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Video Game Review - Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

Updated on: 15 October,2017 09:25 PM IST  |  Mumbai
Jaison Lewis |

Despite a below average plot, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War's never-ending battle keeps you hooked 

Video Game Review - Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

Middle-earth Shadow of War continues from where the previous game left you -- with a ring of power, which you promptly lose to the female form of the giant spider Shelob. Don't worry you don't have to play the previous games to get caught up here. A short intro does the catching up for you. You, of course, play digital meat puppet, Talion. Now that Talion has lost the new ring of power, you have to rely on the wraith Celebrimbor to keep you alive and defeat your foes.



The story is subpar and, frankly, not very engaging. But, the story is just setting you up for what really matters -- the nemesis combat system. Nemesis system turns orc captains into villains complete with unnecessarily long, sometimes hilarious and even rhyming self-introductions. Though in reality the nemesis system is more than just that -- the system turns orcs into actual characters that can gain notoriety for killing you or come back from the brink of death more powerful than before, to exact vengeance. It is, as it was with the previous game, the reason why you keep going back to Shadow of War.


The enemies on an individual basis are easy to defeat, but as the swarm gets bigger, things heat up. You may need to run from battle from time to time to replenish your health. Running away from battle also lets elite units adapt to your tricks and moves, which can make things harder, when you power-up and come back. But, this is the fun of Shadow of War. Becoming powerful to defeat your enemies is the crux of the nemesis system.

You can defeat villains over five huge maps of Shadow of War -- all the terrains are very different and provide good variety.

Powers and weapons like any good RPG can be upgraded, but the upgrades are hard to achieve. This is probably why the developers introduced the microtransactions. While microtransactions can give you everything you need to defeat foes, including legendary items, it defeats the purpose of having enemies that upgrade when you or they die. It makes the game lose its mojo.
Middle-Earth Shadow of War is a game you will be playing for a very long time, and still not tire of. The game is worth it, just for the battle with the Balrog if nothing else. If you are in the mood for combat RPG and you love Lord of the Rings, you can't go wrong with this one.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
Rating: 4/5
Developer: Monolith Productions
Publisher: Warner Bros
Platform: PC, PS4, XBO
Price: PC: Rs 2,999 PS4/XBO: Rs 3,499

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