Like Shadow of Mordor before it, Middle-earth: Shadow of War

see deal Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Xbox One $49.99 on Gamestop

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Flashbacks to the Ringwraiths’ corruption give the ghostly Nazgul a tragic side, battles with the fiery Balrog are big on spectacle, and witnessing the founding of Minas Morgul (several hundred years later than J.R.R Tolkien suggested) are all standouts – if you can stomach the non-canon version of events. A growing conflict between the stoic and pragmatic Celebrimbor and the empathetic and Gondor-loyal Talion adds some depth to both characters, though with all the setup I was expecting a choice between their philosophies that never came. And there are a few original characters, especially the returning Ratbag, who provide some decent comic relief in the absence of dwarves or hobbits.

“ Each of the five zones looks markedly different.

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Each region is a respectable size, which means there’s quite a lot of running from place to place as you chase down quest markers, but Talion’s moves make movement quick and fun. You start with or quickly unlock most of the running powers from the end of Shadow of Mordor, which make you work for your speed boosts by tapping the run button as you vault over objects and leap between handholds on walls. You also get an indispensable new double-jump ability which allows you to leap longer distances and change direction mid-air. I rarely jump without it anymore, even when I don’t need it, because it feels so good to use. The catch is that, like in most open-world games in which you can climb nearly anything, there’s an annoying tendency of sticking to the wrong thing or getting stuck briefly to a ledge when you wanted to roll off of it.

“ There’s a remarkable range of voices, faces, and armor types.

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“ Some uruks become enraged over literally everything.

Uruk captains are also walking meat pinatas full of potentially game-changing loot, which ranges from a sword that has a chance to set things on fire to a suit of armor that actively heals you while you’re on fire. The higher the level of the uruk you kill, the better the potential of the gear that will drop. That makes it an interesting tradeoff to kill an uruk captain instead of brainwashing him and recruiting him into your army.