Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War still has a great mechanic in the Nemesis System but struggles to find the perfect game to fit around it. The missions are straightforward and repetitive and the fortress attacking and defending is stretched to breaking point. It just about manages to keep you entertained, but if every element was up to the quality of the Nemesis System then it would be amazing. Instead it's just good.

If you like Tolkien fantasy and all you really care about is finely crafted and gratifying combat, then you’re bound to have a ton of fun. Buy with abandon. You’re in for dozens of hours of bloody and gruesome entertainment. If, however, you want a fantasy role-playing game with a little more story, a more thoughtfully designed world that’s a pleasure to explore, and a pace of play that allows for more time engaged in activities outside of battle, then keep shopping. Middle-earth: Shadow of War won’t be for you.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War aims for the spectacle of the films, but falls short with a directionless, lore-breaking campaign.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War has a lot of fluff that attempts to sabotage it, but the game succeeds in its effort to make its world worth roaming around and killing things in. Although I wasn't enthralled by the silly story beats that try to dance around telling an actual epic and somber tale, the ability to create my own stories with an expanded level of depth was more than sufficient to call this a step up.

Many of the best moments in Shadow of War come from elements returning from the first game, along with a few squabbles between Celebrimbor and Talion that begin to give them some identity. Otherwise, orcs always take center stage. The combat isn’t terribly difficult, but it’s a lot of fun to rip enemies apart. The story isn’t very satisfying, but it’s amusing to assemble a cast of murderous Captains. Shadow of War is a successful update to a smart formula, but it lacks enough depth and diversity to keep us enthralled.

Things like the storefront and the menus and loot system don't make the game terrible, it just would've been better without them. It tries to be larger than its predecessor, there are more abilities, more weapons, more Orcs, yet it leaves you wanting less. But at its core, it's a fun experience with brilliant moments that provide fascinating insight into some of the untold stories of Middle-earth. I just wish it had known when to stop.

Middle-Earth Shadow of War has its spectacular moments, but it is tormented by odd design choices.

Big, brutal, and - alas - bloated, Shadow of War is a disappointing follow-up, conjuring battles of grand scale and then deadening their impact through grinding repetition. [December 2017, p.79]

A game of this size may please those who equate volume with value, but despite a handful of sensational moments, Shadow of War mostly proves that more can be so much less. [Christmas 2017, p.112]

At its core Shadow of War is a tremendous amount of fun, but its good mechanical parts are under constant threat of suffocation from its gormless framework. The player's own story of an endless struggle against (and alongside) powerful orcs is enthralling, but the game's actual narrative is a boring trudge. The loop of killing powerful enemies for new loot is a great motivator, and building your army piece by piece to take strongholds seems like a perfect fit for this game, until you hit a wall and are faced with its app-style payed-for incentives.

It’s addictive fun even with the paper-thin story, because the battling is so good.

This core action and the complex systems that underpin it are fun enough to play around with that it's a real shame that so many issues exist around the edges of this package, because those issues eventually started to diminish my enjoyment of the game's good parts.

If Talion is supposed to represent a better future for Middle-earth, Shadow of War is the first time Middle-earth has seemed better off left to the orcs.

Shadow of War is an inconsistent mess of repetitive gameplay, really bad implemented fighting system, gameplay exploits and an indifferent and lacking respect for the original material story. The presentation is reminiscent of the 360 era and hastiness is a common feature for every aspect of the game.