Let’s get ready to get MOBAlized.

I know there has been some skepticism surrounding the upcoming Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle Earth MOBA title. Nor can I blame anyone for feeling that way, since we all have memories of various cash-in licensed games of poor quality trying to do little more than ride the wave of popularity to some quick money. Yet, between my own time with the game and its developers and the various trailers released for it to date, I can honestly say that, if nothing else, the developers at Monolith Productions are giving this title real effort. And considering this is the same developer that took an idea as off-the-wall as Gotham City Imposters and actually made it, more or less, work, that is worth something.

Then there is also the simple fact that for as crowded as the MOBA genre is becoming on PC, Guardians is not actually a PC game but instead a PS3 and Xbox 360 title. This is an important distinction, since neither of these platforms have received a full MOBA title in the more traditional sense to date; the only previous such title on the platforms being Awesomenauts, which is a 2D take on the traditionally 3D MOBA concept. Combine this fact with the budget price of Guardians (15 dollars, a.k.a. 1200 Microsoft points) and you have the recipe for what could be a very successful title. Time will tell, but in the interim, check out the new behind-the-scenes trailer for Guardians below.

Lord of the Ring: Guardians of Middle-Earth is due out of PSN and XBLA sometime this year. Stay tuned to Blistered Thumbs for continuing coverage of the game and be sure to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.