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Critic Reviews
"Everything about this game outdoes the first, and with the expanded Nemesis System, superb combat, and epic story, you'll be immersed for a long time."
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"An expanded Nemesis System creates fascinatingly interesting player stories, and the amount of freedom afforded to the player is staggering for a game of this scope."
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"Shadow of War fulfills the promise of its predecessor, completing a dark and violent lost tale set within the world of The Lord of the Rings. I was initially frustrated by the liberties that Monolith takes with this beloved fiction (which are plentiful), but I eventually abandoned myself to the insanity, and fell down the rabbit hole into a superb fantasy adventure. Monolith captures the thrill of power with aplomb; the way it simultaneously speaks of its dangers and corrupting potential is the real magic. "
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a massive and ambitious action game that delivers an epic sense of scale. From single stealthy murders up to the never-ending fortress battles available via online play, Shadow of War is a blast."
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"Shadow of War improves upon its predecessor in nearly every conceivable way. The story is more engaging and full of fascinating characters, the Nemesis System has been fleshed out to feel deeper and less formulaic, and all the additions to combat and progression are more than welcome. It may not be canon, but this is without a doubt the best game to take place in Tolkien’s expansive universe."
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"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War made us wait a little longer than we expected, but it was worth it. This new chapter brings more maps, more missions, refined gameplay and graphics in a huge, multifaceted experience that's not going to let you down."
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Games Master UK
"Builds on the best bits of the original to become a ruthless, compelling machine of orc conflict. [Nov 2017, p.60]"
"At first glance, you might think that there is not much difference between Shadow of War and its predecessor, but as you progress in the game, you’ll notice that it improved almost on every aspect. The world is really huge and with the help of nemesis system, you’ll experience some epic battles that you’ll not forget anytime soon."
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"A sprawling action-filled epic adventure with a compelling story and a living, breathing world that creates real consequences for your actions and failures. Its post-game Shadow Wars content is understandably polarizing but that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying the core experience."
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"With Peter Jackson-quality production values, combat that remains engaging over dozens of hours, and a meaningful story that stays reasonably related to its beloved source material, Middle Earth: Shadow of War is a rare sequel that improves on just about every aspect of the original. Odious micro-transactions and a pace that might be too focused on constant action aside, Shadow of War will please both the fans of Shadow of Mordor and anyone who enjoys quality action games. "
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"With a wealth of new environments and a decent storyline to boot, Middle-earth: Shadow of War doesn’t feel like a forced entry but a great expansion on the original concept. It’s rather funny, too."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War addressed nearly every flaw of the original game, and its enormous environments help to make the emergent encounters and Nemesis system even more engaging. While its story stumbles early on, the unique stories you’ll get from pressing against your nemeses will keep you coming back to the game for dozens of hours. Even after killing and enslaving countless orcs, we can’t wait to keep making those stories."
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"Monolith Productions managed to deliver a magnificent sequel to Shadow of Mordor. Allowing the players to recruit several types of different orcs that display unpredictable behavior thanks to the Nemesis system is a great experience. Overall, it has improved almost every single area over its predecessor, and the possibility of using dragons as a tool for war is welcomed."
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"Shadow of War is rich in many ways and surprising again. A game that improves upon Shadow of Mordor enhancing its Nemesis system and the storytelling side."
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"The visuals and the unnecessary endgame are the only bad things in a sequel that improves everything from the first game: the combat has been refined, the Nemesis System provides infinite stories, and the sieges contain all the epic (and more) that you'd expect from a product based in Tolkien's Legendarium."
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"Shadow of War brings the video game to epic: it's an exciting tale in Middle-earth, less rich than Christian Cantamessa did with the first one, but at the same time throbbing. "
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"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is Lord of the Rings turned up to 11. Improving on nearly every idea from the original Shadow of Mordor game, it’s a gargantuan sequel in both size and scope."
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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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"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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"Building upon the accomplishments of its predecessor and wielding the influence of The New Ring, Middle-earth: Shadow of War should be remembered as Talion's greatest adventure to date."
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"If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings mythology, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Middle-earth games don’t compliment the lore of the books. Spawned from a series of epic fantasy novels, this loud, insane, adrenaline-filled open-world adventure certainly isn’t true to the works of author J.R.R. Tolkien. 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."
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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 is a perfect sequel to Shadow of Mordor. It doubles down on the strengths with a better Nemesis-system, excellent combat system and new areas. The story is not the best out there, but if you liked SoM, you'll love this."
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"A title with strong elements of originality, a sumptuous eye-catcher and a nice and dynamic combat system, to be counted among the big ones in this dense video game season."
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"They’re standing on the edge of greatness now, and I hope the next game will fulfill the destiny of making Talion’s story a part of the Tolkien canon."
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"Shadows of War is a step forward in pretty much every aspect of the game, and it still is an adventure that knows how to keep you entertained. Yes, later in the game grinding will draw your attention towards lootboxes, but you don't really need to use real money to finish the game."
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"Shadow of War acts as a perfect expansion for everything that Shadow of Mordor rocked. Flawless combat, stealth as a friendly friend and the awesome re-imagining of Middle Earth will just appeal to everyone who enjoyed the first game. The conflict has grown, the gameplay is still there, and that´s good news indeed."
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"The first three parts of Shadow of War are very enjoyable. The game is like its predecessor, but better. There is a lot more story to enjoy and the locations are a lot more interesting. The best part is the improved Nemesis system which fits a lot better in the game now."
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"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War adds a lot more to what was successful in its previous installment but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Nonetheless, it still remains a great experience for RPG fans."
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"Shadow of War is one of the best action-RPGs of the year with an awesome combat system and an incredible amount of content which guarantees hours of quality entertainment. A must play for Tolkien fans."
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"Despite a lacking story, the Nemesis System is still the coolest gameplay mechanic I have ever seen in a game. Fans of Shadow of Mordor will find lots to love about Shadow of War, and new fans will surely enjoy the addictive and impressive gameplay. Just don’t go in expecting a canon Tolkien story. "
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"Monolith has refined the Nemesis System and offer a great amount of content that guarantees many hours of fun. However, its repetitive gameplay and microtransactions will delight those who enjoyed Shadow of Mordor, but will not lure newcomers. Shadow of War is a great game, but has a main character that lacks charisma that can't be in the spotlight of a Tolkien tale. "
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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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"Monolith set itself a goal to make Middle-earth: Shadow of War a lot bigger and more expansive than its predecessor, Shadow of Mordor, in which they definitely succeeded. Too bad they didn't tweak or beautify the three years older forebear, and that they actually went a bit too far with the amount of content on offer. "
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a good sequel to Shadow of Mordor. Fortress sieges are a nice introduction, but in the long run things could get a little bit repetitive."
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CD-Action
"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]"
"Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is a massive game that feels a lot like its predecessor, but now it’s filled with even more things to collect and more missions to finish. But when does a game contain too much? As I reached the end of the campaign, the good times I had turned into a series of chores. Luckily, players can avoid most of the busywork by not worrying about the online conquests or the endgame, but for those that do? Be prepared to grind for it."
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"A hell of a lot of game for your money and for the most part a ton of fun, sadly it outstays its welcome leading to total fatigue as you enter the overly long unnecessary home stretch."
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"Upgrading a formula can sometimes break it, and Shadow of War comes quite close to being such a product. Yet despite all of the upgrades that pour like rain that you're trying to dodge; at its core, this is still an amazingly entertaining game. Just be prepared for some grinding, if you are not into microtransactions..."
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"Its vast environments, spine-tinglingly satisfying movement and combat, and its deep and engaging Nemesis system all come together to make a game that manages to blow its almost-perfect predecessor out of the water. Even if you have no prior experience of Lord of the Rings (I sure don’t), you owe it to yourself to spend a bit of time knee-deep in Orc entrails."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a lot like its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing. Everything is bigger this time around, with more maps to explore, more missions to undertake and more unique orcs to kill and dominate. It's all great fun (albeit a little repetitive after 40 hours). A more cohesive and memorable main story would've helped the game stand out even more."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War can best be described as Shadow of Mordor with extra of everything. Just like the first one, it's ambitious, addictive and easy to pick up. The gameplay tends to be a bit repetitive, but in every other way Shadow of War is a nearly perfect action game. "
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"Shadow of War does stumble into a bit of a grind in the latter part of the game and the Chests system could be tuned much better. As it stands now, it's transparent in wanting you to open your wallet and buy a bit of Gold. Those issues are what keep Shadow of War from being an absolutely amazing game, instead of just a great one."
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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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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War is stellar sequel to a surprisingly great game. The Nemesis System remains the real star of the show in all of its expanded glory, and while its dynamic brilliance threatens to make the main story missions seem boring by comparison, there's enough heft to the overall package that you can look past its shortcomings. In the barrage of blockbusters hitting PS4 over the next few months, Shadow of War should not be missed. "
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"The sequel boxes are generally ticked off with Shadow of War, it’s bigger, better, and a touch more ambitious than Shadow of Mordor was, but there are aspects that feel somewhat dated now, and there’s a lack of polish to certain controls that dilutes the fun just a smidgen. The Nemesis system remains the star, and with the addition of sieges and tribes, it’s a star that burns brighter than ever."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War’s extensive orc variety and improved nemesis system blends extremely well with its hectic combat. While the story is better than the original, the implementation of quests is poor. Attacking and defending forts is great, although overused in the already lengthy campaign."
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"SoW is a great game, until it isn’t. And it’s such a shame, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think you’d all enjoy it. If you want an open world fantasy adventure, excellent and enjoyable combat, personal grudges with a variety of excellent uruk friends, and like spidery women, angst, and Gollum cameos, play it. But, like Brad Pitt, you don’t want what’s in the box."
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"An improvement over the original in almost every way, though the focus on micro-transactions does take a lot of the fun out of it. "
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"Middle Earth: Shadow of War can be defined as “The game Shadow of Mordor should have been.” The game is good and fun on the one hand, its new and improved Nemesis and Gear systems are wonderful and make its epic combats even better, especially the siege battles. On the other hand, the game suffers from a bad narrative and wrong division to acts, despite its great plot, and the many side missions begin to feel repetitive at some point."
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"The Nemesis system is the best part of Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, but the rest of the game is overwhelmed with pointless grinding."
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"The Shadow of War offers a solid gameplay, a compelling concept and a much more varied setting than the previous episode, with excellent production values and an awesome soundtrack. The sequel is bigger, better and stronger, but somehow caged in a repetitive framework. The game is full of good ideas and potential, that cannot be truly fulfilled due to a storytelling without personality and a huge but boring endgame."
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"If you can get past the microtransactions, Shadow Wars seems set to provide a much meatier extended playtime than Shadow of Mordor ever offered. But more than anything, that’s my biggest disappointment with Middle-earth: Shadow of War: Everything about it seems to come with a caveat, some small annoyance or two that you need to dig past to get to the still-very-fun game underneath. The Nemesis System is still a wonder that has yet to be replicated. The movement and combat are thrilling. "
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"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."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War still has a great mechanic in the Nemesis System but struggles to find the perfect game to fit around it. The missions are straightforward and repetitive and the fortress attacking and defending is stretched to breaking point. It just about manages to keep you entertained, but if every element was up to the quality of the Nemesis System then it would be amazing. Instead it's just good."
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"If you like Tolkien fantasy and all you really care about is finely crafted and gratifying combat, then you’re bound to have a ton of fun. Buy with abandon. You’re in for dozens of hours of bloody and gruesome entertainment. If, however, you want a fantasy role-playing game with a little more story, a more thoughtfully designed world that’s a pleasure to explore, and a pace of play that allows for more time engaged in activities outside of battle, then keep shopping. Middle-earth: Shadow of War won’t be for you."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War aims for the spectacle of the films, but falls short with a directionless, lore-breaking campaign."
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"Middle-earth: Shadow of War has a lot of fluff that attempts to sabotage it, but the game succeeds in its effort to make its world worth roaming around and killing things in. Although I wasn't enthralled by the silly story beats that try to dance around telling an actual epic and somber tale, the ability to create my own stories with an expanded level of depth was more than sufficient to call this a step up."
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"Many of the best moments in Shadow of War come from elements returning from the first game, along with a few squabbles between Celebrimbor and Talion that begin to give them some identity. Otherwise, orcs always take center stage. The combat isn’t terribly difficult, but it’s a lot of fun to rip enemies apart. The story isn’t very satisfying, but it’s amusing to assemble a cast of murderous Captains. Shadow of War is a successful update to a smart formula, but it lacks enough depth and diversity to keep us enthralled. "
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"Things like the storefront and the menus and loot system don't make the game terrible, it just would've been better without them. It tries to be larger than its predecessor, there are more abilities, more weapons, more Orcs, yet it leaves you wanting less. But at its core, it's a fun experience with brilliant moments that provide fascinating insight into some of the untold stories of Middle-earth. I just wish it had known when to stop."
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"Middle-Earth Shadow of War has its spectacular moments, but it is tormented by odd design choices."
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Playstation Official Magazine UK
"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]"
Edge Magazine
"A game of this size may please those who equate volume with value, but despite a handful of sensational moments, Shadow of War mostly proves that more can be so much less. [Christmas 2017, p.112]"
"At its core Shadow of War is a tremendous amount of fun, but its good mechanical parts are under constant threat of suffocation from its gormless framework. The player's own story of an endless struggle against (and alongside) powerful orcs is enthralling, but the game's actual narrative is a boring trudge. The loop of killing powerful enemies for new loot is a great motivator, and building your army piece by piece to take strongholds seems like a perfect fit for this game, until you hit a wall and are faced with its app-style payed-for incentives."
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"It’s addictive fun even with the paper-thin story, because the battling is so good."
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"This core action and the complex systems that underpin it are fun enough to play around with that it's a real shame that so many issues exist around the edges of this package, because those issues eventually started to diminish my enjoyment of the game's good parts."
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"If Talion is supposed to represent a better future for Middle-earth, Shadow of War is the first time Middle-earth has seemed better off left to the orcs."
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"Shadow of War is an inconsistent mess of repetitive gameplay, really bad implemented fighting system, gameplay exploits and an indifferent and lacking respect for the original material story. The presentation is reminiscent of the 360 era and hastiness is a common feature for every aspect of the game. "
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"The whole experience feels so utterly soulless it’s hard to really care about any of it. It feels like a game that has been carefully pieced together with every feature, bit of narrative and gameplay moment structured out of commercial desire, rather than any love or respect for the Lord of the Rings franchise. And as far as I'm concerned, for a game that's quite explicitly a Lord of the Rings game, that's a fail."
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In Progress & Unscored Reviews
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"Despite my criticisms, Shadow of War’s purgatory is seductive. Technically, it is the only game doing the nemesis system these days, and so there’s nowhere else to get this stuff, even as grimly executed as it is, anywhere else. When the game informed me that there would be no turning back after the final mission, I took stock of the nemesis board. I stopped and dominated more even more orcs. I didn’t need them. By this point, I was drowning in orcs. But like a Ring of Power whispering in my ear, I just couldn’t let go."
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"The game has been affected by the loot box system...The game is compulsively playable."
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"There are times when Shadow of War’s increased scope is a good thing — when you’re fighting off towering lava monsters or giant fire-breathing dragons, for instance — but many of the additions actually take away from the experience. It’s big for the sake of big. And that makes it harder to truly hate an orc."
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