This game is probably reviewed best in two ways, as it stands on its own merits, and in comparison to other MOBA's (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games). On its own merits, I give it a 9 as it is a unique experience on a console and is a nice blend of action and strategy that can already tell has wormed its way into my permanent playlist. It can be played competitively against other players, or you can team up with friends to take on the AI, or even go it alone with AI allies if you aren't the social type. There are plenty of items and champs which are unlocked by gaining currency through playing, and it will take a very long time to accumulate them all (I haven't been able to put it down since release and I have barely scratched the surface). The champs have a wide variety of skill sets and each one fits a certain role and style uniquely. For $15 on XBLA, you will be hard pressed to find better value and lasting appeal. If compared to other MOBA's, (perhaps a bit unfair as it is just released and League of Legends, for instance, has been updated often for years) I would give it an 8. Bad new first, their are no purchasable items during a match (but pregame loadout customization has a lot of depth), 20 or so heroes - which is less than other MOBA's (but are already scheduled to release 8 more, beyond that is unknown), and a per game level cap of 14 which seems to even out everyone's power a little soon for my taste (however, it makes for comeback opportunities and helps to limit a game from getting owned by one person). Now the good news!, the graphics and effects are pretty damn cool and stand out as a treat amongst even the best MOBA's, especially on the big screen. The gamepad controls give you a more visceral connected feel yo your toon and the action really gets a hold of you. It is intense and really gives you a rush with each small victory and the agony of defeat with each setback. The other MOBA's are on PC, so its a bit apples and oranges, but, this is the best console experience in the genre. In closing, the mark of a good game in my opinion is one that gets you excited and itchy to come back to it after every session, thats why you fork over the cash is because you desire the entertainment. As a veteran of League of Legends, I give this game a thumbs up and it is an enjoyable, perhaps even addicting experience that can be had from the comfort of the couch. I am going back in game to get my fix :)… Collapse

Let me first say I am not a fan of the MOBA genera... But Guardians of Middle-Earth has changed my mind! It is easy to get into and the games only last around 20 minutes so its not a time sink like DoD or League. But don't let the fact that its easy confuse you that its a shallow game , from what I have played the relic system is deep and gives the player many options to modify there guardian.

Being a fan of League of Legends, all I can say is that Guardians of the Middle Earth is a refined product with a tremendous potential.
This game innovates, and has several improvements when compared to Dota 2, League of Legends and other MOBAs in the market.
Console players are lucky. This MOBA is an excellent product and probably, will be considered one of the best multiplayer games on XBOX and PS3.… Expand

I checked it out because HOBBIT is coming out and I have to say, it's a lot of fun. For the price especially, the gameplay, graphics, music, and tiny bit of plotline is very good. And the MP element is great.

Incredibly fun, but limited by it's launch bugs.

I have never been a fan of DotA, er, "MOBA" games in the past. Well, that's not entirely true, as I picked up Monday Night Combat when it was released on XBLA and still play it to this day. For the record, MNC was probably the first console DotA game out there, but most people missed it as that type of game due to the 3rd person view. That said, I did enjoy this game immensely, and since I hate using a mouse and keyboard to play games, I have been subliminally waiting for good console DotA/LoL clone to arrive.

I never expected that game to also use the LotR license!

After two weeks of playing this game, I am completely hooked. The guardians (champions) are all unique and fun to play, and everything seems shockingly balanced for a launch title. There is currently only one 3-lane and one 1-lane map, which is a little disappointing, but those who play games like LoL know that if you've seen one MOBA map you've usually seen them all anyways. The 3-lane games are fun and very strategic, but the 1-lane games are just ultimate ability spamfests, and are pretty terrible in my opinion. They rely a lot of guardians that have massive AoE damage abilities, and while these guardians are balanced fine in 3-lane maps, they tend to be OP in 1-lane. Simply solution: don't play 1-lane! It's not very fun anyways.

The game comes with a surprisingly deep upgrade system that relates to filling relics with gems that provide various buffs. The gems unlock as your guardian levels up in each game, and when all the gems in a relic unlock, the relic's larger buff will go into play. This unlocks unlimited possibilities with customization which sees many guardians going above and beyond their assumed class. Sadly, it can also cause some balance issues in games, but as with other MOBA games, it because about finding the best load out for your character, which is part of the fun.

The biggest issue with GoME right now is the flawed P2P matchmaking. I'm not going to detract score for this, because it is something the developers have actively stated they are working on. Monolith actually designed these game to work around Microsoft's crappy XBLA title update system, so that they can patch the game directly via a cloud update service. This means that updates don't take months to release, but sometimes just days. They release balance fixes for characters all the time, and have a larger patch planned to fix matchmaking issues. The thing is, even with more time spent waiting in queue than playing games, I still have a blast with GoME, which says a lot.

If you're someone who hasn't jumped into the world of MOBA (Multiplayer Open Battle Arena) games before, and you're a console gamer, give GoME a try. It's a damn solid game, and quite the pleasant surprise.… Expand