Year: Publicly announced Oct. 13, 2010. Development is ongoing.
Developer: Icefrog, Eul, Valve
Publisher: Valve
Pros:
-SO MUCH CONTROL
-Shiny graphics
-Customization! (Sort of)
-Bots (Hon, Dota2, and LoL actually)
-So many items/heroes
Cons:
-Community
-Learning curve from hell
-Way too many items/heroes
-No, seriously, the community is terrible
For such a well-documented game, what is there new to be said? Nothing.
The meta-game for the commoners (everyone below the top-tier) changes every few weeks to a month to mime the top ladder of players who are constantly altering their strategies. Rather than spend any time describing the amount of heroes (playable characters) or the tiers and types of items, I'll be able to keep this really short.
Dota2, and all current MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)/ARTS (Action Real-Time Strategy) for that matter, are games of relative skill and encyclopedic knowledge of the underlying mechanics. Basically stated, the person with a better understanding of the game will win. This expands into timing and situational awareness, but all stem from having the time and interest to memorize everything. After that it's just getting comfortable with the highs and lows of a match while staying calm and collected.
The game is most well-known however for the way the game plays out. Over the course of 30-45 minutes for the typical match, the game is designed to favor one team many fold over the other due to accrued levels and item advantage. The result of this is unbelievable highs on a good run to soul-crushing defeats when things don't line up for you. Rarely does a game play out evenly, but the addiction and allure to the genre is entirely the search for that next rush from stomping your opponent--the way you were probably stomped not too long ago.
