[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fRpplLk38HKwj7t3qZ11wz9apHHgVizj5yUiqD2dkdBY":3},{"game":4,"reviews":20},{"id":5,"name":6,"summary":7,"cover_image":8,"header_image":9,"release_date":10,"created_at":11,"updated_at":12,"igdb_id":13,"slug":14,"is_published":15,"trailer_url":16,"category":17,"avg_score":18,"steam_app_id":19},97029,"Middle-earth: Shadow of War","Go behind enemy lines to forge your army, conquer Fortresses and dominate Mordor from within. Experience how the award winning Nemesis System creates unique personal stories with every enemy and follower, and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths in this epic new story of Middle-earth.","97029\u002FShadow of War Cover.webp","97029\u002FShadow of War Header.webp","2017-10-10","2024-09-14T01:27:45.173089-04:00","2026-03-27T17:12:42.113824-04:00",27421,"middle-earth-shadow-of-war",true,"https:\u002F\u002Fyoutu.be\u002FvlBZNbSIsBI",0,83.82,356190,[21,52,76,101,126,152,186,213,238,261,293,320,353,377,402,426,447,469,493,519,542,565,586,609,630],{"id":22,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":23,"author":24,"original_score":32,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":34,"review_date":35,"summary":36,"created_at":37,"updated_at":37,"author_id":25,"last_edited_at":37,"outlet":38},145762,150,{"id":25,"bio":26,"name":27,"avg_score":28,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":29,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":30,"claim_token":26,"article_count":31,"claimed_by_user_id":26},12407,null,"Brodie Gibbons",78,"2025-05-07T19:13:36.236185-04:00","2026-08-12T07:21:16.814317-04:00",131,"8",80,"https:\u002F\u002Fpress-start.com.au\u002Freviews\u002Fplaystation4-reviews\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F05\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-war-review-titanic-experience\u002F","2025-05-07","Shadow of Mordor was a bombastic, grandiose romp through a very storied land, steeped in a much-beloved history, as penned by Tolkien. Shadow of War takes what made the original such a great experience and magnifies it tenfold, blowing it up into a titanic game. Embrace the Bright Lord and play this game if you've got even a passing interest in the Lord of the Rings saga. Even if you don't, this high-fantasy action game has a bit of everything.","2025-05-07T19:36:21.17968-04:00",{"id":23,"logo":39,"name":40,"slug":41,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":42,"youtube":42,"facebook":43,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":44,"website_url":45,"score_format":46,"average_score":47,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":50,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":51,"reviews_editor_email":50,"editor_in_chief_email":50,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpress-start-logo.jpg","Press Start","press-start","pressstartau","PressStartAu","Bringing the best of gaming to Australia!","https:\u002F\u002Fpress-start.com.au\u002F","10",79,"UTC","2025-07-04T09:28:49.429906","shannon.grixti@sca.com.au","Australia",{"id":53,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":54,"author":55,"original_score":32,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":62,"review_date":63,"summary":64,"created_at":65,"updated_at":65,"author_id":56,"last_edited_at":65,"outlet":66},47152,63,{"id":56,"bio":26,"name":57,"avg_score":58,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":59,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":60,"claim_token":26,"article_count":61,"claimed_by_user_id":26},4080,"Robert Ramsey",74.17040358744394,"2025-01-19T09:41:04.102225-05:00","2026-07-30T18:36:44.928187-04:00",223,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pushsquare.com\u002Freviews\u002Fps4\u002Fmiddle-earth_shadow_of_war","2020-10-28","Republished on Wednesday 28th October 2020: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of November's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.","2025-01-19T09:55:50.665277-05:00",{"id":54,"logo":67,"name":68,"slug":69,"tags":70,"bluesky":71,"twitter":72,"youtube":72,"facebook":72,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":73,"website_url":74,"score_format":46,"average_score":75,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FPush-Square-Logo.jpg","Push Square","push-square","[  \n  'independent',\n  'online_media'\n  ]","pushsquare.com","pushsquare","All the very latest PS5 \u002F PSVR2 \u002F PlayStation Plus \u002F PS4 news, reviews and features. Do you Push Square?","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pushsquare.com\u002F",71,{"id":77,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":78,"author":79,"original_score":32,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":86,"review_date":87,"summary":88,"created_at":89,"updated_at":89,"author_id":80,"last_edited_at":89,"outlet":90},140326,147,{"id":80,"bio":26,"name":81,"avg_score":82,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":83,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":84,"claim_token":26,"article_count":85,"claimed_by_user_id":26},11808,"Kieran Stockton",74.86861313868613,"2025-04-30T12:50:03.53886-04:00","2026-07-23T11:52:05.282699-04:00",138,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.well-played.com.au\u002Fshadow-war-review\u002F","2017-11-04","While its gameplay stylings are going to mostly feel familiar, Shadow of War is an impressive package and far more expansive than the original, but when is a lot of a good thing too much?","2025-04-30T13:04:40.434389-04:00",{"id":78,"logo":91,"name":92,"slug":93,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":94,"youtube":95,"facebook":96,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":97,"website_url":98,"score_format":46,"average_score":99,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":100,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":51,"reviews_editor_email":100,"editor_in_chief_email":100,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fwellplayed-logo.png","WellPlayed","wellplayed","WellPlayed_AU","@WellPlayed_AU","WellPlayedau","A small collective of avid Aussie gamers, who have ventured out on their own and present their spin on the gaming world.","https:\u002F\u002Fwell-played.com.au\u002F",77,"zach@well-played.com.au",{"id":102,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":103,"author":104,"original_score":111,"normalized_score":112,"review_url":113,"review_date":114,"summary":115,"created_at":116,"updated_at":116,"author_id":105,"last_edited_at":116,"outlet":117},134365,143,{"id":105,"bio":26,"name":106,"avg_score":107,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":108,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":109,"claim_token":26,"article_count":110,"claimed_by_user_id":26},11089,"Jamie Laike Tsui",72.63157894736842,"2025-04-25T12:15:55.605701-04:00","2025-05-20T03:50:44.094558-04:00",228,"8.5",85,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.capsulecomputers.com.au\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","2017-10-31","Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is the sequel Shadow of Mordor deserves.","2025-04-25T12:45:37.854586-04:00",{"id":103,"logo":118,"name":119,"slug":120,"tags":26,"bluesky":121,"twitter":122,"youtube":26,"facebook":123,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":124,"website_url":125,"score_format":46,"average_score":28,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fcapsule-computers-logo.jpg","Capsule Computers","capsule-computers","@capsulecomputers.bsky.social","@capsulecomputer","CapsuleComputers","Capsule Computers is a global independent media site that aims to be the best in delivering news about video games, entertainment, pop culture and anime. Capsule Computers was founded in July of 2009.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.capsulecomputers.com.au\u002F",{"id":127,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":128,"author":129,"original_score":136,"normalized_score":137,"review_url":138,"review_date":139,"summary":140,"created_at":141,"updated_at":141,"author_id":130,"last_edited_at":141,"outlet":142},80113,59,{"id":130,"bio":26,"name":131,"avg_score":132,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":133,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":134,"claim_token":26,"article_count":135,"claimed_by_user_id":26},6028,"Kinsey Danzis",80.25,"2025-02-12T05:51:51.882987-05:00","2025-02-12T06:04:34.909907-05:00",25,"8.8",88,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamingnexus.com\u002FArticle\u002F5505\u002FMiddle-Earth-Shadow-of-War\u002F","2017-10-27","Middle-earth: Shadow of War is great for veterans and tough for newcomers, but a joy to play for either party once you get a hang of the mechanics. It gets tedious at times, and there are missed opportunities here and there, but the Nemesis System that was a beacon of success in the first game has come back bigger and better than ever. It's definitely a return to Middle-earth that is worth the play, and an homage to Tolkien's works that everyone can appreciate.","2025-02-12T05:55:31.023299-05:00",{"id":128,"logo":143,"name":144,"slug":145,"tags":146,"bluesky":26,"twitter":147,"youtube":26,"facebook":148,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":149,"website_url":150,"score_format":46,"average_score":33,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":151,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGaming-Nexus-Logo.jpg","Gaming Nexus","gaming-nexus","[  \n  'independent',\n  'online_media',\n  'ingestion_pending'\n  ]","GamingNexus","gamingnexus","Established in 1997, Gaming Nexus is an ad-free site, writing honest video game reviews and covering industry news.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingnexus.com\u002F","ehauter@gamingnexus.com",{"id":153,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":154,"author":155,"original_score":111,"normalized_score":112,"review_url":161,"review_date":162,"summary":163,"created_at":164,"updated_at":164,"author_id":156,"last_edited_at":165,"outlet":166},1348,1,{"id":156,"bio":26,"name":157,"avg_score":158,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":159,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":159,"claim_token":26,"article_count":160,"claimed_by_user_id":26},105,"Will Cravens",82,"2024-10-07T19:14:24.643283-04:00",5,"https:\u002F\u002Ftechraptor.net\u002Fgaming\u002Freviews\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review-nemesis-reborn","2017-10-26","Middle-Earth: Shadow of War like its predecessor is built upon the dynamic \"Nemesis System.\" While the sequel offers an interesting story, it often becomes convoluted between the various arcs it wants to go in. Thankfully, the second by second gameplay has never felt better. With the addition of Shadow Wars, the best parts of the game will continue long after the story ends.","2024-10-07T19:18:48.181614-04:00","2024-12-29T20:20:33.816897-05:00",{"id":154,"logo":167,"name":168,"slug":169,"tags":146,"bluesky":170,"twitter":168,"youtube":171,"facebook":168,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":172,"claimed_at":26,"description":173,"website_url":174,"score_format":46,"average_score":175,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":176,"stats_updated_at":177,"headquarters_city":178,"news_editor_email":179,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":180,"reviews_this_month":160,"active_authors_count":160,"headquarters_country":181,"reviews_editor_email":182,"editor_in_chief_email":183,"published_authors_count":184,"published_reviews_count":185},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTechRaptor%20Logo.png","TechRaptor","techraptor","techraptor.net","@techraptor","https:\u002F\u002Fmuckrack.com\u002Fmedia-outlet\u002Ftechraptor","TechRaptor is a gaming website that covers topics around video games and tabletop games for gamers.  Whether it is news, reviews, features, or guides – we're your source for high quality game coverage since 2013.","https:\u002F\u002Ftechraptor.net",74,"2026-04-16","2026-04-21T12:25:16.686278","Indianapolis","jallen@techraptor.net","8df87287-e31d-40dd-bd62-4fe839efbe0e","United States","sam@techraptor.net","aotton@techraptor.net",144,1466,{"id":187,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":188,"author":189,"original_score":196,"normalized_score":197,"review_url":198,"review_date":199,"summary":200,"created_at":201,"updated_at":201,"author_id":190,"last_edited_at":202,"outlet":203},136275,148,{"id":190,"bio":26,"name":191,"avg_score":192,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":193,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":194,"claim_token":26,"article_count":195,"claimed_by_user_id":26},11153,"Josh McGrath",68.85245901639344,"2025-04-25T14:41:38.81006-04:00","2025-04-25T17:10:40.857796-04:00",183,"7\u002F10",70,"https:\u002F\u002Fgamerescape.com\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F23\u002Freview-middle-earth-shadow-of-war\u002F","2017-10-23","Shadow of War managed to grab hold of me much harder than any other open-world game ever has. Despite its inherant faults, I still had a great time playing through, and can’t say I regret the hours I put in to it. For fans of the original, the expansion of the Nemesis system alone is worth giving the game a shot. For newcomers to the series, or even the genre as a whole, this game is a worthy entry point.","2025-04-25T16:52:00.806282-04:00","2025-04-25T17:10:28.085724-04:00",{"id":188,"logo":204,"name":205,"slug":206,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":207,"youtube":208,"facebook":207,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":209,"website_url":210,"score_format":46,"average_score":175,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":211,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":181,"reviews_editor_email":211,"editor_in_chief_email":212,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fgamerescape-logo.jpg","Gamer Escape","gamer-escape","gamerescape","@GamerEscape","We're a website that loves to talk about video games.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamerescape.com\u002F","press@gamerescape.com","joel@gamerescape.com",{"id":214,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":215,"author":216,"original_score":223,"normalized_score":17,"review_url":224,"review_date":199,"summary":225,"created_at":226,"updated_at":226,"author_id":217,"last_edited_at":226,"outlet":227},151362,153,{"id":217,"bio":26,"name":218,"avg_score":219,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":220,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":221,"claim_token":26,"article_count":222,"claimed_by_user_id":26},12921,"Spencer Legacy",77.601246105919,"2025-05-12T16:43:10.803361-04:00","2026-08-17T10:12:48.787223-04:00",448,"","https:\u002F\u002Fmonstervine.com\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review-orc-dating-simulator\u002F","On the sound front, Shadow of Mordor is quite well-done. The voice work is exceptional, especially for Orc captains. It would be easy for these orcs to blend together if they had identical voices, but they’re given enough variation to give each captain their own personality. My favorite voice would have to be Alastair Duncan, the voice of Celebrimbor. Duncan gives Celebrimbor a refined but cutting voice that makes everything he says feel cryptic but confident, cementing him as the best character in the game. The sound effects are great as well, as every slash, stab, and ghostly punch gives off a visceral and crisp sound that makes combat feel more intense.","2025-05-12T17:46:09.454276-04:00",{"id":215,"logo":228,"name":229,"slug":230,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":230,"youtube":231,"facebook":230,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":232,"website_url":233,"score_format":234,"average_score":28,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":235,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":181,"reviews_editor_email":236,"editor_in_chief_email":237,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fmonstervine-logo.png","MonsterVine","monstervine","@MonsterVineOfficial","We Cover Video Game News, Reviews, Previews, and More.","https:\u002F\u002Fmonstervine.com\u002F","5","austin@monstervine.com","will@monstervine.com","diego@monstervine.com",{"id":239,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":240,"author":241,"original_score":248,"normalized_score":17,"review_url":249,"review_date":199,"summary":250,"created_at":251,"updated_at":251,"author_id":242,"last_edited_at":251,"outlet":252},103447,140,{"id":242,"bio":26,"name":243,"avg_score":244,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":245,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":246,"claim_token":26,"article_count":247,"claimed_by_user_id":26},9003,"Elliot Attard",76.16666666666667,"2025-03-25T20:36:29.304263-04:00","2025-08-11T18:50:12.410767-04:00",117,"Unscored","https:\u002F\u002Fcheckpointgaming.net\u002Freviews\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","Talion has returned to Middle-earth alongside his annoyingly grumpy and totally overpowered wraith\u002Felf sidekick (Celebrimbor) to fight a systematic hierarchy of talkative Orcs. Yes, we are of course talking about Middle-earth: Shadow of War.","2025-03-25T20:55:38.48728-04:00",{"id":240,"logo":253,"name":254,"slug":255,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":256,"youtube":26,"facebook":257,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":258,"website_url":259,"score_format":46,"average_score":175,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":260,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":51,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fcheckpoint-gaming.jpg","Checkpoint Gaming","checkpoint-gaming","checkpointAU","checkpoint.joy949","Join us every Saturday 2PM on JOY94.9 for all the latest news, reviews & more in the gaming world!","https:\u002F\u002Fcheckpointgaming.net\u002F","Melbourne",{"id":262,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":263,"author":264,"original_score":271,"normalized_score":272,"review_url":273,"review_date":274,"summary":275,"created_at":276,"updated_at":276,"author_id":265,"last_edited_at":276,"outlet":277},82926,128,{"id":265,"bio":26,"name":266,"avg_score":267,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":268,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":269,"claim_token":26,"article_count":270,"claimed_by_user_id":26},2066,"Gary Marston",76.8,"2024-12-02T11:21:54.313128-05:00","2025-02-26T08:31:24.245334-05:00",12,"4.5\u002F5",90,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theouterhaven.net\u002F2017\u002F10\u002Fthe-outerhaven-reviews-the-latest-middle-earth-game-by-monolith-productions\u002F","2017-10-22","Overall","2025-02-25T12:11:55.087376-05:00",{"id":263,"logo":278,"name":279,"slug":280,"tags":26,"bluesky":281,"twitter":282,"youtube":223,"facebook":283,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":284,"website_url":285,"score_format":234,"average_score":47,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":286,"stats_updated_at":287,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":288,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":289,"active_authors_count":290,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":288,"editor_in_chief_email":288,"published_authors_count":291,"published_reviews_count":292},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FThe-Outerhaven-Logo.jpeg","The OuterHaven","the-outerhaven","theouterhaven.net","TheOuterHaven","Theouterhaven","http:\u002F\u002FTheouterhaven.net is an independent media outlet bringing you brutally honest coverage of video games, anime, manga.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.theouterhaven.net\u002F","2026-02-17","2026-02-18T13:36:24.504381","Keith@theouterhaven.net",11,8,56,609,{"id":294,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":295,"author":296,"original_score":302,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":303,"review_date":304,"summary":305,"created_at":306,"updated_at":306,"author_id":297,"last_edited_at":307,"outlet":308},93246,133,{"id":297,"bio":26,"name":298,"avg_score":299,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":300,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":301,"claim_token":26,"article_count":47,"claimed_by_user_id":26},7042,"Chris J Capel",77.9746835443038,"2025-03-03T18:15:23.398488-05:00","2025-03-17T11:04:56.98854-04:00","8.0","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gamewatcher.com\u002Freviews\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F12908","2017-10-21","Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is an excellent sequel stuffed with content, although it’s one with provisos all the way. It’s great to see a high quality Tolkien story telling an exciting new tale in the Middle-Earth saga, but it’s a little too fan fiction with plenty of lore-breaking moments. The gameplay is excellent and never less than fun, but you often feel you’re going through the motions of the last game – until you’re not and you’re going through the epic but slightly repet...","2025-03-17T11:03:32.437355-04:00","2025-03-24T11:27:29.134694-04:00",{"id":295,"logo":309,"name":310,"slug":311,"tags":26,"bluesky":312,"twitter":313,"youtube":314,"facebook":310,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":315,"website_url":316,"score_format":46,"average_score":28,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":317,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":318,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":319,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameWatcher-Logo.jpeg","GameWatcher","gamewatcher","gamewatcher.com","GameWatcherCom","@GameWatcher-Strategy","GameWatcher is a games media site focusing on Strategy and Horror Games.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamewatcher.com","bogdanrobertmates@gmail.com","United Kingdom","Jamie@gamewatcher.com",{"id":321,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":322,"author":323,"original_score":331,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":332,"review_date":333,"summary":334,"created_at":335,"updated_at":335,"author_id":324,"last_edited_at":336,"outlet":337},92370,130,{"id":324,"bio":26,"name":325,"avg_score":326,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":327,"profile_id":328,"updated_at":329,"claim_token":26,"article_count":330,"claimed_by_user_id":328},7700,"Ron Burke",83.9329268292683,"2025-03-15T20:35:30.905073-04:00","4158bd16-00ab-4281-ae07-be5ff5c90f83","2025-09-24T09:07:34.263887-04:00",165,"80","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingtrend.com\u002Freviews\u002Fgo-now-and-die-in-what-way-seems-best-to-you-middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","2017-10-20","Massive in scope and improving on its predecessor, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a triumph in every way that matters. While certain aspects are underdeveloped, or simplified to embrace “player choice”, the Nemesis 2.0 system, combat improvements, and genuinely engaging combat system keep things fresh for the 40 hour adventure.  If only they hadn’t followed the movies and extended the ending well past its welcome.","2025-03-16T16:31:20.019929-04:00","2025-07-08T15:25:25.524871-04:00",{"id":322,"logo":338,"name":339,"slug":340,"tags":26,"bluesky":341,"twitter":339,"youtube":342,"facebook":339,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":343,"website_url":344,"score_format":345,"average_score":47,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":346,"stats_updated_at":347,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":348,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":160,"active_authors_count":290,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":349,"editor_in_chief_email":350,"published_authors_count":351,"published_reviews_count":352},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGamingTrend-Logo.jpg","GamingTrend","gamingtrend","gamingtrend.com","@GamingTrendVideos","From the table to the screen, and everything in between!","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingtrend.com","100","2025-07-14","2025-07-16T19:33:01.762266","news@gamingtrend.com","reviews@gamingtrend.com","rburke@gamingtrend.com",75,805,{"id":354,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":355,"author":356,"original_score":363,"normalized_score":272,"review_url":364,"review_date":365,"summary":366,"created_at":367,"updated_at":367,"author_id":357,"last_edited_at":368,"outlet":369},99462,137,{"id":357,"bio":26,"name":358,"avg_score":359,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":360,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":361,"claim_token":26,"article_count":362,"claimed_by_user_id":26},8936,"Tyler Hall",76.20930232558139,"2025-03-25T14:18:43.127732-04:00","2025-03-25T14:22:15.400081-04:00",86,"9.0","https:\u002F\u002Fvideochums.com\u002Freview\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war","2017-10-18","Mordor's original odd couple are back in Middle-earth: Shadow of War. You control Talion, the resurrected ranger of Gondor who was slain and brought back to life by the wraith spirit Celebrimbor. Still fused, the two set out to take on Sauron's armies.","2025-03-25T14:20:56.757171-04:00","2025-03-25T15:21:56.668776-04:00",{"id":355,"logo":370,"name":371,"slug":372,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":373,"youtube":26,"facebook":26,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":374,"website_url":375,"score_format":46,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FVideo-Chums.jpg","Video Chums","video-chums","VideoChums","Video Chums brings you great video game reviews and fun top 10 lists for new and retro video games.","https:\u002F\u002Fvideochums.com\u002F",76,{"id":378,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":379,"author":380,"original_score":387,"normalized_score":197,"review_url":388,"review_date":389,"summary":390,"created_at":391,"updated_at":391,"author_id":381,"last_edited_at":391,"outlet":392},67407,10,{"id":381,"bio":26,"name":382,"avg_score":383,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":384,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":385,"claim_token":26,"article_count":386,"claimed_by_user_id":26},1377,"Chris Carter",75.40625,"2024-11-28T10:24:44.075527-05:00","2026-08-03T20:23:13.928075-04:00",483,"\n\t\t\t7\t\t","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.destructoid.com\u002Freviews\u002Freview-middle-earth-shadow-of-war\u002F","2017-10-11","Middle-earth: Shadow of War has a lot of fluff that attempts to sabotage it, but it succeeds in its effort to make its hollow and silly world worth roaming around and killing things in. Although I wasn’t enthralled by the absurd story beats that try to dance around telling an actual epic and somber tale, the ability to create my own stories with an expanded level of depth was more than sufficient to call this a step up.","2025-01-29T08:00:02.5939-05:00",{"id":379,"logo":393,"name":394,"slug":395,"tags":396,"bluesky":397,"twitter":395,"youtube":398,"facebook":394,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":399,"website_url":400,"score_format":46,"average_score":175,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":401,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDestructoid-Logo.png","Destructoid","destructoid","[  \n  'corporate_owned',\n  'inactive',\n  'online_media'\n  ]","destructoid.bsky.social","@DTOID","Destructoid is a Webby Award-winning video game-focused blog that was founded in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzales.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.destructoid.com","chriscarter@destructoid.com",{"id":403,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":404,"author":405,"original_score":412,"normalized_score":413,"review_url":414,"review_date":10,"summary":415,"created_at":416,"updated_at":416,"author_id":406,"last_edited_at":417,"outlet":418},105752,139,{"id":406,"bio":26,"name":407,"avg_score":408,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":409,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":410,"claim_token":26,"article_count":411,"claimed_by_user_id":26},5151,"William Murphy",79.86986301369863,"2025-01-28T19:36:27.126365-05:00","2025-08-19T02:35:07.957746-04:00",154,"8.7",87,"https:\u002F\u002Fgamespace.com\u002Freviews\u002Fpc-reviews\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","Shadow of War may not be perfect. Its camera can still get lost, Talion’s free-running can often be a hindrance rather than a help, and the UI can sometimes bug out for no apparent reason in menus and the main game. But these are little issues in a very large game, and even with the Loot Boxes as optional purchases (they truly are optional), I can’t help but recommend this game to any and all fans of open world adventures. With or without the DLC there are dozens of hours of playtime to b...","2025-03-27T07:52:13.551974-04:00","2025-09-02T06:30:16.573313-04:00",{"id":404,"logo":419,"name":420,"slug":421,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":422,"youtube":26,"facebook":26,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":423,"website_url":424,"score_format":46,"average_score":33,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":425,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":181,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGameSpace.jpg","GameSpace","gamespace","GameSpacecom","The Bestest Place for Gaming News, Videos and Reviews.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamespace.com\u002F","Cleveland",{"id":427,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":428,"author":429,"original_score":32,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":434,"review_date":435,"summary":436,"created_at":437,"updated_at":437,"author_id":430,"last_edited_at":437,"outlet":438},81696,44,{"id":430,"bio":26,"name":431,"avg_score":175,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":432,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":433,"claim_token":26,"article_count":160,"claimed_by_user_id":26},6542,"Alex Seedhouse","2025-02-12T20:21:29.239678-05:00","2025-03-04T18:57:01.04494-05:00","https:\u002F\u002Frpgsite.net\u002Freview\u002F6180-middle-earth-shadow-of-war-review","2017-10-09","With Uruk-hai rallied to your side, this return to Middle-earth impresses in its fearless ambition but is soon let down by repetitive mission design.","2025-02-13T06:04:34.944867-05:00",{"id":428,"logo":439,"name":440,"slug":441,"tags":146,"bluesky":442,"twitter":441,"youtube":443,"facebook":444,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":445,"website_url":446,"score_format":46,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FRPGSite%20Logo.jpg","RPGSite","rpgsite","rpgsite.net","rpgsitenet","RPGSite.net","We love role playing video games, so we report on them all day every day. Expect critique, news, reviews, guides, trivia & more!","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rpgsite.net\u002F",{"id":448,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":449,"author":450,"original_score":26,"normalized_score":26,"review_url":456,"review_date":457,"summary":458,"created_at":459,"updated_at":459,"author_id":451,"last_edited_at":165,"outlet":460},32208,36,{"id":451,"bio":26,"name":452,"avg_score":26,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":453,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":454,"claim_token":26,"article_count":455,"claimed_by_user_id":26},3405,"Philip Kollar","2024-12-06T18:04:00.021364-05:00","2024-12-06T18:43:55.178825-05:00",30,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F5\u002F16428308\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review","2017-10-05","Shadow of Mordor was unrefined but in a way that was ahead of its time. Playing it felt like glimpsing the future of big action games. Monolith’s attempts to build on that vision in Shadow of War are often successful, particularly where the deeper Nemesis System is concerned. But other pieces of this sequel feel undercooked, getting in the way of what should be a great time. Shadow of War provided plenty of fun in the 30 or 40 hours I’ve spent with it so far, but somehow this future seemed so much brighter in 2014.","2024-12-06T18:04:39.49585-05:00",{"id":449,"logo":461,"name":462,"slug":463,"tags":464,"bluesky":465,"twitter":463,"youtube":463,"facebook":463,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":466,"website_url":467,"score_format":468,"average_score":26,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fpolygon-logo.png","Polygon","polygon","[  \n  'corporate_owned',\n  'online_media'\n  ]","polygon.com","Covering video games, entertainment, and the culture around them. We find, share, and investigate the things you love and the people who make and enjoy them.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.polygon.com\u002F","unscored",{"id":470,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":471,"author":472,"original_score":363,"normalized_score":272,"review_url":479,"review_date":457,"summary":480,"created_at":481,"updated_at":481,"author_id":473,"last_edited_at":165,"outlet":482},28938,29,{"id":473,"bio":26,"name":474,"avg_score":475,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":476,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":477,"claim_token":26,"article_count":478,"claimed_by_user_id":26},3042,"Shubhankar Parijat",77.5,"2024-12-05T09:02:20.091375-05:00","2026-05-25T20:06:22.924979-04:00",204,"https:\u002F\u002Fgamingbolt.com\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review-the-perfect-sequel","Shadow of War is the perfect sequel- it builds on its predecessor’s strengths, improves upon its weaknesses, and makes strong, smart additions of its own, bringing it all together for an addictive and unforgettable experience.","2024-12-05T09:36:50.239237-05:00",{"id":471,"logo":483,"name":484,"slug":485,"tags":486,"bluesky":26,"twitter":487,"youtube":488,"facebook":489,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":490,"website_url":491,"score_format":46,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":492,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGaming%20Bolt%20Logo.png","GamingBolt","gamingbolt","[  \n  'corporate_owned',\n  'online_media',\n  'ingestion_pending'\n  ]","GamingBoltTweet","GamingBoltLive","gamingbolt.official","We are one of the most frequently updated sources of gaming news on the internet. We cover everything from gaming consoles to handhelds.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamingbolt.com","admin@gamingbolt.com",{"id":494,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":495,"author":496,"original_score":503,"normalized_score":112,"review_url":504,"review_date":457,"summary":505,"created_at":506,"updated_at":506,"author_id":497,"last_edited_at":507,"outlet":508},147955,152,{"id":497,"bio":26,"name":498,"avg_score":499,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":500,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":501,"claim_token":26,"article_count":502,"claimed_by_user_id":26},8054,"Richard Walker",75.47151277013752,"2025-03-17T11:09:04.392078-04:00","2025-05-27T18:47:33.738128-04:00",627,"85","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.xboxachievements.com\u002Fgame\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war\u002Freview\u002F","A textbook example of how to make a great sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War takes the first game's template and expands upon it in a meaningful and interesting way. The result is a follow-up that's not only a lot bigger, but it's also a lot better. It talks the talk, and yes, it also Orcs the Orc.","2025-05-08T10:47:41.76617-04:00","2025-05-08T11:03:03.26738-04:00",{"id":495,"logo":509,"name":510,"slug":511,"tags":26,"bluesky":26,"twitter":512,"youtube":513,"facebook":514,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":515,"website_url":516,"score_format":345,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":517,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":318,"reviews_editor_email":517,"editor_in_chief_email":518,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fxbox-achievements-logo.jpg","Xbox Achievements","xbox-achievements","XboxAchs","reseronetwork","XboxAchievements","Your number #1 non-stop Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One & Xbox 360 resource site.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.xboxachievements.com\u002F","rich.walker@reseronetwork.com","dan.webb@reseronetwork.com",{"id":520,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":521,"author":522,"original_score":529,"normalized_score":272,"review_url":530,"review_date":457,"summary":531,"created_at":532,"updated_at":532,"author_id":523,"last_edited_at":532,"outlet":533},73082,69,{"id":523,"bio":26,"name":524,"avg_score":525,"outlet_id":521,"created_at":526,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":527,"claim_token":26,"article_count":528,"claimed_by_user_id":26},5591,"Dan Stapleton",77.28,"2025-02-06T08:41:47.676628-05:00","2025-09-30T19:34:52.528838-04:00",100,"9","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ign.com\u002Farticles\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F05\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review","Similar to the way Batman: Arkham City built on the foundation of Arkham Asylum, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is bigger and more ambitious in scope than Shadow of Mordor, with great results. The way it expands the Nemesis system with far greater variety and fortress sieges makes even better use of the stand-out generated characters, and its battles with memorable uruk captains remain challenging all the way through the campaign and into the clever asynchronous multiplayer beyond.","2025-02-06T11:10:33.729971-05:00",{"id":521,"logo":534,"name":535,"slug":536,"tags":464,"bluesky":537,"twitter":535,"youtube":538,"facebook":535,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":539,"website_url":540,"score_format":46,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":541,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":181,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":26,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FIGN-logo.jpg","IGN","ign","ign.com","@IGN","We're all about video games, movies, TV, and comics!","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ign.com\u002F","Los Angeles",{"id":543,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":291,"author":544,"original_score":302,"normalized_score":33,"review_url":551,"review_date":457,"summary":552,"created_at":553,"updated_at":553,"author_id":545,"last_edited_at":553,"outlet":554},77764,{"id":545,"bio":26,"name":546,"avg_score":547,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":548,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":549,"claim_token":26,"article_count":550,"claimed_by_user_id":26},5582,"Jim Hargreaves",64.63855421686748,"2025-02-05T22:00:57.16195-05:00","2026-07-25T08:03:52.664406-04:00",198,"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thesixthaxis.com\u002F2017\u002F10\u002F05\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","Middle-earth: Shadow of War is massive, yet at the same time a prime example of a sequel that’s bigger, but not necessarily any better than the original. Once again the Nemesis system shines, allowing players to forge their own unique stories, even if the game tries to do too much with it at times. Getting caught in its tangle of new systems and features can be frustrating, but there’s still a great open world game here.","2025-02-10T14:05:33.342025-05:00",{"id":291,"logo":555,"name":556,"slug":557,"tags":146,"bluesky":558,"twitter":556,"youtube":557,"facebook":556,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":559,"website_url":560,"score_format":46,"average_score":561,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":562,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":563,"editor_in_chief_email":564,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FTheSixthAxis-Logo.jpg","TheSixthAxis","thesixthaxis","thesixthaxis.bsky.social","All the latest videos gaming news, reviews, guides, and opinion.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thesixthaxis.com\u002F",73,"aran@thesixthaxis.com","dom@thesixthaxis.com","teflon@thesixthaxis.com",{"id":566,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":567,"author":568,"original_score":574,"normalized_score":112,"review_url":575,"review_date":457,"summary":576,"created_at":577,"updated_at":577,"author_id":569,"last_edited_at":165,"outlet":578},19309,13,{"id":569,"bio":26,"name":570,"avg_score":571,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":572,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":573,"claim_token":26,"article_count":471,"claimed_by_user_id":26},2030,"Logan Moore",77.2,"2024-12-02T10:51:24.265926-05:00","2025-01-27T08:53:37.236149-05:00","8.5\u002F10","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dualshockers.com\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","Shadow of War finds its success in perfectly expanding upon everything that made Shadow of Mordor so great. Despite the game's slow start, once you get into the weeds of Shadow of War's systems, you'll find yourself engrossed and addicted to its satisfying gameplay loop for hours on end. This increased depth along with the much larger scale of the world and battles within Shadow of War make it a far better game from top to bottom than that of its predecessor.","2024-12-02T11:42:02.974042-05:00",{"id":567,"logo":579,"name":580,"slug":581,"tags":486,"bluesky":582,"twitter":580,"youtube":583,"facebook":580,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":26,"website_url":584,"score_format":46,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":585,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FDualshockers-logo.jpg","DualShockers","dualshockers","dualshockers.bsky.social","Dualshockers","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.dualshockers.com"," editorial@dualshockers.com",{"id":587,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":197,"author":588,"original_score":594,"normalized_score":272,"review_url":595,"review_date":457,"summary":596,"created_at":597,"updated_at":597,"author_id":589,"last_edited_at":597,"outlet":598},75694,{"id":589,"bio":26,"name":590,"avg_score":591,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":592,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":593,"claim_token":26,"article_count":567,"claimed_by_user_id":26},5802,"Greg Burke",83.84615384615384,"2025-02-08T08:47:32.347403-05:00","2025-07-08T19:09:50.73391-04:00","9\u002F10","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.shacknews.com\u002Farticle\u002F101596\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review-high-fantasy-at-its-finest","I highly recommend Middle-earth: Shadow of War. It’s a fantastic game with a near flawless execution.The journey is enjoyable and the characters you help and hinder throughout the game make it an memorable experience. If you’re looking for a high quality, AAA single-player game, look no further than Shadow of War.","2025-02-08T09:08:05.586427-05:00",{"id":197,"logo":599,"name":600,"slug":601,"tags":486,"bluesky":26,"twitter":601,"youtube":602,"facebook":601,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":603,"website_url":604,"score_format":46,"average_score":376,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":605,"news_editor_email":606,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":181,"reviews_editor_email":607,"editor_in_chief_email":608,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FShackNews-Logo.jpg","ShackNews","shacknews","Shacknewsgames","Gaming News on the Cutting Edge of Technology.","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.shacknews.com\u002F","Canton, OH","tj.denzer@shacknews.com","bill.lavoy@shacknews.com","asif.khan@shacknews.com",{"id":610,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":33,"author":611,"original_score":529,"normalized_score":272,"review_url":618,"review_date":457,"summary":619,"created_at":620,"updated_at":620,"author_id":612,"last_edited_at":620,"outlet":621},59943,{"id":612,"bio":26,"name":613,"avg_score":614,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":615,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":616,"claim_token":26,"article_count":617,"claimed_by_user_id":26},4840,"Denny Connolly",74.72222222222223,"2025-01-26T12:38:12.752065-05:00","2025-02-09T09:32:05.614158-05:00",40,"https:\u002F\u002Fgamerant.com\u002F\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-review\u002F","Shadow of War offers dozens of hours of entertainment for gamers who enjoy action adventure titles with a strong splash of RPG elements. The moving parts may be a touch too complicated for the most casual gamers, but players who are patient enough to master all of the game's systems will be rewarded with an exciting story, control of a powerful army, and an unstoppable protagonist.","2025-01-26T15:34:12.61933-05:00",{"id":33,"logo":622,"name":623,"slug":624,"tags":486,"bluesky":26,"twitter":625,"youtube":626,"facebook":625,"mastodon":223,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":627,"website_url":628,"score_format":46,"average_score":175,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":26,"news_editor_email":26,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":26,"reviews_editor_email":26,"editor_in_chief_email":629,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002FGame-Rant-Logo.png","Game Rant","game-rant","GameRant","@GameRant","Game Rant launched as an online gaming publication in 2009, and we're now a leader in gaming news, reviews, analysis, community discussions, and gaming guides.","https:\u002F\u002Fgamerant.com\u002F","editorial@gamerant.com",{"id":631,"game_id":5,"outlet_id":351,"author":632,"original_score":639,"normalized_score":640,"review_url":641,"review_date":457,"summary":642,"created_at":643,"updated_at":643,"author_id":633,"last_edited_at":643,"outlet":644},88326,{"id":633,"bio":26,"name":634,"avg_score":635,"outlet_id":26,"created_at":636,"profile_id":26,"updated_at":637,"claim_token":26,"article_count":638,"claimed_by_user_id":26},5821,"Kai Tatsumoto",80.2840909090909,"2025-02-08T11:21:38.932748-05:00","2026-08-17T10:48:58.465545-04:00",179,"8.9\u002F10",89,"https:\u002F\u002Fwccftech.com\u002Freview\u002Fmiddle-earth-shadow-of-war-grander-scale\u002F","Middle-earth has been a fantasy setting that’s been neglected in recent years. After the well-deserved fame of the original trilogy wore off, as did its influence on gaming. It wasn’t until a surprise hit from Monolith Productions and Warner Bros in 2014 that JRR Tolkien’s masterwork would be given new virtual life with a surprisingly in-depth adventure that few were expecting.","2025-03-04T09:40:54.016721-05:00",{"id":351,"logo":645,"name":646,"slug":647,"tags":146,"bluesky":26,"twitter":647,"youtube":648,"facebook":647,"mastodon":26,"muckrack":26,"claimed_at":26,"description":649,"website_url":650,"score_format":46,"average_score":47,"default_timezone":48,"last_review_date":26,"stats_updated_at":49,"headquarters_city":651,"news_editor_email":652,"platforms_covered":26,"claimed_by_user_id":26,"reviews_this_month":17,"active_authors_count":17,"headquarters_country":653,"reviews_editor_email":654,"editor_in_chief_email":655,"published_authors_count":17,"published_reviews_count":17},"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.criticdb.com\u002Fstorage\u002Fv1\u002Fobject\u002Fpublic\u002Favatars\u002FOutlets\u002Fwccftech-logo.jpg","WCCFtech","wccftech","wccftechtv","We bring you the latest from hardware, mobile tech, gaming and internet industries","https:\u002F\u002Fwccftech.com\u002F","Vancouver","nate@wccftech.com","Canada","kai@wccftech.com","saad@wccftech.com"]