Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

You have to be a POS to review this game and tell people to buy the version that they will have less ownership of while also being exposed to predatory microtransactions. This is the drm free version of the game. The Steam version requires Steam to be installed and this doesn't require any external launchers. Not only that but you can also download it straight from GoGs website on any browser on any device. Don't trust those people that tell you to buy the "superior version" from Steam.

TL;DR: If you liked the last game, you will absolutely LOVE this game. Note that this version is the base game without the DLC. If you want the all-in-one package, select the Definative Edition. It pretty much takes all the elements that worked in the last game and vastly improved them. Combat has been streamlined, some abilities that came from The Bright Lord DLC were added, and we even got some new abilities to play with. We got two new enemies to fight and dominate in the form of trolls and feral fire wyverns that add new depth to the gameplay. The maps environments have been expanded and each has a fortress for you to take and defend. But the biggest selling point is the Nemesis System which has been cranked up to 11. The amount of dialouge, classes, and abilities these orcs can now do has made it so that you can have a unique story with each playthrough. But it definely isn't perfect as I have a couple gripes. They replaced the set equipment Talion had with a gear system, which is not bad but I am personally fatigued playing games that have randomized gear systems. It's still the same combat system from the last game but instead of runes you get new variations of your equipment based on the Warchiefs you defeat. The next two gripes deal with the story and the DLC. I go into more detail in the Definative edition review (which is seperate BTW), but the short version is your enjoyment of the story depends on how much of a lore nerd you are and the DLC carries on the tradition of WB games having DLC that you can skip. But none of these complaints are deal-breakers considering I 100% the Steam version and bought this game at sale price AGAIN. That should speak to how good this game is.

Fun game, good sequel. All the improvements are there. Ignore the mouthbreathing review bombers whining about no online functionality. This is GOG, stuff that requires DRM isn't included for obvious reasons and the online features do NOT affect core gameplay or story or functionality whatsoever.

great and fixed no lootboxes