Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Xbox One [Digital]

The fighting mechanic is so fun I find myself not following the story, but engaging in the war!

Good sequel. Some of the gameplay changes made it more enjoyable than the Shadow of Mordor. Sufficiently challenging at first as well (i.e., died frequently before figuring out some of the new mechanics). I still hate the "memories" aspect of the game where you have to rotate the controller to find the hidden spot and solve the 3-D puzzle; but otherwise, enjoyable game.

Good game got on sale which was even better. I would recommend.

Love the game, but I have to play it regularly or I forget all the mechanics to the game.

This game is an obvious sequel done right with every mechanic from the first being streamlined and expanded upon. The stealth mechanics were given so much attention through upgrades that it's entirely possible to stealth run entire strongholds with chained executions and elven swiftness closing any significant gaps. The mounted combat sytem was vastly improved upon with options to mount not just caragors and graugs, but drakes and ulugs too. Each has their own unique abilities which can the tide of an unlucky 1v5 invulnerable captain duel surrounded by a horde of orcs, if you happen to be so unlucky. Every orc you come across has such unique person that translates both into their aesthetic and fighting style, every fight can challenging or empowering the player to get creative in his strategy to topple them. I think the most understated mechanic in the first game that didn't really occur until after the captain killed you is the "Adaptation" system which allows the uruks to learn your tricks and counter them accordingly making a whelp into a threat and a menace into an abslolute demon. The quest system is also much more open alongside the more varied world design containing dense forests, tundras, caves, and of course the volcanic lands surrounding Mt. Doom. The joke voice acting lightens the heavy atmosphere and helps lighten the mood no matter the odds. I also appreciate the ability to do more than just kill or dominate the captains. Tossing them off of cliffs, shaming them and maiming them really extend the fun. If I had to recommend a game to buy this season, this game I cannot recommend enough.

I like this game and got and got a good deal on it. It has action and rpg elements with 3rd person view. great if you like lord of the rings or any fantasy genre

Quick overview in case you haven't played the last Middle Earth game - it's a mixture of Assassin's Creed + Batman Arkham Series all set in the Lord of the Rings universe. Great controls. Great leveling up. I love that they've upgraded the nemesis system to allow for a deeper experience in controlling your orc henchmen and now you can fight alongside and storm a castle of an orc overlord or even try putting a team together to storm somebody else's online (you don't actually fight against someone, just their version of their castle). Oh, and they added daily challenges as well which make things fun - so they really made the game more social, which I really enjoy. The one caveat are the microtransactions (loot boxes). It seems that you might need to shell out extra cash if you want your character to progress quicker, but for me, I love to battle orcs without worrying about the story, so I don't mind spending the time. So if you are someone who wants to get through just the story and not put in extra time or money (I've not spent an extra cent and refuse to) then be warned. But I'm really loving this game. It's a game I'm going to spend a lot of time with.

Very good game and it was a good sell when I bought it