These Orcs are paying attention and hound you for messing up, betray you if you loose a significant battle and level up if you die to them. I tried to call my bodyguard and a random enemy captain grabbed me from behind, threw me on the ground and said "Wwwwaaahhhh, I need a bodyguard!

This sequel expands on the vaunted Nemesis system in wildly entertaining ways, even as it falls short around the edges.

Narya thanks The Elven assassin Eltariel is a little more interesting, but her add-on's narrative also fails at providing a sufficient reason for her to be there. You'll take direct control of Eltariel after the campaign, literally seconds after her fate was left unknown.

Middle Earth: Shadow of War is bigger and better than its predecessor in almost every conceivable way. If you don't mind the repetition found in most open world games, there's a robust strategy layer here that combines with a great combat system to offer hours and hours of Orc slaying, army building...

With the world's most powerful console just released, Xbox One X owners can now experience Middle-earth: Shadow of War in stunning 4K graphics plus HDR (High Dynamic Range) which not only increases the resolution of the game but improves the overall textures which is quite stunning on our TV.

Shadow of War is a worthy sequel and we've given it a Must Buy. However, note that the Loot Box system is optional if you're willing to work with the game's system and actually play the game (which is what you should be doing!).

Phenominal Game! Great Story. 100+ Hours of gameplay!

Somewhere around the 12-15 hour mark, depending on how many side quests you take on, you'll reach a very satisfying conclusion in Shado...

A great looking world to explore; Combat is fun to play and unlock

Tonal clashes; Almost too much to do

In the music industry, people often refer to Second Album Syndrome - a phenomenon whereby a popular artist sets about making their sophomore record, only this time the stakes are considerably higher due to increased exposure and fan expectation.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War has high production values and is a fun open-world slashathon, but it's stretched thin. The storyline starts off promising, but all of the interesting characters get pushed aside to make room for nothing of consequence.