reviews
Name: Defense of the Ancients
Genre: Real Time Strategy
System: PC (Must have Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne to play)
Several years ago a game called Warcraft III came out and blah blah blah, no one really cares. It was a satisfactory real time strategy and it sold a lot of copies. This review isn’t really about that. This review is about DOTA!
Videogame custom maps and modifications have always been popular for the most important reason of all: they are free. You need to buy the original game, sure, but the custom games are often based on popular games that most people already own. Defense of the Ancients is no different. It uses Warcraft III and is only one map. However, this map has over 80 characters, dozens of items to use and equip, and thousands of strategies.
It even spawned a terribly hilarious music video by Swedish band Basshunter.
The game is simple in concept. Two bases send waves of monsters at each other while the players assume control of stronger “hero” units to help or hinder the work of said monsters. You can equip your hero with items and gain skills as you receive experience and gold for kills of not just the non-player-characters, but the enemy heroes as well. The game play focuses tightly on group play and communicative teamwork for both sides which is one of the main reasons for the success of the continually updated map.
It is good for different audiences and has several different appeals. RTS fans will enjoy it for the simple fact that it follows the basic rules of any other game in the genre. MMO fans will enjoy the community build into the game, with the constant supply of easily accessible games made public with Battle.net. RPG fans will love it, due to it the fast pace of leveling and the ability to customize a character in any way one wants in a matter of minutes. It is like playing a full RPG in under an hour.
Its popularity has brought many people to buy Warcraft III just to play this downloadable map. I can’t lie; I am one of those people. Because of that I give an unorthodox “buy it” even though it is, indeed, free. I guess this is my recommendation to buy Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne under the principle of “buy it for DOTA.” Plus, I think WC3 is like ten bucks now. I mean, come on. Shell out that Alexander Hamilton!
| Share this article: |
|
Comments
Its not that Blizzard won't hire people like that, its that Blizzard resuses concept art from 10 years ago instead of creating anything new.
I love the terrible terrible song, as well as the wonderful wonderful fan art. To think Blizzard won't hire people that draw that well.
But I digress!
Yea DotA is awesome, I love playing it every now and then, cause they usually update the maps and add characters when I'm in a dry spot as far as other games go. Its definitely one I come back to. Although I would like to mention that the Battle.net community is generally lacking in brain cells, and overly aggressive when you compare it to... non-Blizzard services. I wish there were more optional filters in Battle.net chat rooms to reduce the amount of homophobic, sexist and racist filth I have to read.
*sings*
Ya sete a hade`a venta, no spir la leeta doTA, o buch ya vo a specam, oh munst no nel lechem, Ya sete a hade`a venta, no spir la leeta doTA, no stringe` no creepa', ru` mutst do ledst da sleepa'
Man I think it'll be a hit.