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Dark Messiah of Might & MagicVSMiddle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Which is the smarter buy right now? We crunched all the metrics.

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

Quality
82Popularity
32Value
40
KinguinBetter Deal· Kinguin
-14% $8.57
Buy Now
VS
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Quality
72Popularity
40Value
40
SteamBetter Deal· Steam
$49.99
Buy Now

Winner

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic wins the comparison based on the metrics. Takes 8 of 15 head-to-head metrics.

Worth keeping an eye on. Currently sitting in a decent spot, but not quite a must-buy just yet.

8
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic
8 of 15 metrics
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™
7 of 15 metrics
7

Head-to-Head Metrics

Direct metric-by-metric breakdown · no weights applied

Value
Pricing & Deals
Current Best Price (USD)
$9.63 Wins
$49.99 -
Historical Low Price (USD)
$2.49 Wins
N/A -
Best Current Discount
-3% Wins
No discount -
Sales Frequency
25 price changes Wins
2 price changes -
Quality
Critical & User Reception
Metacritic
72/100 Wins
N/A -
Steam Review Score
89.9% positive Wins
88.8% positive -
Total Steam Reviews
9.1K -
86.6K Wins
Positive Steam Reviews
8.2K -
76.9K Wins
Negative Steam Reviews
925 Wins
9.7K -
Popularity
Community & Activity
Average Concurrent Players (14 days)
53 -
1.3K Wins
Steam Recommendations
9.1K -
86.6K Wins
Features
Features & Content
Achievements
0 -
72 Wins
Supported Languages
5 languages -
13 languages Wins
Release Date
Oct 2006 -
Oct 2017 Wins
GameValio Recommendation
MaybeDark Messiah of Might & Magic

Worth keeping an eye on. Currently sitting in a decent spot, but not quite a must-buy just yet.

Wait for SaleMiddle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Not the best time to jump in. Prices tend to drop, and this one hasn't hit its sweet spot yet.

Statistics Over Time

Synchronized historical data for both games

Time Range:
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Player Count Trends

— Concurrent players over time

Review Score Trends

— Positive review ratio over time

Review Volume Trends

— Total reviews accumulated over time

Price Comparison

Current deals and best prices side by side

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

2 Stores
Kinguin
Kinguin -14% $8.57Buy Now
Steam
Steam +17% $9.99View
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

2 Stores
Steam
Steam$49.99Buy Now
Green Man Gaming
Green Man Gaming +0% $49.99View

Score Breakdown

Side-by-side value analysis for each game

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

Quality

Solid title that pleased most of its audience — general consensus is positive.

90% positive (9,143 reviews) — very positive reception
Metacritic 72/100 — generally favorable from critics
9,143 reviews — solid data foundation

Value

Not the right time to buy — wait for at least 50% off.

$8.57 — very accessible price
14% off — minor discount

Popularity

Smaller but still existing player base — longer wait times for multiplayer.

-12% minor player decrease
38 concurrent players — niche audience

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Quality

Most players came away satisfied — more positives than negatives.

89% positive (86,563 reviews) — very positive reception
86,563 reviews — extremely reliable sample

Value

Price too high for what's offered — better options available.

$49.99 — premium price

Popularity

Declining player base — could be a problem for multiplayer-dependent games.

86,563 total reviews — major title

Game Details

Release information and metadata

Game DetailsDark Messiah of Might & MagicMiddle-earth™: Shadow of War™
Release Date
October 25, 2006
October 9, 2017
Developers
Arkane Studios
Monolith Productions
Publishers
Ubisoft
WB Games
Platforms
Windows
Windows
Achievements
72

System Requirements

PC minimum and recommended specs

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic

No PC requirements data available

Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™

Recommended

Recommended:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 Creators Update
  • Processor: AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz
  • Memory: 12 GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 70 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: X64 required

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: Dark Messiah of Might & Magic or Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic won the comparison against Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ based on the head-to-head metric breakdown. Check the metrics table above for a full side-by-side analysis.

How is the comparison calculated?

The comparison winner is determined objectively by counting which game wins more individual metrics in the head-to-head table — no weighting is applied. The GameValio Recommendation shown separately is our own suggestion for each game, based on a weighted score that combines quality (reviews), popularity (player counts), and affordability (price vs value) into a score out of 100. These are two different things: the comparison is objective, the recommendation is GameValio's opinion.

Is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic worth buying over Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™?

Based on the metrics, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic won the direct comparison. However, also check the GameValio Recommendation for each game and the price comparison table to make the most informed purchase decision.

Which game has better player reviews?

Review score trends and volume over time are shown in the charts section above. The game with consistently higher positive ratios has stronger community reception.

Which game offers better value for money?

The affordability score and price comparison table above highlight the best deals. Too Close to Call currently scores better on value relative to its quality and price.

Analysis updated: Jun 18, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC

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Disclaimer

Data sourced from Steam, Metacritic, and various stores. Not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Scores updated daily to keep recommendations fresh.

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