‘He stands not alone’

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Instead of fighting alone or with a few companions, War sees you recruiting an entire army to take on Sauron’s forces. Here again the Nemesis System shines. The creatures you turn to your side all have their own traits, allowing you to build a real sense of ownership of your band of warriors.

‘All’s well that ends better’

So, bigger, yes. Better? Definitely. Shadow of War does what a sequel should, improving on the best parts of the original and adding exciting new features. Much has been written about the inclusion of loot boxes, and this is the only real misstep the game makes. Fortunately, while the constant reminder of their existence is irritating, you don’t need to buy loot boxes with real-life cash to enjoy and complete the game.

Monolith has created the quintessential orc-killing simulator, and while Tolkien probably wouldn’t approve, any action game fan would be hard-pressed not to.

—Michael Coetzee is a Web News Editor on gulfnews.com. He suffers withdrawal symptoms when he’s more than three metres away from a controller or keyboard.