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

I was a massive fan of the first game and it was without a doubt one of the best games I’ve ever played, so to say I was looking forward to Middle-earth: Shadow of War would be a massive understatement. Thankfully the game delivered in all areas and I would go as far to say that it’s better than the first game, which I didn’t think they would be able to do. The world in the game feels alive from the get go and it has so many things for you to do that you’ll be sinking hours and hours into the game. The story accompanying these hours of gameplay is fantastic and the best thing is that they keep things gripping and interesting throughout. The combat in the game is better than the first game in my opinion, and the main reason for that is because it just gives you more of a satisfied feeling. I was also very impressed with the skills and abilities that presented themselves and the game definitely gives you a rewarding feeling, which in turn makes you want to sink even more hours into it. The battles in the game have you sweating and keep you on the edge of the seat at all times, and I must admit that I’ve never had so much fun being in a battle on a game. The presentation side of the game makes Shadow of War stand out even more, and that’s because the visuals and sound design make you become even more immersed in the game. At the end of the day fans of the first game will fall in love with this game almost immediately. They’ve kept everything that was good from the first game and in some cases they’ve improved in some areas, which is absolutely fantastic. What really stands out in the game though is not once did I get bored when playing, and that’s amazing because I’ve sunk in a massive amount of hours. Without a shadow of a doubt Middle-earth: Shadow of War is one of the best game’s I’ve played this year and I can see the game being up for a number of awards.

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.

After a thrilling opening, Shadow of War pushes the envelope both in terms of gameplay and in clearly establishing this is not a "canon" entry in Tolkien's original lore. The story gets downright ludicrous at times, but where this game excels is taking the original's ground-breaking Nemesis system and expanding on it, by giving your "friendly" Orcs and Uruks personalities just like your enemies (and raising the possibility they'll try and switch back to the other side...) and expanding on the RPG systems in the background of the first game. Being able to customize even more of your gear, having new areas to explore for loot and challenges, and planning your own attacks on enemy fortresses all contribute to make Shadow of War feel like a real sequel. The game gets a bit repetitive about 20 hours in, especially without a compelling story to keep you pushing forward, but removing microtransactions and some of the grind associated with them goes a long way to making Shadow of War a much better game.

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.

I find that second entries in things (mostly movies) are normally pretty lackluster. This isnt that. Shadow of War continues the story of Talion from Shadow of Mordor and does it while introducing some more of the same (it wasnt broken, it didnt need to be fixed) and some new elements that work really well together. (Hint: Siege Battles) The Nemesis System of the previous game returns where if an enemy kills you, and you face them again... they will remember you and taunt you. Or you could be making your way to another objective only to be randomly ambushed by a foe you long thought vanquished. This is a fantastic system and i'm surprised that more games dont make use of it. The graphics and sound are Epic, and i can only imagine what playing this would look like on a 4k tv with an Xbox One X is going to look like. The voice acting is solid as well. There is an online component where you can eventually lay siege on Online players, but they can do the same to you. (You go into their world while they arent there to face their Warchiefs in their castles) The game is a lot of fun and i eagerly await the DLC. I suggest you play the first game (Shadow of Mordor) first because it's awesome and the story ties into this game.

If you loved the first, you'll love this one just they same. They've added more abilities to make traversal of the expansive even more entertaining with double jump, high leaps when climbing, and even the ability to ride dragons! The nemesis system has vastly improved with the ability to learn your combat techniques mid battle and instantly apply them, making you change up your game. Even dying is ok, as it gives you a chance to go after the orc that killed you, and nab some upgraded loot! Speaking of loot, this game has added microtransactions loot box style. While I am definitely not a fan, they haven't done anything to shove it in my face, and they really did do a good job balancing the pace of the game without out them first. Finally, the graphics are great across all systems, and play pretty smooth. I've only noticed some texture glitches here and there where the texture didn't render properly, and it suddenly looks like a piece of work from a Nintendo 64 game, crash landed in front of me. This game is Xbox one x enhanced with hdr support, and I can't wait to try it out once that console launches later this year. This game is worth the full retail price imo.

Graphically this game is a nice feast for the eyes in 4K and/or Xbox One X consoles. Fans of Shadows of Mordor and LOTR won’t be sad to own this title. The story is good and has good options for online play including helping other players out. It’s also not a micro transaction heavy game which is always a plus. The frustrating part for me is that without spending real $ progress can be slow plus I am not a big fan of online/interactive content the way it is done for this game. Things get a bit repetative very quickly with the story progressing but how you proceed not changing by much other than the scenery. Got is on the Black Friday sale which is what made it worth the cost. Get it used or watch for sales unless what I didn’t like are things that you love.

Right, so, first go at Shafow of War: I stalk and plan out an attack on an orc captain. Just before I leap from a building to (hopefully) stealth kill him I'm ambushed by another captain. He knocks me off of the building to the feet of the first. I get into a brawl with him until I have to climb back up to the ambusher, who's firing arrows at me. I get him to about 1% and find out he gets enraged by "mortal wounds." He proceeds to one shot me. During the "last chance" QTE the ambusher gets stabbed through the chest by an ally I randomly saved earlier. I then find out that the first captain is enraged by ally deaths. I then basically run around avoiding him looking for arrows until I'm ambushed by TWO MORE G/D CAPTAINS! I somehow managed to kill all three of them. The new nemesis system is borderline insane. Also, I'm hooked.