Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews
Check out Middle-earth: Shadow of War Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 20 reviews on CriticDB, Middle-earth: Shadow of War has a score of:
Republished on Wednesday 28th October 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of November's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.
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Middle-earth: Shadow of War is great for veterans and tough for newcomers, but a joy to play for either party once you get a hang of the mechanics. It gets tedious at times, and there are missed opportunities here and there, but the Nemesis System that was a beacon of success in the first game has come back bigger and better than ever. It's definitely a return to Middle-earth that is worth the play, and an homage to Tolkien's works that everyone can appreciate.
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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War like its predecessor is built upon the dynamic "Nemesis System." While the sequel offers an interesting story, it often becomes convoluted between the various arcs it wants to go in. Thankfully, the second by second gameplay has never felt better. With the addition of Shadow Wars, the best parts of the game will continue long after the story ends.
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Talion has returned to Middle-earth alongside his annoyingly grumpy and totally overpowered wraith/elf sidekick (Celebrimbor) to fight a systematic hierarchy of talkative Orcs. Yes, we are of course talking about Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is an excellent sequel stuffed with content, although it’s one with provisos all the way. It’s great to see a high quality Tolkien story telling an exciting new tale in the Middle-Earth saga, but it’s a little too fan fiction with plenty of lore-breaking moments. The gameplay is excellent and never less than fun, but you often feel you’re going through the motions of the last game – until you’re not and you’re going through the epic but slightly repet...
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Massive in scope and improving on its predecessor, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a triumph in every way that matters. While certain aspects are underdeveloped, or simplified to embrace “player choice”, the Nemesis 2.0 system, combat improvements, and genuinely engaging combat system keep things fresh for the 40 hour adventure. If only they hadn’t followed the movies and extended the ending well past its welcome.
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Mordor's original odd couple are back in Middle-earth: Shadow of War. You control Talion, the resurrected ranger of Gondor who was slain and brought back to life by the wraith spirit Celebrimbor. Still fused, the two set out to take on Sauron's armies.
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Middle-earth: Shadow of War has a lot of fluff that attempts to sabotage it, but it succeeds in its effort to make its hollow and silly world worth roaming around and killing things in. Although I wasn’t enthralled by the absurd story beats that try to dance around telling an actual epic and somber tale, the ability to create my own stories with an expanded level of depth was more than sufficient to call this a step up.
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Shadow of War may not be perfect. Its camera can still get lost, Talion’s free-running can often be a hindrance rather than a help, and the UI can sometimes bug out for no apparent reason in menus and the main game. But these are little issues in a very large game, and even with the Loot Boxes as optional purchases (they truly are optional), I can’t help but recommend this game to any and all fans of open world adventures. With or without the DLC there are dozens of hours of playtime to b...
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With Uruk-hai rallied to your side, this return to Middle-earth impresses in its fearless ambition but is soon let down by repetitive mission design.
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A huge Lord of the Rings experience that’s always enjoyable, although its scale leaves it straining at the seams at times.
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Middle-earth has been a fantasy setting that’s been neglected in recent years. After the well-deserved fame of the original trilogy wore off, as did its influence on gaming. It wasn’t until a surprise hit from Monolith Productions and Warner Bros in 2014 that JRR Tolkien’s masterwork would be given new virtual life with a surprisingly in-depth adventure that few were expecting.
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Shadow of War finds its success in perfectly expanding upon everything that made Shadow of Mordor so great. Despite the game's slow start, once you get into the weeds of Shadow of War's systems, you'll find yourself engrossed and addicted to its satisfying gameplay loop for hours on end. This increased depth along with the much larger scale of the world and battles within Shadow of War make it a far better game from top to bottom than that of its predecessor.
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Shadow of War is the perfect sequel- it builds on its predecessor’s strengths, improves upon its weaknesses, and makes strong, smart additions of its own, bringing it all together for an addictive and unforgettable experience.
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Shadow of Mordor was unrefined but in a way that was ahead of its time. Playing it felt like glimpsing the future of big action games. Monolith’s attempts to build on that vision in Shadow of War are often successful, particularly where the deeper Nemesis System is concerned. But other pieces of this sequel feel undercooked, getting in the way of what should be a great time. Shadow of War provided plenty of fun in the 30 or 40 hours I’ve spent with it so far, but somehow this future seemed so much brighter in 2014.
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Similar to the way Batman: Arkham City built on the foundation of Arkham Asylum, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is bigger and more ambitious in scope than Shadow of Mordor, with great results. The way it expands the Nemesis system with far greater variety and fortress sieges makes even better use of the stand-out generated characters, and its battles with memorable uruk captains remain challenging all the way through the campaign and into the clever asynchronous multiplayer beyond.
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Shadow of War offers dozens of hours of entertainment for gamers who enjoy action adventure titles with a strong splash of RPG elements. The moving parts may be a touch too complicated for the most casual gamers, but players who are patient enough to master all of the game's systems will be rewarded with an exciting story, control of a powerful army, and an unstoppable protagonist.
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I highly recommend Middle-earth: Shadow of War. It’s a fantastic game with a near flawless execution.The journey is enjoyable and the characters you help and hinder throughout the game make it an memorable experience. If you’re looking for a high quality, AAA single-player game, look no further than Shadow of War.
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Middle-earth: Shadow of War is massive, yet at the same time a prime example of a sequel that’s bigger, but not necessarily any better than the original. Once again the Nemesis system shines, allowing players to forge their own unique stories, even if the game tries to do too much with it at times. Getting caught in its tangle of new systems and features can be frustrating, but there’s still a great open world game here.
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