- Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Release Date: Dec 5, 2012
- Also On: PlayStation 3
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Feb 21, 201380Guardians of Middle-Earth is an entertaining tactical action RPG, which borrows its basic gameplay from the tried and tested DotA. [Feb 2013]
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Feb 6, 201375Not only the first real MOBA game for consoles, but also one of the better ones in this sub-genre. There’s not many flaws I can point out in GoMe. If anything, I doubt its longevity – there are only 22 guardians to choose from and capabilities of building a community are much smaller than on PC. [CD-Action 02/2013, p.42]
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Jan 29, 201370Monolith has managed to introduce a relatively difficult genre to consoles, only to fall at the simplest of hurdles. [Issue#94, p.79]
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Jan 22, 201370Guardians of Middle-earth is the first game to bring the immensely popular MOBA -genre to consoles. Thankfully it does it well. Small, but clever changes makes controlling heroes easy, and the fights are both engaging and fun.
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Jan 16, 201370It would be unfair to say that it does not have potential, but it's currently unbalanced, with few players and serious problems with connectivity to the servers. It may seem strange to some players, but it's still a well done adaptation of a genre with such particular gameplay.
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Jan 14, 201370There is definitely something to like with Guardians of Middle-Earth and Monolith has done a good job breaking down the key points of MOBA and bringing it to consoles with its own controls.
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Jan 2, 201320Speaking of shameless, Guardians of Middle Earth is unabashedly grind-based. As you play, you earn ingame currency you spend on new characters, on slottable character improvements, and on potions that you can use once. Potions that drain your resources so you have to keep playing to stay competitive. Weak potions are cheap. Powerful potions aren't. Spend to win.
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Jan 2, 201340For ancient king and Elvish lord, Guardians of Middle-earth is stuck in the Mystical Bog of Latency Irritation. Its system's solidly built and there's the appearance of depth crying to be uncovered. However, those cries aren't being heard. This isn't the first time a multiplayer-only XBLA title has effectively been broken online. It deserved a better fate than this.
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Jan 1, 201370Guardians of Middle-Earth has many flaws. It's not pretty, spells are too bright and chaotic (you can't see what's going on), and there are some technical issues - lags are permanent, as well as random disconnections (and you can't return to a game you just involuntarily left) and sometimes you have to wait up to 10 minutes for other players. Plus the AI is stupid. So why such a high grade? The game has no competition on the consoles and gives tons of joy. The gameplay is very pleasant regardless of the player being hardcore or casual.
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Dec 28, 201269Although Guardians of Middle Earth's gameplay can be enjoyable, and it does an admirable job of bringing those who play it into realm of the game's locale, the long loading times, lacklustre sound, and "at-best-average" graphics really bring down the whole experience to that of a mediocre title that could have been much better.
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Dec 27, 201270The game brings the MOBA genre to consoles and the LOTR franchise and made a nice start for it. The controls are simple to pick up and the game offers diversity in characters and upgrades. However, the game lacks this diversity in levels and is bugged bij lag and long waiting times in between matches. A nice start, but not yet the result we hoped for.
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Dec 18, 201250It isn't entirely awful - even dodgy MOBA games can provide a lot of fun - but the myriad flaws suggests that it's badly misunderstood its audience. It's like being handed a love letter that was written by someone who had Googled 'seduction'. The effort they've put in is clearly endearing, but sorry - we're just not interested.
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Dec 18, 201265Guardians of Middle Earth gets the basics right--it's a playable MOBA that you can drive with a control pad. But in the process of streamlining this notoriously complex genre, it sacrificed a bit too much at the altar of accessibility.
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Dec 17, 201265If you are craving some LotR action or want to play a bold new MOBA, there is a lot to like about Guardians of Middle-earth. It's a shame that its lackluster community and frustrating technical issues get in the way of that.
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Dec 14, 201270For representing an untested genre on consoles, Guardians of Middle Earth acquits itself pretty well. If only the online functionality was as airtight as its core strategy, we'd have a truly great mashup on our hands.
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Dec 14, 201275Between the simplified controls, easy to understand Guardian Belt system, and the optional timer for matches, it's also one of the best ways to get into the genre.
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Dec 13, 201270Even if you don't particularly care for Tolkien, there's a lot to love here in spite of the annoying server issues.
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Dec 12, 201280Monolith has done great work in crafting a control scheme that feels completely without compromise and entirely suited to console, and has designed an accessible, familiar and extremely deep MOBA with the just as much panache as the games it imitates.
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Dec 12, 201235If the network code worked, Guardians of Middle-earth would have come highly recommended, but an online game that delivers a poor online experience simply isn't worth your money.
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Dec 11, 201280Guardians of Middle-Earth is a good surprise to be the first MOBA game for consoles. The new control system via gamepad works perfectly and the charisma of the Lord of the Rings setting do the rest. The only two maps are a frustrating limitation but although this tactical gameplay and balance are the real bonuses of Monolith production.
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Dec 11, 201250Being among the first of the console MOBAs, Guardians Of Middle-Earth could've been a gentle introduction to an intimidating genre, providing a welcoming hand for players new to the MOBA, but a split focus between accessibility and complexity means neither genre greenhorns nor greybeards will end up feeling truly satisfied.
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Dec 11, 201290Monolith has done a great job making a MOBA game work very well with a controller. Will I say after putting the time I have into GoME have I become good at MOBA games? No. Will I say I had a fun time with the fast game play, deep customization and online play? Absolutely. MOBA players should look into this game, and interested in the genre should absolutely check Guardians of Middle-Earth out. It is well worth the $15 pricetag.
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Dec 10, 201270Guardians of Middle-earth sacrifices a lot of complexity to work as a console game. Hardcore MOBA fans will disapprove of the changes, but genre newbies looking for some team-based, Tolkien-inspired fun will happily take these heroes and villains to war.
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Dec 10, 201275It's a good first step for MOBA's genre on consoles but it lacks depth during matches.
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Dec 10, 201280An extremely successful attempt to reproduce Dota style action strategy on consoles, with a game that's considerably more accessible than its inspirations.
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Dec 10, 201275Guardians of Middle-earth is an excellent game hobbled by bad network performance. I am continually drawn back to the exceptional gameplay, only to be repulsed by a disconnection or unbearably long matchmaking queue. I can see myself playing this for months on end if and when Monolith solves the lag and connectivity problems.
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Dec 10, 201270Although hardcore professional players may scoff at the general lack of skill in public games, most of you will enjoy the experience, and the fact that the developers were able to actually create a solid MOBA experience on a console should be commended.
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Dec 10, 201271Controls are easy to pick up, the rank and reward system is motivating, the choice of playable characters is surprisingly large. But when it comes to maps and modes, the content falls short.
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Dec 10, 201280For the $15 asking price, you'd be hard-pressed to find another multiplayer experience on a console with this much meat on its bones.
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Dec 7, 201270In Guardians of Middle-earth, console players finally have the chance to investigate a hitherto unknown area of gaming, and it's arguably one of the most positive experiences I've had in the genre.