Dota 2 Review
Dota 2 is not a new game - I mean this in multiple ways. For one, its official release was in July 2013 (at the time of writing, it is currently May 2016); but, even before that, it was put into a playable beta in 2011 - five years ago. But, if you are aware of the origins of the game, you already know that Dota 2 is a facsimile of its progenitor - Defense of the Ancients, a Warcraft III mod that was popular in 2003. I won't get into the history of the franchise in this review; but I do recommend checking out some YouTube videos regarding the history of Dota! The point of all of this preamble is to make it clear that Dota 2 is not a "new" game, but I would argue that it is potentially the greatest example of the genre to date.
Having brought in one of the original designers working on the most popular iterations of Dota, Valve has lovingly polished every corner of this game. For one, it regularly receives updates which drastically change the gameplay & metagame. It also receives significant engine upgrades regularly (most recently adding Vulkan support, so lower-end computers have an easier time running the game). It also has one of the best user experiences when it comes to spectating games - be them professional, or otherwise. And, of course, hats.
Dota 2 is a free-to-play game, but the model it uses is quite friendly towards you, the player. The way it works is that as soon as you boot up the game for the first time, you can play everything the game has to offer (except ranked matchmaking - you have to earn a few player levels before you have access to that). The most important thing to make note of is the fact that all heroes will be available to you directly from the onset. Other free-to-play games tend to have a rotating pool of "free characters," and if you enjoy them, then you can unlock them for later use via cash transactions, or currency that you accrue from playing their game. The only thing you can purchase in Dota 2 are purely cosmetic. Additional styles for the characters, hats, HUDs, different announcers, weather effects, music, et cetera. Nothing that you can pay for in Dota 2 will affect gameplay in any demonstrable way.
Being able to jump into the game and having everything available from the get-go is fantastic, but it can also be quite daunting for new players. Dota is an extremely mechanically complex game, and one of its shortcomings is the incredibly steep learning curve. One of the few faults I can say about Dota 2 is that its tutorialization is quite poor, and the way the game helps you learn - in general - is not welcoming for people who have no knowledge of the game. If you were to download Dota without doing a small amount of research first, you'd have a fairly negative time. That being said, there is one way to learn that is worthwhile.
The Dota community is legendary for being quite polarizing. It can be full of very toxic people, and that is the truth. The thing is that it is also quite full of kind people, and patient people. People who are at the same stage as learning as you are, the same skill level, et cetera. Dota 2 was my first MOBA, and the way I learned was with my friend (who was also brand new), and some helpful members of the Giant Bomb community. This may sound melodramatic, or pandering; but I have made some friends of whom I consider to be my best through Dota. We live on opposite sides of the continent, but we have talked every day for the past two or three years. The community can be a thing of beauty, and I think that should really be exemplified.
I've come this far and have yet to talk about actually playing Dota, save for the fact that it is quite difficult. The reason for this is because I wanted to point out how amazing all the packaging around the game is, because it makes getting into the game a breeze, and a pleasant experience all around. So, what do you do in Dota? I have heard others compare it to a combination of Chess and Hockey - and I feel like that is an incredibly apt description. Like Hockey, you're playing a team game where you have 5 players on the field, and wherein execution, reaction time, and skill is very important. Chess is equally descriptive, because you need to have a strong grasp of the strategies at play during the entire game. There are interactions that you need to be aware of: which hero abilities work well together; which heroes will counter the ones you currently have selected; where should we place vision on the map to see our enemies; how do we defend our base when 2/5 of our team is dead; should we push our advantage right now or try to wait until the prime opportunity; et cetera. These are all types of questions you'll be asking yourself (and your team) during the course of a game.
Put simply, Dota is a game in which your team of 5 players is facing off against another team of 5 players. Your ultimate goal is to destroy their "Ancient," essentially their home base. The ancient is protected not only by the opposing 5 players; but also a series of building. There are Towers, which have a significant amount of health, and also defend themselves by launching powerful balls of energy at anything within a certain proximity. There are also Barracks, these are buildings of which if you destroy the enemies', your advantage becomes greater. The reason for this is that destroying the barracks will buff the autonomous creatures fighting for your side named Creeps. They run down one of three "lanes," and attack whatever is directly in their path - be it other creeps, heroes, or buildings. The hero you have selected has at least 4 "abilities," be them passive attributes, or active abilities you can use for the cost of Mana. Not only that, but you can actively modify your hero by purchasing in-game items (for example, Boots make you move faster, a Salve will heal you, a Black King Bar will protect you from the enemy's magical skills, et cetera). There are dozens of items to purchase in-game, and the way you earn currency is by slaying enemy creeps, destroying enemy buildings, and of course killing members of the enemy team. There are hundreds of more interactions, but hopefully that broad overview makes it relatively clear what is going on in the game.
The thing about Dota is that I firmly believe that it is the type of game you could play for the rest of your life, and not get bored with. Comparable to how people play hockey, and chess - once you understand the ruleset, it is a game that challenges you to get better, and find others to play against who will challenge you. That is what makes the crazy-high barrier to entry worth it, in my opinion. Being able to have an evening of Dota with friends has become a tradition for me, and it is one I enjoy more than anything else.
One last thing I'd like to call attention to is spectating Dota 2. In-game, the systems for spectating are among the best in any video game I've encountered. In real-time, you're able to switch between the perspectives of the players, control the camera yourself, see graphs detailing the advantages certain players have over others (levels, currency, etc) and also hear casters (if it is a casted game). The tournament scene in Dota 2 is legendary. The International is the largest tournament in online gaming, having had a prize pool of over $18 Million. The competitive scene within Dota 2 is alive and well, and exciting! Being able to watch high-level play is incredibly fun, and there are so many personalities in Dota 2 to follow, you'll be sure to develop some favourites.
I sincerely believe Dota 2 to be one of the most important games that's come out in the past 20 years. It excels at everything it sets out to do, and it does so in a glorious manner. Even if you aren't going to play it much, understanding how it works and observing can be just as satisfying as playing it; but playing it is incredibly fun, as well. I cannot recommend Dota enough, but I also recognize that it is a very difficult game to get into - requiring dozens of hours before you can start to feel comfortable with it. Once you do? It will become a part of your life.
