26.5.2019

The long awaited sequel to Shadow of Mordor. You don’t have to be a huge Tolkien fan to enjoy this but for those of you who are you will respect the lore and details that have gone into such a well made game.This game is fantastic and anyone who enjoyed the first one, should be equally as happy with the sequel. I don’t know anyone who has felt otherwise with this.The training of the characters skills is very limited so I guess the designers assumed most of its players would have played the first one, in which case they would fall right into this without much issue, but if you skipped the first game then this might take a bit of getting used to however you soon start to get a feel for it.As youlevel your character up you get skill points which you use to purchase skills in the skill tree and tou can adapt your character to your preferred play style.Each captain (mini boss) will yield loot with different buffs, stats etc, so you can also find the buffs which benefit your style and build on them.It’s very open world, as in you can roam about within a zone, and tackle the story line and quests in whatever order suits yourself.It’s also a game which doesn’t really have a definitive end either. Even after the credits roll, it drops you back into the game with the option to continue playing the shadow wars, which is basically never ending.I’ve dedicated over 350 hours of my life to this game and still have yet to go back and complete the last few quests I have - I just enjoy building my armies, taking down other players forts and collecting the rare orcs and gear.There’s “online” content, however it’s not online as you would imagine - you don’t okay against another player in real time - the AI takes over using their set up & characters, so I can go up against another player without them even being online. The outcome doesn’t affect their game (only mine), so it’s all a case of everyone playing nicely.The Nemesis system was properly introduced in this game, where the enemies you encounter will start to adapt to you and make it quite a personal fight. You may end up coming across the same Orcs a number of times and they will remember what you did to them and vice versa and adapt. Their appearance might change, they might become hell bent on revenge and hunt you down across the map or they might remember how you humiliated them and want to destroy you in return. You never know which way it’s going to pan out and someone you thought you killed hours ago can suddenly turn up looking a mess and none to happy about it.The game itself is as beautiful as it can be based in a dark land where the opposition are blood thirsty creatures which are not pretty to look at. The art work and graphics are amazing and the detail that’s gone into the creation of the orcs and their personalities, phrases and even armour shows they were created with love by the Devs.The game plays well with very little glitches or getting stuck on things (like I recall from the Witcher 3 when I constantly got stuck on the scenery). Occasionally you may encounter an issue running up a building or something but it’s few and far between.This is one of my favourite game and we’ve bought the DLCs that we didn’t get with the Silver Edition, which I have yet to get around to actually playing as I’m still enjoying destroying other people’s fortresses and climbing the online leader boards.I can see I’ll still be playing this in 2020, or until the next game comes out, whichever happens first.Great game, not aimed at younger players due to the graphic violent content, but certainly the adult players will appreaciate this as it’s not kiddiefied.

31.12.2020

I was a big fan of the original Shadow of Mordor game, and meant to buy its sequel for quite a while. I should have done so sooner. It's a truly remarkable game that's built on everything in its predecessor completely. The story itself is a continuation of what happened previously; our ranger, Talion - bolstered by the possessive wraith of Elven ringmaker, Celebrimbor - is on his way to try and defeat the rising evil in Mordor, Sauron. For fans of the original Lord of the Rings universe, you'll find plenty of nods and homages in Shadow of War. The ending even ties into the original story, so definitely stick around!The endgame proves long and a tough grind, but should definitely be done for your final rewards,and and how it impacts Talion's character. It's no longer as tough as it was, however - previous reviewers made mention to the in-game, microtransactional 'Market' but, very pleasantly, Monolith scrapped this mechanic after protest from fans. It's much easier, there's more dialogue, and it wraps up nicely. You can do everything without paying to win; which is as it should be.The Orcs have even more of their own personality in this game. You grow to love some, get betrayed by them, dominate them again and watch them perish for you on the battlefield. Some nemesis' stick around for ages - but as you come back later and pick them off, you get such reward from it! The introduction of sieges and fortresses is great - meaning the player has more than barren wasteland to explore, and provides a real sense of your character's growing power in Mordor. You can add your own defenses, siege weaponry and choose which warchiefs will accompany you into battle.The five explorable regions also means there's way more to do and see in Shadow of War compared to its progenitor. Slay Orcs and caragors in arid wastes, endless greenery and bitter tundra.The missions are interesting, the enemies are cooler, and you can even upgrade and modify your armour, and your weaponry. There are more skills and techniques to master; from long-sweeping glaive attacks, to double-jumping and using your bow in mid-air. This means you can really concoct your own, unique playing style, and fighting style. Different orcs being weak to different things means you constantly have to adapt and overcome, however, meaning you get a taste of everything in your time in Mordor.In short, this game expands on everything and it's great. Many of the characters become really enthralling; with multiple plotlines that genuinely draw in your attention. Hours upon hours of playtime - and more to do even after the initial story is done. The online aspect just furthers this.Overall, I didn't have any real troubles with the game. No bugs or glitches. The odd frustration at jumping over the wrong obstacle at times, but that's bound to happen in a game where so much can be done, and explored. You feel your Wraith's reach further than ever before, and it really feels like you're slowly amassing an army of many different creatures and beasts. For any RPG fan, fantasty nerd or Tolkien acolyte, I more than recommend this. I spent many evenings playing through Shadow of War. And it was worth every one.

12.10.2017

Its a shame that this great game is overshadowed by this controversy, i share the opinion that Microtransactions are a cancer on gaming however not buying the game does not send the right message, it sends the message that people not intrested in that particular game series. If you like the game but hate microtransactions buy the game but DO NOT buy any of thse microtransactions. If the company sees that these microtransactions are not profitable then they will be phased out!Actual review:Graphics - 9/10The graphics are amazing for this game.Gameplay - 10/10The gameplay is improved from the older game, movement is more fast paced and combat is a lot more challenging.Nemisis system - 10/10The nemisis system returns from the previous game and is considerably better than the first.A.I.

18.3.2018

As others have said, would be easily a 5* game if it wasn't for the inclusion of what others call the 'pay to win' element of the market in the game. First of all - if you are patient and enjoy the chess type element of preparing your armies, recruiting loads of orcs and examining all of their skills to make them tactically superior (especially in the 'shadow wars' element) you will be fine and pick up plenty of brilliant loot on the way - there is no need to pay at all and the game experience will be longer though at points this can get repetitive and monotonous. This game is all about the complex mechanics and making them work for you - modifying your character settings to meet different challenges.

11.10.2017

The story is amazing! As I am working my way through it, spectacles just keep occurring. Locations, characters, and the tones of the books and movies are captured in a fast paced, action packed thrilling manner.But nothing is more spectacular than the nemesis system. It is something that constantly draws you to create your own stories. Every time I play I feel as though I have completed a mini campaign. I will come across a captain and kill them, but then shortly after a blood brother will attempt to assassinate me (this is not repetitive and occurs in a completely surprising way). I will invade a clash between two captains and one may escape. Upon tracking him down he will then taunt me about his escape.

30.12.2017

What an incredible sequel to Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor and if you haven’t played that yet then you need to pick up the complete edition it goes pretty cheap at the moment. If you have played that then you know how much of a great game it is and you’ll thoroughly enjoy this game even more than the original. Middle-earth Shadow of war is exactly what it says on the tin. All out war this game expands on everything the original had and betters it in every way. Combat is vastly improved, missions, storyline and objectives have been made a lot more interesting and the graphics are a joy to look at. Build an army and take down fortresses filled with Orcs! And take over Mordor!Everything sounds great so far right?

5.1.2021

Recently completed this sequel to Shadow of Mordor.The graphics have been tweaked quite a bit, but the moves and the Nemesis strategy have been retained.You also get to ride beasts a bit more - flying on a drake, being particularly fun!Everyone's favourite Orc - Ratbag makes a brief appearance too.In fact, you will probably start to feel sorry for the Orcs you are butchering, as their gruff camaraderie and bawdy humour is actually quite endearing!My only criticisms are that, like its predecessor, many of the quests can be summarised by playing hide and seek and then pummelling that X button until your thumb aches. Also, the percentage complete indicator seems to race up to 90% pretty quickly,

3.1.2021

Recently completed this sequel to Shadow of Mordor.The graphics have been tweaked quite a bit, but the moves and the Nemesis strategy have been retained.You also get to ride beasts a bit more - flying on a drake, being particularly fun!Everyone's favourite Orc - Ratbag makes a brief appearance too.In fact, you will probably start to feel sorry for the Orcs you are butchering, as their gruff camaraderie and bawdy humour is actually quite endearing!My only criticisms are that, like its predecessor, many of the quests can be summarised by playing hide and seek and then pummelling that X button until your thumb aches. Also, the percentage complete indicator seems to race up to 90% pretty quickly,

11.10.2017

After reading the "professional" critic reviews and their underwhelming reviews I was a bit surprised, but once again the critics are completely out of touch with consumer opinion because this game is brilliant. Within half an hour I found myself immersed in a large scale battle environment with multiple missions that used the Nemesis system to its full potential. I found myself in an unlucky situation out numbered 3 to 1 by Orc captains where I had a thrilling battle requiring me to use the environment and Tailian's skills to their limits before finally being overwhelmed by the final Orc, but the beauty is I feel no anger,

4.12.2017

This lacks a little something from the 1st title but I put that down to just how good the 1st one was. This is still very good in it's own right. It gets a 4 from me as unfortunately I am playing the excellent Horizon Zero Dawn at the same time and that is one of the best games on console so this feels slightly less impressive after that.The combat here is fast paced and an easy 4 on 1 fight can quickly turn into an all out mass brawl! Great fun. The story is well told and easy to follow with a number of side paths that can lead to a better understanding of what is going on. The skill tree is easy to figure out with a clear description of what benefits each skill will give you.

5.5.2018

I do really like this game. If your’re a Lord of the Rings fan and you like Assassins Creed or Red Dead Redemption you’re going to love this.It’s a good bit of fun and has a lot of similarities to Assassins Creed. Although there is a main storyline. You spend a lot of the time completing side quests or going on a rampage.I enjoy the fighting and you can change the difficulty level which helps to make the game enjoyable to all. It does become a bit repetitive after a while. I think it’s more one of those games that you play for a while and then go back to later.It’s a bit of fun, I’d recommend playing but it’s not one you’re likely to stick with for a while.

5.11.2017

This game is incredible! Been playing it for one day straight and it's such a nice game to be involved in! A ranger fused with an elven wraith with abilities that are yours to master as you cut though hundreds of orcs is such a fun concept! I also love how you can Mount and ride the beasts in this game! The fact that the beasts can climb up walls as well gives the game the feel that it has no limits! A must buy for Tolkien fans and fans of lord of the rings! If you want to be involved in a huge battle scenario and kill lots of orcs and upgrade your skills whilst doing so then this is the game for you

27.5.2020

This is a good game, especially if you're into the lore of middle earth.I haven't tried the expansions yet as I want to complete the main story first.My only complaint is with Argos, why did they have to print an ugly 'exclusive to argos' decal on the case cover? Really ruins the nice cover art, and in fact you can buy the exact same edition elsewhere without the nasty decal (kind of wish I had!) so it's totally pointless.On the plus side it did arrive quickly so no problems there.

23.7.2020

Would recommend this game for anyone looking for a time consuming single player open world game. Also fans of assassins creed will be into the shadow of Mordor seriesYou play across multiple large open maps fighting orcs and taking them down from their army pyramid schemes. Very enjoyable and rewarding gameplay with RPG mechanics and a good loot system and skill tree to sink time intoOverall very fun and worth the money as with this edition you get all dlc too so a good bargain

17.1.2019

Beautiful steelbook, level of detail is astonishing. Every part of this item is designed spectacularly from the outside, to the inside of the case. Even the disc has the "one ring to rule them all" quote written on it as a true tribute to lord of the rings. Amazing buy absolutely in love with this item. Also comes with downloadable content , which is awesome considering everything else this steelbook has going on. Would recommend highly to any collector.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War - Reviews

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