Dota 2 Review

Dota 2 is a standalone Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (Defense of the Anciens) game mod developed in 2011 by Valve, and the game has received a growing fan base ever since. Finally having of  just come out of its closed beta stage on July 9 , 2013, people were finally eager to play it. Popularity among Dota 2 has increased exponentially, from having an initial player base of 200,000 people and has now risen to 800,000 daily players. This game is well-done and it is one of the best MOBA games ever created because of its fluid gameplay, implementation of Valve Systems, its elaborate display, and its community.

Gameplay

When it comes to gameplay, Dota 2 has the most fluidity out of most MOBAs. The concept of the game is exactly similar to that of League of Legends. This features two strongholds of two opposing factions called the Radiant and the Dire. Both of these factions have fundamental structures called ancients within the heart of their bases that are defending by turrets and barracks. There are three path ways leading into each faction base that come from the top, bottom, and middle; this adds up to six path ways. Each base will spawn creeps to attack from each lane and it’s the player’s job to combat other payers in each lane and advance towards the enemy base.

The gameplay among each champion is balanced leaving only one or two unbalanced characters over the current 60 that exist. This is unlike league of legends where approximately half the characters are more powerful than the other half, which narrows down the variety of characters players choose. Attacks and spells are fluid and dynamic as you cast them; this leaves for a more “Rushing” type of gameplay and incites much action.

Valve Systems

Valve has had a reputation of creating games with small concepts, but with elaborate systems. Unlike most free to plays that are mostly pay to win and imbalance most players on the field, Valve has said no to that concept. Instead, valve has added cosmetic items for players to buy in store and customize their characters. How this system works is that players can either buy items on their current condition, or buy items and mix and match them together in order to get a customized item. Players can sell these items on the community market or trade them among-st other players.

In addition to the community market, there is also a community workshop modeled after Team Fortress 2’s workshop. Players here can create their own cosmetic items and the community can rate them, and eventually valve may approve of them and insert them into the game to be used among the community. The new approach that valve took in creating this free to play game was a major risk to take, but it is one of the smartest and most elaborate risks ever taken.

Elaborate Display

Valve has successfully managed to take the old mod of Warcraft III and make into a standalone game with glorified graphics that are displayed on its Source engine. This is a very hard task to accomplish as your are refining old graphics onto a whole new different game engine. Many of the characters and minions look the same as they did back in Warcraft III, but envisioned in a new way.

Community

The community that resides within this game is over-the-top. Many of the players communicate with each other talk strategy in-game. You rarely find someone who “trolls”, chants obscene phrases, or harasses other players, but this is because the Dota 2 user base is also mature. The people in this game are also very creative and innovative through their steam workshop.

Overall

Dota 2 is a perfect example on how a free-to-play, let alone a game should be made. It captivates and inspires the minds of many players through its intense rushing gameplay. Its intricate and fluid strategy building has given players many opportunities to release their full potential and to develop a strong community.