[Review] Guardians of Middle-earth

[. PREDATOR]

Game Informations : 

Developer: Monolith Productions, Zombie Studios

Publishers  : Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360

Initial release date: 4 décembre 2012

 

 

When I first reviewed Guardians of Middle-earth for consoles, I praised it for its ability to ease new players into the notoriously difficult MOBA genre. Now that it’s crossed over to the genre’s native platform, it’s just as accessible as it was then.

To bring a hardcore MOBA to consoles, developer Monolith had to take some serious liberties with the genre. Guardians of Middle-earth is tuned to be played with controllers rather than a mouse and keyboard, no in-game item shop, and a much smaller map than Dota 2 or League of Legends. The result is a great game for those interested in the genre, but aren’t ready for the incredibly tough learning curve that comes from its more hardcore brethren.

 

 

Gone are some of the more nuanced attributes of MOBAs like last-hitting AI-controlled enemies for gold, leaving just the core elements of the genre: Brawling with other characters in order to get more powerful and destroy the other team’s base. Without any of the other things to worry about, GOME doesn’t feel so much simplistic as streamlined, choosing to focus on a consistent amount of action rather than the slow, tactical experience that can come from other games.

Thus, players looking for a competitive experience won’t find it here. Without the flexibility of being able to change your items on the fly in game (buffs are chosen, loadout style, before every match) or a ranking system, GOME is more of a quick and fun experience that can be played in under 20 minutes, with the unique addition of a match timer.

 

 

Content-wise, the PC port collects all the DLC from the console release, including the 14 extra Guardians, as well as the Shire and Mirkwood map skins. The horde-like Survival mode makes an appearance, too. PC-exclusive Guardian skins are also available, giving each of the 36 combatant a new, alternate look - for a price.

Now, you could play GOME with a mouse and keyboard, but because of its console origins, the experience is better with a controller in hand. Rather than single-target attacks like many MOBAs, Guardians emit a cone or column of damage, which are aimed with the right stick. It’s essentially a twin-stick shooter, and both moving and aiming with a mouse can feel clumsy and lead to frustration.

 

 

Some things are improved on PC, however. Where I had a problem with the messy UI when playing on a TV, things made a lot more sense on a computer monitor. Sure, the screens tend to be smaller, but the closer viewpoint and higher resolution allow for a greater ease of understanding of the complicated map and stat screens. Things are decidedly easier to read. Plus, all the characters and maps look super sharp on PC monitors, further proving that the art style is an excellent adaptation of the classic fantasy series.

It seems that many of the technical problems have been solved, as well. There were far fewer disconnects and lag problems in my games, and there was never a loss of in-game currency as a result of being dropped from a game. Matchmaking could still use a bit of improvement, though, as matches can often take well over five minutes to find.

 

VERDICT 

With many of the technical and UI problems solved in the transition from console to PC, Guardians of Middle-earth has become the game it should have been when it was originally released: A streamlined, easy to understand MOBA for those looking for an entry point to the genre.

 

 

Guardians of Middle Earth Recommended Requirements :

CPU: Intel Core i5 750, 2.67 GHz | AMD Phenom II X4 965, 3.4GHz or better.

OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.

VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 | AMD Radeon HD 6950 or better.

FREE DISK SPACE: 8 GB.

Quote

Official Trailer