Info about Guardians of Middle-earth:

Official game description:
A shadow grows over Middle-earth as the greatest armies of the Third Age prepare for the coming battle. Take up arms in the clash over Middle-earth as the most powerful heroes and villains from the greatest fantasy epic of all time.  
Guardians of Middle-earth delivers an authentic multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game set in Middle-earth! Play with friends to bring up to 10 players together in strategic five versus five competitive multiplayer battle arenas in this epic setting. Call upon legendary heroes and villains from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as you form memorable alliances in this truly groundbreaking MOBA experience!
Key Features:
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*   Enter the fray in epic 5v5 engagements with live players or AI combatants  
*   Fight as over 36 iconic guardians from Middle-earth — each with different strengths and abilities to develop and master. Now available with 36 all new alternate skins!  
*   Purchase items and buffs between matches using in-game currency earned through combat  
*   Track victories and defeats at any time through stat and leaderboard systems  
*   Coordinate with allies using in-game voice communication for a uniquely social Multiplayer Online Battle Arena experience

Release date: Aug 29, 2013

Categories: MOBA, Competitive Multiplayer, Team-based Combat, Hero Management, Lane-based Gameplay, Horde Mode

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 85; verdict: Predatory / Pay-to-Win; summary: Guardians of Middle-earth employs a pay-to-win monetization model with real-money purchases for stat-boosting items, gold for in-match advantages, cosmetic skins, and expensive DLC heroes, all layered on top of an upfront purchase price. This combination of base cost and aggressive post-purchase spending requirements is considered predatory by the majority of reviewers.
- Steam Deck: score 80; verdict: Broken and Frustrating; summary: The PC Steam port of this game lacks proper controller support and suffers from significant input lag, making it nearly unplayable on Steam Deck without extensive tinkering. While one user enjoyed the experience, the overwhelming feedback points to serious control and responsiveness issues.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that the original base price of $20 is widely considered too high, with many recommending deep discounts or only buying at 90% off. One review suggests a $5–$10 price range as acceptable, and others mention obtaining the game for under a dollar on sale. Thus, the community likely views a fair base-game price between $5 and $10.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 0.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Session length is inferred from the explicit mention that matches have a maximum of 30 minutes, suggesting a typical session of about 0.5 hours. The quote about maxing out level in ten minutes refers to in-match progression, not overall game completion. The hundreds of hours and 8 hours first day are anecdotal and not specific to game completion, story, or endgame metrics. No reliable evidence for game completion, story completion, or endgame hours was found.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Guardians of Middle-earth fails to deliver fun for most players because its multiplayer is dead, forcing boring bot matches, while the poor tutorial and repetitive combat compound the issue; only playing with friends or as iconic LotR characters offers some enjoyment.
  - Stance: Never clicks
  - Anchor: Playing with friends
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: dead multiplayer population; boring bot AI; repetitive combat animations; poor or missing tutorial; horrible interface; high cost of full content
  - Unlock drivers: playing with friends; using iconic LotR characters like Gandalf; progression system with customizable gems
  - Conditions: co-op with friends; playing as specific high-damage characters; being a Lord of the Rings fan; patience for long matchmaking
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Tolkien Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: To experience Lord of the Rings in a casual MOBA setting.
    - Playstyle: Plays against bots or with friends, focuses on enjoying the theme and learning the genre at a relaxed pace.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Tolkien fan; casual gamer
    - Reference games: League of Legends; Dota 2
  - Disappointed Multiplayer Seeker (no buy)
    - Motivation: To find active competitive multiplayer matches.
    - Playstyle: Attempts to play PvP but is thwarted by dead playerbase and connectivity issues.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: MOBA player; multiplayer enthusiast
    - Reference games: Dota 2; League of Legends; Mobile Legends
  - Discerning MOBA Player (no buy)
    - Motivation: To evaluate MOBA quality and compare with genre standards.
    - Playstyle: Compares game design, mechanics, and polish with other MOBAs; disappointed by lack of refinement.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: MOBA veteran; experienced player; genre critic
    - Reference games: Dota 2; League of Legends; Mobile Legends; Heroes of Newerth


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Active Discord community (weight 0.09): There is an active community on Discord, indicating strong player engagement outside the game.
- Gandalf is fun and powerful (weight 0.09): Gandalf is initially enjoyable, powerful, and fun to play, making a strong first impression.

Common complaints:
- Dead online player base (weight 0.45): Players report that the online multiplayer is dead, with very few real players, often only bots filling matches. The community is described as a virtual graveyard, and player counts on platforms like Steam DB are extremely low.
- Pay-to-win and high costs (weight 0.45): The game is criticized for being pay-to-win with purchasable items and characters that grant gameplay advantages. Additionally, the base price is considered high, and there are expensive DLCs for extra content, making the overall cost excessive.
- Boring and repetitive gameplay (weight 0.2): Gameplay is described as boring, dull, and repetitive, with simple point-and-click mechanics and repetitive sword swings. This leads to the game becoming boring quickly.
- Mostly bot matches (weight 0.17): Most matches are against bots due to the low player count, and the bots are not fun to play against. This makes the game feel empty and unengaging.
- Unbalanced heroes (weight 0.14): Heroes in the game are not well balanced, leading to unfair gameplay. This is a common complaint among players who find the character balance lacking.
- Many bugs present (weight 0.1): The game contains many bugs, which affect the overall experience. This is a significant issue for players expecting a polished product.
- Disappointing for LOTR fans (weight 0.09): Given the Lord of the Rings IP, the game is disappointing for fans who expected a better experience. The IP is not utilized well.

Gameplay feedback:
- Lord of the Rings MOBA (weight 0.81): The game is a Lord of the Rings-themed MOBA that simplifies the genre for beginners, often compared to Dota, League of Legends, and Heroes of Newerth.
- Standard MOBA map (weight 0.47): The game features a standard 3-lane, 6-tower map with minions, similar to Dota 2.
- Belt and gem item system (weight 0.25): Instead of a traditional shop, the game uses a belt/gem item system with relics, commands, and potions, similar to LoL runes.
- Shrines and jungle buffs (weight 0.24): Shrines provide health regen and damage resistance, and there are jungle buffs from neutral monsters.
- Offline and cooperative modes (weight 0.24): The game includes offline mode with bots, single-player, cooperative missions, and a survival/horde mode for up to 5 players.
- No items or last hitting (weight 0.22): There is no in-game currency, items, gold, or last hitting mechanics.
- Upgradeable towers and barracks (weight 0.18): Towers and barracks can be upgraded at levels 6, 9, and 12, similar to Monday Night Combat.
- Heroes with 4 abilities (weight 0.18): Each hero has 4 abilities, with skill shots and true damage, and no mana (skills on cooldown).
- Level cap and match length (weight 0.14): Matches have a level cap of 14, are capped at 30 minutes, and progression is through leveling with belt gems.
- Score-based win condition (weight 0.1): The game is purely online and focused on gameplay, with win condition based on scoreboard points rather than destroying the base.
- Customizable skill builds (weight 0.1): Players can customize skill builds and runes through the belt gem system.
- Survival mode included (weight 0.1): Includes a survival/horde mode for up to 5 players.
- Multiple Middle-earth maps (weight 0.1): The game features different maps inspired by Middle-earth.
- Console port available (weight 0.1): The game is available on PS3 and Xbox 360 as a console port.
- Gold economy for heroes (weight 0.1): Gold is earned per match (200-800) and heroes cost 5000 gold.
- DLC as cosmetic skins (weight 0.09): DLC are alternate skins for characters.
- Bush ambush mechanic (weight 0.05): The game includes a bush ambush mechanic.
- Free teleport to base (weight 0.05): Players have free teleport to base.

Performance notes:
- Poor optimization and performance (weight 0.37): Players report that the game suffers from poor optimization, resulting in lag, stuttering, and low performance even on high-end PCs that exceed the recommended requirements.
- Limited graphics settings (weight 0.15): The game lacks essential graphics configuration options, with only resolution settings available, limiting players' ability to adjust performance.
- Server and net-code issues (weight 0.14): Server issues and broken net-code cause high ping spikes and lag in online matches, affecting gameplay experience.
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.1): The game experiences frequent crashing bugs, leading to unexpected shutdowns during play.

Recommendations:
- Strong negative recommendation overall (weight 0.67): Most feedback advises against buying or playing the game, with multiple clusters explicitly stating 'do not recommend' or 'avoid'.
- Free alternatives are better (weight 0.36): Reviewers consistently suggest playing free MOBAs like Dota 2 or League of Legends instead, indicating the game offers poor value compared to these established titles.
- Game is dead or abandoned (weight 0.31): Multiple reviews describe the game as dead, abandoned by developers, or only playable with friends/bots, suggesting no active community or support.
- Not for MOBA players (weight 0.27): Feedback indicates the game fails as a competitive MOBA, with reviewers advising MOBA fans to pass and noting it lacks essential MOBA elements.
- Mixed opinions on value (weight 0.17): While most feedback is negative, a few reviews say it is worth experiencing or recommend it for beginners, but these are rare and often conditional.
- Only for LOTR fans with caution (weight 0.13): Reviews suggest the game may appeal to Lord of the Rings enthusiasts but warn that it is a poor use of the license and not worth buying even for fans.
- Limited to local or friends play (weight 0.12): Some reviewers note the game is only usable in local network with friends or in offline training mode, not as a proper online multiplayer experience.
- Requires controller support (weight 0.05): One review suggests the game would be recommended if controller support were added, indicating a missing feature that limits accessibility.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.31): Players are deeply disappointed because the game was abandoned by developers, leaving it with a dead playerbase, no active servers, and unplayable multiplayer. The potential of a Lord of the Rings MOBA was wasted due to poor monetization, pay-to-win mechanics, and lack of innovation, making it a generic and boring experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.3): Frustration stems from persistent technical issues like a broken mouse cursor, lack of controller support, and unresponsive controls that make the game unplayable. The dead playerbase, long queue times, and pay-to-win mechanics further exacerbate the experience, while the game remains sold despite being abandoned by developers.
- Anger (weight 0.06): Anger is driven by the feeling of being cheated after paying a high price for a buggy, unplayable cash grab that was abandoned by deceitful developers. The expensive DLC and clunky mechanics compared to other MOBAs amplify the sense of wasted money and time.
- Sadness (weight 0.03): Sadness arises from the wasted potential of a game that had promise but is now dead with no real player matches and shut down servers. The high price and boring gameplay contribute to a sense of loss over what could have been.
- Regret (weight 0.03): Regret is expressed by players who feel the game is not worth buying, as it is dead and overpriced. Many regret pre-ordering based on fandom or buying from a bundle, ending up with a disappointing experience.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom results from repetitive gameplay that becomes unfun after a few matches, with easy free kills and a lack of variety. The concept quickly wears off, leading players to lose interest mid-game.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Hope persists among some players who wish the game could be revived with developer focus, hoping to one day change their review to positive. This reflects a desire for the game to reach its potential.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.03): Satisfaction comes from easy-to-learn controls with strategic depth, good progression, and realistic characters with logical abilities. The game provides an enjoyable experience for those who appreciate its mechanics.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment is derived from iconic LOTR characters, good graphics and gameplay, and the fun of playing with friends using a controller. The balance and survival mode add to the positive experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is shown for creative characters and classes inspired by Silmarillion lore, as well as the beautiful graphics and ability to play offline. These elements are valued despite the game's flaws.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is felt by players returning after a decade, recalling when the game was great on console with top leaderboard rankings. Hundreds of hours played in the past evoke fond memories.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Excitement is generated by the fun, fast-paced gameplay and a great community, along with deep strategic mechanics and good design. These aspects make the game engaging for some.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Relief is expressed by players who did not pay full price, such as getting the game in a Humble Bundle, avoiding the financial sting of a disappointing purchase.
- Disgust (weight 0.02): Disgust is directed at the game being a profanation and failure, a low-quality cash grab clone of Dota that fails to honor the Lord of the Rings license.
- Shame (weight 0.01): Shame is associated with the studio that developed the game, implying embarrassment over the poor quality and abandonment of the project.
- Longing (weight 0.01): Longing is driven by the scarcity of Tolkien games, with players wishing for more quality titles set in that universe despite this game's shortcomings.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Joy comes from playing on Steam Deck, enjoying character designs, balanced abilities, and the offline mode, providing a positive experience for some players.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness is found in enjoying the game with a passionate community, highlighting the social aspect as a source of positive emotion.
- Dislike (weight 0.01): Dislike is expressed by players who consider it one of the worst MOBAs they have played, indicating strong negative sentiment.
- Warning (weight 0.01): Warning is issued to potential buyers that the game has no players and is a bad purchase, serving as a caution against wasting money.}