Guardians of Middle-Earth Crams LOTR Into Your MOBA

Oh nice, I like it when people put their LOTR into my MOBA.

Wait...

first?

Edit: NO!

This looks great. Finally, I'll be able to enjoy a MOBA with out being screamed at for not micro managing my camera view.

Seriously, I may have PTSD because of those people.

Defend your turf? This shii is gangsta', yo!

What? Why!?

This is going to flop SO HARD. How in the world are they planing on competing against Dota 2, LoL, and HoN?!

@Csaint said:

Defend your turf? This shii is gangsta', yo!

nah son its SUPA GANGSTA!

League of Legends, what have you done?

I like the idea of a MOBA with characters from another franchise, but I don't know how putting it on a console will work out, both control-wise and business model-wise.

See here's the thing, on PC it's going to be overshadowed by EVERY OTHER MOBA that is already established and it can't undercut the other MOBAs because they're already free. On console, the constant patching/content model just won't work and obviously it won't be free so what's the point?

I was really hoping this was a spiritual sequel to Battle for Middle Earth 1 and 2.

Awesome. Sauron looks like a bamf.

The idea of Gollum fighting against Sauron amuses me

@JeanLuc: Don't make me re-install BfME 1 O_o.

Love Monolith, one of my favourite developers ever. Love their style and their quirky humour, they don't really make games like a lot of other companies do. Bit sad to see them work on a licensed property rather than their own new IP but if anyone can make a DOTA game I'd play it's them. Here's hoping it's more of a side project rather than their main next game. Saying that Gotham City Impostors is fantastic and to this day still has a big community playing it (on 360 anyway), surprising especially as it's an XBLA/Downloadable game, guess they must be doing something right! Not sure how well DOTA will do on consoles though.

Should be a decent MOBA 'clone'. One thing that's slightly depressing is that it's based on such a narrative-focused IP, and strips the characters down to their base mechanics. Unless there's a single-player mode that justifies the MOBA approach to Middle Earth, I'm somewhat disappointed - the lack of context (or bare-bones context) makes any attempt to 'cash in' on the characters somewhat moot.

sauron you noob quit feeding

Being developed for consoles means it won't be a good PC game, which means it will get overshadowed by all the others, which means the core market for these titles will be uninterested. The console market likely won't take to the gameplay and controls, they never have before. I just don't see any of this as a good idea. WB could have challenged League of Legends and the rest with a strong made-for-PC and made-for-free title, but went for the multiplatform money. I bet it bites them.

Monolith have come to this? Where is my NOLF 3 dammit?

I like how Warner Bros. is trying to treat LOTR like LucasArts treats Star Wars. I mean, so the movies are done (with the exception of the two Hobbit films) - the LOTR universe is rich enough to support many, many games. It just stinks that most of the LOTR games are far, far worse than the Star Wars games that built that franchise. There's no LOTR equivalent of X-Wing, Jedi Knight, or Rogue Leader. Here's hoping Monolith will drop a relatively good game here...although, MOBAs seem like they take a long time to pump out. With many beta tests to balance things - like with DOTA 2 and League of Legends. This game is just...sorta existing. I hope it will be good, but I have the feeling that it won't be.

Besides which, I want Monolith and Warner Bros. to remake Shogo or produce a sequel already.

The problem with this is that people who are interested in mobas have their game already

Monolith making a MOBA? What?>

For some reason, LOTR has become the go-to theme when someone tries to take a niche desktop genre and put it on a console. See the Battle for Middle-Earth RTS. And now a MOBA game?

......I just wish the /lord-of-the-rings-the-white-council/61-23201/ came out. Elder Scrolls is the only game that should be wholesale translated into Tolkien. Not FF, not WOW, and certainly not MOBA.

You know, "defend your turf". Because Lord of the Rings.

Gotham City Imposters was surprisingly good so I'll check this out on Monolith's reputation alone but I fear it may be a tad too self serious.

@Deusx said:

This is going to flop SO HARD. How in the world are they planing on competing against Dota 2, LoL, and HoN?!

they aren't since those games aren't on the consoles.

Biggest problem, I am not sure if there is a crowd for mobas on consoles cause someone who sticks so religiously to consoles have never been able to try a moba. That might entice some people but i don't know...

And anyone with a half decent computer can run the other mobas which are basicly free anyways.

Also i doubt this will get much support being a console game. it's gonna end up being like Demigod. No community and no updates so no new heroes. That and console games die pretty fast anyways. Also i doubt you can make a compelling moba on a console.

That and i am not buying from them again too soon after that batman game.

The recent awesomenauts looked.. well not very good.

@CheapPoison: Ahem... Monday Night Combat...

Why do they do this... you can't compete with the real moba's and your not even trying... the least you can do is try to innovate... like Blizzard All stars.

Gollum is an legendary guardian?

Still can't believe Monolith is making a MOBA game. Then again, they're dictated by what Warner wants.

I hope Monolith isn't doomed to making WB licensed games. We don't need a Monolith Harry Potter game.

Didn't this just come out for free on steam?

@gamefreak9 said:

Why do they do this... you can't compete with the real moba's and your not even trying... the least you can do is try to innovate... like Blizzard All stars.

I think the fact that its on consoles means they don't have to compete with those titles. I think the bigger question is if console players are gonna latch on to a moba and if this IP still can deliver. Monday Night Combat did well on 360 from what I understand so it might work. I hope it does well I'm a bit Monolith fan.

Its all well and good having everything look like the movie versions but would it kill developers to come up with there own interpretation of characters?

@TheSouthernDandy said:

@gamefreak9 said:

Why do they do this... you can't compete with the real moba's and your not even trying... the least you can do is try to innovate... like Blizzard All stars.

I think the fact that its on consoles means they don't have to compete with those titles. I think the bigger question is if console players are gonna latch on to a moba and if this IP still can deliver. Monday Night Combat did well on 360 from what I understand so it might work. I hope it does well I'm a bit Monolith fan.

well no it doesn't matter if they are on consoles, since mobas are not really spec intensive. So maybe this moba might spark an interest in the genre to console gamers, but those who like it enough will fleet to the pc mobas, its basically guaranteeing you won't have a loyal fanbase.

@gamefreak9 said:

@TheSouthernDandy said:

@gamefreak9 said:

Why do they do this... you can't compete with the real moba's and your not even trying... the least you can do is try to innovate... like Blizzard All stars.

I think the fact that its on consoles means they don't have to compete with those titles. I think the bigger question is if console players are gonna latch on to a moba and if this IP still can deliver. Monday Night Combat did well on 360 from what I understand so it might work. I hope it does well I'm a bit Monolith fan.

well no it doesn't matter if they are on consoles, since mobas are not really spec intensive. So maybe this moba might spark an interest in the genre to console gamers, but those who like it enough will fleet to the pc mobas, its basically guaranteeing you won't have a loyal fanbase.

Im not saying its a spec thing I'm saying it's a platform thing. Not everybody who plays on a console also plays games on a PC. You're right there will probably be people who might get into the genre and decide to pick up DOTA 2 or LOL if they do play PC games but that wont be everyone. It may end up being a moot point anyway, I think its more likely that the game doesn't do much from the start which would be a bummer.

@CheapPoison said:

Biggest problem, I am not sure if there is a crowd for mobas on consoles cause someone who sticks so religiously to consoles have never been able to try a moba.

nope.

In reality there are many people who play on both, I'm about 60%/40% console to PC gamer and have played all the MOBAs regularly for a few years, and also play MW3 on 360. erm.

Anyway.. into it, just need a falloutesk one now :)

@zef40 said:

nope.

In reality there are many people who play on both, I'm about 60%/40% console to PC gamer and have played all the MOBAs regularly for a few years, and also play MW3 on 360. erm.

Anyway.. into it, just need a falloutesk one now :)

Well I didn't mean it like that. I mean that you play both right? So, do you think they will be able to get you as a customer as you already have access to 4-7 good to very good mobas out there, which are free, have already a community and most of those are looking at regular updates for the forseeable future. And probably most of em (can't speak for monday night combat and how that is doing as i don't check it out anymore. That and rise of the immortals are probably in the worst position. But chances are rise of the immortals isen't your favorite moba anyways.)

all this MOBA talk and not one mention of AWESOMENAUTS?!? That game is good people.

As a huge LOTR fan I am not amused. These publishers have the best fantasy universe of all time in their hands and they can't do jack shit with it except clone some crap concepts that don't fit with the setting at all. And when for once they do try to clone a winning concept such as the Elder Scrolls, it gets cancelled.

This is worse than Conquest.

Yo dawg, I herd you like LOTR...

@CheapPoison: Ye I'll probably buy this (review dependent), it'll be interesting to see how they model the costing, if its a bunch of ms points for new champs etc then no, that would suck but if its straight up buy the game and go then sure, thing that puts me off is the license tie in, never a good sign.

Yeah... no.

If it ends up F2P on PC I'll probably give it an hour or 50, looks fun. If it comes after Blizzard AllStars, probably not.

another game based on dota? cmon ...

THIS IS NOT THE LORD OF THE RINGS AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

You have to love the ye old english "defend your turf", they missed a "yo" there.

Because There is never enough prostitutional bastardization of our beloved fiction.

if this is even half way decent I'll buy it

Sauron can't manifest in physical form during the Third Age!