Middle-earth: Shadow of War (PS4)

This game is astoundingly big, to the point where if you only get the odd few hours on a weekend to play then I don't recommend it, this isn't a weekend game, this is a year game. EVERY aspect of Shadow of Mordor has been fueled with nitrous and cranked up to 11 concluding in a deep action RPG where every hack and slash, every action undertaken develops into your own personal adventure that not even your favourite fantasy novel could recreate. It's widely known throughout the community now that Warner Brothers INSISTED on micro-transactions as a way to increase profits, and I will contribute to the disapproval of that BUT..Monolith Productions have implemented the MT system so it is absolutely VOID. I repeat. You do not need to spend any additional money to experience more of the game, in fact spending money on loot boxes will reduce the amount of content you may see.. and instead of all the hate aimed towards Monolith with negative reviews, we should praise them for making the transactions avoidable whilst still following orders. The gameplay is perfect.. could even be game of the year material. The combat system which has proven so popular with the Batman games really shines here in SOW. I would also like to draw comparisons to Assassins Creed with the large open worlds and free running aspects and also, rather surprisingly, draw comparison to Pokemon, with the management of your Orc army. Find and recruit the meanest looking orcs you can find, level them up, send them to fight their rivals in the pits.. that is just one aspect of this huge game. To wrap up, the plethora of activities, the diverse personalities of the orcs, the army management, the collectibles hiding rare armor and weapons, the feeling of running alongside your troops initiating a long battle sequence of a castle, the incredible and unique nemesis system, the fact that EVERY orc is unique to YOUR game, will keep you amused for HOURS.. oh wait!, there is also a story in there somewhere, i'm sure there is.. kinda forgot.. and so will you. The story is good.. but ultimately overshadowed by everything the game has to offer to the point where I was too busy having fun to truely follow the story. Enjoy.

I pre-ordered the standard version after I enjoyed the 1st one so much. At 1st I was sceptical as many people were complaining about the microtransactions. 1st up it's great. Game mechanics are smooth although had one glitch in over 30hours of gameplay. It's also nice to look at with superb graphic and a nice storyline. Now... onto the 'microtransactions. For those who are looking to buy the game but are put off with the sheep bleating about microtransactions. I've had no need or reason to by any in-game currency yet. (And I won't buy in game currency ever) There is a loot box system that grants you random loot (loot boxes) or random orc captains that you are in control of. (War boxes) To get the best boxes, it will cost you around 650 gold, which if you're impatient and want it now, will cost you real English pounds to obtain. Alternatively, you can simply check the daily quests and complete the tasks assigned to you which takes about 10-15minutes for 100-150 gold per day. (Half the time you get it without trying). So to summarise: Is the game any good - Yes, it's brilliant Will micro transactions effect my gaming experience - No, it's completely optional and things will just take a little longer to achieve (not a real grind)

Astounding and dynamic, I'm around 30% percent into the game, and I feel that there's several key points that you should know before buying. The micro-transactions aren't a must, but heavily incentivised towards the end game, due to it's grindy nature, this not being too problematic, until around 30 hours in, this is when the true nature of the grind is real. To counter balance this, I strongly recommend investing in the experience increasing gems early on, which can be earned via progression in addition to the news letter sign up, this providing a 3% buff. Many of the characters don't entice you into building a rapport, only a fare few being in any regard memorable, this being heavily dependent on the dynamic randomness of the games RNG nemesis system. So far I've had some truly beautiful random encounters, that truly surprised me, such as facing an army of captains one ambushing me just as the other was about to meet his end, by the means of execution. One high level captain, once dominated I set his as my bodyguard, the second I summoned him he betrayed me and attained the trait "iron will" meaning he couldn't be dominated, that was absolutely hilarious. These random encounters that are determined by RNG are where the game truly shines. The graphics, beautiful and aesthetically pleasing as they may be at times, feel unpolished in many ways, as if it's still waiting a final beta touch up. All I can say is, if you're on the verge of buying this game, there's several key questions that should influence your decision. Did you enjoy shadow of mordor? Do you have lots of time to invest in addictive RNG influenced, mini boss battles? Do you enjoy a truly random experience, filled with absurd enemies, that can be extremely difficult, with absurdly ironic fatal weaknesses? If you answered yes to all of the above, then Shadow of War may just be for you.

fab thanks

The game itself is just fine. I had moments where I really enjoyed it and wanted to progress. Unfortunately it is very flawed as the character sticks to everything with the climbing element being frustrating. The graphics have moments of being great and then seem to become heavily downgraded. Combat is really good but I found it became let down by the repetitive nature especially with siege fights. Combat would get interrupted by the warchief and commanders which was fine at first but after became increasingly annoying when you would have a chain or unskippable introductions which could last a few minutes. Combat would also stop if a commander died near you. During the later portion of the game this will occur a lot. The fourth act was fun at first but became a grind. I never felt the need to buy loot boxes and never felt them really forced. Overall the game is just fine.

Microtransactions - if you need to boycott a game because of them then stop going to petrol stations which also sell chocolate, stop going to the cinema and buying popcorn, stop going to the supermarket and buying a dvd or t-shirt. Avoid anywhere that sells things other than it's main business. Microtransactions are everywhere in life, just because the games industry is joining in isn't a reason to boycott a game that is polished, sounds good, looks good and is fun to play. At the end of the day that's what it's all about, fun. I loved the original because for me it was the first successful attempt at a LOTR game. This is a worthy sequel, which expands on the concept of the nemesis system and upgrades all the gameplay elements for the better. the only thing that bugs me is Talion doesn't wear your equipped armour/swords etc in the cutscenes so you can't fully show off what you've looted. Otherwise the game is awesome and a great sequel. The microtransactions don't affect the game that I have played so far, I'm 4/5 hours in and have legendary weapons (looted in a vendetta mission) and armour and also legendary followers that came with the pre-order. I'm fairly confident that the marketplace is there for those who are a bit lazier than others and will pay to upgrade faster. From what I've seen you do not need them to get a decent experience from the game.

Just got to Act 4, after probably spending too long completing all missions and dominating my armies, which is basically the end game. I must say I'm not as blown away by this game as Shadow of Mordor but this had a lot to live up to and to be honest they have pulled it off. The combat is great fun, the free running seems a little clunky at times but it definitely works, the development of the nemesis system has been good and nice to see they have moved on a bit from the original. I still don't know how I feel about the loot boxes, all I know is I have not felt any need to buy any of the in game currency for real world money, you get plenty of chests by doing things in the game as well as being able to complete challenges to get the in-game currency that you can purchase. It just means you grind a bit more instead of pay to win, it's a single player game, why would you pay to win anyway? All in all I've had many hours of fun with this and there's still a good 20 hours or so till I'm completely done. I'd definitely recommend this if you enjoyed the first one.

I think 4.5 stars would have been more accurate, but I have gone for 4. Some great new additions/features to the game, the combat system itself is almost identical however. I'm about 25% way through the game so far, I like the 'siege' part of the game quite a lot. The main story missions for me so far seem more difficult/fun with most of them having 'boss' feeling parts. I would recommend this game for anyone who enjoyed Shadow of Mordor and looking another straight forward/fun platinum! NOTE: I have a copy of the game that says it will have Arabic subtitles. I can confirm this makes no difference to the game, and the language can be decided upon installation.

El universo de ESDLA ha sido violado con historias y personajes sin sentido pero la jugabilidad y diversion del juego lo compensan

Super jeux honnêtement je vous le recommande

Everything was as advertised

ottimo gioco, il nemesis system è la perfezione. qui, gl'orchi ti tradiscono, ti tendono imbocate, ti sfottono se scappi da una battaglia contro di loro, la maniera in cui li elimini può farli tornare alla vita ridotti a brandelli: bruciati, avvelenati con piaaghe sul viso e corpo, ricuciti

Its good highly recommend it does lag and the quality is good it's actually a very good game.i don't seem to have a problem with it