Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor vs Shadow of War: Which is the better Lord of the Rings game?

sportskeeda.com:

Games based on The Lord of the Rings franchise are aplenty these days, with an upcoming title by Daedalic Entertainment based on the character Gollum releasing later this year. Another line of games is the Middle Earth series from Monolight Productions, which consists of two entries: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.

Together, these games tell an original story based on the Lord of the Rings world of Middle Earth, set before the events of the movies. These two action RPGs were fun titles to play if you were a casual fan of The Lord of the Rings movies, but for Tolkien enthusiasts, they were the equivalent of heresy.

Detailed below is an analysis of both titles as they are pitted against each other in five categories. These factors will determine which is the better Lord of the Rings game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or Shadow of War.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

Shadow of Mordor is the first game in the series that sees the protagonist Talion, a captain of Gondor, along with the elven spirit Celebrimbor, take up arms against Sauron and his forces in Mordor. With a few interesting twists, the narrative feels surprisingly new and offers an up-close look at the ranks of Orcs and goblins under Sauron’s command.

The second game, Shadow of War, offers up more of the same. It continues Talion and Celebrimbor’s attempts to thwart Sauron’s efforts to regain strength. The two amass an Orc army of their own to challenge Sauron’s might, along with another ring of power.

Of the two, Shadow of Mordor will take the win here, as it was the original game that came up with the concept. Shadow of War does not do anything new in terms of the story, aside from a few minor details and new enemies. This