Middle-earth: Shadow of War

 Xbox One
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 456 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 196 out of 456
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 456
  3. Negative: 212 out of 456
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  1. Kaiju404
    Jul 1, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Lootboxes have tarnished the reputation of this game. My only complaint is that Talion didn't kill Eltariel in the end. What a shame.… Expand
  2. Theobzhect
    Jun 3, 2023
    8
    I honestly don't understand why people are crazy with those loot boxes, you can play and enjoy the game without them. The gameplay is pretty nice castle siege, domination, betray, saviour the game has a lot of cool and unexpected random events, the nemesis system is really cool, every or in the game has its own voice, name, characteristics, weakness and story. The game is really detailizedI honestly don't understand why people are crazy with those loot boxes, you can play and enjoy the game without them. The gameplay is pretty nice castle siege, domination, betray, saviour the game has a lot of cool and unexpected random events, the nemesis system is really cool, every or in the game has its own voice, name, characteristics, weakness and story. The game is really detailized and I recommend it for Lord of the rings fans and other people who like rpg and such.… Expand
  3. qBoris
    May 19, 2023
    6
    Game is repeating itself too much. People are saying you need pay for micro transactions. Yes it's not belong that kind of game but I felt like I don't need to pay for anything.
  4. neomoonsevin
    Apr 9, 2023
    10
    Awesome game I like it I was never a fan of lord of the rings games in the past but I like this game because it's a 3rd person brawler
  5. ZackH25
    Mar 23, 2023
    6
    Worse than the prequel of sure. The loot system in this game is somewhat annoying as its mostly the same items and including orcs as loot was a terrible idea. Defending and attacking a fortress is fun at first but does get tedious especially at the end! There are more variety of orcs which is fun and some missions are also really fun. Including less than 5 different types of enemies wasWorse than the prequel of sure. The loot system in this game is somewhat annoying as its mostly the same items and including orcs as loot was a terrible idea. Defending and attacking a fortress is fun at first but does get tedious especially at the end! There are more variety of orcs which is fun and some missions are also really fun. Including less than 5 different types of enemies was foolish as well. The open world is good but since it all is not connected it does worsen the experience.… Expand
  6. ZXSth
    Feb 25, 2023
    8
    A great game that I enjoyed thoroughly - Shadow of War brings back enough of the excellent combat/stealth mechanics, world-building and narrative experience from its predecessor to make for an excellent experience. it also introduces some relatively enjoyable RPG mechanics, although these do feel a bit dated in 2023 (as opposed to how they felt upon release). And while theA great game that I enjoyed thoroughly - Shadow of War brings back enough of the excellent combat/stealth mechanics, world-building and narrative experience from its predecessor to make for an excellent experience. it also introduces some relatively enjoyable RPG mechanics, although these do feel a bit dated in 2023 (as opposed to how they felt upon release). And while the microtransactions present in the game feel baffling and out of place, they did not feel intrusive to me. Overall, a great experience and a solid follow-up to Shadow of Mordor.… Expand
  7. JaydonYT
    Jan 31, 2023
    9
    An amazing game with a great story to tell and good combat mechanics. I just looked at the user reviews and like: WHAT THE HECK. I guess this is because the game did have microtransactions in the past. However, to the people who wrote negative reviews about this game, as of now, microtransactions have been removed! Plus, even if they were still here, they didn’t even affect the main gameAn amazing game with a great story to tell and good combat mechanics. I just looked at the user reviews and like: WHAT THE HECK. I guess this is because the game did have microtransactions in the past. However, to the people who wrote negative reviews about this game, as of now, microtransactions have been removed! Plus, even if they were still here, they didn’t even affect the main game as much. If you enjoy an action/combat game which also tells a compelling story, you should give this game a try. How would you not enjoy recruiting enemies to be your orc Pokémon?!… Expand
  8. VOIIIXI
    Jan 9, 2023
    10
    One of the greatest games ever made! I have never been this addicted to playing a game in a long time. The Nemesis is honestly the greatest innovation in any video game ever, to this day. The complexity and thought put into the system are truly commendable and needs to be implemented into games more. I know the game is very known and popular, but it is still underrated in my opinion. It isOne of the greatest games ever made! I have never been this addicted to playing a game in a long time. The Nemesis is honestly the greatest innovation in any video game ever, to this day. The complexity and thought put into the system are truly commendable and needs to be implemented into games more. I know the game is very known and popular, but it is still underrated in my opinion. It is one of the smartest and most fun games I've ever played, and I have the upmost respect for the devs. deserves an 11/10. I almost never write reviews for games, but I said for this one I need to do it. This game needs to be appreciated more. It should've been game of the year and in the top 10 games of all time just because of how intelligent of a game it is.… Expand
  9. GrumpyParrot
    Oct 17, 2022
    4
    i played Shadow of Mordor, so i thought this would be like that. Unfortunately, even after they scrapped the real money lootboxes, this game is a frustrating mess. The graphics look worse, the sound is bad, skills are underpowered and the difficulty is all over the place. The whole game screams MMO, the whole game revolves around sieges, either by assaulting fortresses or defending them,i played Shadow of Mordor, so i thought this would be like that. Unfortunately, even after they scrapped the real money lootboxes, this game is a frustrating mess. The graphics look worse, the sound is bad, skills are underpowered and the difficulty is all over the place. The whole game screams MMO, the whole game revolves around sieges, either by assaulting fortresses or defending them, so you need to get the best legendary captains for that. This means grinding out the nemesis system through dieing and pit fighting your dominated captains. The missions range from laughable to insane to laughable within the first 20 or so hours. The game likes to throw dozens of enemies at you, when you are confronted with captains. This was fun in the beginning, but when you need to watch when to press A, B or Y, it becomes one big cluster f#$%. Apart from that the story is non existent. It's like everything is compartmentalized like gondor missions, balrog missions, siege missions, outpost raids, she elf missions, elf challenges, artifacts. In the end you're just trying to improve your defenses for your fortresses to survive another attack on you. So unless you want a real challenge, this game is not for everyone. The game feels like work, a lot, and not the nice and easy kind.… Expand
  10. Watcher117
    Jun 10, 2022
    5
    Llevo más de 30 horas jugadas y puedo decir que es entretenido el sistema de combate estilo batman el cual me gusta mucho gráficamente es bonito pero el movimiento del muñeco es horrible parece sacado de Assassins Creed IV y estamos hablando de un juego que salió en 2017 y muchas veces te quedarás enganchado en algún sitio o no podrás saltar un obstáculo cosas que no deberían de estar enLlevo más de 30 horas jugadas y puedo decir que es entretenido el sistema de combate estilo batman el cual me gusta mucho gráficamente es bonito pero el movimiento del muñeco es horrible parece sacado de Assassins Creed IV y estamos hablando de un juego que salió en 2017 y muchas veces te quedarás enganchado en algún sitio o no podrás saltar un obstáculo cosas que no deberían de estar en un juego de ese calibre pero bueno el juego es bueno el sistema némesis está muy guapo lo de las cajitas de loot ni lo menciono, si te parecen una estafa como a mí entonces no las compres pero ponerle una nota baja precisamente por eso me parece un poco de ignorantes. Así que eso buen juego pésima movilidad y buen combate una secuela digna… Expand
  11. xaviar_nl
    Apr 18, 2022
    8
    I played the game version without the loot boxes, and I liked it. Don't play the game for its story: there is one there, and it functions, but it is not in any way mind-blowing. It is enough to satisfy your Lord of the Rings hunger, and that is it.
    Hack'n'slashing Orcs doesn't get old very easily. And as you acquire more skills, it only gets better. And by the end I was mostly    I played the game version without the loot boxes, and I liked it. Don't play the game for its story: there is one there, and it functions, but it is not in any way mind-blowing. It is enough to satisfy your Lord of the Rings hunger, and that is it.
    Hack'n'slashing Orcs doesn't get old very easily. And as you acquire more skills, it only gets better. And by the end I was mostly experimenting with how I could cause the most chaos and destruction.

    As soon as you have leveled-up sufficiently, I strongly advise you to play the online Vendetta missions. They are an easy way to get nice loot and weapons, and some good captains for you army too. And because there is only one real focus/target per mission, you can really get into the action, and see how you can play-out the various enemies & other options against eachother. Good fun :-)

    All-in-all I give the game an 8 as I was able to amuse me with it for quite some time.
    Definite minus points are the orc caption introductions that cannot be skipped or turned off. Especially during fortress fights, it can get very tedious being forced to watch all of the captain introductions (as well as captain deaths) in the middle of a fight.
    Also, the parcour system generally works well, but when it doesn't work, and you get stuck on a small ledge, or just aren't able to climb something, it can be quite frustrating.
    The epilogue also could have been shorter: that still is quite a grind to get through. But it probably is like that because they used to use that to sell loot boxes.    … Expand
  12. Soild
    Feb 25, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. لعبه حلوه والله ومدري ليه الناس ماتقبلوها الصراحه العالم جميل والقيم بلاي حلو اما القصه الصراحه اقل من عادي مو نفس شادو اوف موردن والشخصيات نفس شي… Expand
  13. golfnut1969
    Feb 22, 2022
    10
    This has been one of my favorite games to play on Xbox. As a big fan of the fighting style of the Batman games, this game worked for me. I also like the storyline. After 124 hours of gameplay, I stopped playing, which for me is quite a bit. Usually after about 60 hours or so I lose interest in any game.
  14. IdanST
    Feb 16, 2022
    0
    Grind simulator.
    I had huge expectation for this game, turned out to be a **** game, **** lore, only repetitive and grinding all the way.
  15. Nitaro
    Dec 23, 2021
    10
    Shadow of Mordor was a brilliant game, and SOW improves upon that, so you just can't go wrong with this game. It's much grindier than SOM, but this is the first game where I enjoy grinding more than the main story. One can never get tired of taking over fortresses and growing your army of Orcs. The new mechanics of siege, betrayal, shaming etc simply adds so much more depth in this sequelShadow of Mordor was a brilliant game, and SOW improves upon that, so you just can't go wrong with this game. It's much grindier than SOM, but this is the first game where I enjoy grinding more than the main story. One can never get tired of taking over fortresses and growing your army of Orcs. The new mechanics of siege, betrayal, shaming etc simply adds so much more depth in this sequel to SOM. Also, I must say, I haven't used a single micro transaction in this game, and you don't need them as you will eventually get good enough with all the great equipment and skills that you earn in mid to late game.… Expand
  16. Amir7scorpioN
    Dec 11, 2021
    8
    dont know why this game is so hated ? i loved this even more

    maybe because of microtransactions and loot boxes? i played it on gamepass and had a lot of fun
    this game is great...loved the story and the way its connected to the movies
    A GREAT GAME
  17. VeryAngryMan
    Dec 3, 2021
    0
    Это просто худшая игра, в которую я играл за последнее время. Совершенно ублюдское управление, отвратительный сюжет с повесточкой про сильных и независимых, в связи с чем вы столкнётесь с совершенно ублюдочными персонажами. Если первая часть была более менее, то здесь это просто полный крах. Мне игра досталась бесплатно, но я не смог продолжать в это играть.Это просто худшая игра, в которую я играл за последнее время. Совершенно ублюдское управление, отвратительный сюжет с повесточкой про сильных и независимых, в связи с чем вы столкнётесь с совершенно ублюдочными персонажами. Если первая часть была более менее, то здесь это просто полный крах. Мне игра досталась бесплатно, но я не смог продолжать в это играть.
  18. PS1Snake
    Nov 12, 2021
    4
    This game is the best bad game I've ever played. The story is boring, the ai is dumber than my goldfish, the combat is way too easy unless there are two or more orc captains, and worst of all, you can't even go 20 minutes without finding minor or major bugs. One time all the enemies in the map despawned and I was just walking around a huge empty map. I saw Orcs spawning before my eyes, IThis game is the best bad game I've ever played. The story is boring, the ai is dumber than my goldfish, the combat is way too easy unless there are two or more orc captains, and worst of all, you can't even go 20 minutes without finding minor or major bugs. One time all the enemies in the map despawned and I was just walking around a huge empty map. I saw Orcs spawning before my eyes, I saw like 50 enemies phase into walls, one time the enemy walked through a house to get to me. You can just crouch walk directly in front of enemies and they won't spot you, I literally sprinted into an Orc once and them killed him and it counted as stealth. With all that being said, I had a blast **** with the **** ai and laughing at the absurd and constant glitches. This game is the only game I've played that I think is truly so bad it's good. I would just straight up give this game a ten but I don't want to skew the user score and make people think this is an actually good game.… Expand
  19. arunscript
    Apr 20, 2021
    7
    I see a lot of review referring to loot boxes. Maybe some of this stuff was around at the time of release. I played the game on my XBox with Game Pass and I have played it multiple times. The combat system is phenomenal (and difficult if you're all about button mashing like in Witcher 3). Perfectly executed combos make for what's perhaps the best sword-based combat system of all time. ThisI see a lot of review referring to loot boxes. Maybe some of this stuff was around at the time of release. I played the game on my XBox with Game Pass and I have played it multiple times. The combat system is phenomenal (and difficult if you're all about button mashing like in Witcher 3). Perfectly executed combos make for what's perhaps the best sword-based combat system of all time. This is one of the best games I've played.… Expand
  20. Tbrown5
    Feb 28, 2021
    9
    2020 review - shadow of war is a great game, there is so much 10/10 in this game, but what holds this game back are 3 things, the characters besides Bruz, celebrimbor, and ratbag, technically the other characters are a step down from mordor, they aren’t bad, they are likable but they don’t have character any development , there just bland, technically 1 because ratbag and celebrimbor are2020 review - shadow of war is a great game, there is so much 10/10 in this game, but what holds this game back are 3 things, the characters besides Bruz, celebrimbor, and ratbag, technically the other characters are a step down from mordor, they aren’t bad, they are likable but they don’t have character any development , there just bland, technically 1 because ratbag and celebrimbor are returning characters, but Bruz is a great character because he is the only one that is unique and different from everyone else, the side quest in this game are very basic, it boils down to well written codex which isn’t a lot, and the difficulty is very challenging, the problem with mordor is how the second the end game of the game is way to easy, so they added the difficulty changes which is always good but the difficulty is not fair, in fact it boils down to fun challenge to ridiculous grind, but thats it, aside form the bad textures the game is so awesome, the nemesis system in this game is one of the best features in a videogame, this game is really good, now way better with the removal of the microtransactions, this game in 2020 is really good, buy it now… Expand
  21. Anatoliy_DeVile
    Feb 15, 2021
    10
    "Гриндить, гриндить и снова-таки гриндить" - как завещал нам вождь племени орочьего Гриша Шептун. Тут без этого никуда. Попытка в самом начале игры сразиться с капитаном 7 уровня закончилась позорной смертью, ибо не внял я главному лозунгу земель мордорских. Далее, сражаясь с равными либо с уровнем максимум +4 кэпами, скилл Талиона поднимали мы и сразили окаянного врага и всех прочих,"Гриндить, гриндить и снова-таки гриндить" - как завещал нам вождь племени орочьего Гриша Шептун. Тут без этого никуда. Попытка в самом начале игры сразиться с капитаном 7 уровня закончилась позорной смертью, ибо не внял я главному лозунгу земель мордорских. Далее, сражаясь с равными либо с уровнем максимум +4 кэпами, скилл Талиона поднимали мы и сразили окаянного врага и всех прочих, посягнувших на здоровье странника. Первая часть Средиземья была прекрасна, но ее явно не хватило, хотелось конечно же больше. И это самое больше с горкой нам отсыпали во второй части. Честное слово я еще ни разу так долго не играл в экшн от третьего лица. Мы с женой в общей сложности наиграли 50 часов чистого игрового времени. Да конечно мы проходили абсолютно всё: прошли все допы, завоевали все крепости, отразили все атаки на крепости, нашли весь полезный лут, заклеймили всех капитанов ну и естественно прошли всю сюжетку. Точно могу сказать в этот раз мне хватило! Можно даже было поменьше, но остановиться было невозможно ибо игра просто великолепна! Shadow of War в плане базовой игровой механики сильно не поменялась, включая и косячное управление, так что долго привыкать не придется. Но это лишь базово! Появилось конечно же и очень много нового: это и интересные многоуровневые прокачки скилов персонажа и его оружия; к привычному арсеналу добавилась глефа, хотя и не сказать чтобы очень полезная; появился такой важный элемент боя как эльфийская ярость, используемая при полном накоплении маны, для глобального истребления орков на экране; ну и соответственно получили мы в нагрузку различные способы добивания, клеймения и прочего изуверства. От этого всего разнообразия прямо-таки рябит в глазах и это очень приятное разнообразие и оно манит, оно затягивает. А еще затягивает просто потрясающий игровой мир: это и тревожный Минас-Итиль, заснеженный Нурнен, мрачный Кирит Унгол, огненный Горгорот, таинственный лес Карнан ну и конечно зловещий Минас-Моргул!!! О да, уже только этого вполне достаточно, чтобы кайфануть истинному поклоннику ВК, коим я собственно и являюсь. Сюжетная часть также очень интересная и захватывающая, наполненная валом событий и до боли известных персонажей вселенной Властелина колец. По Мордору, кстати, мы можем теперь перемещаться как на своих двоих, так и на карагоре, да на грауге, кстати они тоже здесь бывают разные, и да мы можем нынче летать на драконе!!! Хотя этот элемент в игре выполнен немного коряво. Самое конечно интересное в Shadow of War это охота на капитанов и их клеймение/убийство в зависимости от их воли. Тут уж включаем всю фантазию и навыки ибо каждый капитан это отдельный индивид со своими слабостями и сильными сторонами, в помощь нам костры, грог, моргульские мухи, пауки и мерзкие гули.… Expand
  22. Oleksandr_
    Feb 10, 2021
    0
    Patenting the nemesis system, despite your game being created base on others' ideas. The industry is built on innovating of existing ideas.
  23. MrTusks
    Jan 18, 2021
    5
    Lots of tedious pickups. Microtransactions are gone but the game still feels balanced around them. The nemesis system is still cool, except that 50% of your nemeses come back from the dead and ambush you, usually when you're in the middle of fighting someone else. There is so much going on that it feels bloated to increase play time. Scouring the map in Shadow of Mordor was fun--somehowLots of tedious pickups. Microtransactions are gone but the game still feels balanced around them. The nemesis system is still cool, except that 50% of your nemeses come back from the dead and ambush you, usually when you're in the middle of fighting someone else. There is so much going on that it feels bloated to increase play time. Scouring the map in Shadow of Mordor was fun--somehow this feels like work.… Expand
  24. freedy22
    Jan 9, 2021
    7
    A greatful nemezis system, a lot of loot and very nice world. After delete
    microtransactions its very good game
  25. Longliveyourmom
    Oct 24, 2020
    0
    I left a 4 on here because I hit level 62 and all I kept experiencing were spiders on online forts. Well thank COVID for keeping me bored enough to get to level 80. I've been focusing on the single player conquests and an issue I've frequently crossed was the game never loading after a victory. Like it's just showing the loading icon and that's it. For 15 minutes before I restarted.I left a 4 on here because I hit level 62 and all I kept experiencing were spiders on online forts. Well thank COVID for keeping me bored enough to get to level 80. I've been focusing on the single player conquests and an issue I've frequently crossed was the game never loading after a victory. Like it's just showing the loading icon and that's it. For 15 minutes before I restarted. Seriously though last straw was a 40 min siege that saw me running back and forth reviving my allies. I lost one unfortunately but I kept it going, this was level 700 siege. Well come the end, guess what happened. It just kept showing the loading icon after I killed all warchiefs. And guess what happened when I restarted. The guy I lost was alive and I had no rewards. 40 min wasted. F this game… Expand
  26. TheGerald39
    Oct 20, 2020
    10
    After all the **** about the games i was afraid it will not reach the quality of the first game. But after playing it with 100% i have to say that it is even better than the Shadow of Mordor! I hope there will be a third game in the near future.

    And they removed all the microtransactions from the game, it's sad that nobody who wrote a negative review about it comes back and edit it, if    After all the **** about the games i was afraid it will not reach the quality of the first game. But after playing it with 100% i have to say that it is even better than the Shadow of Mordor! I hope there will be a third game in the near future.

    And they removed all the microtransactions from the game, it's sad that nobody who wrote a negative review about it comes back and edit it, if they fixed the problems that person had...    … Expand
  27. SlavaKuzmin
    Jun 22, 2020
    10
    Лучшая игра по лицензии всех времен, лучший рогалик,уникальная экшн рпг,бит эм ап,наигранно тысяча часов,топ,не то что помойка на вроде ласт оф асс 2
  28. SWFan523
    Jun 21, 2020
    7
    A really fun game set in Middle-Earth. Great send off to Tallion. People complaining about microtransactions must not be very good at the game. The final third or so of the game is a grind to get the true ending but it's fun. A light recommendation.
  29. Panchogul
    Oct 7, 2019
    8
    ..........uekfbs............ .........hsbf......................... ...........ndifube........
  30. tobivv
    May 6, 2020
    8
    Very captivating sandbox game, the combat works great when fighting multiple opponents, but becomes very boring when fighting 1v1. Sieges are epic
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Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Xbox One Game of 2017
9
#9 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2017
19
#19 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 38
  3. Negative: 0 out of 38
  1. Impulsegamer
    Nov 29, 2017
    88
    Perhaps you might slap your forehead in dismay by the goofy plot or looseness to the source material but what's undeniable is, that Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a lot of fun.
    Read full review
  2. Cubed3
    Nov 13, 2017
    60
    Middle-earth: Shadow of War has high production values and is a fun open-world slashathon, but it's stretched thin. The storyline starts off promising, but all of the interesting characters get pushed aside to make room for nothing of consequence. Hours upon hours are lost to the abyss as players engage in a relentless cycle of gear upgrades and Orc recruits. Assaulting fortresses and conquering territory loses its appeal a bit too quickly. The game is pretty entertaining in short bursts, especially when Talion can make full use of his powerful abilities. Still, the lack of finesse when it comes to combat will make fighting feel a bit bothersome. The Ranger is at his best when he's eliminating the opposition with surgical precision, or making use of hazards in the environment. All in all, this title is worth a look; just don't expect to grow too attached to it.
    Read full review
  3. games(TM)
    Nov 3, 2017
    70
    While it's huge and complex in many of its systems, it still feels as if it is caught in 2014. [Issue#194, p.68]
See all critic reviews »