dota posts

S2 Games opens up beta for Heroes of Newerth until Christmas

by John Callaham Dec 22nd 2009 @ 9:00PM

Technically S2 Games' upcoming multiplayer action-RTS game Heroes of Newerth has been in closed beta for quite some time. However today the developer has decided to open the flood gates and let anyone sign up to play their game, which is blatantly inspired by Defense of the Ancients.

The open beta registration has a small catch. It's only available to the public until the end of the day on Christmas Day. While the web site is also taking both gift and personal purchases of the full game for $30, there's still no word on when Heroes of Newerth will come out of its beta state and actually become a commercial title.

[Via Blue's News]

Gallery: Heroes Of Newerth Screenshots

Filed under: Multiplayer, RPG, RTS

Review: League of Legends

by James Murff Nov 13th 2009 @ 4:00PM

The Warcraft III map Defense of the Ancients (or DotA) is becoming much more of a separate genre of its own, thanks to the many imitators. One of the first was the game Demigod, created by the folks behind the Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege games. Now there are a few more, such as Heroes of Newerth. One of the best of these knock-offs, and a game that rivals its inspiration in scope and excellence of execution, is League of Legends. It launched recently with a big celebration, and while it still has some issues that need ironing out, it's easily a retail-class game that any strategy or role-playing fan should give a try.

Continue reading Review: League of Legends

Filed under: Features, MMO, RPG, RTS

League of Legends launches; opens up all champions for a limited time

by John Callaham Oct 28th 2009 @ 6:30AM

The battle for the Defense of the Ancients players has begun as developer Riot Games has officially launched their online multiplayer action-RTS game League of Legends. With a development team that includes some folks who worked on the popular Warcraft III mod it should be interesting to see how this stand alone game fares.

While the game is free to play, Riot Games is also selling a $29.99 Collector's Pack via download and in retail stores that adds some extra content including 20 of the game's Champions. However they have decided to give all players access to all 40 available Champions "for a limited time". In addition owners of the Collector's Pack will get a chance to get more of an experience boost than a normal player during this launch time period.

Gallery: League Of Legends Screenshots

Filed under: Downloads, Action, RTS

Defense of the Ancients main developer hired by Valve

by John Callaham Oct 5th 2009 @ 3:00PM

The current lead developer behind the popular Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients has made the suprising announcement that he is "now leading a team at Valve". Presumably he means the same Valve that has mostly worked on first person shooter game titles like Half-Life and Left 4 Dead. In his announcement on the official DotA page "IceFrog" (that's the only name he goes by) he stats that now he has "all the resources needed to do some very exciting stuff that you guys will love. I look forward to revealing more specific details when the time is right."

This would certainly be a change of pace for Valve if they decide to develop a DotA-like game. The mod has become an inspiration for a number of current and upcoming commercial games including Demigod, Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends (who have former DotA team members as part of their dev team).

[Via Shacknews]

Filed under: Mods, RTS, Strategy

Heroes of Newerth trailer goes head-to-head

by Steven Wong Sep 2nd 2009 @ 7:30PM

The first full trailer for Heroes of Newerth reveals much more than gameplay that's in the same vein as the Defense of the Ancients mod for Warcraft III. it lists the numerous features that will be in place to ensure players have the best gaming experience possible. Everything from setting up a lag-free game, to cheat protection, to reconnecting dropped players to their game will be included in Heroes of Newerth. Let's not forget that the game will also include built in voice communication, so it would seem that there's very little the game lacks... besides an official release date. Heroes of Newerth is currently still in closed beta and is expected to release late this year.

Download HD Heroes of Newerth Trailer (77 MB)

Gallery: Heroes Of Newerth Screenshots

Filed under: Downloads, Action, Indie, Multiplayer, RPG, RTS, Trailers

Check out the Peregrine PC controller glove in action

by John Callaham Sep 2nd 2009 @ 2:00PM

Last June at E3 we got to see the Peregrine PC controller glove in action. While we didn't get a chance to use the glove ourselves we saw live demos where players where using the glove to control games on the show floor. Now the company behind the Peregrine have launched a YouTube channel where you can see how the glove is supposed to work.

The videos use a pro gamer who competes in Warcraft III: Defense of the Ancients tournaments. He mapped the glove to use all the hot keys needed for a DotA match and it seems to look pretty easy (of course we are sure he's had a lot of practice using the glove). Peregrine is scheduled to be a exhibitor at this weekend's Penny Arcade Expo and we hope to finally get some true hands-on time with the controller at the event.

Filed under: Hardware

League of Legends unveils two new heroes, rewards beta testers

by James Murff Aug 13th 2009 @ 8:00PM

Those looking forward to the new pseudo-MMO League of Legends now have more to look forward to. Developer Riot Games has unveiled two new heroes for players to command, including Rammus the Armordillo (pictured above) and Anivia the Cryophoenix. Rammus falls into the classic tanking archetype, while Anivia is more of a damage-dealing caster.

Along with the announcement of the new heroes, Riot Games also announced that they would be giving an exclusive skin for Rammus the Armordillo to all League of Legends closed beta testers as a reward for all their hard work. The closed beta is still ongoing, but it was not indicated whether this would be just for current testers or for all testers that participate in the closed beta. Full release regarding the two champions after the cut.

Continue reading League of Legends unveils two new heroes, rewards beta testers

Filed under: MMO, RPG, Strategy

MODmonday: Defense of the Ancients

by David Craddock Jan 12th 2009 @ 4:00PM

MODmonday: Defense of the Ancients

The quest to attain the title of "most popular mod" is a difficult and arguably meaningless one. Ask the devotees in any mod's camp, and they're sure to tell you that their mod of choice is the only correct answer. What mod, then, is the most popular mod in the world? Counter-Strike is a possibility. First released in 1999, Counter-Strike has ten years of experience behind it, and an exponentially larger fan base. Team Fortress boasts just as many dedicated gamers, if not more.

These and other mods are undoubtedly popular, but according to an analysis on Gamasutra written in June 2008, Defense of the Ancients, a strategy-RPG hybrid fittingly developed for Blizzard Entertainment's strategy-RPG WarCraft III, is the most popular "free, non-supported game mod in the world."

Continue reading MODmonday: Defense of the Ancients

Filed under: Features, Hands-on, Multiplayer, RTS, Opinion

Interview: Riot Games talks about League of Legends

by John Callaham Nov 10th 2008 @ 6:00PM

The new Los Angeles based game developer Riot Games made a big splash a few weeks ago when they first announced their plans for League of Legends. Their fantasy based PC action-strategy game is in a way a stand alone extension of the popular Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients.

Big Download wanted to get some more info about both Riot Games and their plans for League of Legends. We sent a number of questions for the team to answer and they responded in kind (we were told that more than one person answered the questions so the credit for the answers will be given to Riot Games).

Gallery: League Of Legends Screenshots

Continue reading Interview: Riot Games talks about League of Legends

Filed under: Features, Interviews, Action, Multiplayer, RPG, Strategy