Customer Ratings & Reviews

Man, what a fun game! Everything that was great about the first game (combat, story, LOTR-lore, graphics) is back and better than ever. There's been a lot of negativity surrounding the in-game loot crates lately (which is why this is a 4-star review instead of 5), but if we all send the publisher a message by buying the game and not spending a dime on microtransactions, we can help to ensure this trend does not continue.

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 never played the first game in this series (Shadow of Mordor), but after reading the reviews from critics and other gamers I had to get it. The gameplay is amazing and love the story. The detail into the various Orcs is awesome. I highly recommend this game!

Disregard what you have heard about how microtransactions ruin this game. After playing the fun campaign, I never once felt the need to purchase anything with real money. They have improved the Nemesis system and it is better than ever. The story is a little cookie cutter, but is still intriguing, If you are a fan of the original you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

Shadow of War improves on everything you loved in Shadow of Mordor & then some. The microtransaction loot boxes should not deter you, I've never once felt I needed them to give me an edge. If you loved the first game, this one is all that and more!

This is a great game for those of you who love Lord of the Rings and open world environments. I enjoyed managing and leveling my orcs although it may be tedious for some (especially during the Shadow Wars). There is nothing like dominating an army of orcs in your quest to defeat Sauron! The much touted nemesis system lives up to the hype. Orcs will ambush, betray, and even save you when least expected! My very first legendary orc ended up saving me during the last fortress defense of the Shadow Wars. What a way to end the game.

They were able to build on and adapt the original Shadows of Mordor to make an even better game. Of course, they have scummy loot boxes that try to con kids into buying fake dollars, but as long as you avoid that the game is fun.

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.

4K HDR and DD are awesome, plays great on my Xbox One X very smooth even with tons of gnolls and goblins battling on the screen. Seems more open world with quests and side quests than the original game. Combat is smooth, kills and executions are cool and fun. This isn't my favorite genre, but it is an excellent game in my opinion.

The first Shadow of Mordor game was great, but Shadow of War is even better! The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is smoother, and everything is refined for better gameplay. Also, the story line is amazing and beautiful.

I played through the entire first game in a weekend could not put the game down. I am happy to say that this game is just as good if not better (with the exception of micro transactions) its a bunch of open world goodness.

I preordered this game a few days before release once I couldn’t decide if I would then saw the preorder bonus of the New Ring, it is amazing! The game itself is really fun, similar to the first but you get most of the abilities you had a lot faster then start adding more, like more abilities from a distance and of course riding Drakes! This game is also very easy to stop at almost any point to resume later, great for multitasking. There are a lot of additions that can be overwhelming, but it’s fine if you ignore some of them, you don’t have to do everything the game tells you you can do. The loot system is slightly annoying like any game, you have to balance between higher powered, good-looking, or special abilities associated with each armor piece or weapon.

I bought this game for the Nemesis system alone. I had heard that the story was lame and spits at LotR lore. However, I'm enjoying it much more than the Shadow of Mordor's story. On Xbox One X, it looks pretty good, but not great. For example, games like Homefront Revolution ans Assassin's Creed Origins look much better.

I feel like alot of these people complaining about micro transactions never played the game... I am probably 20+ hours in and have never felt I needed to go to the store. If you enjoyed the first game you'll enjoy this one. More content, slightly upgraded nemesis system, more reasons to keep playing after completing campaign

I love the story line. Love the new weapons and armor system. More customization was great surprise. Gameplay is improved version of the first. Nice to see them build in the system instead of recreating combat system.

This game takes the next step in the Middle Earth story line and allows you the option of applying some strategy to your conquests. Good action and graphics and a plus for the Middle Earth fans. Was a little surprised at the micro-transactions, though, and can do with out them. You shouldn't have to pay to play.

I purchased this game based on how much I enjoyed the first game. I will say they made some great improvements with the game and the story. The leveling up is a little confusing at first and it plays just like the original. That being said I still enjoyed the original game more, but this one is till really fun.

What can I say? I'm superficial. I married my wife because she is smart and hot. I buy video games because they have a great story or look amazing. That is the case. Looking forward to continuing on...

The graphics are super impressive even with today's technology. In addition, the nemesis system that this game uses is so unique and greatly improved on from it's predecessor. Definitely worth the buy.

I really enjoyed the first installment of this series and was not disappointed when I picked this one up. The combat is still amazing and the nemesis system is just as cool as the first time around