Middle-earth: Shadow Bundle

Genre: Compilation / Open-World / Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Middle-earth: Shadow Bundle is a Compilation released in 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2, containing two games in the Middle-earth franchise, originally released separately in 2014 and 2017 and also released separately on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026, with both games containing all previously-released DLC content.

I have separately reviewed these games. Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition	Open-World Action-RPG	1	B+
tl;dr Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an Open-World Action-RPG set between the Hobbit trilogy and Lord of the Rings trilogy, following the story of a ranger possessed by the spirit of an elven lord and seeking revenge on the one who killed his family. This release does nothing to update or modernize this 12 year-old game, which can get a bit samey and grindy… yet despite this, it’s still a blast to play, with enjoyable combat, great stealth, and of course the legendary Nemesis system. If you somehow missed this game on other platforms and enjoy Action-RPGs, and especially if you’re a fan of the Middle-earth franchise, consider this an absolute must-have.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War: Definitive Edition	Open-World Action-RPG	1	A
tl;dr Middle-earth: Shadow of War is an Open-World Action-RPG and sequel to Shadow of Mordor set between the Hobbit trilogy and Lord of the Rings trilogy, following the story of a ranger possessed by the spirit of an elven lord trying to defend the realm of Middle-earth from the forces of Sauron. While this release does nothing to update or modernize this 9 year-old game, it’s far less in need of modernization than its predecessor was, and in fact this game improves on the prior game in countless ways, resulting in the game Shadow of Mordor was aiming to be. The result is an absolute joy to play, and a must-have game for Action-RPG fans and especially fans of the Middle-earth franchise. Do not miss this game.

These are both excellent games, but in retrospect Shadow of Mordor feels like a test run for what Shadow of War would become, and I feel like that game fully-realizes the potential the first game had on offer. That said, I still recommend playing the two in order, since they tell a cohesive story that you’ll want to explore from start to finish. These versions of the games are mostly just straight ports of the original games without any sort of upgrades, which is disappointing for Shadow of Mordor but isn’t quite so bad for Shadow of War, which doesn’t seem as much in need of an update.

Okay, two great games worth getting together, but what about the value presented by this bundle? Well, separately, Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition costs $20 and Shadow of War: Definitive Edition costs $50, while the bundle costs $70, saving you… nothing. Looking at sale prices, it’s a similar story, with the introductory sale prices being $10 and $25, and the introductory sale price for the bundle being $35 – once again, no savings. What’s even more frustrating is that even though the standard pricing is the same on other platforms for Shadow of Mordor and the Shadow Bundle (Shadow of War is actually $10 cheaper on Nintendo Switch 2 than on other platforms at its normal price), there’s a huge gap in the sale pricing, with other platforms regularly getting the bundle on sale for $7.

As a result, even though this is a great bundle with two excellent games, I can’t really recommend it unless you already know you want both games specifically on Nintendo Switch 2. If you have any other modern platform and aren’t particular about getting the Nintendo Switch 2 version, wait for a sale and get it somewhere else, you’ll save money. And even if you specifically want these games on Nintendo Switch 2, just get them one at a time, because there’s no benefit to getting them as a bundle. And that’s a real shame – why release a bundle with no reason to get it?

tl;dr – Middle-earth Shadows Bundle is a Compilation containing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition and Middle-earth: Shadow of War: Definitive Edition. Both games are solid ports of outstanding Open-World Action-RPG games (especially Shadow of War), but this bundle adds no value when getting both games at the same time, and its sale price is much less-expensive on other platforms. As a result, even though what’s here is great, you’re probably better just buying these games individually.

Grade: B+

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