Middle-earth: Shadow of War Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying [UPDATED]

It might be the most controversial game of the year thanks to its loot crates and questionable charity DLC, but there’s still an audience for Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

As the sequel to the biggest surprise hit of 2014, Shadow of War places you back in the boots of Tallion alongside his ghostly pal Celebrimbor as they look to bring down Sauron and his massive army. It’s not just you on your lonesome this time, though: Shadow of War allows you to build an army of your own.

There are all sorts of systems at play here, but it’s good to see the return of the Nemesis system, which arguably made Shadow of Mordor as good as it was. There are all kinds of tribes and mechanics to dive into, so it looks like Shadow of War is going to be a layered, elaborate mass murder simulator set in the Tolkienverse. Shelob is also a pretty lady, so there’s that.

Ahead of its release on the tenth, reviewers have been able to get an early look at Shadow of War and have started sharing their opinions. Here’s what the Shadow of War reviews are saying so far.

Cultured Vultures – 7/10 – Jimmy Donnellan

“There’s a lot to love about Middle-earth: Shadow of War, though it often creaks under the weight of its own lofty ambitions. It’s not helped by ludicrous storytelling and irritating basics, but if you want to potentially lose days of your life to enslaving orcs and riding drakes, you’ll be in for some fun.”

 

Polygon – 7.5/10 – Phillip Kollar & Chris Plante

 

“If you can get past the microtransactions, Shadow Wars seems set to provide a much meatier extended playtime than Shadow of Mordor ever offered. But more than anything, that’s my biggest disappointment with Middle-earth: Shadow of War: Everything about it seems to come with a caveat, some small annoyance or two that you need to dig past to get to the still-very-fun game underneath.”

 

Eurogamer – No Score – Johnny Chiodini

“A lot has been added in order to scale it up for a full blown sequel and much of it has been implemented with style and aplomb. As fun as the core is, however, it is often overshadowed by an onerous and self-indulgent story. What should be the game’s crowning feature is instead reduced to an undeserved supporting role, like an exquisitely carved plinth groaning under the weight of a gaudy bronze bust of an elven wraith who’s looking very, very serious indeed.”

 

Push Square – 8/10 – Robert Ramsey

“Middle-earth: Shadow of War is stellar sequel to a surprisingly great game. The Nemesis System remains the real star of the show in all of its expanded glory, and while its dynamic brilliance threatens to make the main story missions seem boring by comparison, there’s enough heft to the overall package that you can look past its shortcomings. In the barrage of blockbusters hitting PS4 over the next few months, Shadow of War should not be missed.”

 

Game Informer – 9.5/10 – Matt Miller

“Shadow of War fulfills the promise of its predecessor, completing a dark and violent lost tale set within the world of The Lord of the Rings. I was initially frustrated by the liberties that Monolith takes with this beloved fiction (which are plentiful), but I eventually abandoned myself to the insanity, and fell down the rabbit hole into a superb fantasy adventure. Monolith captures the thrill of power with aplomb; the way it simultaneously speaks of its dangers and corrupting potential is the real magic.”

PC Gamer – 73/100 – Andy Kelly

“I just wish the game wasn’t quite so overfed. A lot of developers think sequels need to be bigger and offer more to get people interested, but I’d prefer it if they were just better. Shadow of War is a great action game that feels like it’s yearning to break free from a prison of open world busywork.”

 

Gamespot – 7/10 – Justin Haywald

“It tries to be larger than its predecessor, there are more abilities, more weapons, more Orcs, yet it leaves you wanting less. But at its core, it’s a fun experience with brilliant moments that provide fascinating insight into some of the untold stories of Middle-earth. I just wish it had known when to stop.”

 

IGN – 9/10 – Dan Stapleton

“Similar to the way Batman: Arkham City built on the foundation of Arkham Asylum, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is bigger and more ambitious in scope than Shadow of Mordor, with great results. The way it expands the Nemesis system with far greater variety and fortress sieges makes even better use of the stand-out generated characters, and its battles with memorable uruk captains remain challenging all the way through the campaign and into the clever asynchronous multiplayer beyond.”