Shadow of War is yet another fun free-flow combat open-world game set in the Lord of the Rings universe/lore. I really enjoyed the first game (Shadow of Mordor) and I had once again fun playing this follow-up even though I'm not into the story and/or lore of the LOTR universe.

Personally, it's the free-flow combat system that kept me engaged in this game along with some other mechanics that are part of this series such as the nemesis system, stronghold takes, army building, etc.

This game had a rough and controversial launch and early life due to microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics that apparently have been removed or at least improved later on so I'm glad I decided to play this game many years after its release.

While this game did not have the 'wow' factor that I experienced with Shadow of Mordor, it remains a fun game for most of its duration as long as you are able to learn all the ins and outs of the free-flow combat system.
Admittedly, the gameplay can become a bit stale and repetitive since it's a longer than a normal game, and some mission quests (such as Carnan) are overall bland and poorly designed but for the most part the game is solid and has enough content to provide a good experience.