In my column entry earlier this week, I talked about Blizzard's unofficial plan to take over the universe. While the title was made with a light spirit, I fully believe Blizzard will remain the powerhouse PC gaming studio of yesterday's generation and today's - with probably Valve/Steam vying side-by-side for contention. If it wasn't for the Steam game-management application, Blizzard would be the clear front-runner with no real competitors. As I said earlier in the week - they just make solid games (whether or not I actually enjoy those game or the audience they cater towards).

Strategic Warfare at its Roots

I love MOBAs. I do.

I played from the later days of the original DotA and through that, picked up League of Legends in Beta (and pre-ordered an actual boxed copy of it). I've been playing League ever since, a little bit on the competitive side, but mostly in as a casual-but-serious alternative to my passion for true Role-Playing games. Really though, the roots go deeper than that.

The strategic elements of MOBAs rekindle the experience I used to get from table-top wargaming and table-top RPGs - at least from the combat mechanics standpoint. There's just something extremely rewarding about analyzing a battle-field, coming up with a plan based on limited capabilities, and then perfectly executing it in proper timing with your allies. I love it; and MOBAs offer that in a much faster-paced high-energy format.

Heroes of the Storm offers that in an extremely refined format. There isn't a ton of rule or ability memorization, although there's still enough to create ample depth an circumstantial gameplay. I expect with more heroes added it will get increasingly complex, as League of Legends did - but it looks like the early systems are built in such a way that Blizzard won't need to do as many sweeping changes as League did. That promises for a more consistent competitive experience I think.

Truly Cooperative Game-Play

Another classic PC experience of mine that I feel totally plays into my love of MOBAs and specifically Heroes of the Storm is playing CounterStrike back when it was still just a Half-Life Mod. While there was certainly the potential that a truly skilled player could dominate a match - the most competitive levels of play demanded expert teamwork and some amount of strategy. You just couldn't run around being a "crack-shot" veteran and expect to consistently win matches if you weren't coordinating with your team.

My early experiences in Heroes of the Storm really reflect that. It's much more team-oriented than other MOBAs I've experienced before (and I've played quite a few of them). In other games you can really lean on a single player or pair of players to carry your team to victory if you support them, without needing timely voice-communication. In Heroes though, I feel like voice-comms are essential, as playing games with pick-up groups is an unpredictable experience. With no way to rapidly communicate clear and/or detailed information to each other, it's easy for a game to quickly get one sided as an opposing team will outrace you, even if you are playing exceptionally. There is definitely much less ability for a player to "carry" their team in HotS - which is both a good and a bad thing.

For me personally, it's a good thing. The group I play MOBAs with are pretty expert and I always feel a bit below average compared to them, but in HotS my contribution to the team feels greater, as any discrepancies in my play are not obvious. It prevents some of the tension between teammates when one person isn't playing up to par - as you really don't notice it until the end of the game. Obviously in PUG situations, everything stands out because some people know how the game works and communicate well off of pings alone - making all others stick out like a sore thumb.

Loving It and Just Getting Started

That, above all else, is why Heroes of the Storm has really sucked me in. It really answers most all of the desires and expectations I have when it comes to a MOBA, and gets rid of many of the negative aspects I've experienced over the years. I sit between the levels of competitive and casual and that's always been a problem for me in premade groups - as I'm either too serious/skilled for a casual group, or not serious/skilled enough for a competitive group.

I'll keep you updated on my progress as I continue evaluating and learning the game, but so far it gets two thumbs up from me - and I feel like I've got pretty specific tastes when it comes to MOBAs. I'm currently having fun playing Sonya, Nova, and Zeratul - each for their own reasons and look forward to learning more of the champions and all the various map modes of the game. That's probably the most difficult difference between this game and other MOBAs as winning map objectives typically trumps traditional laning and team-fighting trades. They also make the game feel much smoother and more cohesive as the game doesn't feel segregated into phases.

I'll see you all next week. Enjoy your weekend!