League of Legends is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) where two teams of five players battle to destroy the enemy base that's reminiscent of DotA. By offering a free, high-octane blend of RPG and strategy together with a pinch of action, League of Legends (LoL for short) is able to offer a game that's both fun and deep, and will surely delight fans of online multiplayer games.
The true benchmark for MOBA games
Against well known competitors such as Smite and DotA 2, League of Legends has established itself as the benchmark for the MOBA genre with nearly 40 million monthly players. The best thing about LoL is the strength of its gameplay, which requires you to react quickly without forgetting about strategic depth.
LoL's most popular game mode (5 vs 5 battles for control of the enemy base) offers games of around 40 minutes, that must be played in one sitting, quitting in the middle of a game will leave your team outnumbered which usually results in the other players resigning.
Fortunately, there are many other game modes available if you don't have time for a lengthy battle: you can do 3 vs 3 or 5 vs 5 battles with random characters and play against bots managed by artificial intelligence. LoL offers a multitude of different gaming experiences that are constantly expanding: developers are always adding new game modes and new heroes so that longtime players don't lose interest.
A very accessible yet demanding game
Since League of Legends made its debut, the developer has made a point of making the game more accessible for beginners (a complex task for MOBA games). With lots of training against the AI and a system that puts you against other players with a similar skill level to yours, the experience is essentially improved from the get go.
Keep in mind that LoL is quite challenging and the first parts of the game are often frustrating. You need to power through these stages if you want to become a good player and enjoy all the advantages that come with playing the game long term.
Like most MOBA games, League of Legends suffers from a major flaw: it's a team game where communication is extremely important. Unfortunately, some players tend to lash out as soon as they get a little frustrated.
So, it's not uncommon to see insults flying around on the chat, along with increased antisocial behavior. It's too bad because this in turn can sometimes spoil the gaming experience. Feel free to play with friends or disable the chat for a peaceful game!
Note that like all competitive online games, League of Legends puts great importance on fair play: Even without investing money in the game, it should be possible to remain competitive with other players. The strategy for fair play usually works pretty well as the game is very often re-calibrated to prevent overly strong characters taking precedence over others. My only complaint is about the rune system as these paid additions that make your characters stronger shouldn't be in a free-to-play competitive game.
Average graphics, but constantly evolving
Released in 2009, League of Legends is not up to the standard of current-gen games in terms of graphics. The character models are outdated, as is the scenery. Fortunately however, the developer is always working to improve the character designs and make them more attractive. Although there are some disappointing graphical aspects (especially the mundane design of female characters), everything seems to work pretty well together and is fairly eye-catching.
You'll notice that the **contents of the game are often updated** with developers making changes to character models, textures, maps, and sounds to allow the game to evolve over time.
A classic online game
League of Legends is a classic. By incorporating a system of team play that combines both strategy and role-playing, the program offers a very dynamic and interesting experience that you can enjoy in the longterm thanks to its rich gameplay.
League of Legends is a success (technically less complex than DotA 2 but more accessible) and is regularly updated in terms of content . However, remember that even though it's free, you can still end up paying a lot out of pocket if you want to get your hands on some of the paid content (including the annoying "rune" system).
Download League of Legends 9.15.2014 in