison, a condemnation of everything else, because the orcs manage to be so much more interesting than any of the main characters or anything about the main plot. The random encounters and relationships you develop with orcs feel organic, engaging and full of personality, whereas the main questlines feel stale, boring and entirely by-the-numbers. Here's what 90% of the quests in the game amount to: first, meet this NPC in an arbitrary, eerily empty location in the world, typically with them just turning a corner like you're all hanging at a park instead of in the middle of orc-central, then you exchange 4 to 6 lines of dry and unimaginative dialogue and proceed to follow said NPC for a few minutes before killing a bunch of orcs. Repeat the same routine again and again for the next 50 hours and yes, the game ends up a massive slog, specially once you reach act II. There's no central hub, no logic to why or when you're meeting any of the characters, and once a quest ends NPCs just walk away into nothing, vanishing entirely from the world until they teleport back in for the next quest.

    Even if we commend Warner Bros. for eventually removing the micro-transactions, it's also undeniable that the game was tailored to emphasize numbers and grinding more than fun in many ways, so they took away the greedy money-earning mechanism but the underlying structure that originally supported said mechanism is still there, ingrained throughout the game. Most of the weapon and gear drops are just a cheap rotation of the same 5, weak gear sets; the rune system is so simplistic and uneventful that there's barely any tangible sense of progress nor impact in different configurations, it's just bloat, something to help justify item drops from orcs, and while we're on the subject of bloat, there are also side-quests which just amount to going to a spot and pressing a single button - Shelob memories are literally just a single cutscene broken into dozens of still frames. Never before have I felt so tempted to just abandon a game mid-playthrough out of raw boredom like this.

    The soundtrack is completely unremarkable, at its best managing to be a pale imitation of tracks from the Lord of the Rings. Talion and Celebrimbor bicker and argue, but instead of it feeling genuine or engaging it's just tiring, dry and annoying. The fortresses you can conquer at each zone feel copy-pasted - sure, there are cosmetic differences depending on the tribe of each overlord, but they're completely superficial - they all share the same blueprint and are conquered in the exact same way, even though it would have been easy to modify them in response to the environment of each zone. What's worse is that even once you've conquered all fortresses in the world nothing meaningful changes. There are still massive encampments of enemies everywhere, and you don't feel like you've made any impact on the region, just switched a few flags from red to blue.

    I finished the game tired and underwhelmed, having gotten bored with the lack of variety some 15 hours in and just trudging through the main quests to at least finish the game properly. It could have been so much better than this!    … Expand
  19. RMDsilva
    Dec 27, 2020
    6
    A quick snack, enjoyable if you're okay with mediocre everything, from storyline to game mechanics.
  20. matee75
    Dec 18, 2020
    7
    It was too monotonous. The combat system was meh. The story quests were very short and the same. Although it had much content.
  21. Cz3rw0ny
    Dec 15, 2020
    6
    Comparing to the previous game Shadow of Mordor, the gameplay is quite repetitive, not so engaging and simply boring. I was really into maxing out everything in Shadow of Mordor, but this game just did not interested me after a while.
  22. ErayTellezi
    Nov 17, 2020
    7
    İlk 20 saat harika combatı, geniş haritası, nemesis sistemi, farklı mekan ve karakterleriyle çok iyi ilerliyor. Ancak belli bir noktadan sonra kendisini tekrar etmeye başlıyor ve yeni haritaya geçtiğinizde "aynı şeyleri baştan bir daha mı yapacağım" diyerek isyan etmenize neden oluyor. Uzun süreye yayarak yavaş yavaş oynanabilir.
  23. Klewer
    Nov 5, 2020
    6
    Being a few years since I played the First game, Shadow of Mordor, the first half of this game was great. The Nemesisi system and main story quests were good fun and the side missions also interesting. Half way through nothing feels fresh anymore and most of the quests are extremely repetitive. Game play is good and the game looks great, however all missions felt as though I'd already doneBeing a few years since I played the First game, Shadow of Mordor, the first half of this game was great. The Nemesisi system and main story quests were good fun and the side missions also interesting. Half way through nothing feels fresh anymore and most of the quests are extremely repetitive. Game play is good and the game looks great, however all missions felt as though I'd already done them many times before and the final part of the game is a grind.… Expand
  24. Relkad
    Jun 25, 2020
    5
    I think Shadow of Mordor was a bit better, though smaller of course.
    Still, this game offers a lot.
  25. Kotofon
    May 9, 2020
    7
    Плюсы:
    + Осады
    + Систему "Немезис" прокачали + много новых механик + кастомизация персонажа, теперь игра еще и наполовину РПГ + 3 акт довольно неплох, хоть и не хватает масштаба + локации выглядят красиво Минусы: - Игра короткая, мне показалось что даже короче первой части. - С лором разрабы не дружат, Толкиен в гробу не одну сотню раз успел переврнуться, пока писался сюжет для    Плюсы:
    + Осады
    + Систему "Немезис" прокачали
    + много новых механик
    + кастомизация персонажа, теперь игра еще и наполовину РПГ
    + 3 акт довольно неплох, хоть и не хватает масштаба
    + локации выглядят красиво
    Минусы:
    - Игра короткая, мне показалось что даже короче первой части.
    - С лором разрабы не дружат, Толкиен в гробу не одну сотню раз успел переврнуться, пока писался сюжет для этой игры. Из-за этого игра ощущается скорее как фанфик.
    - захватываешь ты крепость или нет - неважно, по всей локации все равно всегда будут бегать в основном враги, лишь пару раз замечал рандомные стычки 5х5. Это убивает всю грандиозность захвата цитадели, потому что ничего не меняется за пределами замка.
    - По сюжету вы идёте штурмовать столицу Саурона. Да ту самую здоровенную башню из фильма ! И что вы думаете ? Против вас на мосту сражается всего лишь орков 30 не больше, за вас столько же. Аху*!&ь вот это эпик, да у меня зарубы школьников после уроков и то зрелищнее выглядят.
    Итог. Игра понравилась в отличие от первой части, где та после середины начала сдуваться. Вся "Война теней" с 4 актом проходится часов за 30, так что как только мне игра уже понемногу начала надоедать она тут же и закончилась. Если не надоело, то можно пойти проходить длс за бабу (короткое и скучное, meh) и длс за книггу (норм). Лутбоксы убрали еще давно, самое полное издание на распродаже стоит всего рублей 300, так что можно взять.    … Expand
  26. auditbadger
    Apr 26, 2020
    7
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.
  27. DemKin
    Feb 18, 2020
    7
    As of today, it seems micro-transactions have left the game (?), haven't noticed them anyway.
    The game is okay and will grab your attention for 20-30 hours. However after that point, I do find myself lacking excitement for what's next, as it does feel very repetitive after a while. They chose to build the entire gameplay of their sequel around that "dominate captain" feature. Find    As of today, it seems micro-transactions have left the game (?), haven't noticed them anyway.
    The game is okay and will grab your attention for 20-30 hours. However after that point, I do find myself lacking excitement for what's next, as it does feel very repetitive after a while. They chose to build the entire gameplay of their sequel around that "dominate captain" feature. Find suitable captains to dominate and build your army with, attack the fortress, rinse, repeat. Shadow of War did more than Shadow of Mordor but oddly enough it ended up feeling like too little, and certainly worse than the prequel.    … Expand
  28. JaydenPickens
    Dec 20, 2019
    7
    Buckle up boys and girls, this is going to be a long one. After the average Shadow of Mordor, a sequel called Shadow of War is released. It gets a lot of negative reactions, because of the microtransactions and other s***y practices, which are condemned (rightoseouly if I might add). This leads to the removal of microtransactions back in 2018. So in 2019 I finally get around to play andBuckle up boys and girls, this is going to be a long one. After the average Shadow of Mordor, a sequel called Shadow of War is released. It gets a lot of negative reactions, because of the microtransactions and other s***y practices, which are condemned (rightoseouly if I might add). This leads to the removal of microtransactions back in 2018. So in 2019 I finally get around to play and finish this game. DId I have a good time? Yes, I did. But this good time was haunted by moments of pain and suffering. Let me tell you one thing: my PC isn't the strongest nor the weakest one out there. But the first time, I tried to play Shadow of War, the game would just not start. Turns out the only solution, I found on the internet, that worked was installing INTERNET EXPLORER 11. Can you imagine? This is laughable. Internet explorer should not be necessary to play a game. Internet explorer should be buried deep down in the ground and rot in a shallow grave. With the help of amazing Internet Explorer 11, I was finally able to run this game. It's great. The game is great. Nemesis system is amazing, gameplay is too. I loved the graphics and audio as well. You know what I didn't like? The story. You know why? Because no way in hell this would happen. This is not canon. And it saddens me, because half of the ideas here are actually good and could enrichen the Tolkien universe. The rest of the ideas were so garbage, they should be buried in the same grave that Internet explorer is supposed to be not running a f**** 2017 game. Other things I loved were: shaming orcs, dominating orcs, killing orcs, talking to orcs, making love to orcs, get killed by the orcs, sending death threats to orcs, cutting out orc limbs, starting a Nickelback tribute band with orcs, having breakfast with orcs, what about a second breakfast with orcs, going to Limp Bizkit show with orcs, Orcs And Recreation and other cool activities that orcs were involved in. Guess, what I didn't like. F**** bugs. At one point, I was retaking a fortress and Talion just fell down... below the textures into the void. It's still a better fate, that what the screenwriters for this game gave him. Other than bugs, there were more problems with the game. Especially running it. Sometimes the game just wouldn't start. You'll ask me: why?. My answer: I don't know. There would be a black screen. Sometimes changing the graphic settings from ultra to high would help. But later they wouldn't. Later changing to low would help. Then to very low. Then back to ultra. Later nothing would help and the game would just work magically or not. You'll tell me "oh your PC must be **** or something, update your graphic card drivers etc etc etc". Well, I'm not a f***** moron buddy and I know these things, my PC is completely healthy and vegan. All the other games work perfectly, but for some unknown reason a s***stain called Shadow of War just wouldn't. Still, I liked this game. I wouldn't consider this a waste of time, because the orcs make up for it. Ratbag is a bae. I loved the ending to this game (and I also laugh at the fact how s**** the dlcs for this game are and destroyed that ending). But I have a better idea for the ending of Shadow Of War. Talion and Ratbag become actual best friends and destroy all evil in the world including Sauron and other c*nts. At the end Talion dies, going back to his family and Ratbag changes the orc ways for the better and there's peace. Nice, right? Check this out you Monolith Productions bastards, make this a plot for the third game. Shadow Of Friendship. I'd play that. Thanks for reading this retarded review and see you next time. Pickens approves.… Expand
  29. RareFroggy123
    Dec 15, 2019
    7
    You can build a orc army and conquer fortresses in huge battles. But it's pretty much the same thing over and over again.
  30. Alarosh
    Sep 20, 2019
    5
    Скажу сразу что этой игре я поставил положительный отзыв ТОЛЬКО из-за концовки в самом деле это бесконечная ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ьна с однообразными доп. заданиями и дизбалансом урона на уровнях сложности и конечно лутбоксы и то что тебе выпадает лут лучше чем ты бы фармил(ла) 10 часов изряду, единственная сильная сторона кинематографическая двухкнопочная боёвка .Еле-Еле, даже в сетевую игру неСкажу сразу что этой игре я поставил положительный отзыв ТОЛЬКО из-за концовки в самом деле это бесконечная ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ьна с однообразными доп. заданиями и дизбалансом урона на уровнях сложности и конечно лутбоксы и то что тебе выпадает лут лучше чем ты бы фармил(ла) 10 часов изряду, единственная сильная сторона кинематографическая двухкнопочная боёвка .Еле-Еле, даже в сетевую игру не хочется вникать. 5/10… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
69
#69 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 16, 2018
    60
    A huge game that, despite of the quality of the fight and the delight of the Orb, offers paradoxically very small. It's not a failure, but we were expecting more. [Issue#279]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 30, 2017
    76
    Nemesis is a one-hit wonder of a mechanic. Everything else in Middle-earth is mediocre at best, but Nemesis makes it all worthwhile, since every playthrough is truly unique – a feature none of its triple-A competitors can offer. [Issue#225, p.38]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Dec 23, 2017
    63
    A lot of people were upset to find out that Shadow of War has loot boxes, and they are kind of annoying. Unfortunately, loot boxes is the least of its problems.
    Read full review
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