When comparing Neon Chrome 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 PS4?” Middle-earth: Shadow of War is ranked 44th while Neon Chrome is ranked 72nd. 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 Impressive visual effects compliment the action
The levels glow and shine, and really give off a futuristic vibe. As the name suggests, everything is in bright neon shades and very colorful. As you're blasting your way through levels, the laser shots look especially great as they melt through walls and blow up generators. There's plenty of vibrant explosions to go around, which really highlights the action.
Pro Random levels ensure the action stays intense
Each level is procedurally generated, meaning rooms, walls, and items are randomly arranged into new ways each run. You can never get too comfortable with any one strategy. You'll always be adjusting on the fly and dealing with new layouts, enemy placement, and objectives so the action stays fresh and frantic for a long while.
Pro Forgiving mechanics make it accessible
Neon Chrome manages to remove some of the frustrations that come with roguelites, making it an accessible experience for all. If you die, your weapons and stats are both saved and available for use on your next run. When you kill a boss, it acts as a waypoint, meaning you won't have to start over from the beginning.
Pro Levels are exciting and filled with content
There's plenty of exciting things to see and do in each level. Besides shooting through a wide variety of enemy types, you can also go off the beaten path to hunt down loot boxes and weapon upgrades. If you can't find a path, you can always make your own by blowing up walls. Each level also has its fair share of danger - there are plenty of traps to avoid and special operatives who can stop you in your tracks.
Pro Immersive soundtrack
The ambient synth soundtrack with pulsating beats and otherwordly tones fits the futuristic theme extremely well. The music sounds like something you'd hear in an action sci-fi movie, which helps pull you into the game world.
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 Upgrades can feel weak
While upgrades are plentiful and given flashy introductions with fancy fonts and icons, their direct impact on the gameplay is negligible at best. It's hard to feel their weight in action due to their very small stat increase.
Con Lackluster character models
Both the playable character and enemy models in-game are rather fuzzy and don't have a lot of detail. They are bland compared to the colorful explosions going on around them at all times.
Con Generic premise
You play as a hacker who must infiltrate the "Neon Chrome", a giant tower, and free the city from the rule of the malicious Overseer. It's not entirely original or exciting, and mostly serves as filler material to give meaning to the action.
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.