When comparing Titanfall vs Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the Slant community recommends Middle-earth: Shadow of War for most people. In the question“What are the best action games on Xbox One?” Middle-earth: Shadow of War is ranked 35th while Titanfall is ranked 62nd. The most important reason people chose Middle-earth: Shadow of War is:
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.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Thrilling first-person shooter multiplayer with teams of six
Titanfall is a great team-based FPS game with well-designed gunplay. Running and gunning with your team of six friends or online players is fast-paced, with tons of destruction on the battlefield all around you. You rely on twitch reflexes to gun down enemies as soon as you see one rounding a corner, or to react in time to someone shooting at you and taking you by surprise. Though there aren't too many guns to choose from, the ones you can pick are each unique and fun to use. Everything feels balanced in a way that's well thought-out, leading to frantic and intense multiplayer matches.
Pro You can use powerful mechs called Titans for their added defense and high-powered weapons
Aside from playing as a regular infantry soldier, there are also huge mechs on the battlefield, known as Titans, that you can control. As soon as a player gets in the cockpit, that's when you know that the tides are about to turn. Titans are big enough to act as tanks for your allies, soaking up damage and dealing a ton more with their specialized guns, giving your team a huge advantage just by having one with you. But they're not all-powerful, since a normal soldier can get on a Titan's back to dismantle it and take it down, even though it won't be easy. Titans are strong without being overpowered, turning battles into power plays to see who can take out the enemy team's mechs the fastest.
Pro Stormtrooper NPCs are present on the battlefield as allies and enemies
Maps and missions feel realistic thanks to the stormtrooper units that you see during matches. Some are part of your team, acting as guides to your next objective and moral support in the way their voiced lines express appreciation for your presence on the battlefield. The enemy team also has groups of these same NPCs, with certain multiplayer modes focusing on you taking out certain number of them in order to dwindle their numbers. Overall, they help populate the maps to make them feel like actual missions with soldiers accompanying you or opposing you, making things feel more epic.
Pro Jetpacks and wall-running let you move around more freely
While playing as a regular soldier, you have great mobility with jetpacks that allow you to run on walls. Maps are designed with verticality in mind, giving players options to use their jetpacks to climb above the opposition for a better vantage point. It also gives you a leg up when facing against a Titan, since you can always run along a nearby wall to get on top of the mech to take it down. This helps to make sure than infantry soldiers aren't just weak fodder for Titans to take out, with their speed and parkour abilities as their main advantages.
Pro Multiplayer has its own story
Since there's no dedicated story campaign, there is instead a narrative woven into the multiplayer gameplay. Before you drop down to each mission, you get a brief cinematic with an explanation of your objective and what's at stake. These stories all add up to an arching plot that guides you through the multiplayer. Throughout the missions, you also unlock new Titans for you to use while playing in regular multiplayer matches. Even though the story here isn't much, it's something, at the very least.
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 No single-player campaign
There is no dedicated single-player story mode whatsoever. It's worrying that the devs overlooked or chose to outright ignore an actual narrative. If you're looking for a single-player FPS experience, you won't find it here.
Con The story in multiplayer is low-effort
Even though Titanfall tries to compensate with a story through multiplayer, it's a wasted effort. It's limited to a few cutscenes and voice overs here and there, with things like exposition and character development dumped on you without any emotional investment. The story is so bad and bare-bones that the writers shouldn't have even bothered putting it in.
Con Lack of gun variety, game modes, and customization
There's a distinct lack of variety to what's available here in general. Even though the available guns and game types are solid, there just aren't enough of them. It can be easy to get bored with using the same guns and playing the same matches over and over again. There's also not nearly enough customization options for your character or your Titans. Without ways to make them truly your own, they end up feeling like soulless avatars. What is here has lots of potential, but there needs to be more to choose from to keep things from getting stale.
Con Everything is online-only
Having everything online means you're at the mercy of your internet connection. If you disconnect during a story mode match, for example, then you risk losing all progress and having to start over again. The story isn't exactly something you can skip, either, since you have to play through it if you want to unlock all of the Titans. For those with decent connections, you'll probably be okay, but anyone else should be wary about dealing with frequent interruptions.
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.
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