Middle-earth: Shadow of War

 PlayStation 4
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 1686 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 665 out of 1686
  2. Mixed: 265 out of 1686
  3. Negative: 756 out of 1686
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Rodrigo23
    May 17, 2018
    7
    This game really disappointed me. The world is full of useless secondary activities and stuffing to give a feeling that "there are many things to do". The mission menu is messy and confusing. The story is terribly boring, and the characters without charisma and for oblivion. The new multiplayer mode does not add much. The best thing is the nemesis system, the orcs are the only thing and the best.
  2. tcole_93
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    Disclaimer: I just played this game for the first time in mid 2019 and the loot boxes that seemed to have caused a lot of controversy have been removed.

    To sum this game up simply, it's addicting and fun to play though the story never really interested me. I am a fan of the LOTR trilogy but I am no expert by any means. I played Shadow of Mordor a few years back and never really got    Disclaimer: I just played this game for the first time in mid 2019 and the loot boxes that seemed to have caused a lot of controversy have been removed.

    To sum this game up simply, it's addicting and fun to play though the story never really interested me.

    I am a fan of the LOTR trilogy but I am no expert by any means. I played Shadow of Mordor a few years back and never really got into it. I found this game to be more enjoyable. The combat is excellent and the nemesis system works very well. I really took my time building my army up and enjoyed the grind of capturing the different regions. The story fell flat, however. And I would say is my biggest negative.

    Overall, if you're looking for a fun game to play a good 50+ hours on, Shadow of War is a nice pick up. Just don't expect anything mind blowing.    … Expand
  3. Burattix54
    Jun 26, 2020
    7
    The game got review bombed at launch, but it isn't objectively bad, they even changed the last section of the game to be more bearable, and removed microtransactions. I still advice not playing it because it's the worst part of the game, and just watch the ending on youtube, it's not a great ending anyways.
  4. Unicron666
    Jul 21, 2020
    7
    Loved the actual gameplay but I can't give this a high score because it was ruined by greedy people.
  5. bergcamp101
    Aug 13, 2020
    7
    The game is actually good, it has all features from the first part, adding new ones, and story is good, ending cutscene is totally worth playing it. But. The controls are horrible. It's like you play a dinosaur, or Homer Simpson. Talion is slow as turtle, it takes about second for him to implement your commands. Literally, a second. My favorite feature, is when you're running from orcs,The game is actually good, it has all features from the first part, adding new ones, and story is good, ending cutscene is totally worth playing it. But. The controls are horrible. It's like you play a dinosaur, or Homer Simpson. Talion is slow as turtle, it takes about second for him to implement your commands. Literally, a second. My favorite feature, is when you're running from orcs, then try to open a menu with the options button, and by the time the menu actually opens, Orcs got you and kick you. Never seen this. And grinding is in place... When you finish the game, you actually think, that you've been on the war, and you'll never want to return to this place again.… Expand
  6. kc0321
    Mar 21, 2021
    7
    Although the story is pretty weird, the combat system and graphics still worth noticing.
  7. drlowdon
    Aug 5, 2022
    6
    Continuing from the events of Shadow of Mordor, Talion (who is still infused with the spirit of the elf lord Celebrimbor) travel to Mount Doom to forge a new Ring of Power. The ring soon falls into the wrong hands however…

    Upon release Shadow of War, rightly, received a lot of criticism for the inclusion of loot boxes and micro-transactions that made levelling up your character to the    Continuing from the events of Shadow of Mordor, Talion (who is still infused with the spirit of the elf lord Celebrimbor) travel to Mount Doom to forge a new Ring of Power. The ring soon falls into the wrong hands however…

    Upon release Shadow of War, rightly, received a lot of criticism for the inclusion of loot boxes and micro-transactions that made levelling up your character to the required level a grind unless you paid real money. Thankfully these have now been removed, but this game still remains a bit of a mixed bag. At the core of the game is the excellent ‘nemesis system’, that has enemies remember your actions, and both the stealth and combat are extremely satisfying. The story missions however just aren’t particularly interesting, and are usually less enjoyable than just trying to take out enemy captains. Shadow of War can also feel overwhelming at times with an almost endless list of quests and collectables being constantly thrown at the player, and as a result the game just goes on for far longer than it needs to. The end result is a decent game, but one that is inferior to it’s more focused predecessor.    … Expand
  8. lolifofo
    Nov 22, 2017
    6
    Having played and loved Shadow of Mordor, I was very disappointed in this sequel, mainly due to the campaign, which is so short and fragmented, it is practically non-existent. The game-play is fun like in the original game, and with a few new added elements, but it is not enough to make up for the lackluster narrative. Another huge flaw is the last act in the campaign, which is theHaving played and loved Shadow of Mordor, I was very disappointed in this sequel, mainly due to the campaign, which is so short and fragmented, it is practically non-existent. The game-play is fun like in the original game, and with a few new added elements, but it is not enough to make up for the lackluster narrative. Another huge flaw is the last act in the campaign, which is the grindiest portion I've played in any video game, regardless of whether or not you purchase loot boxes with real money. I didn't, and it didn't affect my experience whatsoever because you collect enough in-game currency as you play to get those loot boxes. You certainly don't need to spend real money. For those who played Shadow of Mordor; don't get Shadow of War unless you REALLY love brutally killing orcs because that's all you're getting here. It lacks the epic and fun experience and novelty of the original. For those who haven't played the original yet, just go get it and skip this one.… Expand
  9. northernlad
    Oct 11, 2017
    6
    just started act two been on shadow of war most of the day my very first thought that comes to mind is disappointment the games combat is the same as the first which works fine but the start is terrible the games been filled with mindless fluff story is drivel the world seems well crafted and orks are great but i have to say as a massive fan of the first game which i still own and playjust started act two been on shadow of war most of the day my very first thought that comes to mind is disappointment the games combat is the same as the first which works fine but the start is terrible the games been filled with mindless fluff story is drivel the world seems well crafted and orks are great but i have to say as a massive fan of the first game which i still own and play this is a major step backwards graphics dont make a game and game content shoved behind microtransactions is a joke all in all a average game at best shame as i had really high hopes for this--- update it's just the same grind over and over pretty much using the fabled batman gameplay mechanic the game world feels far to light losing the dark and gritty feel of the first and anyone who thinks this story is good well each to there own first game a surprising almost a master peace in my humble opinion but this is not garbage but very average there's better games out there simple fact i'd advise anyone to wait for abit before jumping into a full price game here… Expand
  10. holiday_hawk
    Oct 18, 2017
    6
    I'd like to start by saying that micro-transactions have almost no affect on the game. I'm one trophy away from beating the game while platinuming it on PS4 and have not spent a cent on the game. If today's gaming community is foolish enough to buy them then I can't blame the developers for putting them in. With that said, Shadow of War is one of the most frustrating experiences I've hadI'd like to start by saying that micro-transactions have almost no affect on the game. I'm one trophy away from beating the game while platinuming it on PS4 and have not spent a cent on the game. If today's gaming community is foolish enough to buy them then I can't blame the developers for putting them in. With that said, Shadow of War is one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in a while. I had such high hopes going into to it after absolutely loving the first one (getting a platinum trophy on the regular and GOTY edition). Parts of SoW are really good, almost 9/10 good, but these parts are surrounded by a couple dozen hours of what is essentially frustrating time killer missions. There are far too many collectables, far too many missions for each faction, and the end-game fortress capture is horrible. I can't believe that when this game was playtested (and it's polished enough that I know it was well playtested) no one said "doing the same type of mission four times isn't fun, how about making fewer, but more memorable missions." If you're doing Gondor missions, be prepared to untie lots of soldiers, if you're doing Carnan missions be prepared to destroy lots of necromancer totems, and so on and so on. Without spoiling why, I'll just say that the final chapter of the game requires to defend your forts over and over again, each fort multiple times. This mechanic goes from amazing to beyond annoying so quickly. I found myself tired of it before the final act. The controls still need work, and this is unacceptable. The studio straight lifted the controls from Assassins' Creed, so they really only needed to fine tune AC's wonky controls. Instead, we're still left with controls that will have you climbing up walls when you don't want to, not climbing up walls when you want to, draining an orc off screen rather than the broken captain, and more. The worst part of all this is that buried in the middle of this tedious borefest is a great game. Some really fun, memorable missions are hidden in here. The new features such as pit fights and fort attacks are really fun at first too. It's only with an insane amount of repetition that they become aggravating. If you go into this game with a completionist mentality you're going to have a bad time. If you go into it thinking you'll just hit up the main story quest then it would be a really fun game. The developers should have left it a short, fun romp leaving you wanting more instead of a long, drawn out process leaving you wishing it was over.… Expand
  11. Hokyshirt
    Nov 19, 2017
    6
    Overall great game, but just skip act 4 and watch the 'true' ending on youtube, because it's not worth the grindfest. Acts 1-3? FANTASTIC. Act 44? I mean, if you have nothing better to play for the next four months, go for it. It's still the same keep seiges and defenses as before, but you can only do the same thing in the same 4 areas so many time before it just gets dull, and the endingOverall great game, but just skip act 4 and watch the 'true' ending on youtube, because it's not worth the grindfest. Acts 1-3? FANTASTIC. Act 44? I mean, if you have nothing better to play for the next four months, go for it. It's still the same keep seiges and defenses as before, but you can only do the same thing in the same 4 areas so many time before it just gets dull, and the ending you get from all that work is just not worth it.
    This isn't a terrible game, but Act 4 almost ruins all the awesome stuff about the rest of it. Without act 4, I'd give it a 9. With Act 4, I'd give it a 6.    … Expand
  12. roundtablegamer
    Oct 16, 2017
    6
    Talion is back in a continuing adventure in the land of Mordor. Following the events of Shadow of Mordor, Monolith Productions and Warner Brothers brings us Shadow of War. Does Shadow of war rule middle earth or should it have been burned and destroyed along with the rings? Let us find out.

    Story: The story picks up right from the events of Shadow of Mordor you are back playing as    Talion is back in a continuing adventure in the land of Mordor. Following the events of Shadow of Mordor, Monolith Productions and Warner Brothers brings us Shadow of War. Does Shadow of war rule middle earth or should it have been burned and destroyed along with the rings? Let us find out.

    Story: The story picks up right from the events of Shadow of Mordor you are back playing as Talion and Celebrimbor. In the very beginning of the game, we see them making a new ring to fight against Sauron and the Azgul. There is a war happening in middle earth in this installment of the series between the Orcs, Uruks and Olacs and the Minas Ithil. You take sides with Minas Ithil to help them win the war; however, down the line you find out there is a traitor in the Minas Ithil. In the story, we run in to new characters that have an effect in the story like Shelob, a woman who can turn in to a big spider, which is cool in my opinion. She takes Celebrimbor as a hostage in exchange for the ring you created, so that she can take on Sauron herself. As the story continues, it became more confusing because there was so much going on with all the different characters and became less interesting as I progressed through it. There are four different acts throughout the story the second being by far the longest.

    Game play: The game play in Shadow of War is pretty much the same as the first one but with more RPG elements. However, it adds a few things as well; we still have the fighting style that we have seen in the Batman series. One thing I really enjoyed and found very annoying at the same time was the fortress raids. In order to progress through some of the story you need to take over these fortresses to clear the region. While doing some of these missions you feel like your weapons are never strong enough to defeat all the captains at one check point, but luckily I was able to beat this game without using the micro transactions. Throughout the game, you will brawl, use stealth, manipulate and climb your way through Gondor. Another feature I found in this game that was a bit tedious was building your own army. How you do this is by recruiting captains after you weaken them and they help you when it is time to do a fortress raid and take on the overlord of the fortress. This is not mandatory but it helps when it comes to difficulty but I just found it tedious. Game play design is not great in this case and unfortunately is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to games. When you clear a camp, it should remain cleared and not have the enemies re-spawn. As you progress through the story you will run in to a fair bit of collectibles like artifacts and memories which are words that go to a poem that unlocks a door and behind that door is a high level armor or weapon.

    Conclusion: Shadow of War is a fun game but by the time, I hit the Twelve-hour mark I felt it became very lack luster, and I just wanted to be finished. It has lot of new additions to compare to the first one, but does not feel as polished. The story is far less interesting and has a lot going on with it between the characters and your character that is becomes hard to follow. With some game play flaws that are very noticeable it becomes very lack luster just a few hours in to the game I struggled just to finish it but the pay off at the end of the game was worth it.

    Shadow of War 6/10 Average    … Expand
  13. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    6
    I want to start out by saying that I did not finish this game but I did play a lot of it. I just don’t have it in me to keep going. The game is split into 4 Acts and I’m still in the middle of Act 2. I really ended up getting side tracked with the Nemesis System and ended up spending too much time with that.

    The games 1st Act isn’t that great, its all a tutorial and the game really    I want to start out by saying that I did not finish this game but I did play a lot of it. I just don’t have it in me to keep going. The game is split into 4 Acts and I’m still in the middle of Act 2. I really ended up getting side tracked with the Nemesis System and ended up spending too much time with that.

    The games 1st Act isn’t that great, its all a tutorial and the game really doesn’t begin until Act 2 where you can truly start playing the game. The goal of the game is to recruit and army of orcs and then lead that army to defeat Sauron. You can’t even start recruiting until the 2nd act so the first act is kind of pointless. Its setting up a story but its not an overly engaging story and the game would be stronger if you could skip that entire act.

    The games story and premise is not that great, the best way I can describe it is it’s kind of like bad fan fiction of Tolkien’s world. People were upset over the fact that the game took Shelob and turned her into a “sexy” woman. I didn’t care that much because the story isn’t good enough to care anyways. Not to mention, all of the story missions are not fun and poorly designed. Its definitely the worst part of the game.

    Where the game truly shines is how great of a Sandbox game it is. Its very dynamic and completely random. You can get together with 10 different people and you all would have a different story of the Orcs that you fought along the way. The fact that system just works well and nothing feels overly that scripted is great. It feels like you’re creating your own story.

    The problem that I am happening with the game is the Nemesis System is the only part of the game that I’m having any fun with. The scripted parts of the game are not fun and I’ve done everything I can with the Nemesis System and all I have left are story missions. I’m just kind of done with the game.

    I spent 25-30 hours playing around with the systems that its hit a point where I’m done with the combat as well. I think part of the problem is, in the last year and a half I have played Shadow of Mordor and all 4 Arkham Knight games. So I’m just kind of over that combat system. Not to mention, what makes the Arkham Knight games so much better is, they’re not 50 hours games. They’re 15 hour games so you don’t get sick of the combat.

    There is not much more I can say. This is a fun game that overstays its welcome. This is probably going to go down as my favorite game of the year that I didn’t finish.    … Expand
  14. spesini
    Sep 29, 2021
    6
    There's something that didn't click with me. It's by no means a bad game, I just found it bland and repetitive and liked the first one way more.
  15. Reddrag0852
    Oct 10, 2017
    6
    Ok, in the name of impartiality, I will ignore the micro-transaction ****
    The game is still very empty and void of LOTR lore.
    Literally the exact same Issues I had with the first game.

    There is no LOTR, it's just an orc killing simulator.
    Fun but disappointing.
  16. LOVEPIZZA
    Sep 2, 2020
    6
    Waited a long time to play this. They patched out some of the more egregious micro transactions and shortened the end game length. Loved the loot system and improved on most other systems form the first game. Maybe a little rushed out, a few rough edges.
  17. Gohax
    Oct 18, 2017
    6
    Ok so before i start the review i just want to say that the whole game not counting the endgame doesn't need any microtransactions, i had a high score for this game but the endgame runied it by blocking the true ending with act 4 shadow wars which is basiclly 10 stages of defending all your fortress which is kinda fun i guess but takes a lot of in game curenncy and here is where theOk so before i start the review i just want to say that the whole game not counting the endgame doesn't need any microtransactions, i had a high score for this game but the endgame runied it by blocking the true ending with act 4 shadow wars which is basiclly 10 stages of defending all your fortress which is kinda fun i guess but takes a lot of in game curenncy and here is where the microtransactions shine i refused to continue playing and stopped after stage 2 this game had a lot coming for it and i really dont want to give out pros and cons because i dont want people playing this game and supporting that endgame microtransactions bullcrap so ill just say this
    i Spent 26 hours on the game and could Spent more but i could not do 10 stages of defened the fortress becuase it takes so much ingame money to do it and if you fail you have to retake it and then defened it again the whole thing is a pain

    the game it self is great but the endgame just ruined it this game had a lot of potential and could be a 9/10
    but greed ruined it my final score to shadow of war is 6/10 but again i do not recommend it at all because of the endgame    … Expand
  18. boris_out
    Mar 7, 2018
    6
    Больше - не значит лучше.

    К сожалению, именно эта мысль приходит в голову при прохождении Shadow Of War. Да, хваленная система Nemesis стала разнообразнее, количество сюжетных вставок возросло, общая режиссура слегка подняла свою плану - но стала ли игра от этого НАМНОГО качественнее? Единственное, за что хочется хвалить Тени Войны, скрыто в осаде и обороне крепостей, доступ к    Больше - не значит лучше.

    К сожалению, именно эта мысль приходит в голову при прохождении Shadow Of War. Да, хваленная система Nemesis стала разнообразнее, количество сюжетных вставок возросло, общая режиссура слегка подняла свою плану - но стала ли игра от этого НАМНОГО качественнее?

    Единственное, за что хочется хвалить Тени Войны, скрыто в осаде и обороне крепостей, доступ к которым открывается лишь спустя 3-5 часов игры. Именно благодаря масштабу и эпичности данных сражений хочется проходить скучные сюжетные квесты. И именно этот аспект игровой механики вытягивает творение Монолитов на 6 баллов из 10.

    Если вам понравилась первая часть - можно смело продолжать рубить орков и тут, но если вы равнодушны к миру Толкина и однообразному геймплею, то следует однозначно проходить мимо очередной ААА-игры с микротранзакциями.

    P.S.
    Ах да, спустя полгода после выхода баги все также встречаются на просторах Средиземья - будьте к этому готовы.    … Expand
  19. Ps4player
    Nov 2, 2017
    6
    read this review of middle earth shadow of war. every single user review i have seen only talk about micro transactions and nothing else. the gameplay is good and builds up from the last game with more to do in this world. the siege of towers is a ton of fun to do and has replay value to it. the story is underwhelming overall but that was expected when i went into this game. the nemesisread this review of middle earth shadow of war. every single user review i have seen only talk about micro transactions and nothing else. the gameplay is good and builds up from the last game with more to do in this world. the siege of towers is a ton of fun to do and has replay value to it. the story is underwhelming overall but that was expected when i went into this game. the nemesis system, is still fun to use and what they added to it makes it even better. even though it has pros it still has cons. yes the micro transactions do ruin the fun of getting all the loot yourself instead of just buying it. the game has buggy issues for when it comes to combat and even just looking at your army. i would wait for a sale if i were you to get this game because right now it is not worth the full 90$ you have to pay for it i think 60$ (U.S PRICE IS FINE).… Expand
  20. Aginagala
    Nov 13, 2017
    6
    Although the game can be buggy at times an improved story, improved combat system, improved nemesis system and a huge open world cannot take away the fact that this was a great game and thoroughly enjoyable. I finished the story to a point where I couldn't stop there and simply carried on afterwards. I found new monsters such as drakes a great implementation, and were fun to upgrade withAlthough the game can be buggy at times an improved story, improved combat system, improved nemesis system and a huge open world cannot take away the fact that this was a great game and thoroughly enjoyable. I finished the story to a point where I couldn't stop there and simply carried on afterwards. I found new monsters such as drakes a great implementation, and were fun to upgrade with the improved RPG system, giving a feeling of satisfaction when leveling and finally being able to ride one. Moreover I found the leveling system on the whole in the game extremely satisfying to unlock new move sets, and skills to aid me on my journey.

    Finding a legendary captain felt scary and when you are ambushed at the point of almost killing another captain for your army it feels very real. To build on this you see betrayals against you, betrayals against the warchiefs, seemingly a much more real and immersive feeling surrounded the game this time, as mini stories were built up within your armies and at points I felt small bonds connected to particular captains that stuck with me or helped me in situations I did not expect.

    The game built on the best bits of the former game creating a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The gigantic battles that were the sieges were perhaps the best part of this game, with huge and reasonably challenging battles, and more than enough choice to plan how you can attack. I feel the first, fight and capture part was reasonably easy however the Overlords themselves are no push over. Each with unique and tough abilities, interesting designs and never feeling samey due to lazy design, fighting them always felt like a new experience, the setting, the time taken to get there was beautifully crafted.

    However... the game is let down due to the gambling aspect of it. This game has succumbed to micro transactions, another let down of a great game. It was unnecessary and could have been completely avoided and been a fantastic game without it. Moreover due to these micro transactions the end game was a lot more grindy than enjoyable and with a lack luster ending. Moreover, the fact that the micro transaction aspect of the game is always in your face, when you're spending hours after hours grinding the same things over and over, it becomes tempting which I do not like at all, and for younger gamers I'm sure it would be more than enough to convince them to purchase something in this. However in 2017 it no longer surprises me when Triple A titles contain micro-transactions, it could have easily been left out and felt like a much more satisfying experience after grinding all your huge army up, rather than knowing that someone had skipped all that and simply bought their way into most probably a better position than you. Without these, it would have easily had a lot of better reviews and been a much more well appreciated game, it's part of what made the first game fun, the feeling that you were at the bottom and had to make your way up the ranks of orcs with no other way of simply cheating/buying your way up there. A fantastic game let down by greed..    … Expand
  21. Sidious58
    Apr 14, 2018
    6
    Un gioco che inizialmente sembrava ottimo,ma poi la trama si è rivelata assurda,priva di senso e totalmente incoerente con l'universo di Tolkien. Aggiungo ambientazioni abbastanza scarne e una parte finale allungata sino allo schifo a dir poco orrenda
  22. Br_AgSs
    May 5, 2020
    6
    This game is a huge stepdown from Mordor. The combat is not as fun and fluid as Shadow Of Mordor, the nemesis system is bigger, but wasnt enough to keep me entertained like Mordor did, the story is predictable and cliché,(also, Celebrimbor is terribly bad writen in this game, as well as Talion) the graphics are ok, there is something wrong with the lighting in this game, some places areThis game is a huge stepdown from Mordor. The combat is not as fun and fluid as Shadow Of Mordor, the nemesis system is bigger, but wasnt enough to keep me entertained like Mordor did, the story is predictable and cliché,(also, Celebrimbor is terribly bad writen in this game, as well as Talion) the graphics are ok, there is something wrong with the lighting in this game, some places are dark as hell, and some places are bright as hell, Shadow Of Mordor had much better graphics, character models and enviroment, Shadow Of War even removed that BEAUTIFUL rain Mordor had.
    Dont buy Shadow Of War, buy Shadow Of Mordor.    … Expand
  23. AMasterpieceFan
    Jan 26, 2019
    6
    Bought this game during the "post-microtransactions" era so I didnt experience that microtransaction BS.

    Starting with the positive, the climbing mechanics are good, graphics are good, setting too.The fighting mechanics are also clean (although it can be a spamfest at times). The story is kinda interesting, though may not be still at the same level as Witcher 3 but still decent. The    Bought this game during the "post-microtransactions" era so I didnt experience that microtransaction BS.

    Starting with the positive, the climbing mechanics are good, graphics are good, setting too.The fighting mechanics are also clean (although it can be a spamfest at times). The story is kinda interesting, though may not be still at the same level as Witcher 3 but still decent. The negatives for me are, the cutscenes everytime you meet a captain. It gets really annoying. The lack of a legit save game. I mean, every game should have a basic save your game mechanics but this game has NONE. You need to fast travel to save your progress which is FREAKING STUPID. The repetitiveness also makes me stop playing at some points. Overall, I enjoyed it. It gets addictive as you play. Glad i bought this after the microtransactions BS    … Expand
  24. Roo182
    Sep 11, 2019
    6
    I initially put this game down right away. It was too repetitive and the fact that I couldn't advance the game without getting stronger orcs (mostly through microtransactions) was the last straw. 2 years later, after they took the heat and removed the microtranactions, I came back. It is still a fun LOTR game, and the Nemesis system is definitely cool. But the story felt soulless and theI initially put this game down right away. It was too repetitive and the fact that I couldn't advance the game without getting stronger orcs (mostly through microtransactions) was the last straw. 2 years later, after they took the heat and removed the microtranactions, I came back. It is still a fun LOTR game, and the Nemesis system is definitely cool. But the story felt soulless and the missions were empty. Definitely not what I wanted, but as a big LOTR fan in general, I put up with it.… Expand
  25. Chempion1
    Aug 26, 2020
    6
    В 2014 году прошел Shadow of Mordor, не ожидал такого от Monolith. Сначала прошел на Xbox 360 и это было мучение. Загрузки по 1 минуте при просмотре карты, отсутствующие текстуры, короче ужас. Но позднее перепрошёл её на Рlaystation 4 и оценил достаточно высоко.
    Продолжение ждал. И дождавшись, удивился. Игра была совершенно другой и не скажу, что мне это понравилось.
    Начну с хорошего. И    В 2014 году прошел Shadow of Mordor, не ожидал такого от Monolith. Сначала прошел на Xbox 360 и это было мучение. Загрузки по 1 минуте при просмотре карты, отсутствующие текстуры, короче ужас. Но позднее перепрошёл её на Рlaystation 4 и оценил достаточно высоко.
    Продолжение ждал. И дождавшись, удивился. Игра была совершенно другой и не скажу, что мне это понравилось.
    Начну с хорошего. И это сюжет. Мне он, можно сказать, понравился. Повествование продолжает первую часть. Так же раскрывает судьбы Талиона и Келебримбора, героев мира оригинальной игры, хотя и не совсем героев Толкиена. Ну а финал (конечно общего с книгами не имеет), просто зашибись! Особенно меня "порадовало", что авторы включили Исилдура в число назгулов! Чего, естественно с точки зрения книги, быть не могло.
    Теперь о грустном. В игру добавили эти долбанутые захваты крепостей. Они просто разрушают целостность повествования. Сюжет вроде продвигается и тут на, захвати крепость. На хрен она мне нужна? Не важно. Но самое главное, что бы увидеть истинный конец игры, тебе нужно выполнять хренову кучу жопораздирающих заданий по защите этих самых крепостей от набегов. Полный отстой.
    Ещё из игры пропали полноценные боссы. Остался один, но этого маловато. Их заменили на хозяев крепостей, а это не одно и то же.
    Так же в игре появился этот грёбаный магазин с лутбоксами, который вообще делает всю трудовую прокачку бессмысленной. Кстати последнее задание по защите этих грёбаных крепостей вряд ли получится пройти без покупок лутбоксов (По крайней мере, будет ооочень сложно).
    Что же касается внешнего вида, то визуально я не заметил каких либо отличий от первой части.
    Играть советую только после прохождения оригинала. Будет с чем сравнить, да и история не будет казаться запутанной. При том Shadow of War полностью закрыла историю Талиона и Келебримбора, так что на продолжение вряд ли стоит рассчитывать. К тому же магазин, наконец, убрали!    … Expand
  26. Obligaviews
    Apr 16, 2020
    6
    I think the only compliments I have for this game regard the nemesis system and voice acting. I have no idea where these 10s have been coming from, but to each their own.

    Let's start here. The game handles about as well as you would driving on black ice. I can't assign a value to the number of times the character would get stuck on flat ground, ignore button presses mid-combat, attack    I think the only compliments I have for this game regard the nemesis system and voice acting. I have no idea where these 10s have been coming from, but to each their own.

    Let's start here. The game handles about as well as you would driving on black ice. I can't assign a value to the number of times the character would get stuck on flat ground, ignore button presses mid-combat, attack the complete opposite enemy from where you had the stick pointing, and so on. The normal running speed is about on par with a 90-year-old grandmother (80 would be too fast, and I'm only half kidding, sadly).

    The graphics, while understandably depressing and muddy, are in effect not appealing to look at and it often feels difficult to make out details because, again, just about everything is faded and shades of the same color. There was also some weird blurring effect that made it difficult to see at times.

    Maybe a bigger LotR fan than I would care more about the side-quests and collectibles, but I personally found them boring and tedious to collect and complete. This may have changed if the gameplay was more engaging and, well, worked correctly more than 1/2 the time, but it does not.

    Trying to play this game feels like the few moments of fun you have here and there while taking care of household chores for a couple hours. 5.5 rounded up to a 6.    … Expand
  27. Chris_Sobb
    Feb 22, 2021
    6
    It was nice, simple game with same nice points in the plot. But to be honest its only a slasher. We can slay a lot of orcs and thats all. Its good that we have a few iconic bosses from movies. And finale is realny good!
  28. alank8704
    Nov 13, 2020
    6
    Its a great game but too much grind. Could have been a much better game if they didnt try to force in microtransactions
  29. clanky9
    Jan 29, 2021
    6
    After completing game on 100 % i was little disappointed, Shadow of mordor was far better i was expecting some puzzles in this game. Story was quite good in my opinion.
  30. Young__fool
    Jan 30, 2023
    6
    I think middle earth shadow of war is an allright game. It can keep you entertained for a few hours but if you have already played shadow of mordor i don't see much of a reason to buy this game. The combat system, the nemisis system and the parkour is the exact same as shadow of mordor even the story is in a lot of ways the same as shadow of mordor. i think monolith should have triedI think middle earth shadow of war is an allright game. It can keep you entertained for a few hours but if you have already played shadow of mordor i don't see much of a reason to buy this game. The combat system, the nemisis system and the parkour is the exact same as shadow of mordor even the story is in a lot of ways the same as shadow of mordor. i think monolith should have tried something a little more new stuff rather than copying the old game.… Expand
  31. Sceptic
    Oct 20, 2017
    5
    A genuinely excellent game marred by a lootbox system.While it's true that they are not necessary,the endgame is clearly designed to "encourage" players who have little time or patience to repetitively grind,and to purchase fast tracks to success.This is disgusting.So after spending a huge amount of time(In the pits mostly) grinding my way to 100% completion,I'll give this game a 10 forA genuinely excellent game marred by a lootbox system.While it's true that they are not necessary,the endgame is clearly designed to "encourage" players who have little time or patience to repetitively grind,and to purchase fast tracks to success.This is disgusting.So after spending a huge amount of time(In the pits mostly) grinding my way to 100% completion,I'll give this game a 10 for the first 80%,minus 5 for the insidious,predatory single player lootbox system.… Expand
  32. egaqu
    Aug 7, 2019
    5
    This game is okay mechanically and visually. Combat becomes repetitive due to habitually using the same attacks and counters on basically the same enemies over and over and over and over again. All of Act II is a 15+ hour grind that barely proceeds the story and largely serves to prolong the game. Same with the entirety of Shadow Wars. In a nutshell the only meaningful gameplay to thisThis game is okay mechanically and visually. Combat becomes repetitive due to habitually using the same attacks and counters on basically the same enemies over and over and over and over again. All of Act II is a 15+ hour grind that barely proceeds the story and largely serves to prolong the game. Same with the entirety of Shadow Wars. In a nutshell the only meaningful gameplay to this game is siege conquests, something that can be done in an hour but spread over 30-40 hours.… Expand
  33. MrRPG
    Oct 10, 2017
    5
    The game play, soundtrack and story are all good, Improvements have been made on all the predecessors features.
    This game's biggest flaw is the greed of the studio, no single player game should have micro-transactions, this has been repeated a lot in the comments section and I have to agree with it all, we have to take a stand against these practices especially when the game play it's    The game play, soundtrack and story are all good, Improvements have been made on all the predecessors features.
    This game's biggest flaw is the greed of the studio, no single player game should have micro-transactions, this has been repeated a lot in the comments section and I have to agree with it all, we have to take a stand against these practices especially when the game play it's self pushes the player through artificial difficulty spikes in an attempt to garner micro-transactions. That said the core game is still very good.    … Expand
  34. Valtazarkane
    Oct 19, 2017
    5
    A strong middle-aged man. A strong middle-aged man.A strong middle-aged man.A strong middle-aged man.A strong middle-aged man.A strong middle-aged man.A strong middle-aged man.
  35. ghoulrot
    Sep 10, 2018
    5
    Pros:

    Combat system
    Graphics

    Cons:

    Flimsy story
    Very, very repetitive. You will be doing the same thing constantly with no variety. I stopped playing after finishing the story as I couldn't face grinding the same thing over and over for the rest of it.
  36. cas514
    Nov 3, 2017
    5
    Update:

    I've been playing this for about 80 hours now and im still not done.. Great right? yea i guess but something dawn on me that made me put the game down and made me stop playing. So legendary orcs, where the **** are they? I remember at the start of the game when i was in the first map, I had an orc become legendary after coming back to in my first 5 hours of the game. Then one    Update:

    I've been playing this for about 80 hours now and im still not done.. Great right? yea i guess but something dawn on me that made me put the game down and made me stop playing. So legendary orcs, where the **** are they? I remember at the start of the game when i was in the first map, I had an orc become legendary after coming back to in my first 5 hours of the game. Then one day i came back home tired and i just wanted to get a quick kill in and I mistakenly agreed to the agreement at the start of the game which shows up every-time you boot up the game which enables the online mode and now im 80 hours in and I barely get nemesis to come back to life, and barely get legendary orcs. This is a clear indication that the ****ing loot boxes effect the balance of this game greatly. It's disgusting that it had to come to this.

    First Impression ( Will Update): First off im only maybe 4 hours into the game:

    Graphics: Look worse than the first game, textures on the orcs especially look stretched out and blurry and its especially noticeable on my 4k TV. This is probably due to the scale of the game. The open world is bigger (for no reason) so the graphics had to take a hit. It's unfortunate that dev still believe bigger maps equals better game. Talions face model looks better so does the models for the other humans.

    Gameplay: Same as the first but it doesn't feel as fluid or as responsive as the first game. The reused animation from the first game still look great but the combat doest feel like a dance like the first did. Maybe it will feel better when I unlock more skills. One skill i absolutely hate and breaks the flow the combat animation is the new Staff they force you to use. I never want to use this thing, the animation when you use it feels so clunky and unsatisfying. I hope I can turn it off later.

    Lootboxes. I did not agree to the terms in the beginning so i wont have to deal with any loot boxes or multiplayer nonsense but of course I will continue to get prompted to agree anytime I boot up the game because they really want me to use the market which I never ever will. I wont know until later in the game wether or not the loot boxes will effect the game or not so we shall see. if it does I will promptly change the score to a 0 if i feel like the game is effected. I don't mind grinding as long as its fun and progression is fair but if this starts feeling like a cell phone game im going to lose it.

    Supporting Characters: I already hate them.

    Story: Not Sure, The intro to the game did nothing for me tho. Felt poorly executed. But i will update as soon as I beat the game

    I payed $18 dollars for this game so I won't feel too bad if it disappoints me but i hope that it doesn't because Mordor is one of my favorite games of all time.    … Expand
  37. Bunterboy
    Jan 13, 2019
    5
    I bought it when then micro-transactions have been removed but honestly it's still kind of boring. There is a lot of repetition and it all feels just a bit less exciting than the first game.

    The main character. So annoying. You start the game thinking that he's all acrobatic but the more you play the more you will realised that actually he's a clumsy oaf who much prefers to continuously    I bought it when then micro-transactions have been removed but honestly it's still kind of boring. There is a lot of repetition and it all feels just a bit less exciting than the first game.

    The main character. So annoying. You start the game thinking that he's all acrobatic but the more you play the more you will realised that actually he's a clumsy oaf who much prefers to continuously roll up against walls than climb them or stubbornly refuse to let go or not climb a wall when you want him too.

    The story. Who cares? Unless you're a direct descendant of JRR Tolkien himself or an actual elf it's not very interesting.

    Yeah, for 13 bucks its tolerable for a period but don't expect to get any long term enjoyment out of this game.    … Expand
  38. Kamarr
    Oct 24, 2017
    5
    This game is nowhere near a 10 nor is it a 0 pretty dumb how the gaming community is fighting between these two scores. So here is a real review.

    This game is an overhaul of the first game if you liked the first game then you will LOVE this one pretty much same controls and the game is fluid at times. I thoroughly enjoy the rag doll effects that happen sometimes really releases the    This game is nowhere near a 10 nor is it a 0 pretty dumb how the gaming community is fighting between these two scores. So here is a real review.

    This game is an overhaul of the first game if you liked the first game then you will LOVE this one pretty much same controls and the game is fluid at times. I thoroughly enjoy the rag doll effects that happen sometimes really releases the stress when fighting tons of enemies.
    The Nemesis system has been improved dramatically but the RNG of seeing descent orcs is very icky which tries to capture you into paying real money to get them quick Epic/Legendary Orcs.(I'll go more into that later.)
    They dubbed down the graphics engine but easily understandable as there are usually 15-25 orcs at a time on screen so better performance. There are some minor issues I have with some of the clunky controls like lets say I try to roll dodge away from an enemy instead I try to roll over an enemy that has vault breaker(can't roll over these orcs). Another thing is how great it is to climb just about anything now it does get lame at times cause more times than not as you chase some enemies it will cause you to climb a wall as you run through like an underpass which is ANNOYING as Im chasing an orc not trying to climb to Mt.Everest. The game seems to be crazy grindy once you hit lvl 45ish+ which is ok as the game is a lot longer than the first but the story is very short and usually only grants about 15lvls through all of them.

    Now to talk about End game and if you need super strong orcs for the last part of the game. The answer for it is no a good player can easily make a difference in how easy the game is and setting up proper equipment can help you out dramatically. Like I carry 3 different swords all aiming for a different thing. Same with Daggers and Chest piece. Also if you can get the lvl 20-30 cloak to drop that restores ALL health on stealth atk keep it forever!! As it doesn't drop at higher lvls. Now the whole idea buying orcs cause the RNG of orcs appearing in rarity is utter trash and it really kills the game for me but I managed to make common orcs work as long as they have only 2 weakness or just 1 cause it happens and they can be a great addition to the team if you don't wanna spend $$. Now spending $$ to get the high lvl orcs for ranked play is bs to heres an example. I spend 20usd and get an legendary orc army then go attack someone on Ranked play during the battle an orc you just BOUGHT dies there goes 5usd lost. They really need to fix this issue as its not ok to sell push to win buttons in a Single player game. But just about everything else this game hits silver for me. Seeing my Nemesis form the previous game was really worth it as he kicked my butt so much and my warchief that joined was AMAZING!!

    Now would I recommend buying this? Yes I would but I would stray away from Micro Transactions unless you do the daily quests and earn them that way. They really could have high 8-10 scores with this game but I feel they worked so painfully hard on the Micro Transactions they missed an amazing opportunity.    … Expand
  39. Bashfulfruit
    Oct 10, 2017
    5
    Year 2017. You can FAIL the mission because you LEFT THE AREA of the mission in an OPEN WORLD GAME. This is ridiculous. Why are you doing this??? I don't understand...
  40. luckydutch
    Oct 10, 2017
    5
    There's a lot going for this game and the first two acts are pretty good. Unfortunately, the final half of the game is an enormous, tedious grind to collect more and more Orcs and level them all up.

    There are loot box micro transactions and the developers assured everyone before release that the game had been balanced/designed around NOT using them but having played the game, I can now    There's a lot going for this game and the first two acts are pretty good. Unfortunately, the final half of the game is an enormous, tedious grind to collect more and more Orcs and level them all up.

    There are loot box micro transactions and the developers assured everyone before release that the game had been balanced/designed around NOT using them but having played the game, I can now confirm they lied. That horrendous, boring grind at the end of the game is clearly there to strong-arm people into buying those loot boxes.

    There is also a multiplayer mode but it is basically unplayable unless you're sinking lots of money into those boxes because your Orcs can permanently die in that mode so without the loot boxes, you'll need to do hours of grinding in singleplayer between multiplayer matches to replenish your Orcs.

    First few hours were great but I got the game yesterday & I'll probably be selling it back come the weekend because I'll be done with it by then.

    Knowing what I know now, I would have given this one a miss.    … Expand
  41. Empyrea
    Nov 6, 2022
    5
    What to say about this game? Stressful, repetitive and frustrating. I only played this game for 6 hours until I saw that I should do unnecessary things to continue. I also played the first game on my ps3 years ago for a few hours and I had the same feelings although at that time I quitted because it used to crush all the time. I'm not giving it a 4 because graphics are decent and althoughWhat to say about this game? Stressful, repetitive and frustrating. I only played this game for 6 hours until I saw that I should do unnecessary things to continue. I also played the first game on my ps3 years ago for a few hours and I had the same feelings although at that time I quitted because it used to crush all the time. I'm not giving it a 4 because graphics are decent and although you'll only see a few secondary characters of the movies and books you can appreciate the effort to make kind of dialogues and intonation from the movies. I'd only recommend this game to those that like "changeling games" (which for more are just stressful games) and like to grind. The gameplay will remind you the latest Assassin's Creed games.… Expand
  42. Dog3117
    Nov 6, 2017
    5
    Short and sweet
    -Horrible Story with characters that range from horrible to somewhat promising
    -smooth and initially enjoyable gameplay, which unfortunately personally grew dull rather fast -Microtransactions in a singeplayer game that directly relate and effect the core mechanic of the game -is a sad excuse to be part of LOTR universe (Feels like its only LOTR for brand recognition)    Short and sweet
    -Horrible Story with characters that range from horrible to somewhat promising
    -smooth and initially enjoyable gameplay, which unfortunately personally grew dull rather fast
    -Microtransactions in a singeplayer game that directly relate and effect the core mechanic of the game
    -is a sad excuse to be part of LOTR universe (Feels like its only LOTR for brand recognition)
    +core mechanic of nemesis system is a unique and impressive feature that makes all players experience somewhat unique and personal
    -Ratbag shoulda **** died in the first one bruh, thats BS

    Anyone who disagrees with my score, either thinking it should be lower or higher probably has some valid points, respect y'alls opinions either way    … Expand
  43. shiftyman
    Oct 27, 2017
    5
    Just on 20 hours in and it’s the most boring, repetitive game of 2017, there’s hardly any difference to the first one. The story is c grade trash. Zzzzzzzzz.
  44. Kaisermena
    Oct 16, 2017
    5
    El juego en su campaña en solitario sigue siendo tan bueno como el anterior, o aún mejor, de eso no tengo queja. Pero en cuanto al multijugador y a los micropagos y las cajitas aleatorias, creo que era algo totalmente innecesario en este tipo de juegos. Un gran trabajo dañado por la avaricia y las políticas abusivas. Sigan así Warner Entertainment que van por buen camino
  45. Radoslavus
    May 22, 2018
    5
    I have a serious problem with this one. On one hand I am a big fan of the series, but on the other hand those big lore mistakes (I could get along with those), and the horror of all gamers, the dreadfull microtransactions. MICROTRANSACTIONS IN A SINGLEPLAYER GAME.!!!

    Let's face it, this game is a 7,5-8/10. They improved basically every aspect of it: - It runs smoother, - the gampley    I have a serious problem with this one. On one hand I am a big fan of the series, but on the other hand those big lore mistakes (I could get along with those), and the horror of all gamers, the dreadfull microtransactions. MICROTRANSACTIONS IN A SINGLEPLAYER GAME.!!!

    Let's face it, this game is a 7,5-8/10.
    They improved basically every aspect of it:
    - It runs smoother,
    - the gampley is better,
    - world bigger,
    - characters well written,
    - boss battles fun and challenging
    - nemezis system and combat improved
    - and of course the siege battles
    There is no major issue, that you can complain about, except Lord of the Rings lore. But if, you are not a hardcore fan of Tolkien's books, you will not notice them.

    And then comes ACT 4 "The Grind Chapter". Act that made everyone furious:
    - pay to win in a singleplayer game
    - boring repetetive waves just to unlock one short ending scene (scene that everyone can check on Youtube)
    - hours of grind to test the gamer, if he is willing to pay extra money to finish the game significantly faster
    - a part of the game that is so lazy in it's design, that it's an insult, not a real chapter
    - pointless act that has done much more harm than WB and Monolight expected it would.

    Because I am a big enemy of microtransactions (not only pay to win but all of them), and despite the fact that I had a lot of fun playing the game I will give it a 5/10. Unfortunately I am again dissapointed about a game that I was waiting for this year.    … Expand
  46. Tokoo
    Oct 11, 2017
    5
    Love how all the critic's that reviewed this game giving it 80+ rating, all say the same thing. Oh its a great copy of the 1st game. That's nice so they polished it, added loot boxes, expanded the nemesis system, made a lack luster story, and also locked the anticlimactic ending behind ether grinding, or buying loot boxes/ Such a shame, loot boxes in a 60 usd game is retarded, but forcingLove how all the critic's that reviewed this game giving it 80+ rating, all say the same thing. Oh its a great copy of the 1st game. That's nice so they polished it, added loot boxes, expanded the nemesis system, made a lack luster story, and also locked the anticlimactic ending behind ether grinding, or buying loot boxes/ Such a shame, loot boxes in a 60 usd game is retarded, but forcing people to do the multiplayer system whether they want to or not just to make extra money is appalling, and if a critic can give you a score of 80+ after that then shame on them as well.… Expand
  47. WalkingMoore
    Jan 7, 2018
    5
    You know what I can say?
    4 act - a simulator of monotonous actions to capture towers.
    3 act - a good production, excellent CGI videos, the plot in this act is greater than in all the others combined. Act 2 - we are taught how to capture the towers in the middle of the earth, which is quite, at first, not bad and it looks interesting. I advise you not to kill the leaders, so that the    You know what I can say?
    4 act - a simulator of monotonous actions to capture towers.
    3 act - a good production, excellent CGI videos, the plot in this act is greater than in all the others combined.
    Act 2 - we are taught how to capture the towers in the middle of the earth, which is quite, at first, not bad and it looks interesting. I advise you not to kill the leaders, so that the attacks were as in gameplay, commercials, commercials, at least were approached to this.
    1 act - enter the world, introduce some characters and give the ground for a good story, which did not happen.

    In general, the game is monotonous, the visual design is nothing, the graphics are bad, nothing new, except the towers, in comparison with the previous game - no. The plot leaves a lot of questions about the characters, which, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ simply forgot. Yes, there are characters about whom they forgot at the stage of developing a new act, but yes, it's right - ♥♥♥♥♥♥ with him, we'll better introduce lutboks.

    And yes, defenders of lootboxes, you are just hydrocephalus, amoeba, you have a cognitive distortion. In general, you ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ f, stupid, dolbaebi with aberration. These objects with binary thinking will ask: "Well, why do you allow such a talk?", Yes because, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Lutboks kill a single game and it's wrong. I would write a full opinion on this, but too much text for too small audience (those who will read this review). The game does not convey the atmosphere of the Lord of the Rings.

    I recommend only to those who want to come after work / school and kill time for the liquidation of orcs.

    The final score is 5/10, not including lootboxes. Mediocre.    … Expand
  48. balding
    Jul 5, 2018
    5
    Entretiene hasta que te das cuenta que estás haciendo lo mismo en un mapa sin cohesión alguna pensado para venderte cajas de botín, prolongando el juego de manera artificial y haciéndolo tedioso. Cierto que el sistema némesis ha mejorado y el resto de elementos se han pulido, pero son demasiadas las asperazas que encuentro. No tan siquiera presenta una historia y personajes a la altura delEntretiene hasta que te das cuenta que estás haciendo lo mismo en un mapa sin cohesión alguna pensado para venderte cajas de botín, prolongando el juego de manera artificial y haciéndolo tedioso. Cierto que el sistema némesis ha mejorado y el resto de elementos se han pulido, pero son demasiadas las asperazas que encuentro. No tan siquiera presenta una historia y personajes a la altura del maravilloso universo de Tolkien.… Expand
  49. MathiasVoorhees
    Apr 27, 2020
    5
    A general downgrade from the first apart from the graphics and enemy types.
  50. Berik
    Aug 21, 2019
    5
    Where Shadow of Mordor felt like a combination of other genres, but with a new exciting system (The Nemesis System), Shadow of War seems to completely commit to what other high profile games are doing: Collectibles to fill up play time, large open worlds that are barely utilized in the story, and a lackluster poorly written story.

    To start with the story: Monolith has taken liberties    Where Shadow of Mordor felt like a combination of other genres, but with a new exciting system (The Nemesis System), Shadow of War seems to completely commit to what other high profile games are doing: Collectibles to fill up play time, large open worlds that are barely utilized in the story, and a lackluster poorly written story.

    To start with the story: Monolith has taken liberties with the Lord of the Rings lore in the past, but this time they decided to grab it by the hair and smear its face in a pool of mud. Shelob, which is the big spider from Return of the King, is somehow a future telling swimsuit model that has the power to imprison wraiths. If that sounds completely ludicrous to you, than you are spot on mate!

    Apart from that, the story itself seems to be more of a side objective to the main goal: Recruiting, killing and making captains. Talion has become rather dumb in between the previous game and this one, and does everything your gut tells you NOT to do. Want to learn what a cliché, ridiculous and dumb character is like? Play the story of Shadow of War, because all the characters in this game fit the description.

    As for combat, the game unfortunately takes a step back to its predecessor. Where Shadow of Mordor felt hard but ultimately balanced and precise, Shadow of War is a mess. Battles with groups are now even more like mosh pits. The AI seems to completely ignore you when a captain attacks, yet their IQ will raise by 50 points the moment Talion attacks. Grunts will hit you to the point that you will get stabbed in the back all the time if your finger isn't glued to your triangle button. Also, prompts are sometimes in such ridiculous quick succession of each other that it seems to be impossible to evade, counter or survive for that matter. I can say for a fact that it wasn't like this in Shadow of Mordor, as i've played it four weeks ago before i started playing Shadow of War.

    The amount of traits that Orcs can have are greatly increased. There are more than triple the amount of traits Shadow of Mordor had, and Captains will interact with the player much more. Some will betray or ambush you, and others defy death so often that you will wonder if they aren't wraiths themselves. This is a welcome addition, but it fails to make the Orcs more interesting and less of a number. In fact, some traits are so powerful that it will lead to some very cheap deaths. The traits can be so random among captains that it hardly ever leads to a memorable orc.

    Do orcs have more distinction? No, absolutely not. In fact, every orc now looks like they gathered their weapons and armor at a Lost and Found shelter. Their is rarely a coherent theme in their outfit, nor does it suit them. I've seen orcs wearing golden elven armor (stupid), an orc dressed as a bard (totally taking a dumb on J.R.R Tolkien's lore there) and even a few as pirates... The **** Monolith.

    The size of the game is more of a flaw than anything else. Prepare to switch between the game, the map and the army screen hundreds of times as there is no quick button, and you'll constantly be wondering where you will have to go to next. Orcs are mostly far away, especially if you just met them. They will then 'magically' transport all the way to the other side of the map. Great.

    The new Conquest or Siege mode is fun, but after 2 or 3 times you will really have seen all there's to it. Above the Warchief now stands the overlord, which is the boss of a region. After storming the fort, taking checkpoints and dealing with remaining warchiefs you'll be fighting the Overlord, which is usually a high leveled bullet sponge with minions around him. And somehow you have to fight them solo, even though you brought an army with you ...

    The camera in this game is a disaster, and so is directing Talion. You see, the camera is now more zoomed in on Talion and everything North of him. I say this because, unlike the previous game, the camera will not move with your direction and will even push back against you if you try to turn it! Also, Talion doesn't do actions in the direction you point him to, but rather tries to connect with highlighted targets and ledges. This leads to 80% of your playtime feeling frustrating as Talion pretty much doesn't obey your controller. This pissed me off so much that i considered to stop playing this game.

    Unfortunately the game as a whole has been disappointing and frustrating to me, especially because i really liked Shadow of Mordor. This game is too overstuffed, too incoherent, a mess in combat and a joke to the lore of Middle Earth. It's an average game, which i can only recommend if you like to be frustrated and punished for seeking more Shadow of Mordor fun. I give it a 5/10.    … Expand
  51. piuscorvus
    Jan 7, 2021
    5
    Shadow of War offers a bit better gameplay than the previous game, Shadow of Mordor. At the beginning, I thought that it is better than the Shadow of Mordor but at the end… it is not. Maybe it is even worse.

    Apart from smaller graphic improvements and a bit better gameplay there is not much more to see here. There is again the same setup; you are in Mordor surrounded by Orcs and 99% of    Shadow of War offers a bit better gameplay than the previous game, Shadow of Mordor. At the beginning, I thought that it is better than the Shadow of Mordor but at the end… it is not. Maybe it is even worse.

    Apart from smaller graphic improvements and a bit better gameplay there is not much more to see here. There is again the same setup; you are in Mordor surrounded by Orcs and 99% of the time you will just fight them endlessly. Unlike the Shadow of Mordor, this game offers you three difficulty settings. One of them is an easy mode that should let you go through the battles more easily so you can have your focus on the story.

    The problem is, there is no story worth focusing on there. Just like the Shadow of Mordor, this game is a fan-fiction thing and it is on the edge of being completely stupid. It is inspired by the characters and places from Tolkien's Middle-Earth but there is nothing special about it. I do believe, whithout spoiling anything, that the fans of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings will be completely disappointed after experiencing this "story". People who enjoy endless battles and spend days conquering forts and such things will naturally enjoy this game because it does have a good and challenging gameplay. Some others, like me, will be bored after twenty hours of that kind of gameplay, which at the end is based on going here and killing 30 Orcs and then going there and killing 20 Orcs.    … Expand
  52. Bonjourette
    Sep 25, 2020
    5
    I kinda enjoyed it but I don't really like the combat style and after I finished it I had no urge of repeating it again.
  53. Godudu
    Aug 16, 2022
    5
    This game is okay. Weird controls. Cool combat, it does not care about balance, it gives you a fair amount of tools to play and do whatever you want in its world. The nemesis system is awesome, it works perfectly well. The problem with the game is its pacing. Quests appears to you in a weird way, most of them are bad and the game relies on grinding to extend its length.
  54. Bulba2555
    Jul 5, 2023
    5
    The plot is terrible. It is not clear how, where, when, actions take place. All that's good about this game is the combat, and the fortress conquest system is really interesting. Warner Bros, as always, will make some incomprehensible donation system. It's generally annoying when you can donate in a Single Player game. What is this nonsense. Pay £60 to spend money on loot boxesThe plot is terrible. It is not clear how, where, when, actions take place. All that's good about this game is the combat, and the fortress conquest system is really interesting. Warner Bros, as always, will make some incomprehensible donation system. It's generally annoying when you can donate in a Single Player game. What is this nonsense. Pay £60 to spend money on loot boxes later. And in the last act, knocking out the legendary orcs. Yes, I understand that you can complete the game without a donation, but grindy is 20+ hours, for loot boxes. Perfect! Maybe the combat is good, although varied, although the conquest system is cool. But loot boxes are something.… Expand
  55. ZaPaAl
    Dec 22, 2020
    4
    They squeezed the theme a bit too much now. And this opinion is not even based on microtransactions.

    It's predecessor was simple but delivered fun and this game now had engaging moments at first and looked like a major enhancement in every way. But later on this grew into a major and repetitive grind with a very senseless story and down right unlikeable characters. I could not gather    They squeezed the theme a bit too much now. And this opinion is not even based on microtransactions.

    It's predecessor was simple but delivered fun and this game now had engaging moments at first and looked like a major enhancement in every way. But later on this grew into a major and repetitive grind with a very senseless story and down right unlikeable characters.

    I could not gather enough interest to grind up for the major siege defending part of the story (Shadow War) so I missed out on the real ending and I really don't care anymore. Quite sad what they did to this.    … Expand
  56. njja02
    May 15, 2018
    4
    Pretty much the same pros and cons as the first game. but they squandered the nemesis system by implementing loot boxes that contain Orcs. It's sad, because the open world looks beautiful, but even that feels empty. Very disappointing.
  57. mikepatyaev
    Dec 21, 2022
    4
    Experience an epic open world brought to life by the Nemesis System. Forge a new Ring of Power, conquer Fortresses in massive battles and dominate Mordor with your personal orc army in Middle-earth: Shadow of War
  58. ILoveBF1
    Mar 27, 2021
    4
    Pretty average even if you remove the microtransactions. It gets repetitive. Dominate/Kill Captain, Overthrow overlord, repeat. The story is also too weak. The ending was good though. The map is so big yet so small. It has a large area but there is too little to explore. Overall meh.
  59. Dex1911
    Oct 11, 2017
    4
    The game is very confusing you have to hold a two run but if you want to turn your camera you have to stop running then turn the camera then sprint again what the **** The health regen system is retarded and very confusing. And if you are in the middle of a Battle and your health is low you have to run and find an orc to drain to get your health back. This is a very bad game
  60. theplayer23
    Oct 15, 2017
    4
    Although the game looks very good - MT MT MT - oh and MT MT and than some more MT -
    i am blessed that waited till my friend buy this game. now I know I will never buy it.
  61. pixelpassion
    Oct 11, 2017
    4
    Not far into the game and have ran into a few bugs the controls feel sloppy the UI is a mess and one cheap death when the game froze on me but we all know the loot box controversy and just feels bad the game has a bad cloud over it and it being mediocre doesn't help.
  62. BeetrootBaron
    Oct 12, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The combat mechanics and the nemesis system are the only reason that this is getting a 4 from me, they have been greatly improved since shadow of mordor. The story on the other hand is absolutely rotten, as a massive fan of Tolkiens work it sickens me to see his lore broken to such a degree that it actually bothers me more than the microtransactions (we'll get to them shortly). The way they portrayed shelob as some sort of shape shifting psychic is just so immersion breaking. same goes for the ringwraiths, to make isildur and helm hammerhand ringwraiths is a spit in the face to Tolkien and its constantly on my mind while trying to get through the monotonous grind. Now as for the microtransactions, I haven't felt the need or urge to purchase any lootboxes because I would rather earn my gear and orcs but to put them in a fully priced singleplayer game is an unnecessary distraction that takes away from the experience, it is always subtly leading you to the marketplace shoving them in you're face. It also affects the balance substantially towards the end with you having to constantly defend your strongholds in order to get the true ending, the grind at this stage is so tedious that it would force a lot of people to just spend their money to get through it, either that or if you're like me it will force you to quit the game and watch the ending on youtube. This game would have been so much more interesting and enjoyable if they used the lore that Tolkien had written and if they hadn't included the balance breaking microtransactions.… Expand
  63. Asaliah
    Oct 17, 2017
    4
    Huge fan of the first one, I bought this one day one.

    It was a huge mistake: -It's exactly the same game -It's full of bugs (character stuck, bugged quests,...) -It's super repetitive -90% of skills are useless -Can't skip Orcs' speech (trust me after several hours you CAN'T stand it anymore) -Graphics are very meh -I'm ok with lore "twists" but here the story is super basic and    Huge fan of the first one, I bought this one day one.

    It was a huge mistake:
    -It's exactly the same game
    -It's full of bugs (character stuck, bugged quests,...)
    -It's super repetitive
    -90% of skills are useless
    -Can't skip Orcs' speech (trust me after several hours you CAN'T stand it anymore)
    -Graphics are very meh
    -I'm ok with lore "twists" but here the story is super basic and poorly written
    -And the cherry on the cake: microtransactions, it's totally UNACCEPTABLE
    -Secondary characters are super cliche

    If you don't pay, either use a cheat engine to finish it or stop midway and watch the real end on youtube. It's litteraly dozens of hours of grinding.    … Expand
  64. DeadlyLemming
    Oct 17, 2017
    4
    Amazing underlying gameplay which makes it all the more heartbreaking that they leave a large amount of fun items and orcs exclusively for people who pay extra real money. Its like they tried to make the normal game as underwhelming as possible (for a game with such potential) so that you would have to buy golden/mithril chests just to have unique loot with any amount of flair. Sadly theAmazing underlying gameplay which makes it all the more heartbreaking that they leave a large amount of fun items and orcs exclusively for people who pay extra real money. Its like they tried to make the normal game as underwhelming as possible (for a game with such potential) so that you would have to buy golden/mithril chests just to have unique loot with any amount of flair. Sadly the loot/market system itself is also so cumbersome it is undoubted the game would be better off without it.… Expand
  65. ConnorMak
    Oct 19, 2017
    4
    No, the low score is not because of the infamous micro transactions. It's because the game is a frustrating and boring grind. Wait until after Xmas and pick it up for under $20. $10 if you wait longer.
  66. metasebii
    Nov 9, 2017
    4
    Ignoring the apparent micro-transaction controversy, I found this game clunky and unconvincing. The stealth mode wasn't at all intuitive, and the mechanics of the take downs and combat just felt awkward. While I understand the story, there was so much to dislike about the basic mechanics of the game. I found myself constantly being pulled out of the story due to the stupidity andIgnoring the apparent micro-transaction controversy, I found this game clunky and unconvincing. The stealth mode wasn't at all intuitive, and the mechanics of the take downs and combat just felt awkward. While I understand the story, there was so much to dislike about the basic mechanics of the game. I found myself constantly being pulled out of the story due to the stupidity and unrealistic nature of the movements. I give this game a four because I can see there is potential here. It's a beautiful world they have created, and the modeling and aesthetics of the game are outstanding.… Expand
  67. IGROLOGIA
    Nov 13, 2017
    4
    This is perfectly fine for me to have an other bland game with no new ideas. Nemesis mechanics are not the thing that can perfectly replace the normal campein's story. The grind is absolute. It could be just almost the same game and it could earn 6 or even 7, but the donate thing... That really stinks. There is no way 60$ game could possibly make us pay even more with all the lackluster ofThis is perfectly fine for me to have an other bland game with no new ideas. Nemesis mechanics are not the thing that can perfectly replace the normal campein's story. The grind is absolute. It could be just almost the same game and it could earn 6 or even 7, but the donate thing... That really stinks. There is no way 60$ game could possibly make us pay even more with all the lackluster of content.
    That is bad    … Expand
  68. Lord-Eagles
    Nov 11, 2019
    4
    Shadow of War fails as an improvement upon its predecessor marring the potential this game had.
    Instead of focusing on a more personalized nemesis system and a larger variation of missions it delivers a clunky mess that just throws you in 5 slightly oversized and poorly tested map areas which should’ve only been 3 but it will try to use as an excuse to build a game that you can play for    Shadow of War fails as an improvement upon its predecessor marring the potential this game had.
    Instead of focusing on a more personalized nemesis system and a larger variation of missions it delivers a clunky mess that just throws you in 5 slightly oversized and poorly tested map areas which should’ve only been 3 but it will try to use as an excuse to build a game that you can play for 90+ hours but after you complete the story and side missions and collectibles about 25-30 hours in you’ll find no reason to stick around.
    The controls to this game feel clunky and not quite as smooth as the previous installment with an absolutely unneeded and unwanted equipment drop mechanic being added which should’ve had an expanded equipment upgrade system instead along with keeping the Gem drops. and an unforgivable OVERLY bloated skill tree that requires you to not have more then one improvement upgrade being activated but allows you to toggle on whenever you want if you go into the menu mid fight. With all of these combined cause this game to eventually dissolve into a tiresome grind.
    Other problems surround the siege missions. their upgrades, your orc army upgrades, and their overpriced expenses which were originally meant to be Microtransactions. But these missions are the big draw to the new installment essentially being A set of either attacking or defending fortresses. Which also ends up being the core Post gameplay loop. Well at its core being fun and intriguing falls short of its glory mixed with the sometimes clunky control mechanics and the Orcs constantly introducing themselves in the middle of the war, it essentially boils downing to orc fortress CTF that’s constantly pausing when your trying to do a combo move.

    All In all a fun experience that should’ve been thought out and executed in a more organized manner. And instead of going bigger it should’ve went more personalized    … Expand
  69. JoKeR_AlexS
    Jun 24, 2020
    4
    Este comentário é universal nas minhas reviews. Apenas quero dar nota aos jogos e caso queiram saber mais alguma coisa sobre o jogo, aconselho a ver outras reviews ou até mesmo a experimentar o jogo.
  70. Hoplita
    Dec 5, 2020
    4
    Got it for free with PS Plus. Event after the end of the highly criticized micro-transactions, it's still a bad game. Only three years in of its release, this game clearly has not aged well. The movement is bad. The combat mechanics are repetitive. The enemies are dumb (stealth mechanic is a joke). The graphics could be better. The story is boring. It's a sloppy game. Perhaps theGot it for free with PS Plus. Event after the end of the highly criticized micro-transactions, it's still a bad game. Only three years in of its release, this game clearly has not aged well. The movement is bad. The combat mechanics are repetitive. The enemies are dumb (stealth mechanic is a joke). The graphics could be better. The story is boring. It's a sloppy game. Perhaps the developers thought they could provide anything to the players since it's a LOTR game and its predecessor was a success (indeed, the first game was pretty good). Unfortunately, this a game made not with love, but with greed.… Expand
  71. Goo4you
    Oct 17, 2017
    3
    While I've read the endless posts about microtransactions, these have seemed to lose all meaning in today's gaming ecosystem. Developers/publishers don't seem to care about the public outcry. In truth though, you don't need the boxes nor do you have to do anything but complete the content to beat the game and get through the narrative.

    What is god awful here is the thing everybody    While I've read the endless posts about microtransactions, these have seemed to lose all meaning in today's gaming ecosystem. Developers/publishers don't seem to care about the public outcry. In truth though, you don't need the boxes nor do you have to do anything but complete the content to beat the game and get through the narrative.

    What is god awful here is the thing everybody adored in the 1st title: The nemesis system. I personally found it a novelty in the 1st game, but here it is so overdone that it ruins the entire experience. Fine, hunt down a captain, that's good. He kills you and gets stronger, ok. Hunt him down for revenge, that's great. Have 6 captains "MAGICALLY appear" on top of that vengeance target and be all varying levels (I was level 2, that got killed by a lvl 9, then lvl10 and then was surrounded by 6 Lvl 5-15 captains). Not only that, but each, and, every, one, had, to, wax, poetic, about, how, they, were, going, to, kill, me. And yea this is an option you can turn off, but really I didn't think 6 FREAKING CAPTAINS WOULD JUST POP ON TOP OF ME!

    The menus are another unmitigated mess. They are so convoluted I honestly think the designer and programmer were drinking buddies and worked on them through all-night drunken binges. It's astonishingly bad. My eyes hurt fiddling around in them.

    You can take narrative liberties from time to time, but Shelob is the most ham-fisted insertion to grace this series. The time scale for events are just completely out of sync with the LOTR. Minas Ithil is long gone by the time of the war of the ring. The argument could be made that well, we are at those events. Well then, explain Gollum being in Mordor from the 1st title! He wouldn't have been there! Hell, he'd still be wallowing in a freakin cave under Moria!!

    The worst part of all of this..is the entirety of the game...is just boring. You are doing the same handful of things over and over and over and OVER! It's just one giant collect-O-thon within the confines of the map, and really silly online "vendetta" targets for some reason. You get gear....but....it's just gear. Nothing about this is needed, it's just PADDING!

    Bloat, bloat and lazy programming with a shamble of a writer's team make up this title. Couple that with a ridiculous terms of service agreement (Forced Arbitration with an option to opt out in 30 days) and the fact if you don't accept the terms of service, you can't play the game and you can't return the game (because you opened it). It's a damn catch 22 and it's gotta be illegal!

    Pass on this, pass on this hard. If I can avoid it, I will steer clear of ANY WB game in the future.    … Expand
  72. Ghoster
    May 12, 2018
    3
    This game is FUN (at least first part)! Microtransactions are not a problem because they are totally optional. But, game become boring in defense missions in act 4 (specially with Orcs talking 10 times during each mission). Further, some trophies for platinum are pointless and stupid. Fight pits are probably most stupid thing made in video games ever (in this missions you WATCH 2 NPC'sThis game is FUN (at least first part)! Microtransactions are not a problem because they are totally optional. But, game become boring in defense missions in act 4 (specially with Orcs talking 10 times during each mission). Further, some trophies for platinum are pointless and stupid. Fight pits are probably most stupid thing made in video games ever (in this missions you WATCH 2 NPC's fighting each other). So, game is really fun if you just want to play it until end of act 3. But, if you want finish act 4 or platinum trophy prepare of tones of stupid missions, trophies and a lot of grinding.… Expand
  73. gun21000
    Oct 14, 2017
    3
    Now, dear reader, do not get me wrong, I really loved this game in the beginning. From the get-go this game amazes everyone: the different type of Uruks that forces you to think more strategically, the new-and-improved Nemesis system that helps the player shape his/hers own storylines, and even though the main story might be slow and uninteresting in the beginning of the game, it doesNow, dear reader, do not get me wrong, I really loved this game in the beginning. From the get-go this game amazes everyone: the different type of Uruks that forces you to think more strategically, the new-and-improved Nemesis system that helps the player shape his/hers own storylines, and even though the main story might be slow and uninteresting in the beginning of the game, it does excite you and makes you want continue the story in the long run. However, when you reach Act IV, the joy that you felt quickly goes away when you come across what may be on of the most laziest design choice in the history of video games, and this is where those lootboxes that you heard so much about come into the play.
    Act IV is basically you defending the forts that you captured throughout the game. Now, it does not sound that bad, but when you realize that all the Uruk captains that you dominated are severely under leveled, that the attacking captains have a million strengths and maybe a few (or worse - just one) weaknesses, and the enemy forces can and will wipe the floor with your allies, the merriment that you once had will slowly fade away. Now, you may be saying: "Hey, it's just a difficulty spike at the end of the game, it doesn't sound that bad". No, you are wrong, and even after you defend all of the forts, guess what, YOU HAVE TO DEFEND THOSE FIVE FORTS ALL OVER AGAIN, AND THIS TIME, THE ENEMY CAPTAINS ARE EVEN TRIPLE THE LEVEL THAT YOUR CAPTAINS ARE. I didn't mention the best part: to acquire Uruks who are high enough level, you have to grind the **** out of the game, or JUST BUY OUR LOOTBOXES AND PRAY THAT YOU GET AN URUK THAT IS STRONG ENOUGH. So, this is why I think this game deserves a three, and I do not think I will be finishing this game.    … Expand
  74. Venavera
    Oct 10, 2017
    3
    Gameplay wise it's fun. Combat worked for me and it felt just like the first game if not a bit better. Wasn't a big fan of the story, but I also haven't gotten to the "true" ending which is locked against a long tedious grind put in the game to make you buy the loot boxes. There's plenty of other better games out there without practices like this.
  75. Haldir
    Oct 10, 2017
    3
    Someone gave this game a 10 and compared it to the Witcher 3, in that if you liked the Witcher, you'd like this. Only problem is, the Witcher did not have micro-transactions, it had lovable and amazing characters, a gripping story, and a card game on the side that was addicting in its own right. Shadow of War IS fun for the first little bit, but the grind, and the opportunity to skip theSomeone gave this game a 10 and compared it to the Witcher 3, in that if you liked the Witcher, you'd like this. Only problem is, the Witcher did not have micro-transactions, it had lovable and amazing characters, a gripping story, and a card game on the side that was addicting in its own right. Shadow of War IS fun for the first little bit, but the grind, and the opportunity to skip the grind by paying more money is of no interest to me.… Expand
  76. Levin
    Dec 31, 2017
    3
    The first installment of this franchise was fantastic in my opinion. For me this sequel was a must buy because of that. I did know about some negative reviews, but had to see for myself. Sadly, this is a really bad game, pure and simple. Something has been lost in terms of both story and gameplay. It is filled with bugs (enemies getting stuck, unable to jump down a small ledge after beingThe first installment of this franchise was fantastic in my opinion. For me this sequel was a must buy because of that. I did know about some negative reviews, but had to see for myself. Sadly, this is a really bad game, pure and simple. Something has been lost in terms of both story and gameplay. It is filled with bugs (enemies getting stuck, unable to jump down a small ledge after being teleported in through a meter thick wall?? Captains regenerating to full health when defeated, presenting themselves all over again in the middle of a battle "Hello, I Gnarg, are we doing this again?") It seems a bit like they tried to copy the later, less successful installments of Assassins creed (not origins, but the boring ones). I have spent a few hours now, and only feel frustrated and unmotivated to continue playing this sad attempt of an open world game. I hope they will get their act together and build on what they have done in the past for their next game, and just forget this failure.… Expand
  77. Snerp
    Jan 1, 2018
    3
    Act 1 to 3 is the game ok, though it get s repetitive quickly. Save yourself the frustration and DO NOT PLAY ACT 4!!!! It is a complete grind fest made purposely created to get you to buy loot chests. Once your done act 3 just go to youtube and watch the ending. I think after this Shadow of War B.S., and the Star Wars Battlefront fiasco that developers realize that the gamers/internetAct 1 to 3 is the game ok, though it get s repetitive quickly. Save yourself the frustration and DO NOT PLAY ACT 4!!!! It is a complete grind fest made purposely created to get you to buy loot chests. Once your done act 3 just go to youtube and watch the ending. I think after this Shadow of War B.S., and the Star Wars Battlefront fiasco that developers realize that the gamers/internet will out your shameful, nefarious plan and fill your pockets. I hope the sales are down and these game developers have lost a ton of sales. 2018 is going to be interesting now that developers are going to have to ask themselves if loot boxes/micro transactions are now worth the risk.… Expand
  78. xavia91
    Oct 19, 2017
    3
    "You don't need lootboxes and can play through the whole game without a problem" that is if you are willing to grind your ass off with repetitive battles to slowly raise your level... The beginning is fun and progressing as expected, but after leaving Minas Tirith you are suddenly stuck with endless grinding and meaningless story missions on the side....

    Thanks to the proper early phase    "You don't need lootboxes and can play through the whole game without a problem" that is if you are willing to grind your ass off with repetitive battles to slowly raise your level... The beginning is fun and progressing as expected, but after leaving Minas Tirith you are suddenly stuck with endless grinding and meaningless story missions on the side....

    Thanks to the proper early phase it does not get ZERO points as it deserves for being a greedy ****    … Expand
  79. lostsol
    Nov 13, 2019
    3
    While playing the game you will find yourself forced to spend more money to finish to be able to finish it. If this isn't a d*** move, then what it is?
  80. Manzor
    Oct 21, 2017
    3
    Big kick in the ass to the lord of the rings lore but it has some other big problems. Some of them related to microtransactions but there are problems with playability. Too much combo mechanics. It looks amazing (in some way, graphics are not amazing either) but if you play some hours you realise how boring the game is. You are just pressing buttons.

    Not a terrible game, but to me, it's    Big kick in the ass to the lord of the rings lore but it has some other big problems. Some of them related to microtransactions but there are problems with playability. Too much combo mechanics. It looks amazing (in some way, graphics are not amazing either) but if you play some hours you realise how boring the game is. You are just pressing buttons.

    Not a terrible game, but to me, it's a bad game. Not enough good to deserve playing. There are bigger fishes in the sea.    … Expand
  81. foscomicron
    Oct 31, 2017
    3
    Repetitive gameplay and non-existent story, both unforgivable in a single player game. Everything about this game feels lackadaisical from map design to character progression. The nemesis system is over-hyped as you take down orcs easily the same way. Did not progress far enough in the game for loot boxes to become an issue.
  82. Assassin_Lord
    Oct 10, 2017
    3
    Never before have I ever made a metacritic account. However I can no longer sit idly by. I am absolutely disgusted with the game industry now. What was once a rare and uncommon practice has now infected nearly every game. I am talking about the microtransactions and loot boxes. They were bad enough in multiplayer games, but in single player games?! They are pure cancer and a blight onNever before have I ever made a metacritic account. However I can no longer sit idly by. I am absolutely disgusted with the game industry now. What was once a rare and uncommon practice has now infected nearly every game. I am talking about the microtransactions and loot boxes. They were bad enough in multiplayer games, but in single player games?! They are pure cancer and a blight on gaming. Every last major game since 2015 has been getting this and all the major AAA games this year in a row i have seen nothing but MT's and loot boxes. Shadow of War,NBA 2K18,Forza 7,Battlefront 2,Skyrim,Fallout 4, Assassins Creed Origins, Street Fighter V,MvC: Infinite, and many others. I have since sworn off the developers/publishers of these games and all their products. Never again!
    Now onto my Shadow of War review. Not only is this game full of them,not only does it have advertisments in game everytime you pause the game or are in the main menu, but the true ending is locked behind a paywall. Warner Brothers also profitted off a dead man!! That's just the greed side of things. The game itself is a joke and an insult to Tolkien's Middle Earth lore. The story is poorly written and short. About 12-15hrs in an open world RPG adventure game ffs!! It's time we true gamers purge these greedy corporate parasites from the game industry! We are going to let then know, when you come into the game industry and try to mess with us gamers, you're going to be destroyed! You do not come into our world and try to take it as your own to corrupt!! We will end you corporate pieces of garbage! You dare have the audacity to come on our turf and take it over?!! You're done!! From this point foward DEATH comes straight for you and any who support these practices and defend this will get the same in return!!    … Expand
  83. bhappenstance
    Oct 18, 2017
    3
    This is a real shame. Shadow of Mordor is one of my all-time favourite games, but this sequel should not have been released in the state it's in. It appears just as slick and enjoyable, but is rife with bugs. In only two hours of play, I've been stuck in three glitches that required restarting - especially unfortunate in a game where your death has consequences for enemies/progression. IfThis is a real shame. Shadow of Mordor is one of my all-time favourite games, but this sequel should not have been released in the state it's in. It appears just as slick and enjoyable, but is rife with bugs. In only two hours of play, I've been stuck in three glitches that required restarting - especially unfortunate in a game where your death has consequences for enemies/progression. If the other complaints re: microtransactions are on point (didn't make it far enough for this to be an issue), then it's deplorable that Monolith seems to have put more thought into microtransactions than game testing. Will be returning this tomorrow.… Expand
  84. Hobobo
    Jan 7, 2018
    3
    I'm really not diggin' what they are doing with the story. It's basically rewriting what made LoTR story so cool. Orcs now have special wizardry powers and new rings are being forged. Also, Shelob is a human lady? What? It's like they sat down and said "hhmmm, how can we make this game more like Warcraft." I don't feel that Tolkien would like the direction Warner Bros is taking with hisI'm really not diggin' what they are doing with the story. It's basically rewriting what made LoTR story so cool. Orcs now have special wizardry powers and new rings are being forged. Also, Shelob is a human lady? What? It's like they sat down and said "hhmmm, how can we make this game more like Warcraft." I don't feel that Tolkien would like the direction Warner Bros is taking with his work. It's taking on more mystical role play elements than it should be and becoming a whole different thing. Oh, and the loot boxes are stupid. As a big LoTR fan I'm very disappointed with this latest entry.… Expand
  85. Str1der1
    Dec 30, 2017
    3
    Jumped into the sequel without playing the first. The game is hard and unnecessarily so. I'm up for games being challenging but this get tedious to run away when health is low or some characters have special abilities called no chance.
    The second half of the game is designed to use bodyguards even when I don't want to.
    Should not include microtransactions for this game. It has a lot of    Jumped into the sequel without playing the first. The game is hard and unnecessarily so. I'm up for games being challenging but this get tedious to run away when health is low or some characters have special abilities called no chance.
    The second half of the game is designed to use bodyguards even when I don't want to.
    Should not include microtransactions for this game.
    It has a lot of good things going for it. Few game design decisions seriously let it down. Do much do that I've parked completing it. Shame.    … Expand
  86. Ebislav
    Jan 29, 2022
    3
    Куча не нужных механик, отвратительные анимации врагов и тупые диалоги капитанов. Не смог закончить и первый акт
  87. ToshLichev
    Dec 7, 2020
    3
    I'm baffled by the positive reviews this game has received. Shadow of War is a horrible amalgamation of Arkham combat, AC traversal and Saint's Row IV-like powers which feels as cheap as it gets. Every aspect of it's gameplay is a bad bargain bin version of something that was astonishing and new 10 years ago. The only original idea it has, the nemesis system from the first game, feels likeI'm baffled by the positive reviews this game has received. Shadow of War is a horrible amalgamation of Arkham combat, AC traversal and Saint's Row IV-like powers which feels as cheap as it gets. Every aspect of it's gameplay is a bad bargain bin version of something that was astonishing and new 10 years ago. The only original idea it has, the nemesis system from the first game, feels like a gimmick at this point - it was cool the first time around, not as cool the second though...

    The story, although I am in no way a LotR fan, is so bland, boring and predictable that you just end up zoning out during most of it. There are a few sort of funny dialogues here and there but 95% of it is the tale of the most generic and characterless warrior in all of the realms, who's personality and appearance you forget immediately after pausing the game, and his annoying warrior friends who never get more than 30 seconds of character development. Together they have to fight millions of orcs to get a thingy.

    When you add the fact that the game is very buggy, it's got idiotic micro-transactions, the graphics are straight up 2008 PS3 levels of unimpressive and the world itself feels both annoyingly big to traverse and too small to be considered even decent - there just isn't anything good to say about the game.

    I usually have a final statement with which to finish my review but since Shadow of War didn't feel the need to have an actual ending and just gave us 20 fort defense missions to grind through for hours, I don't feel the need to summarize my review. Absolute **** 3/10

    P.S: PS+ really keep hitting a new low every month...    … Expand
  88. MazrimTaim14
    Oct 14, 2019
    3
    Question: How do you f up a great, fresh and innovative game in Shadow of Mordor?

    Answer: Make everything grindier to earn freaking microtransaction.

    It only affects the endgame if you want to see the "true" ending. But its better to watch it instead on youtube.

    The award "Could have been a Contender" goes to this steaming pile of
  89. neko555
    Oct 24, 2021
    3
    Un juego que podría haber sido de 10, se lo cargan completamente por malas decisiones y falta de continuidad.
    Con un input lag que mucha gente considera incluso que lo hace injugable, unos controles que recuerdan a la peor época de Assassins Creed, diría que bastante peor de hecho (como tener un capitán debajo, marcado para atacar con sigilo, y en el momento de darle se cambia a un uruk    Un juego que podría haber sido de 10, se lo cargan completamente por malas decisiones y falta de continuidad.
    Con un input lag que mucha gente considera incluso que lo hace injugable, unos controles que recuerdan a la peor época de Assassins Creed, diría que bastante peor de hecho (como tener un capitán debajo, marcado para atacar con sigilo, y en el momento de darle se cambia a un uruk normal y corriente que está a 3 metros, algo qué pasa muuuuy a menudo).
    Es un juego tremendamente desesperante, no por la dificultad en si, sino porque esta es injusta. Capitanes que te sobrepasan en 8 o 10 niveles empiezan a llamarse unos a otros, en 3 movimientos se han adaptado a todo tu repertorio de ataques, alarmas que no se pueden parar sumando a lo anterior enemigos infinitos (aparecen literalmente de la nada).
    Este sistema némesis del que tanto parecen enorgullecerse tienes demasiados agujeros, lo único que consigue es que avanzar no sea en absoluto satisfactorio. Y no es que no le haya dado una oportunidad, me he pasado el juego, pero me da mucha pena que se hayan cargado un juego con tanto potencial y que no se hayan molestado en arreglarlo con parches ni en las reediciones.    … Expand
  90. pharagonesia
    Oct 10, 2020
    3
    It is very evident the developers didn't play their own game. Try climbing a wall and the game can't determine whether the 'X' button indicates a command to roll or a command to climb. This regression in mechanics was evident right away. The skill upgrade menus are another downgrade from Shadow of Mordor. While the environments in the game look better than the predecessor, the charactersIt is very evident the developers didn't play their own game. Try climbing a wall and the game can't determine whether the 'X' button indicates a command to roll or a command to climb. This regression in mechanics was evident right away. The skill upgrade menus are another downgrade from Shadow of Mordor. While the environments in the game look better than the predecessor, the characters themselves appear more plastic. Orc Captain cut scenes seem to run longer and there is no way to bypass the nonsense dialogue. Arrows no longer need to be manually picked up, but good luck finding them. If you have aim assist turned on, good luck because the feature is mostly broken. Then there's the matter of having to find some bizarre combination of left/right to reveal secrets. The concept sounds cool at face value, but the implementation is rage inducing. And finally - my biggest complaint - is the unresolved input lag that was well documented with Shadow of Mordor. Sometimes the character will just sit there taking hits, not responding to input because, well, apparently the developers don't play their own product. The only improvement in the game was the decision to eliminate plant hunting for health regeneration, but even that doesn't resolve the issue of a fundamentally broken character health system.… Expand
  91. Chrislzrks
    Apr 7, 2021
    3
    Most uninspired, generic game of the recent years.. There's Nothing "Tolkienish" in this game. Mediocre graphics, meeh gameplay, uninspired world and atmosphere as like quests and storyline...
    A crime against Tolkien and Lord of the rings franchise..
    Abort...
  92. DrBoom-Boom
    Sep 16, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I made an account to post this. This game is absolute **** The only redeeming thing about this game is the Nemesis system; without it, this would probably be one of the most uninteresting, uninspired, poorly made games I have played in a long time. The game, even four years out from launch, is still a buggy mess. I have fallen through the world while walking. I have been given the losing grip minigame while standing on a flat surface; I have also had captains disappear and show up dead on the army screen.

    The combat system ripped straight from the Arkham games does not work when your swarm you effectively, rendering your counter and ground executions useless until level 15, when you can finally kill with your counters. Until then, you are better off running away and picking off enemies with stealth kills, and that's only if you can, as some missions force you to sword fight, multiple enemies without being able to break away from combat. This is unacceptable. On top of that, Talion being the primary target for all enemies does ruin any setup or planning while in battle as enemies will run a football field's length to smack Talion for daring to think he can complete a frozen hit stun combo. And god forbid you shoot a Drake bait because if the Drake sees you, it will ignore everyone and attack you. This has ruined so many surprise attacks on enemy captains as I would have to leave the area and come back to try and set up an attack again.

    Also, the tracking for this game is diarrhea doo-doo. There have been multiple times where I will be attacking a captain, get wrath meter, and performing an execution just for Talion to ignore the person he was attacking to waste the execution on a random ork 50 feet away. This happens constantly and can change the way a fight is going; this also goes for Dominating enemy orks as you will always fight with the game so you can try and dominate an ork or log captain only to have Talion try and dominate a **** spider or random grunt that showed up right next to you wasting time and leaving yourself vulnerable to attack, which again can immediately change the way a fight is going. That is one of the most egregious things this game does because dominating orks is the whole point of this game, and if you don't make that process fun, then what's the point of the game?

    The story is only interesting when it is about Talion and Celebrimbor. None of the humans from that act matter in any way; the only person we meet in that act that matters is Eltariel. Idril and Baranor could have died in act 1, and it wouldn't have made a difference. Also, Idril is incredibly insufferable, showing up twice to fight in the Gondorian plotline after act 1, and is the worst at fighting. It just screams that Monolith didn't have enough material with the good story content and shoehorned in the Minas Ithil plot and Gondorian storyline to pad the game's run time. But let me say that The Desolation of Mordor is the best DLC in this game. I wish it weren't timed. I wish we could have just started out dominating orks instead of wasting the entirety of Act 1, the first couple of hours of the game, failing to read visions properly, and wasting time with Minas Ithil.

    This game is good for one time through, and that's it because the first time you play, you will be enamored by the nemesis system, and you will overlook the flaws, but on subsequent playthroughs, you start to notice the mechanics more and more, and that is where this game falls apart. Whenever the Nemesis system spits out something unique and cool, you tend to forget the 30 minutes of frustrating combat, annoying movement, and random bugs that got you there. This is a bad game that you could cut wholely 1/3 of it out, and it wouldn't make a difference. Anyone who tells you that this game is a masterpiece 10/10 is viewing it through rose-tinted glasses while sucking down their favorite brand of copium. This game should have been an expansion pack to Shadow of Mordor, not its own game.    … Expand
  93. Reedsnees
    Jul 8, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Loot boxes are bad, but unlike most games you can get the same loot by just obtaining it. The story sucks but gollum in it so yeah good game… Expand
  94. kktrian
    Oct 10, 2017
    2
    Developer greed is out of control. Funn-ish game, but the degree in which they try to nickel and dime you is simply insulting. I'd rather buy a game for $100 then try to get swindled every 10 mins while playing a game purchased for $60 dollars
  95. Bernaz
    Jan 18, 2021
    2
    One of the most frustrating game I ever played.
    Pit fight are totally stupid, the enemy orc attack and does stuff, mine stand still doing nothing and getting killed.
    The defend missions, at the end game, are stupid as well. You have to defend your castle against orcs lvl 40-50-60 with yours that barely reach lvl 30-40. If you try to find new orcs to recruit, they are always low level.    One of the most frustrating game I ever played.
    Pit fight are totally stupid, the enemy orc attack and does stuff, mine stand still doing nothing and getting killed.
    The defend missions, at the end game, are stupid as well.
    You have to defend your castle against orcs lvl 40-50-60 with yours that barely reach lvl 30-40.
    If you try to find new orcs to recruit, they are always low level.
    The only thing you can do is let one of them kill you and then recruit, but that's doesn't work because 99% of the time one of your orc save you before you die and kill him.
    And of course when you need to be saved, you died.
    When you fight a Captain, there is a high chance that another captain spawned under your feet because yes, there is no sense in this.
    I hate this game.    … Expand
  96. Tom360
    Dec 4, 2017
    2
    Man what a letdown!!! The first game was totally polished, told a coherent story, no major bugs. This one is a mess! Texture pop-in, enemies spawn right in front of you, combat feels chaotic and messy (not in a good way). I loved the first game, but this one needed to cook for a bit longer before seeing the light of day!
  97. ArchSeeker
    Oct 11, 2017
    2
    Best thing about this game is its combat and Nemesis system just like in Shadow of Mordor. Like its predecessor though, the game fails terribly at storytelling, character development, and variety in activities. Let's also not forget that someone thought it would be a good idea to put microtransactions in the game. I know that there are many who don't care but this game's anti-consumerBest thing about this game is its combat and Nemesis system just like in Shadow of Mordor. Like its predecessor though, the game fails terribly at storytelling, character development, and variety in activities. Let's also not forget that someone thought it would be a good idea to put microtransactions in the game. I know that there are many who don't care but this game's anti-consumer business model goes to show how much companies care now. You can't even get the true ending unless you have legendary orc followers. This was clearly made to make the loot boxes more appealing due to the tedious grind you'd have to do in order to get them. Vote with your wallet folks, avoid buying this game or wait untill the price drops to at least half of the $60 price tag.… Expand
  98. stash55
    Oct 25, 2017
    2
    I'm going to be blunt. If the market that's a critical component of the game is not bug-free, then don't release the game. I've given this game a 2 instead of 0 because in all fairness it's not easy to make a game, especially an open world game. As a gold edition purchaser I'm having issues with not receiving included content. Also, my market is bugged and breaks very frequently andI'm going to be blunt. If the market that's a critical component of the game is not bug-free, then don't release the game. I've given this game a 2 instead of 0 because in all fairness it's not easy to make a game, especially an open world game. As a gold edition purchaser I'm having issues with not receiving included content. Also, my market is bugged and breaks very frequently and randomly. Unless I restart the game, I don't have access of any kind to the market (server error). As you know, this means I can't deploy units in the army menu, which is a critical part of the game especially later on. I also don't receive gold after completing challenges ie I get notified that I've been awarded but the coins don't show up in the market. Hopefully these bugs are fixed soon but I can't change the rating here, it's just not acceptable to release a game in this condition.… Expand
  99. LesandroBonucci
    Jun 12, 2021
    2
    one of the worst games i ever played
    just presing one button to kill those orks
    soon all games is gonna be like this
  100. TonyBoyBR
    Oct 29, 2021
    2
    Muito ruim em relação ao primeiro game, nada evoluiu, muito pelo contrário o gráfico ficou pior, a história é sem sentido, eu particularmente não tive paciência de terminar o jogo, já o primeiro embora seja um pouco repetitivo ainda gera uma gameplay satisfatória, tanto é que pra mim foi uma platina prazerosa.
Page:

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best PS4 Game of 2017
12
#12 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
13
#13 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 19, 2017
    80
    I was annoyed by various flaws (both technical and design-related) and tedious, dragged out final stages of the campaign, but overall I enjoyed the ride. It looks like the developers wanted to stuff the game with all the best elements Middle-earth has to offer. Shadow of War’s atmosphere is terrific and watching Talion rise in power is surprisingly addictive. [12/2017, p.62]
  2. Cubed3
    Nov 26, 2017
    70
    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.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 20, 2017
    60
    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]
See all critic reviews »