Sequel to ‘Shadow of Mordor’ arrives this August

'Middle-Earth: Shadow of War' officially confirmed, out this August

By Imad Khan Updated February 27, 2017

Warner Bros. and Monolith Production have officially announced Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, the sequel to 2014’s critically acclaimed Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

The announcement comes just hours after retail giant Target accidentally listed the game for pre-ordering on its website, complete with its title and box art.

RhunDestiny/Reddit

RhunDestiny/Reddit

Recommended Videos

Hero Talion will make his return, as will his ghostly companion Celebrimbor, and the game will feature an “expanded” version of the Nemesis system seen in the original game, which pits individual enemies against Talion in battles that alter their personalities and motivations. Environments and other characters will now also be shaped by player decisions. Big baddie Sauron will also appear after his defeat at the end of the previous game.

RhunDestiny/Reddit

RhunDestiny/Reddit

Multiple special editions of Shadow of War will be available. The Gold Edition will include four expansion packs as well as some in-game currency. The new expansions gives players the chance to play with new characters and abilities, and will include new side missions and enemies. Two of these expansions are also included in the Silver Edition, while the “Mithril” Edition bundles the Gold Edition’s contents with an enormous statue, steelbook, soundtrack, map, lithographs, ring, stickers, and leaflet.

More: Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Review

The first game, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor surprised critics and gamers by bringing a fresh spin to the Lord of the Rings franchise. Many felt that it translated the gameplay and feel of the Batman: Arkham Knight series to J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy world. While the combat wasn’t perfect, and the ability to run away from any battle did kill some of the immersion, overall the game was great. Currently the game sits at an 84 on Metacritic.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will launch for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on August 22. The Xbox One and PC versions support the “Xbox Play Anywhere” program, and support for Project Scorpio will be added this holiday season.

Updated on 2-27-2017 by Gabe Gurwin: Added official confirmation from publisher.

Contributor

Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…

Topics

Gaming

Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair in Avowed

Environmental shot of Galawains Tusks Slumbering Fields in Avowed.

You will probably have a good grip on all the tips and tricks needed to beat Avowed by the time you reach the second zone, Emerald Stair. However, no matter how many abilities you have or how good your gear is, finding a missing person with just a vague hint never gets any easier. We already helped Sanza find a missing cartographer in Dawntrail, but he has lost another in Emerald Stair and needs us to track them down. Like last time, the Avowed won't tell you where to go so we explored the entire region to show you exactly where to track them down.
Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair

The first cartographer quest at least gave you the general direction to find them, but this time we are only given the name of the area within Emerald Stair. The area in question is called Naku Tedek and is the isolated island on the south end of the map.

Gaming

3 PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

The PC version of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.

The beginning of March was light in upcoming PS5 games, but the long-delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows is right around the corner. But we still have an entire weekend to fill before it comes out, which is where your PlayStation Plus subscription pays off. The Essential games for March were incredibly strong, but the back catalogue of Extra and Premium games has the perfect selection to get you excited for all the biggest upcoming video games, like Death Stranding 2. Or, it could be the perfect way to find a fun, bite-sized game to hold you over until next week's releases hit and dominate your time. As always, I have hand-selected only the best games in PlayStation Plus for you to play this weekend.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4

Even before Shadows was announced, Ghost of Tsushima was touted as being the Japanese AC game that Ubisoft should have made years ago. While that is a reductive way to frame it, there's no denying there are similarities, and the two will be directly compared. Whether you plan on playing Shadows or not, Ghost is a magnificent game that still boasts some of the best graphics on PS5. Exploring the vibrant island of Tsushima as you follow the wind and animals rather than waypoints gives you a deep appreciation for the world you're fighting for. If you missed out on the Director's Cut content, jumping back in for the Iki Island DLC is perhaps the best part of the experience.

Gaming

3 Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

Assassin's Creed Odyssey review

Game Pass serves many functions as a service. Some use it to play the best Xbox Series X games on release, others lean on it between games, and everything in between. One of our favorite ways to take advantage of the massive Game Pass catalog is in preparation for upcoming Xbox Series X games. Whether it be playing previous games in a series to get caught up, or games in a similar genre to get in the mood, Game Pass has what you're looking for. We have our eye on Assassin's Creed Shadows next week just like you, but what about this weekend? Here are the best Xbox Game Pass games to boot up over the break.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Launch Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

All the best Assassin's Creed games are on Game Pass, but we feel Odyssey is the best of them since transitioning into RPGs. Historically, this is the earliest game in the timeline, though that doesn't matter much since there are only loose threads connecting the games at this point. What does matter is how vast and enjoyable a world this is to explore. It isn't quite as bloated as Valhalla and will get you back into the groove of parkouring, stealthing, and fighting all over again. The story here is also one of the best in the series if you have the time to go all the way with it. But even just dabbling in it so you don't get burned out before Shadows is a great way to prepare yourself.