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Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
When Talion comes to the realization that his ghost buddy Celebrimbor might not be looking to free Middle Earth from the shadow of Sauron as much as replace him at the seat of power, and the two split from each other, a huge grind begins to build a orc army to prevent that from happening. Bad enough that the true ending is a grind designed to force players into paying for the forced loot box mechanic, but all players get out of the grind, following the siege battles is a simple cutscene, not even a final duel. The pride and accomplishment I believe is known in academic circles as a “Phantom Pain” effect.
