[Image: http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/104/1042996/league-of-legends-20091106015013931-000.jpg]
I have not posted a 2 Cent Review in months, literally, but I am back! No applause is needed. Since I quit Mabinogi and well no longer really play for any noticeable lengths of time here is a review to a game I thought I would never like.
League of Legends
www.leagueoflegends.com
Is a multiplayer battle arena game that lets you control one champion unit throughout the match, with the ability to switch once a new match starts. The champions each have different strengths and items that you can buy throughout the match. Similar to DoTA, League of Legends (LOL OR LoL) is an amazing new take on how strategy MOBA's are played online.
[video=youtube;0vKpfxHU6oc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vKpfxHU6oc[/video]
Take notes developers:
LoL is littered with new innovations (or at least to me since I haven't dwelled much in the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) universe.
[Image: http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/104/1042996/league-of-legends-20091106015001853-000.jpg]
In LoL you start off in a windowed screen much like one you would see on a browser game. Once you log in your are taken to the main screen which has a shop, public chat, and leads you to a game. Once you actually have a team of 5v5 you are able to choose your Champion for that match and 2/10 special skills, along with a Rune set. There you are taken to a full screen window which is basically a lobby (without the chat option, which would be soo nice) Where you can see every players pings, characters, and skills.
Each week you can choose to play with 1 of 10 free champions. These 10 champions rotate each week and there are a total of 40 champions. After a week they will become unavailable again. You can 'buy' these champions to make them permanently available in one of two ways.
1. The first way is by using Influence Points (IP) which are gained by playing the game. Even if you are only playing against bots in practice mode you still gain IP, albeit at a lesser rate.
2. The second way is by using Riot Points (RP) which are bought using real money. This is the quicker way and it is really quite cheap, especially considering the game is free.
[video=youtube;BEbPi89HZ0I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEbPi89HZ0I[/video]
Once in game you can start moving into positions immediately. After a minute your minions (AI bots who work for you) spawn and the match officially begins. You can kill your oppositions minions to gain exp, and gold (that is only used in that match).
[Image: http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/104/1042996/league-of-legends-20091106015009947-000.jpg]
[video=youtube;RYc8CTtjnZA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYc8CTtjnZA[/video]
A useful tool is the ability to spawn back to base and buy armor, weapons, pots, as well as a free regen of HP and MP. LoL is all about protecting your Nexus from the enemy. Strewn throughout the map are turrets to aid you in your fight against the enemy. Teamwork, and communication are key during a match as you will not see your opponent until any of your units can. Keep an eye to the mini map and an eye checking your behind.
The transition of playing adventure RPG's then a MOBA with RPG elements is not rough. Off the main paths there are sub-paths which you can take to hide from/run away from the opposition. Be wary traveler for there are some mini bosses that when killed grant huge exp, and monetary bonuses.
[video=youtube;in5wmcTve4g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in5wmcTve4g[/video]
The graphics are nice and you can enjoy them even with a crappy computer (Much like you can with The Chronicles of Spellborn My 2 Cents: The Chronicles of Spellborn - MabinogiPlayer - Mabinogi Forum, Guides, Databases & Information ). I average 15 fps and 44.44 latency (ms) while playing with above decent, and I have a 5 year old computer (with only upgraded RAM).
Since you can change your Champion before every match, you can constantly be trying out new characters and explore them without ever getting bored. As the exp you earn goes toward your account individually, not the individual champions you chose.
[Image: http://ohflux.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/leaguefolegends.jpg]
Despite the many innovative features LoL offers, there are some which you would like to see. Like a different camera angle, a new map (adding snow does not make it a new map), more special skills, etc. Another buzz kill to LoL is the music, the BGM's are ok to deal with at first but become majorly ignored once in game. I suggest throwing on an iPod or your radio. The tutorial in the beginning does a horrible job at teaching you the basics of LoL, watching a video on youtube or even joining a match for the first time gets you more experience in playing.
Overall this game is surprisingly good, graphics and game-play wise. With the ability to choose any champion and level only during a match (goes back to 1 at a new match) takes away the grinding offered by so many other MMO's.
[Image: http://www.myfrag.com.au/img/game/League-of-Legends--Clash-of-Fates-1.jpg]