Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Shadow of War is a game that boasts truly impressive visuals in an astounding world and provides you with hours and hours of badass action. It is a pity, then, then glaringly obvious omissions, a Nemesis system that lacks any real depth, insufficient...

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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...

Middle Earth: Shadow of War comes highly recommended.  It is a solid improvement over the original game although it feels like a continuation of the same story, and this time the player's choices affect the game more.  The settings are far more varied...

Middle-earth: Shadow of War aims for the spectacle of the films, but falls short with a directionless, lore-breaking campaign. It piles more and more upon players and almost loses itself in the excess. Thankfully the core of the experience, the Nemesis System, remains as entertaining and addictive as ever. Roaming Mordor at your own leisure, capturing orcs and building a vast network of captains, warchiefs and overlords remains a compelling experience, while the introduction of Fortress Sieges adds a new wrinkle to the system that is enjoyable to pursue.

And so Shadow of War ends up the very epitome of the difficult second album. A lot has been added in order to scale it up for a full blown sequel and much of it has been implemented with style and aplomb. As fun as the core is, however, it is often overshadowed by an onerous and self-indulgent story. What should be the game's crowning feature is instead reduced to an undeserved supporting role, like an exquisitely carved plinth groaning under the weight of a gaudy bronze bust of an elven wraith who's looking very, very serious indeed.

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.

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.