When comparing Tales from the Borderlands vs Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the Slant community recommends Tales from the Borderlands for most people. In the question“What are the best RPGs on PS4 that play in third person view?” Tales from the Borderlands is ranked 14th while Middle-earth: Shadow of War is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose Tales from the Borderlands is:
The story is about a ragtag group of misfits who team up to find a treasure vault on Pandora (a rather dangerous planet infested by deadly wildlife and bandits) that is guaranteed to make them incredibly rich. This unlikely crew comes together through a series of unfortunate events chronicled in episode 1, and is led by corporate middleman Rhys, an employee of the Hyperion corporation with cybernetic enhanced parts, and conwoman Fiona, a young streetsmart woman who makes her living swindling. Between them and their treasure are murderous bandits, explosions, a greedy corporation, betrayals, bounty hunters, revenge, secret identities, and plenty of shocking plot twists.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Thrilling and engaging storyline
The story is about a ragtag group of misfits who team up to find a treasure vault on Pandora (a rather dangerous planet infested by deadly wildlife and bandits) that is guaranteed to make them incredibly rich.
This unlikely crew comes together through a series of unfortunate events chronicled in episode 1, and is led by corporate middleman Rhys, an employee of the Hyperion corporation with cybernetic enhanced parts, and conwoman Fiona, a young streetsmart woman who makes her living swindling.
Between them and their treasure are murderous bandits, explosions, a greedy corporation, betrayals, bounty hunters, revenge, secret identities, and plenty of shocking plot twists.
Pro Very funny
The banter among the various characters is very humorous, often featuring strong levels of sarcasm and silly dialogue options even when they find themselves in dangerous situations.
Additionally, most of the story is told as a flashback, with the two main characters (Rhys and Fiona) retelling events of the story with plenty of funny embellishments. They will also try their best to make the other character look bad. For example, when Rhys is telling how he used his smarts and wits to make a deal with a smuggler, Fiona will remind him that he actually broke down and cried, begging the smuggler to accept his offer. Rhys and Fiona have a lot of back and forth like this throughout the game which really brings the humor to a new level, and gives the story a lighthearted comedy vibe.
Pro Entertaining and likeable characters
Each character is charming in their own way, with their own personalities, hopes, and special talents. For example, Rhys is corporate guy who dreams of striking it rich, and has a cybernetic eye that lets him scan and hack almost anything electronic. Fiona is a conwoman with a sarcastic attitude and quick to draw her gun, whose biggest goal in life is protecting her daredevil younger sister Sasha, another member of the team who is constantly taking risks.
Their differences help compliment both the story and humor, as they are constantly debating how to best handle the predicaments they find themselves in. You can't help but laugh along and cheer them on during some of their oddball schemes as they work together.
All in all, there are over a dozen recurring characters, both protagonists and antagonists, all with their own refined quirks and plot lines. The character writing is consistent and excellent, helping to make each and every one endearing as they learn and grow over the course of their adventures.
Pro Hilarious and awesome action sequences
While most action is handled through basic quicktime events, the accompanying onscreen theatrics are intense and filled with explosions, fighting, bandits, armored vehicles, robots, weird animals, and crazy futuristic weapons around every turn.
One particular demolition derby scene very early in the game is especially well done. As you race around a track with armored vehicles and fight off heavily-armed bandits, a crybaby bandit king with a malfunctioning megaphone helmet is fighting against a teleporting bounty hunter on the platform above the race. To top off the strange scene, a very large monster being kept captive by the bandits somehow escapes its cage and joins in the fun. Chaos is everywhere, and you're right in the middle of it.
The action throughout the game is all just so fantasically bizarre and utterly hilarious, that you can't help but really get into it.
Pro Keeps you highly invested in the story thanks to interesting choices
Each of the five episodes features many different choices you can make which changes the course of the story and the fate of various characters. These might be minor details such as a dialogue choice or which location you want to visit. At the end of each episode, it presents you with a major choice that will greatly influence the way things unfold. Pondering each one and then wondering if you made the "right" choice keeps you highly invested in the plot and characters, knowing it was your choices that are shaping the story.
Pro Standalone adventure makes it easily accessible for all
While there are some crossover characters and references to the other Borderlands games, you can still understand this game just fine without any prior knowledge. Whenever a character or location is introduced, the story itself does a great job of letting you know why and how it's important without a lot of fluff. This is great for people who haven't played Borderlands, and allows it to be enjoyed by all.
Pro Impactful character introductions
Rather than just "showing up" on screen, characters are introduced into the story with flashy introductions. Their name will appear big and bold on the screen along with their picture and a humorous observation about them. This goes a long way towards making each and every character memorable, and making each character introduction into the plot feel like a grand entrance of sorts.
Pro Character connections make for a compelling experience
Shadow of War uses the Nemesis system to create a more immersive and alive-feeling world. Thanks to it, orc leaders have names, ranks, titles, tribes they belong to, and most importantly, connections to other orc leaders.
For example, an orc leader might be at war with another orc leader. This conflict won't end until one of them dies. There are also orcs that are considered blood brothers, having unwavering loyalty to each other. Because of this, don't be too surprised if you ever get betrayed by one of your followers that's trying to do right by his blood brother.
Additionally, the leaders you fight will also develop connections with you. Orcs that you've killed or spared, may come back with scars, recalling your previous encounter and vowing to exact vengeance. Orcs that you've escaped from will mock you for being a chicken, and so forth. The gradual creation of this web of connections is very enjoyable and sometimes even more compelling than the game's main story.
Pro Addictive gear collection fuels your thirst for orc blood
As you kill orc leaders, they'll drop random quality gear items, ranging from common rarity every-orc weapons/armor to legendary rarity artifacts with unique names. Each item serves to improve your character, providing various stat increases and damage bonuses. You can also upgrade gear with gems or via challenges that usually involve killing orcs, bolstering your strength even further. On top of that, there are set bonuses for legendary items, giving you special abilities such as your hits applying explosive poison on regular enemies. It's very exciting seeing what gear piece an orc leader will drop once you lob his head off, causing you to constantly seek out new victims.
Pro Satisfying combat
Shadow of War gives one of the better feeling combat systems in recent times, allowing you to be either stealthy or go for direct confrontations.
If you choose to be stealthy, you can skewer unsuspecting orcs from behind with your dagger, drop onto them from a building while impaling them with your sword, or just pierce them from afar with your bow.
If you choose a direct confrontation, it's a really quick-paced and brutal showdown against your enemies with your chosen melee weapon. You weave combos against enemies, dodging, parrying, and countering enemy attacks, which ends in a devastating finishing move, resulting in a mutilated or decapitated orc.
Whichever method you choose, the combat flows really well and you always feel like a force to be reckoned with.
Pro You can lead an orc army and expand your own dominion
As part of the Nemesis system, you can recruit orc leaders after you've bested them in combat. Each one has his own unique strengths and weaknesses, so making the best possible army for conquering enemy territories might take a while.
For example, an orc leader can be completely immune to ranged attacks, but can take increased damage from explosions. You should take such an orc leader on assaults against fortresses filled with archers but be wary of the slightest hints of any bombs.
Once you've finished building a sizeable force, you can assault a fortresses. If you succeed in the assault, you'll take over a territory, allowing you to install your own orc leader as the ruler. With enough effort you'll gradually take over Mordor and its surrounding lands.
Shadow of War makes you feel like a recruiter, general, and a ruler, which is very empowering and a lot of fun.
Cons
Con Starts off fairly slow
The first couple of hours are rather slow while certain key characters are being introduced, and there's quite a bit of weaving through side stories before the main plot gets rolling. Thankfully, the game does pick up after the first episode.
Con Graphical glitches
Sometimes characters disappear for a split second before returning to the screen in a slightly new position a few pixels away. This usually occurs during dialogue choices, and it's as if the game needs to queue up the animation for the specific chosen line of dialogue. Overall, it's not too jarring, but it tends to happen quite often.
Con Long quicktime events
Some of the quicktime sequences are rather long, and if you mess up, you have to do the entire scene over. While they're fun to watch, it can be overly punishing having to replay things in a story-based game where the plot should keep moving at a steady pace.
Con A couple "gross out" moments
There are few scenes with some rather gross subject matter that some people may find disturbing or disgusting. Thankfully, they are few and far between.
Con Can get repetitive
The overall gameplay formula doesn't change much over the course of the game. You fight orcs, take over strongholds, upgrade your character, and collect blips on the world map. After a while it can start feeling like a grind, especially during long play sessions. This is made worse in the final stretch of the game where you have to fight through 20 consecutive stronghold battles without any story segments or exposition.
Con Unskippable cutscenes disrupt the flow of the gameplay
Every time an orc leader enters the screen, there is an unskippable cutscene where he rambles a bit, focusing the camera on him and halting combat until the cutscene ends. This usually happens as you're fighting another enemy, potentially disrupting your rhythm, which can be really frustrating, especially if mess up your combo or take an unnecessary hit after the cutscene.