Super Monday Night Combat

I got involved in this one shortly before the end of the beta testing. I own the previous game, and the only reason I don't still play it is that the player population has been dwindling for a long time. Instead of going for another standard pay-model, Uberent have opted to tower-dive into the free-to-play realm of MOBA games (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Yes, the name is dumb, but it exists) with in-built micro transactions for cosmetic differentiation. Needless to say, the title has reduced the focus on the purely 3rd person shooter mechanics of the original, and has moved toward the MOBA style. The turrets hurt, the bots are everything, and players are harder to kill.

(These opening sequences never cease to delight me.)

As the number one deadly sport of the future, Super Monday Night Combat (SMNC) wouldn't be complete without the commentators:

'The Annihilator is ready in thirty seconds!'

'I'm holding my breath.'

'Uhh, that's not your breath...'

There are other examples I could give, but I'd have to tweak the age rating. They have a practical purpose as well as being the comic relief. They let the players know what's happening and where. The example I gave lets the players know that the Annihilator is ready. Not only does this deal heavy damage to all enemy players, it also destroys all of the opposing bots, allowing you to push into their base and get a massive advantage. When this countdown begins, the centre of the map starts getting the players' attention, and the team fights kick off.

The Pros (or 'champions' to League of Legends players) are each based on a stereotype. They don't quite fill the same roles as the characters in Team Fortress 2, so it doesn't feel like it's ripping it off; which could more than easily have happened, given the graphics style. They each have three skills and two weapons, each with alternate fire modes. It takes a fair few games to really get the hang of any pro, especially commandos, which are the fast, annoying wasps which dive in at the least convenient moment. I stuck to the tank or support when playing with friends; they can both sustain pushes and keep the bots at the enemy's turrets.

(I don't even want to know what that pink thing does.)

Unlike most MOBAs, there are no items; only skill upgrades that increase with level. Money gained from kills is instead spent on spawning bots, picking up buffs from vending machines or using the Annihilator. It's important to time spawning bots with your teammates. Assaulting two flanks simultaneously with Jackbots (the ultimate unit) is a good way to ensure you get to the moneyball (which is the SMNC equivalent of the nexus). You also need to protect these guys, and your investment, as they cost $4000 dollars each. Those are in-game dollars, not draconian 'micro'-transactions. The games last roughly twenty minutes, which means you're never spending too much time slowly losing a match like you would in League of Legends or DotA. The game is free, yet feels like the kind of thing one should pay for. Did I mention that it's free?

Go play it.