So this game has started to devour souls. Its pretty good and I know a few of the forum members have gotten into it.
Its basically a DoTA clone like heros of newerth. You play as a hero in a battle to attack and destroy your enemies base. It uses waves of minions as a game mechanic that you use to draw fire off you, but the minions travel lanes and run into your enemy minions. So you basically assist minions, assassinate heros and destroy buildings. My first time playing a game like this but Im picking it up pretty quick:
Still better at the small team games where you can have a larger impact playing properly, less luck with who you are teamed with in my opinion.
There are a lot of unique things about this style of game but a few large drawbacks. I wont get into it all and break it down unless I end up doing a review, but that would have to wait till I reach some of the ranked matches and try more of the unlocked characters.
"Prediction: Zenimax Online is making an MMO set in the elder scrolls universe" -BobTD 8-25-2010 (search it on the forum)
remember that LoL was actually developed by the people who made the DotA mod. That's a rather huge detail that hasn't been mentioned here, yet.
The game really is DotA to a tee except that they developed their own game engine to run the game instead of just heavily modifying Warcraft's... the hugest drawback to the game in my mind is the combination of a few facts:
(1) the game has a steep learning curve and, because it follows out of DotA's footsteps, it quite unlike any other RTS you'll play unless you're familiar with DotA (or apparently Heroes of Newerth, which is a game I know nothing about)
(2) the game is a team game. When one person on the team hasn't learned the finer details of the game and can't see the whole battlefield and the rest of their team in their mind at once, they can't play as part of the team. The whole team suffers for this.
these details wouldn't be a huge deal, except that...
(3) the game is played almost (there is the option not to) exclusively online with other players. Many of these players are very competitive. Many of them are unforgiving or unaware of how hard it is to learn how to play this game well and play as a team. Many of them are complete and total dicks.
Because of this one great weakness, it's no surprise that the developers have hosted on their site something they call The Summoners Code. It says, in more words and with detailed application to how these issues present themselves in LoL, to not be a dick. It's not read enough by the game's players.
particularly:
Leave No Newbie Behind!
“Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
We all started somewhere, and if we’re going to do justice to the people who helped us move up the ladder, we have to start by paying homage to our roots. If you see a player having a bad game, or who clearly doesn’t grasp the fundamentals of the genre, try offering some constructive advice. If you do so in a civil and friendly manner, it’s likely that they will be receptive. Oftentimes they’ll be downright grateful that somebody took the time to let them know how to improve instead of yelling at them.
Never get frustrated by an inexperienced player’s performance. At some point, you were just as green as they were, even if it was the day that you downloaded the League of Legends client. Have a little patience, and try and help the player step up to a level where both of you can enjoy the game. At the same time, don’t be discouraged if they aren’t receptive. Some small percentage of players will get hung up on the notion that they don’t need anybody’s help, and, no matter how politely you try to lend a hand, they won’t want to hear it. That’s no reason to give up on the rest of them!
So, I mean, the game isn't for everyone, but if you can get past those drawbacks the game is tons of fun. I've been playing and loving it and I'm helplessly addicted and want to learn everything I can to do better... I love the challenge of learning a deep game, esp one that focuses on playing well with your team Also, all of my roommates (three people) play this game so it's starting to become routine that we all close out the day together with a couple rounds of LoL.
Also, Kennen is epic. Also, a ninja. Did I mention he was an epic ninja?