League of Legends is in a league of its own
Riot Games surely could not have imagined its multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game making such an impact that would cause gamers to not only forget about its original inspiration Defence of the Ancients (DotA), but would also push the likes
of World of WarCraft into the shadows.
League of Legends is without any doubt one of the best PC games to date, a fact that is supported by number of registered users that surpasses the figure of 12 million.
On first look, the experience on offer does not come off as very different from what gamers came across in DotA. However, once some time is spent on the League of Legends servers, it becomes apparent that the game has managed to go well beyond its inspiration.
The game mechanics featured in Riot’s MOBA experience is quite excellent and the extremely competent team of developers keep working round the clock to churn out new updates to tackle whatever balancing issues surface.
In a similar fashion to heroes in DotA, League of Legends places players in control of champions, which are manipulated to try and destroy the other team’s turrets with the aim of eventually reaching and destroying the Nexus.
The huge champion roster allows the experience offered by the game to stay fresh irrespective of the countless hours that gamers would find themselves spending on the servers.
In an effort to keep the gameplay from becoming stale, Riot also introduced another game mode, Dominion, which gives players a different aim than what they had in Field of Justice, the mode which resembles the original concept of DotA.
The wide range of champions for the players to choose from includes fighters, support and mages.
Each champion has its own set of unique abilities that makes him a force to be reckoned with. Knives, rocket launches, mines, traps, you say it and they have it.
The game has so much variety that every time one logs into the server and starts the game, they are bound to come across something new, something that would make them gasp with astonishment and admiration.
The graphics of the game are well ahead of DotA, something that was expected since the latter was restricted by an engine that came out nearly a decade ago.
One of the biggest elements that make League of Legends unique from DotA is the integration of the free-to-play model, which involves allowing players to use paid content for free for a while to give them a basic feel of them and then leaving it to the player’s
discretion regarding the final purchase of that content.
The paid content does make an impact on the over-all balance of the gameplay, but it is not enough to make the experience unappealing to those who are content with the free content.
Riot Games has been putting in a lot of effort in ensuring that the game keeps holding its own as new intellectual properties (IPs), possibly competitors, step into the market by regularly introducing new content, which includes but is not limited to new
champions and additional items.
League of Legends has managed to hold its place above other MOBA games since its release in October, 2009. Judging by the continuous growth in its popularity, it seems that the game will keep on dominating the online space for the next few years.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the writer’s and do not reflect bettor.com’s official editorial policy.
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