The sequel to "Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor" is already out, and many reviewers have put it to the test. Here are what some have said about "Shadow of War."
Phil and Chris from Polygon described "Middle-earth: Shadow of War" as an extraordinary game. It is extraordinary in terms of its complexity as well as its ambition. However, they also described it as extraordinarily messy. They praised the inclusion of the Nemesis System, which has now expanded to include a wider range of personality types as well as more interactions and options for players to build their own army.
They went on to say that the game's developer Monolith Productions, seemed to have focused on this particular aspect of the game that it loses the plot. If players can get through the microtransactions, Shadow Wars appeared to give a much meatier extended playtime than its predecessor. However, that is also their issue with the game. It is that everything in the game seems to come with a catch.
IGN's Dan Stapleton said that it is similar to "Shadow of Mordor." The improved Nemesis System makes nearly every encounter with a named enemy a memorable battle and the new fortress sieges "give it legs beyond the campaign through asynchronous multiplayer."
He went on to say that the story played just as fast and loose like its predecessor. It starts after the spirits of elf lord Celebrimbor and Talion forge a new Ring of Power then lose it. However, their feuds with the spider Shelob, the Witch King, and Sauron are described as drawn out and filled with clunky dialogue. However, there are some good moments.
Overall, he said that "Shadow of War" is bigger and more ambitious than "Shadow of Mordor" in terms of scope, and with good results. The expanded Nemesis System and fortress sieges made better use of the stand-out generated characters.
Patricia Hernandez of Kotaku said that "Shadow of War" has a more complex legion of orcs and that there is no need to be a big fan of the "Lord of the Rings" series to enjoy the game. There are a lot of special quests and collectibles that help the player look into the lore. However, the story in general is silly, the characters are two-dimensional and the storylines were not as exciting as it should have been.
"Middle-earth: Shadow of War" is out now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
