Middle Earth: Shadow of War - Review
Added 2017-10-09 18:28:07 +0000 UTCThere are parts of Middle Earth: Shadow of War that I love. Removing the head of a Captain right after he tells you he’s invincible. Overcoming 4 to 1 odds when an assassin shows up, or one of your trusted officers stabs you in the back. But you have to do a lot of it to succeed. Most of the game involves the straightforward act of overpowering orc Captains, with the Nemesis system doing its best to randomize the experience. The system works, and is better than Shadow of Mordor’s overall, but the story can’t support it. When you’re only given pre and post-mission chats with major characters, it’s hard for a relationship to bloom. While the focus seems imbalanced, the combat is fantastic. Skills can be tweaked on the fly, and maxing out makes you feel like Superman running around Middle Earth.
A lot of people asked me about micro transactions. They hadn’t crossed my mind until social media reminded me. I’m the type of player that doesn’t spend free-to-play money on frivolous things, so I saved up the currency the game gave me, and only cashed in when I had to - typically right before fortress raids. The practice of baiting players with random stuff is troubling, yes, but within Shadow of War it’s just a weird barrier to a bonus here and there. I’d probably ding the game more for the chest-opening process taking a surprisingly long time to get through compared to other loot-box games.
While I was getting some last minute shots for the review, I was reminded how much fun it is to just run around and clean up Mordor’s orc problem. That part has only gotten better. I wish other elements had caught up as well.
Brandon
Comments
you sound like an ACG patreon, am I right ? : )
Térence Caron
2017-10-12 22:35:49 +0000 UTCIf there wasnt microtransactions in the single player campaign, it would be a buy for sure. The microtransactions tilt it too far in the 'wait for sale' category, for me.
2017-10-10 06:16:13 +0000 UTCGreat review, as always, but a little confused by the epilogue mention. Isn't this what the "true ending" of the game is hidden behind? With the choice to get it being dozens of hours of tedious grinding, or loot boxes?
SwinBob72
2017-10-09 21:36:52 +0000 UTCGotta hold off on watching this review till I finish the 1st game, held off for quite some time from playing it, but it's really fun. It's just what I needed right now after finishing GTA V. Yeah, I have an open-world backlog...... :P
drd7of14
2017-10-09 19:39:45 +0000 UTCWas waiting for the EZA review of this game. Good points mr. Jones
2017-10-09 19:34:01 +0000 UTCThankfully I never played Shadow of mordor for it's story, it was just that damn fun to play. Looks like that hasn't changed for me, thanks for the review jones!
ZyloWolfBane
2017-10-09 19:18:28 +0000 UTCReally appreciate this review. I was hoping for a good story to sink into and was really looking forward to this being that game but it doesn't sound like the story is the strong point here. Cheers!
Mango
2017-10-09 18:49:11 +0000 UTCCheers
VGJunky
2017-10-09 18:47:14 +0000 UTCLike
2017-10-09 18:45:05 +0000 UTCThanks for the review!
Ian Alexander
2017-10-09 18:31:37 +0000 UTC
