![]() Still, if your team is barely hanging on as is and then the enemy takes control of the Doomsday Device, for example, expect lots of people quitting out midmatch. Neither one is aesthetically interesting, but Infinite Crisis does emphasize unique map-specific boosts and dangers that give the settings a bit more personality. The still-in-beta game features two maps so far: Coast City and Gotham Heights. It’s cool in theory, but for every alternate version of Batman you get, that’s a Harley Quinn, Starfire, or Clayface that got left out of the lineup. Infinite Crisis takes characters from several different DC universes, including Gaslight, Nightmare, Mecha, and Atomic. (Dungeons & Dragons Online, The Lord of the Rings Online) have a lot to prove, especially after the last major licensed MOBA to try and crack the scene was a thorough disappointment (see above). With a $20 entry fee and already nearly $100 in DLC, the developers should focus more on putting out the fires in the official forums than trying to shake the coins from the pockets of what few players they’ve already duped.Īs the newest MOBA on the block, Warner Bros. Zombie Studios’ PC port somehow featured the same exact issues that the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions had all along. Guardians arrived on the PC last month, and I was optimistic that it would be more stable after a year of testing and feedback. As you can imagine, its community dwindled quite rapidly. Developer Monolith Productions has had plenty of time to make and sell a ton of new downloadable content for the release but has failed to address the broken state of the experience. While Guardians is the only traditional, top-down MOBA on home consoles, game-breaking server issues have crippled it since the beginning. I’m not sure why such a successful series has garnered some of the most mundane titles and C-list developers possible, but the disappointment keeps on rolling along. If you’ve followed The Lord of the Rings franchise in video game land over the past generation, then you sadly know what to expect. A bunch of characters from the books that people who only play the games and watch the movies have never even heard of? Check. Gandolf, Gollum, and Eowyn fighting side by side against the Witch King, Legolas, and a Balrog? Done. Although you can jump into bot matches in case you really want to give it a go on Steam, the archaic UI and no promise of a future might lead you elsewhere.Ī MOBA set in The Lord of the Rings universe? The potential was just so damn good. Yet both the community and the support (especially in the West) seems to have died out for Bloodline Champions. It’s also one of the few that thankfully uses WASD controls instead of mouse clicks (thank you!). ![]() A 5-on-5, top-down MOBA with much in common with its competition, Bloodline Champions has a few extra tricks up its sleeves, including Street Fighter-inspired “EX” variations of skills and more skills per character than typical entries in the genre. This Swedish-developed, award-winning Microsoft XNA title is a mishmash of various different releases. Even on the PC, you may want to try playing with an Xbox 360 controller. Where all other games on this list are 3D in some way, Awesomenauts is a 2D side-scroller, complete with hand-drawn art.Įvery match or respawn sees the player rocketing down from the sky in a small coin-collecting minigame, but don’t worry: Once your feet are on the ground, it’s all destroying towers and purchasing abilities as usual.Īwesomenauts is a fresh take on the MOBA genre, and it has the rare advantage of being available on home consoles unlike the majority of options on this list. Like Smite, Awesomenauts offers all the trademarks of MOBA gameplay wrapped in an even more unique presentation. Out of all the titles on this list, I recommended Smite most for individuals looking to try something different than the “Big Three.” Customizable auto-leveling and auto-item shopping also help experienced players spend more time smiting and less time micromanaging. In addition to the great visuals, Smite forgoes the typical high-fantasy setting and centers around deities from various religions and myths. The enhanced field of vision means that you can spot danger from farther away as well as get a better view of the spectacular spell effects. Smite zooms down into the action and features a third-person camera that follows characters onto the battleground. Smite, a more recent release, is one of the most popular alternatives to the traditional top-down visual approach most MOBAs and League of Legends-wannabes have adopted. Join gaming leaders live this October 25-26 in San Francisco to examine the next big opportunities within the gaming industry.
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