Guardians of Middle-Earth

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 110
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 110
  3. Negative: 47 out of 110

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  1. papo
    Sep 7, 2013
    10
    The Tolkien lore is great, with cool characters from JRR Tolkiens Middle Earth, which is the grandfather of all Fantasy universes, of which other game worlds just rip off from.
    I have been playing with KB and mouse, the graphics are beautiful, the game is fun, the voice overs are great.
    Minimal support should not be bad for a game that is starting.
  2. mix12
    Sep 13, 2013
    10
    Really great game, anyone who like MOBA type games, MUST try this one. Everything is there to have a good time or to go competitive. If you've never tried MOBA games, this is a good opportunity to try it out, easy to learn.
    The lag can be solved with time.
  3. Giblets2
    Aug 26, 2020
    10
    It's bad. 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637/10 would be my rating.
  4. old_skool_gamer
    Oct 22, 2013
    9
    I can now proudly add Guardians of Middle Earth for PC among my top MOBA games and I've been playing MOBA games since the first DotA came out in 2005. I've actually been playing games since the 80's but I digress. The original console version was developed by one of my favorite companies in the 90's, Monolith. Zombie Studios did a good job with the PC port. Here's the thing with thisI can now proudly add Guardians of Middle Earth for PC among my top MOBA games and I've been playing MOBA games since the first DotA came out in 2005. I've actually been playing games since the 80's but I digress. The original console version was developed by one of my favorite companies in the 90's, Monolith. Zombie Studios did a good job with the PC port. Here's the thing with this game; even though it's an entry level MOBA, the game itself is enjoyable, challenging and looks and feels LOTR coool! It feels like a mix of Demigod (can upgrade minions and towers) and LoL buy items to preload on belts to slightly boost character). The penalty for dying is just lost time....no lost coins. There is no shop during gameplay so you are just focusing on your fighting skills and map strategy instead of how well you micromanage (last hit, deny, etc.).

    So just because it's different and simplified, doesn't mean it's bad. Look at recent XCOM for PC. There was some mixed reviews...and the negative ones were that they 'simplified it' so console players can enjoy it too. To me, there is nothing wrong if it is simplified as long as it is still challenging and fun. Sure the PC enthusiasts like myself love all that deep, detailed, micromanaging tasks but it doesn't always have to be like that when the game is already fun and challenging without the extra features. Sometimes other features are added instead to make it more enjoyable and challenging.

    I've had no immediate bugs or lag that I noticed other than when I Alt-Tab out of it the Task Manager screen but issues arise with many games when that's done. I only have 2 gripes with my experience so far (and it doesn't ruin the gameplay at all): 1) the pre-loadout belts can't be named nor do they have 'mouse hover' pop-ups to see the description of the items on the belt. So you have to go back to the store and see what they are. I'm sure they will fix this as this was obviously missed. 2) The community is not that big yet because the poor marketing decision to charge $40 or $80 bucks for versions of the game when most of them are free or have converted to F2P model now. LoL, HON and Demigod did charge about $40 when they first launched but now is not the time to charge for a MOBA game when they know that people are attracted to the F2P model and people will be spending the $40 even $80 bucks as they play the game. I would give this game a 10 if they just fixed those two issues.    … Expand
  5. chipset35
    Sep 1, 2013
    9
    I have been PC gaming since 1992, and am having a ton of fun with this game!
    What is all the whining and complaining about?
    I have had hardly any lag at all and no DC's....I don't care about comparisons to LoL and DoTA, because frankly if I liked those 2 games I would be playing them instead. The Tolkien lore is great, with cool characters from JRR Tolkiens Middle Earth, which is the    I have been PC gaming since 1992, and am having a ton of fun with this game!
    What is all the whining and complaining about?
    I have had hardly any lag at all and no DC's....I don't care about comparisons to LoL and DoTA, because frankly if I liked those 2 games I would be playing them instead.
    The Tolkien lore is great, with cool characters from JRR Tolkiens Middle Earth, which is the grandfather of all Fantasy universes, of which other game worlds just rip off from.
    I have been playing with KB and mouse, the graphics are beautiful, the game is fun, the voice overs are great.
    My only complaint is that half the players in each game are usually the AI bots, due to lack of players.
    To be honest with you, I could care less....some of the AI bots are better than the real players.
    I played this game all day yesterday, and plan to keep playing, and if that is against 100% AI bots? Then fine. I am having a blast all the same.
    I guess, it is today's gaming generation? They seem to complain about everything.    … Expand
  6. gandalfx
    Sep 5, 2013
    9
    Well, it seems a good game because it has a good story, good graphics, one different and revolutionary MOBA, good characters and excellent audio.
    The only bad thing: it's not free
  7. mikol1
    Sep 13, 2013
    9
    This console-designed MOBA based upon the magnificent creation of JRR Tolkien it´s both satisfying and well recreated. A great introduction for newbies to the MOBA genre.
    Good model of characters
    Good graphics
    Good audio
    Lag -1/2
    No base characters -1/2
  8. greene
    Sep 13, 2013
    9
    Finally a great MOBA game for the console. Characters are varied and a lot of customization is available. The character balance is good and the developers are active and will correct anything that's out of balance.It's a steal for $19.99
    The problem:LAAAAAAAAG
  9. cholo
    Sep 17, 2013
    9
    A refined competitive strategy game that combines the high-paced action of League of Legends with RPG elements to add depth and more strategy after endless games.
    LAG
    LAG
  10. Labreux
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    It's a good game and I see no reason to qualify it wrong. In xbox is a great game and also pc is slow but is strategic.
    The most frequent problem is the lag which can be solved
  11. crticnoob2
    Nov 6, 2013
    9
    The best LOTR strategy game next to Battle for Middle Earth series. Even though this is not a hardcore strategy MOBA (no shop, no last hits, no denies, no courier) it is more of an arcade feel and successfully simplifies the game play by combining elements from other MOBAs like LOL and Demigod. You can pre-load "attribute" items with in-game coins you earn by winning matches (likeThe best LOTR strategy game next to Battle for Middle Earth series. Even though this is not a hardcore strategy MOBA (no shop, no last hits, no denies, no courier) it is more of an arcade feel and successfully simplifies the game play by combining elements from other MOBAs like LOL and Demigod. You can pre-load "attribute" items with in-game coins you earn by winning matches (like LOL) and you can upgrade towers and minions during game play (like Demigod). Solid game, fun and challenging. The game needs more people to join in the fun. I hope they make the game F2P so it will attract more people, instead of charging people to play it initially (Well, there were a few MOBAs that charged initially to play it). It was on sale for $9.99 but I would buy it for no more than that.… Expand
  12. bartin
    Sep 13, 2013
    8
    Great game, tons of fun when all goes smoothly. Highly competitive games, strategy involved, and teamwork make this game worth the 15$. However, matchmaking issues, long wait times for games, and disconnects during matches hold this game back from its full potential
  13. DemiGoth
    Nov 2, 2013
    5
    Graphically this is a good game, and I think that's about all good there is about it Basically, it's just a DOTA2 clone that you have to pay for (and pay a lot when you want all DLC!), with the difference that DOTA2 has way better gameplay. Not to mention, the amount of characters to pick from I think is low, as well as the amount of skills. Only good thing (compared with DOTA2) is thatGraphically this is a good game, and I think that's about all good there is about it Basically, it's just a DOTA2 clone that you have to pay for (and pay a lot when you want all DLC!), with the difference that DOTA2 has way better gameplay. Not to mention, the amount of characters to pick from I think is low, as well as the amount of skills. Only good thing (compared with DOTA2) is that in GoME you can at least make your own skills for your character, while in DOTA2 they're locked per character.

    Honestly, if I knew it was THIS MUCH a DOTA2 clone I never would have bought it at all and stick with DOTA2 itself instead. Since DOTA2 is fully Free2Play, you also have more players to play with and compete against as well.

    And lore..? I've read some reviews that it's good to lore... ROFLLOLWTFBBQ. There's no Tolkien lore at all in GoME aside from the names of the characters. If GoME was REALLY close to the lore, then magic and magic items would be VERY RARE to start with, making it almost impossible to play this game in the first place.    … Expand
  14. Brosman
    Sep 15, 2013
    3
    Sadly DOTA 2 and LoL are sooo much more fun that this game. Its not even close. The roster in GOME is so small compared to the competition. Throw on top of that the fact that characters pretty much all play the same anyways and you have little incentive to play an already inferior version of its competition
  15. Cordova
    Aug 29, 2013
    3
    Hm, how to begin. Well, there's absolutely no reason to play this over dota2, LoL, smite, forge or HoN.

    The combat is surprisingly slow, but that's not because you need the time to employ tactics/strategy, it's just slow. There is no item store you're supposed to equip stuff pre-match. So during a game, if you're mismatched, there is no way to "build tanky" or utility, or damage, and    Hm, how to begin. Well, there's absolutely no reason to play this over dota2, LoL, smite, forge or HoN.

    The combat is surprisingly slow, but that's not because you need the time to employ tactics/strategy, it's just slow. There is no item store you're supposed to equip stuff pre-match. So during a game, if you're mismatched, there is no way to "build tanky" or utility, or damage, and so on. It's pretty uninspired, no last hitting, you just get xp for being around stuff as it dies.

    The only good thing they had are these crystals, leaf, well things that give you damage resistance if you capture them. So fights can be had by those, but they're really easy to recapture (5 seconds maybe) so even if you spend your time capping them all, someone can just take them back before you can get back to fight over it.

    I regret buying this game, I'm not going to continue playing it unless I hear about some miracle patch in the future that makes it fun. If you're going to release a MOBA these days, you should at least try to be somewhere near the standards of the big players (lol/dota2).

    I love LOTR, but don't get fooled like I did, pass this one up for now.    … Expand
  16. Zutha
    Aug 30, 2013
    3
    Unfortunately my experience has been very poor. The reason for this is that unlike LoL or DotA, games are using a shared connection between players in this poor moba. So all it takes is a single player to have a bad connection and the game lags consistently for everyone.

    When first logging in you can't even play the main iconic characters, but you can purchase with DLC.... I don't    Unfortunately my experience has been very poor. The reason for this is that unlike LoL or DotA, games are using a shared connection between players in this poor moba. So all it takes is a single player to have a bad connection and the game lags consistently for everyone.

    When first logging in you can't even play the main iconic characters, but you can purchase with DLC.... I don't understand how they can charge for characters after charging a purchase cost when better moba's are available for free.

    If this wasn't lord of the rings then it wouldn't of seen the light of day    … Expand
  17. M8ass
    Aug 30, 2013
    3
    Its like paying for tap water, you have the alternative to play a better, and free alternative compared to this, but hay. Its your money, if you wish to encourage companies to take something free and charge people for it, its yours to make.
  18. bbg118
    Nov 15, 2013
    3
    I am going to admit now that I haven't played this game almost at all, but what I have played and seen will unfortunately keep me from coming back for more. I'll start out with saying that I am playing this game on PC, I got it with the Humble Bundle, which is honestly the only reason I am playing it now. While the developers have done well giving users chances to get free gold with whichI am going to admit now that I haven't played this game almost at all, but what I have played and seen will unfortunately keep me from coming back for more. I'll start out with saying that I am playing this game on PC, I got it with the Humble Bundle, which is honestly the only reason I am playing it now. While the developers have done well giving users chances to get free gold with which to purchase in game items, it is simply foolish to both charge for the game itself AND heroes. I understand that developers need to make money somehow, but it just seems foolish to try and make users pay for both when there are so many cheaper options out there. getting back on track, I hope that the game runs better on Xbox, because PC play was unbearable from me. I used to have a terrible computer that I played other MOBAs on, and it had terrible lag, so I am used to that. What I am not used to is game breaking bugs such as being unable to target ANY ENEMY UNIT halfway through the game. Heroes, minions, didn't matter. I couldn't target any of them, which left half of my abilities useless. I tried a game after that and the bug persisted. This is mostly what turned me off from the game, along with a lot of other small things. Unless the Xbox version had more effort put into it, other reviews on this site straight out lie when they say graphics and gameplay are amazing. The graphics are decent, nothing to brag about, but the lag and bugs really kill the game. Overall the idea of the game is great, I just wish it had been better implemented. As it stands I truly believe the game looks like a shoddy money grab using the LoTR franchise name. If the developers can fix the gameplay and lagging issues, this will be a game I would come back to ad enjoy. But until then, it will sit in my Steam library gathering dust.… Expand
  19. Grim13
    Nov 25, 2013
    2
    -SCAM ALERT- -SCAM ALERT- -SCAM ALERT- -SCAM ALERT- -SCAM ALERT- -SCAM ALERT-

    Pay $20... then discover the $100 worth of DLC available. ROFLMAO. They got my $20. I'll be damned if they get any more.
  20. Nalsii
    Dec 21, 2013
    2
    My brief background: I've been a gamer since the 1980s, a PC gamer since 1991. Though I'm not a hardcore fan of Tolkien, I am a fan nevertheless I have a lifetime subscription in Lord of the Rings Online after all. Also, I play LoL and DotA2 regularly, having played HoN in the past as well.
    I wanted to like this game, I really did. Seeing as it is a console port, I had next to no    My brief background: I've been a gamer since the 1980s, a PC gamer since 1991. Though I'm not a hardcore fan of Tolkien, I am a fan nevertheless I have a lifetime subscription in Lord of the Rings Online after all. Also, I play LoL and DotA2 regularly, having played HoN in the past as well.
    I wanted to like this game, I really did. Seeing as it is a console port, I had next to no expectations of it, but even these almost nonexistent expectations have not been fully met. One of these expectations was to be able to customize my controls and graphics options. Even though I didn't need to do it in the end (I have a good enough PC and I'm more or less used to the control scheme they went for here), I expect a PC game to allow me to adjust at least those two options. I mean, look at Dust: An Elysian Tail a godlike 1-man indie game that had come out on consoles and was later ported by the same one guy to the PC in an EXEMPLARY fashion.
    It's sad, really. The game itself seems like an interesting entry-level DotA/MobA/whatever set in a great world, with familiar protagonists and nice enough graphics (except the portrait art what's the deal with disfigured hand-drawn portraits of faces I am expected to know?), reasonable in-battle mechanics focused on immediate action and base upgrades instead of picking the right item build and farming money to afford it, and offering enough metagame complexity in the form of runes and gems to keep those more demanding interested if played on a console.
    On the PC, the experience is extremely disappointing. What's also disappointing is the monetization model: Dozens of dollars for the game, still requiring micropayments/DLCs or weeks of playing afterwards to be able to afford most of the basic/mandatory stuff? Again, maybe on a console (LMAO Forza 5) where the game is reportedly decent, but who the hell would subject themselves to this on a PC where the market is extremely oversaturated, with the genre's pinnacles being readily available, even free to play, and incomparably more user-friendly (with enough players playing them to actually play with/against)?
    I spent good 3 hours on this game, which is 3 hours more than I should have, because that's 3 hours I could have spent playing all the far better PC games I have, including LoL and Lord of the Rings Online, both of which offer an almost infinitely better experience than this game does.    … Expand
  21. Biokiipper
    Jan 12, 2014
    2
    I would rather to get paper-cut between my fingers than playing this game more minutes than I have. If you think it might be good because its Tolkien's creation, oh boy...think again...
  22. Canettieri
    Aug 29, 2013
    2
    The game is ridiculous, looks like it's in a alpha version. The game makes me think in a refund in Steam!!
    If you love your money, wait some months more! Let's see if developers releases some news..
  23. m0skit0
    Aug 31, 2013
    2
    This is a MOBA game "based" in LotR. I know you might be thinking about trying this game because it's based in LotR. It's not even worth that. It's ugly -graphics are from 10 years ago-, it's sluggish -loading screen runs at 10 fps, in-game has occasional sluggish, has horrible gameplay and controls -one of the worst I remember-, interface is one of the less intuitive and slow in any game.This is a MOBA game "based" in LotR. I know you might be thinking about trying this game because it's based in LotR. It's not even worth that. It's ugly -graphics are from 10 years ago-, it's sluggish -loading screen runs at 10 fps, in-game has occasional sluggish, has horrible gameplay and controls -one of the worst I remember-, interface is one of the less intuitive and slow in any game. Looks like -and most likely is- an unfinished game. And on top of this there are plenty of other MOBA games WAY better than this one. LoL is definitely very far from this game -sorry for the swearing but there's no other way to describe this mess-. Stay away from this "game".… Expand
  24. joejoebaggin
    Aug 29, 2013
    2
    i have been playing this game since its release on xbox and the game is amazing. once i heard it was coming to pc i was stokd and could not wait to play it. the day came where i got to play it and i am very unimpressed with it. the gammy is laggy as hell, all you get is bot matches and unless you have a super pro PC you cannot play it due to the game not having any kind of options toi have been playing this game since its release on xbox and the game is amazing. once i heard it was coming to pc i was stokd and could not wait to play it. the day came where i got to play it and i am very unimpressed with it. the gammy is laggy as hell, all you get is bot matches and unless you have a super pro PC you cannot play it due to the game not having any kind of options to change graphics (auto set to max). the only way to help performance its to play in window mode or to lower the resolution (which makes the game look like poo.)

    for people wanting to play this game i suggesting buying it on consoles where it works MUCH better than pc. At least until a fix comes to pc which probably wont happen.    … Expand
  25. Veska
    Oct 19, 2014
    2
    The worst MOBA, that i play. The best thing in this game is cinematic intro. But others? Gameplay? Terrible. Graphic? Terrible? And 56526561431351 DLC.....Dont buy it! Save your money. Really. If you want play MOBA, play games as Dota, LoL, Hon and maybe Smite and others. But this one...? No Sauron must be so angy and maybe kill creators of this ♥♥♥♥.
  26. Orrimaarko
    Nov 11, 2013
    2
    P2P connection makes lag common place. The game itself costs money, while around half of the available champions ALSO cost money, so purchasing the game doesn't even unlock the full game. This game should be free to play. There are no cosmetic upgrades for characters. The ONLY positive about this game is the ease that it plays with a controller. Overall much better MOBA choices andP2P connection makes lag common place. The game itself costs money, while around half of the available champions ALSO cost money, so purchasing the game doesn't even unlock the full game. This game should be free to play. There are no cosmetic upgrades for characters. The ONLY positive about this game is the ease that it plays with a controller. Overall much better MOBA choices and much better LOTR games. Buyer beware.… Expand
  27. Scytale
    Nov 16, 2013
    1
    I recently bought this via the Humble Bundle and whilst my expectations were not high, I was thinking there may be a few hours of enjoyment ...

    Oh how I was wrong, oh how this game despoiled my meager hopes. This is a 5v5 MOBA (hero fight with elements of tower defense) done at it bare minimum basic features, with a tiny arena which lacks any depth. What is worse is the actual game    I recently bought this via the Humble Bundle and whilst my expectations were not high, I was thinking there may be a few hours of enjoyment ...

    Oh how I was wrong, oh how this game despoiled my meager hopes.

    This is a 5v5 MOBA (hero fight with elements of tower defense) done at it bare minimum basic features, with a tiny arena which lacks any depth. What is worse is the actual game itself terrible UI with little-to-no feedback, unresponsive or confusing interactivity, broken mechanics, horrible hit boxes for selection+targeting and unbalanced gameplay all of which lead to an experience that is just pure frustration.

    Oh and if you didn't get it through the Humble Bundle then then are you to make you pay, pay again and pay some more.    … Expand
  28. Teldil
    Sep 6, 2013
    1
    This is the WORST game I have ever purchased on Steam. The game is a SCAM.

    Worst console port ever seen No graphic options AT ALL, no key binding options AT ALL. Controls are clunky and unresponsive as possible. Graphics look like something out of a Playstation 2 game. Online matches are based on P2P connection this game has no servers. Due to that, the game is basically    This is the WORST game I have ever purchased on Steam. The game is a SCAM.

    Worst console port ever seen No graphic options AT ALL, no key binding options AT ALL.
    Controls are clunky and unresponsive as possible. Graphics look like something out of a Playstation 2 game.

    Online matches are based on P2P connection this game has no servers.
    Due to that, the game is basically unplayable due to lags and there is no way to ensure a smooth game.
    Furthermore, there are NO players online, and the game matches you up with BOTS instead of real players.
    If the idea of playing against bots 90% of the time sounds like fun to you........you still won't enjoy this piece of garbage game.

    AVOID AT ALL COSTS.    … Expand
  29. andygum1
    Sep 20, 2013
    1
    They're no dedicated servers on the PC version so trying to play 5v5 is near impossible. The keyboard and mouse controls are terrible you cannot edit your own key bindings. The game constantly crashes my advice is avoid like the plague. So much potential just wasted makes me sad this should have been the next big MOBA imo.
  30. H3xu5
    Nov 20, 2013
    1
    I really don't have words to describe how bad this game is.

    I'm a veteran of League of Legends Beta, Dota 2 Beta, Defense of the Ancients, and Heroes of Newerth. This game doesn't even grasp the most basic of MOBA concepts. The UI offers no feedback. The game is confusing because of this. There is no direction, you literally have no clue where to go or what to do as a new player.    I really don't have words to describe how bad this game is.

    I'm a veteran of League of Legends Beta, Dota 2 Beta, Defense of the Ancients, and Heroes of Newerth. This game doesn't even grasp the most basic of MOBA concepts. The UI offers no feedback. The game is confusing because of this. There is no direction, you literally have no clue where to go or what to do as a new player. The game expect you to know MOBA as a genre but does nothing to point you in the direction their take on staples like item shops, jungles, teamfighting, etc.

    I got this game under the Humble Bundles. If I could I would simple request they keep this game and give the worth to charity. It's simply terrible. The sad truth, as I wanted a Middle Earth licensed game to succeed.

    In summation. Confusing UI, Lack of direction, Lacks most basic MOBA concepts, Expensive startup.

    Would not recommend to anyone.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 12
  3. Negative: 3 out of 12
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 24, 2013
    40
    Multiplayer strategy that's played by no one? Something's rotten in this Middle-Earth. And it's really not much of a surprise, given the game's poor execution and steep price. [Nov 2013]
  2. CD-Action
    Oct 16, 2013
    30
    A messed up PC port of an interesting console title. The game is horribly unresponsive when you use mouse and keyboard, the connection lags are awful and it’s hard to find people to play with. [11/2013, p.86]
  3. IGN
    Oct 1, 2013
    79
    A streamlined, easy to understand MOBA for those looking for an entry point to the genre.
    Read full review
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