“Middle-earth: Shadow of War” – Oct. 10 for PS4, Xbox One and PC

Kicking off the month is a sequel to the critically-acclaimed “Shadow of Mordor,” an open-world action game set in the universe of the “Lord of the Rings” franchise. Playing in a much grittier version of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy universe, the game has players take control of the ranger Talion who shares his body with Celebrimbor, the spirit of an elf lord who helps you take over the minds of your enemies. The game’s combat is similar to the “Batman Arkham” series, where you can chain together a number of attacks that are a lot of fun to play. Where the game succeeds most in is the nemesis system in which you challenge a hierarchy of orcs who have personalities and looks unique to your game. As you beat or lose to them, the hierarchy changes and others will rise in the ranks and gain more abilities. One interesting choice on the developer’s part is the inclusion of loot boxes, which players can pay money for in order to gain in-game bonuses to make their journey easier. Make another journey into Middle-earth when “Shadow of War” releases on Oct. 10 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Read on for info about “Assassin’s Creed: Origins,” “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” and “Super Mario Odyssey.”