Shadow Of War: 10 Brutally Honest Impressions You Need To Know
How can a game that looks so good one minute, be so butt-ugly the next?
Released in 2014, Shadow of Mordor proved that WB Games were one of the few publishers in the business dedicated to making quality licensed products. Taking The Lord of the Rings universe and creating an original new story, the game became a huge hit thanks to the Nemesis system, a unique gameplay focus that revolutionised the open-world formula.
A mechanic whereby regular enemies were imbued with a persistent personality, constantly showing up on the battlefield to create natural rivalries with the player, the standout feature made the title an immediate game of the year contender.
Fast forward three years later and the sequel to the sleeper-hit first game, Shadow of War, has finally hit shelves with the promise of building upon the tantalising concepts present in the original release.
Surrounded by controversy over microtransactions and charity DLC though, much of the discussion so far has been focused on the business side of things rather than the quality of the title itself.
The dust is finally staring to settle however, and it's become clear that the developers at Monolith Studios have gone all out with the sequel. Still, has Shadow of War massively improved on its predecessor's flaws like Assassin's Creed 2, or is it doomed to be seen as a huge misstep on the level of Resident Evil 5?
10. The Story Is Dreadful
Just like the first game, the story of Shadow of War plays second fiddle to the actual gameplay.
Already starting on the wrong foot after establishing that main characters Talion and Celebrimbor have created a second ring of power, the sequel only becomes more nonsensical from there on out, following a predictable and self-serious plot that's devoid of the fun and levity found elsewhere in the title.
The way the story's actually told doesn't do it any favours either, with unpolished cut-scenes that constantly take away agency cropping up far too frequently. When narrative beats happen they feel more intrusive than anything else, and you just want the cinematics to end so you can jump back into the excellent combat.
Likewise, while the way the sequel played fast and loose with the Lord of the Rings mythos didn't bother me personally, if you're heavily invested in the lore of this universe then some of the decisions will no doubt rub you the wrong way. Believe me: stupid sexy Shelob is just the tip of the iceberg.