One feature makes Switch 2 the best way to play these new 10/10 Lord of the Rings games

You can't talk about Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor or its follow-up, Shadow of War, without praising the Nemesis System that undergirds the iconic orc encounters in both games. It proved so memorable that people are still pining for a big-budget video game to bring back the idea that helped turn these Lord of the Rings titles into landmark games. But the Definitive and Game of the Year editions on Switch 2 brought this key feature back into the fold.

What is the Nemesis Forge?

In both Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, some enemies aren't permanently killed. Instead, they'll reappear during future fights — and they'll remember their last encounter. As players progress, returning orcs gradually reflect the injuries inflicted on them. A familiar orc might show up with new scars, prosthetics, dialogue, or names — all of which will reference the specific ways players interacted with them in the past. If players set an orc on fire, for example, the enemy might show up later with a fear of flames. Some orcs can even develop feuds with the player based on dead family members. The more an orc reappears, the stronger they'll be. The feature created some incredible narrative moments that have yet to be surpassed in other video games.

Shadow of Mordor's sequel, Shadow of War, implemented a mechanic called Nemesis Forge. The Forge identified the player's strongest enemy and most devoted follower in Shadow of Mordor, then imported them into Shadow of War to continue their adventures. In theory, a player could spend ages honing the ultimate orc in Mordor just to pull them into Shadow of War. Monolith stopped supporting online servers for both games back in 2021, meaning new players can't use the Nemesis Forge.

Why is the Switch 2 version of Shadow of Mordor superior to other ports?

The Switch 2 versions of Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War fix that problem. Fresh ports released on Nintendo's console on Sept. 30, and they brought back the Nemesis Forge for the first time in five years. The games are still strictly offline experiences, which means they are missing components like fortress sieges, online fight pits, and vendettas where players hunted orc captains from other games. Nemesis Forge used to be an online feature, but the Switch 2 version of it uses local save files to achieve the same result.

The Switch 2 versions of these seminal RPGs come with performance-based caveats that could be a deal-breaker for some players. For everyone else, the Nintendo ports are now the best way to experience the finest Lord of the Rings games ever made.