Middle-earth: Shadow of War Review (Captain Titus)
Gravewalker! I died defending your fortress...just wanted to let you know I'm back!
NOTE: The storyline in this game is not canon - take that into account when reading this and/or playing the game.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is the sequel to Shadow of Mordor (they really could have done better with the naming to avoid confusion) and carries on the story of Talion of Gondor. In true sequel style, it really is more of the first game: more abilities, more places to go, more things to see, more orcs to kill. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, some might find the similarity/familiarity a negative, although I would argue more of something good it not a bad thing when it is not overused. Due to the story not being canon, it can be jarring if you care about such things or are familiar with the universe, but this ultimately does not detract from enjoyment or ruin the experience. It is still a well designed game: the world/areas are amazingly varied and properly beautiful, from lush forests to snow to lava filled landscapes, incredibly well optimised to run smoothly and a well-managed ride through an original story (even if it is a little far-fetched at times). The voice acting and characterisation deserves special mention and praise: many of the lines will have you literally laughing and the banter is so well written - this is a game with very high production values and it shows at every turn.
The undoubted star of the show however is the Nemesis system. Introduced in Shadow of Mordor and perfected (as well as patented) here, the Nemesis system essentially adds a layer of persistent AI to each encounter. An enemy will remember if they have run from you or killed you, remark on it, adapt accordingly and keep you off balance. There is also every chance that an orc you kill will suddenly ambush you at some point in the future, miraculously resurrected and with a vengeance. This enhancement goes a very long way to keeping each encounter fresh and engaging, rather than just being a copy paste battle. Fortresses are the other major new feature: each has an overlord, with war chiefs underneath and the resulting captains. Conquering the fortress is key to progressing and needed to take control of territories in Mordor: while most are fairly similar (excepting the orcs manning them), it is still challenging enough if you just dive right in without any preparation beforehand.
There is an online (asynchronous) aspect as well to the game in the form of Conquests. Essentially, you are able to assault other players and their fortresses by downloading a copy of their setup and going up against it. While not in real time, this is an enjoyable way to pass a few hours and a good test to see how good your defense/offense is by attacking another person. Each conquest gets progressively tougher until they are virtually impossible. This can be avoided completely but it is a welcome addition to a game which already has a lot of different content in it. The DLC is also worthwhile, especially the Baranor campaign as it plays completely different from the rest of the game and comes as a welcome change of pace and gameplay, while still being entertaining.
The gameplay can get a little stale sometimes, but the Nemesis system does a superb job of keeping you hooked and entertained, while ensuring each encounter is a fresh challenge. In general, if you enjoyed the first title you can expect similar enjoyment from this. Conversely, if you did not enjoy the first game, you may find this is not to your liking either. Either way, I would highly recommend it to action game fans.
Played on Windows 11 Pro x64 without any issues.
P.S. If your hardware can handle it, the High Resolution Texture Pack is highly recommended - performance remains buttery smooth even with the upgraded visuals.