Middle Earth: Shadow of War - Review (Patreon)

There 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