Guardians of Middle-Earth trailer shows first gameplay, Sauron smashing things

Right before E3, Warner Bros. unveiled a very exciting new project being developed by the talented folks at Monolith, The Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle-Earth. It's a MOBA-style action/strategy game in which you pick a hero from the forces of Mordor or the alliance of Men, Elves, Hobbits and Dwarves (and Gandalf) and attempt to take over/liberate Middle-Earth.

We're probably too excited for this game, but seeing Sauron smash the living bejeezus out of things is thrilling to say the least. How is it possible that we've gone this long in gaming history without a playable version of the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring (i.e. Sauron smashing dozens of soldiers with each swing of a giant mace)?

According to the trailer, Guardians of Middle-Earth is headed out way in Fall 2012. If you missed it when it was first announced, you can check out the awesome announcement trailer here, along with our E3 preview.

Andrew Groen

Andrew is a freelance video game journalist, writing for sites like Wired and GamesRadar. Andrew has also written a book called EMPIRES OF EVE: A History of the Great Wars of EVE Online.