XAM

XAM

XAM is a free to play next-generation MOBA game from new developer, LLC AnnGames. The best things about the MOBA is the team-fights, and the team hopes to make the team-fights in XAM as fun as possible. The rounds in XAM last only as long as 10 minutes, and refused to add anything to the game to distract players from the battlefield, like farming, mobs, item management and leveling up.

The basics of the game are extremely simple, you control only your character and your 6 abilities. They use a ground-target system, which means your abilities will not hit the enemies automatically, which means you must plan your attacks and make sure enemies can’t dodge them. In XAM, the skill of the player is the most important aspect, and will be the reason your team wins.

As the game is currently in Early Access, the gameplay and mechanics may change significantly. At the time of this writing the game has 8 characters and 3 different arenas.

Victory Command

victory command

Victory Command is a free-to-play RTS that pits you and four other commanders against five enemies in tactical combat.

Choose a company of units comprised of either infantry, jeeps, or tanks and customize them for battle with literally millions of strategic combinations. No battle will be the same.

Teamwork is key in this 5v5 arena. Coordinate with your other commanders to out-gun, out-maneuver, and out-play your rivals.

Developed by Petroglyh Games, world renowned creators of RTS games including Grey Goo, Star Wars: Empire at War, and as members of Westwood Studios the Command & Conquer series, and the Dune RTS series.

VainGlory

VainGlory

Vainglory is a mobile MOBA designed from the ground up by a development team composed of veterans from Rockstar, Riot and Playfish. Super Evil Megacorp has created a mobile multiplayer online battle arena game that takes full advantage of the touch screens that we’ve grown accustomed to harvesting crops and slicing fruit on.

Vainglory is powered by Super Evil Megacorp’s proprietary, and fittingly named, E.V.I.L. engine, to deliver incredibly detailed and high quality graphics, ones you would expect from a triple A title from your favorite game companies.

Transformers Universe

Transformers Universe

Transformers Universe is a third person multiplayer online battle arena game developed by British game develop Jagex Games Studio in partnership with American toy company Hasbro.

As of December 18th, 2014, Jagex plans on closing down Transformers Universe.

Supernova MOBA

Supernova MOBA Game

Supernova is a brand new MOBA game with RTS elements from Primal Game Studio and Bandai Namco Games America. Supernova is scheduled to be released in Q2 of 2015 on PC. In Supernova, the human race has ventured into the cosmos to find a universe that is in peril. A serious of mysterious portals have brought us face to face with an array of alien races in the midst of war. The human race must lead their forces into a fight of galactic dominance to figure out the secrets behind these portals.

The game will bring new innovation to the MOBA genre through both it’s fresh new take on a sci-fi universe, but also with upgradeable minions, crafting from drops and a great line-up of commanders that players will use in battle.

[heading]Features[/heading]
True Command of Your Army – Strategically deploy and outfit lane units that advance on enemy territory. How you manage technologies, upgrades, and build order can mean the difference between stunning victory and crushing defeat. You have control of it all!

A Distinctively Sci-Fi Setting – Supernova’s futuristic science fiction setting, with technology and space-faring races, offers huge gameplay possibilities. You’ll be transported to a universe where contests between commanders are won with unique technologies and strange alien powers.

A Vast Galaxy of Customization – Commanders can prepare a wide variety of craftable accessories before a match, then customize attributes and talents with each in-game level. Accessories are crafted by combining dropped items to boost commanders’ inherent talents.

Commanders from Across the Universe – A dizzying array of powerful commanders is at your disposal, ready to lead your armies into battle. Choose between mech pilots from the human core worlds or gun-for-hire mercenaries from the lawless outer planets. Or look beyond mankind and select an alien commander – the choice is yours.

Technology is Key – Commanders daring enough to challenge and defeat the ancients will be rewarded with Mechanoughts, planet-razing ancient technology that relentlessly drive through the heart of your enemy’s defenses. The question is; who will awaken them first?

Strife

Strife

Strife is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) from S2 Games. Strife is described as a second-generation MOBA game and is S2 Games’ second entry into the genre, following the well-received Heroes of Newerth.

There are currently 20 playable heroes in Strife, each with four abilities that can be unlocked and upgraded via gaining experience throughout a match. Each hero has their own advantages towards varying styles of play, whether it be ranged support, tank or jungler. A well-balanced team and solid team synergy are vital components in a successful match.

Gameplay consists of two teams of heroes on opposite ends of a map attempting to destroy the other team’s base. Players must fight through waves of creeps, multiple generators and enemy heroes to reach the opposing base.

For Strife, S2 Games is modifying many typical features associated with the MOBA genre to reduce both the negativity of the community and the relatively steep learning curve. Complex menus and item systems have been simplified and gold sharing assures players of all skill levels have a fighting chance. While not necessarily specific to Strife, but relatively new for the genre, gold sharing causes gold earned for creep and hero kills to be evenly distributed between everyone involved in the area. This avoids the hostile, inner-team competitions that evolve from counter-productive practices like ‘last hitting’.

For the first time ever in a MOBA, Strife players will be be able to bring pets into the arena! Each pet comes with multiple skins and fights alongside you in battle. At the end of each match, players receive seals which can then be spent toward unlocking new pets. Strife is also introducing the idea of item crafting. Crafting will allow players to modify the effects items have on character stats while still avoiding unfair advantages that can come with such a feature.

Strife is currently in closed beta with a release date yet to be announced. For more information on the free-to-play MOBA, check out our PAX Prime 2013 developer interview, What Is Strife?

SMITE

SMITE

SMITE is an online battleground between mythical gods. Players choose from a selection of gods, join session based arena combat and use custom powers and team tactics against other players and minions. SMITE is inspired by Defense of the Ancients (DotA) but instead of being above the action, the third-person camera brings you right into the combat. And, instead of clicking a map, you use WASD to move, dodge, and fight your way through the detailed graphics of SMITE?s battlegrounds.

Players have access to an initial set of playable gods for free. Everything affecting gameplay can be earned by playing the game. Additional gods are unlocked through gameplay time or more quickly through micro-transactions. Cosmetic skins can be purchased for further customization.

Key Features:

Be a God
Cut through your enemies, encase them in ice, or drown them in a vortex of souls. Assume direct control of your godlike avatar and experience the MOBA genre up close with the game camera directly behind your character. Choose from a long list of well known and more obscure gods, each with their own history, special abilities, and unique playstyle.

Tactical Gameplay
Master your godlike abilities and use them to fulfill key roles such as damage dealer, tanking, crowd control, and support. Explore the map and defeat NPC enemies for increased gold and unit buffs. Deny your opponents? victory with well-placed stuns and calculated ambushes.

Mythical Setting
Five players battle five opposing players on a fire-themed battleground. The end objective is a Boss Minotaur, protected by three flaming Phoenixes. Within the jungle, there are Cyclops NPC camps as well as the legendary Fire Giant.

Power Up
Within a single match, your god levels from 1 to 20. Your powers gain strength and you purchase in-game items and consumables to benefit your god and support your personal playstyle – buffing your Magical power, Physical power, Defense or Utility capabilities. Calculated Strikes Every attack in SMITE is a skill shot controlled by you. Ranged attacks are aimed, melee attacks are positional, and Area of Effect damage must be groundtargeted. Predict your enemies? movements and hit your mark as you experience fast-paced combat.

Prime World

Prime World

Prime World is a MOBA by Nival that is set in a fantasy world where two nation are stuck at war against each other. Like it’s classic MOBA bretheren, Prime World features 5 v 5 combat in a battle arena where the goal is to take out the enemies base. While in the battle arena it is quite similar to a League of Legends or Dota. Where the game gets a bit different is on owning land and building a city/collecting resources.

The city-builder element takes place when you’re not in battle. You have a home screen where you have your own castle that you can build much like in a game like The Settlers Online. You build barracks, libraries, mills and you use them go gain resources and build up your talent trees.

The game does a great job of introducing players to the MOBA aspect of the game, however, the city-building part is more or less just thrown on you and you have to do your research online or through the community to figure out exactly how to do it. There are parts of the game that work well, and others that seem a bit clunky and underwhelming. In the end Prime World does offer something slightly different for fans of the genre, and you might find it works better than your precious League of Legends.

Let’s jump into the nitty gritty.  First off, there are no items in-game save for consumables. Instead, whatever character you choose to play is slotted with a series of “talents” before starting the match; these talents give stat boosts, unlock special abilities, and generally function as a weird fusion of gear and abilities. Each talent also increases a stat known as “Power” by a set amount; this ups all their base stats and generally makes them a better fighter.

These talents range in rarity- think of them like weapons or armor in World of Warcraft – from standard yellows and greens up to purple and orange; rarer talents give more power and generally better benefits besides. Talents can be acquired through a number of methods; the simplest is by playing the game(we’ll get to an alternative method in just a moment). Each hero you unlock also remains persistent, gaining levels, stats, and strength the more you play them.

Although the layout of the main map, Borderlands, will be instantly familiar to any MOBA veteran, there’s one primary change of which everyone should be aware: each lane is peppered with flag-posts. ‘claiming’ these flags for your faction will cause your “Native Terrain” to cover the area. Characters can, once every three minutes, teleport to any stretch of Native Terrain; certain heroes also gain bonuses to their skills and abilities when using them on Native Terrain.

Also gone is a traditional four-slot skill-set. Instead, each hero has six different ‘tiers’ of talents. Unlocking a certain number of talents at one tier will make the next tier available; unlocking talents will also advance your character’s level and increase their stats. All of this is done through a resource known as “Prime,” which is also used to purchase potions and other consumables.

Oh, there’s also a Zuma-esque minigame which lets you create usable scrolls(admittedly, these can be extremely powerful and even turn the tide of battle). Unfortunately, once you’ve started this game, there’s no way to back out, and your character is effectively out of commission while you do so. Depending on how well your team is doing, you might well have to use whatever scroll you created to make up for the experience Prime you missed out on.

Your heroes and Talent inventory are managed out-of-game through a city-building interface. As you play, your castle will level up, allowing you access to more powerful heroes, better structure upgrades, and more space for buildings – it actually feels quite similar to a Facebook game. Truth be told, it actually felt like I was playing one at times; you can set up a Prime World account using Facebook, and you’re encouraged to add your friends to your structures to increase resource production. It’s an interesting idea – and a good way to generate new Talents, Silver (for buying new heroes), and the like, but it’s a little too slow-paced for my liking.

See, one of the biggest problems with Prime World is that matchmaking tends to take forever. There was one point where I was waiting nearly twenty minutes to find a match, which itself only lasted about as long (the other team surrendered after two of the players quit). It’s a bit of an unpleasant tradeoff, and there are no doubts in my mind that the problem is linked directly to Prime World’s factions system. Of course, it’s also a bit problematic that there can easily be more than two of the same hero on a given team, as well.

At account creation, each player is made to choose one of two factions: the steampunk Dokht Imperium, and the druidic Keepers of Adornia. Players can only be matched with other players in their faction. The same goes for adding people to their friends list. In an MMORPG, where one doesn’t necessarily have to fight the other faction, such a system works fine. In a game like Prime World, however, it tends to draw out (and often imbalance) the matchmaking system. I’ve also heard rumblings of imbalances with the heroes as well; I can’t really speak to the legitimacy of such claims one way or another.

Oh, and don’t even bother trying to play with the AI – it makes the beginner bots in League of Legends look like tactical geniuses.

There are other sticking points, as well. Though the game is positively gorgeous and blessed with a beautiful soundtrack, the voice-acting ranges from passable to sub-par to “let me just throw my speakers out the window.” The single-player challenges are hair-pullingly frustrating, and the other game-modes, while a nice change from the standard 5v5, don’t ever really ‘click.’

Still, there’s a lot of promise to Prime World. Eventually, perhaps, it’ll come into its own, and prove itself a worthy competitor to the likes of LoL. For the time being, it’s a decent diversion, at least.

Master X Master (MXM)

masterxmastermxmgame

On the heels of NCSOFT West’s recent launch of Blade & Soul, we are excited to announce that its brand new title, Master X Master (MXM), is set to hit North American and European shores in the second half of 2016.

MXM is an Action MOBA with a unique Tag System, enabling players to quickly swap between two chosen Masters (characters) mid-combat. With a diverse selection of 30 powerful Masters to choose from —including brand new characters as well as a selection of known characters from NCSOFT titles like Blade & Soul and Guild Wars 2— there are hundreds of different Master combinations available, offering a new level of strategy and tactics not seen in other MOBAs. Featuring a variety of PvE and PvP modes with co-op options in both, players can challenge opponents with a deadly fusion of Masters in beautifully crafted battlegrounds.

Fight in a variety of PvP modes or bring up to four friends with you into the co-op story. With a diverse selection of over 30 Masters, together with the innovative Tag System, there are hundreds of different Master combinations available, offering a new level of strategy, combos, and tactics.

League of Legends

League of Legends

January 13, 2013 – League of Legends (LoL for short), is a 3D fantasy MOBA by Riot Games where players choose from one of many champions and fight it out in PvP battles against their enemies. Each individual ?game? or ?match? doesn?t take place in a persistent world, players earn experience points for winning matches, which can be used to permanently improve attributes in all future games. League of Legends is actually very similar to a popular Warcraft 3 mod called DotA (Defense of the Ancients).

Players take on the role of hero characters, leading an army to the enemy player?s base to destroy their fortifications and armies. It takes the RTS (Real-Time Strategy) genre and gives it more action.  During each game, players will have approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to select a champion, two summoner spells, and some runes. League of Legends currently has well over 60 playable heroes, each of which are distinctly different. Each of the heroes has 4 unique skills, of which 1 is an ultimate, as well as a unique passive ability.

The heroes are actually incredibly balanced, and even the 8 beginner champions, which are fairly ?easy? to play, aren?t at all ?under powered? or anything like that. After playing a few matches with the recommended characters, players should try out other champions as well, because the best way to really master League of Legends is to learn every champion?s skills. Memorizing every champion?s skills may seem a bit nerve wracking at first, but you will get the hang of it, as just by playing the game regularly players will learn on their own what each hero is capable of. Of the game?s many playable heroes, most of them won?t be available to newbies, as they have to purchased in the game?s store with the ?influence points? earned from playing and winning matches.

The more matches a player wins in League of Legends ? the more experience their champion gains. Every level yields a single mastery point, which can then be spent in the ?masteries? tab. Masteries are passive enhancements which will enhance a champion?s attributes in every single game. The masteries work a lot like the ?talent? points in World of Warcraft and Runes of Magic, but they are ?account wide?, so it doesn?t matter which champion you select; you?ll always receive these bonuses. The three skill trees in the masteries tab are Offense, Defense and Utility.

League of Legends is popular in the eSports realm, becoming a major game in MLG (Major League Gaming) professional play.

Pros: Many characters to play, Good support, Flawless PvP.

Cons: None I can think of!

Winner of an MMO of the Year Award in 2013.

King of Wushu

King of Wushu

King of Wushu is a newly announced third person MOBA game from Snail Games. Snail Games is one of China’s biggest developers and King of Wushu will mark their first foray into the MOBA genre. The game be built using the CryEngine 3, will feature 5v5 matches with a traditional formula of defending your base while destroying the enemy teams base. King of Wushu will utilize the third person view and be heavy on combat, much like Snail’s Age of Wushu.

Snail Games has said that King of Wushu will be coming for PC as well as Xbox One, but no timetable has been set at the time of this writing.

You can check out the teaser trailer featuring the game’s six classes and gameplay footage for more information.

Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis is a free to play MOBA from Turbine that gives players a chance to use their favorite superheroes from the DC Multiverse in a fast paced arena styled combat game.  Use the most iconic DC heroes like Batman, Spiderman, The Green Lantern, Catwoman and more to take out your opponent!

There are many options out there in terms of MOBAs and while they all offer a similar base-style of gameplay, what Infinite Crisis does differently is creates an evolving story crafted in collaboration with DC Entertainment.  Throughout the game you will discover new characters inspired by the worlds of the DC Multiverse as you confront the shadowy force that threatens to destroy you.  Every battle counts as you team up with other players to determine your fate and gain rank through each and every battle to determine who is the best.  

Another unique addition to Infinite Crisis that other MOBAs cannot lay claim to is their destructible environments.  Players are actually able to grab items from the surrounding area like cars or walls and use them to your advantage.  Want a quicker route to the enemy?  Destroy a wall to make sure your team can gank them from behind.  But be careful, that wall is now permanently destroyed and the enemy can also use it to their advantage.  With a deep roster of heroes already included, and the inclusion of many more as the game gets updated, Infinite Crisis has something to offer both hardcore DC fans and fans of the MOBA genre.

Heroes of Rune

Heroes of Rune

Heroes of Rune (HoR) is an epic new casual game that combines elements of Multiplayer RPG and MOBA style gameplay. Team up with friends for Quests, Raid challenges, engage in fast-paced PvE, PvP combat in a casual Multiplayer RPG environment. Once you are ready for more action, go head to head with other teams in the Rune Wars, MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) Mode!

Rune Wars Arena includes a unique strategic Capture & Defend gameplay with traditional MOBA objective of destroying the opposing team’s primary structure. Unlike other MOBAs, Heroes of Rune will not include lanes or auto-spawning minions. Players have the freedom to roam the environment, hunt various monsters for experience points, collect gold, purchase upgrades, and spawn minions that will follow you directly into combat!

Gigantic

Gigantic

A team action game where heroes battle alongside a massive guardian in a fight for supremacy. Join the fight and be one of the first to try Gigantic! A mystical bond connects you and four teammates to your guardian, a magical behemoth too powerful for a single mortal to defeat. Protect your guardian as your team charges across the battlefield, then see it crush your enemies underfoot. Physics-based abilities let you invent new ways to amaze your friends and frustrate your enemies. The element of surprise is key as you use WASD controls to sprint, dodge, aim, destroy barriers, hurdle obstacles, and leap from danger to safety. The world of Gigantic is a world of mystery, where airships soar over ancient ruins and a fantasy empire is yours for the taking. Charge into battle and lead your guardian to victory. Gigantic rewards the daring, the clever, and the swift.

Choose a heavy-metal juggernaut, a stealthy acrobat, a fire-breathing sorcerer—or something else that matches your play style. Pick attack, defense, and just-plain-cool upgrades on the fly, then surprise your enemies with a combo they never saw coming.

Your guardian is the biggest ally you’ll ever have. With your team’s help, the guardian drives back your enemies, destroying and reshaping the battlefield as it goes. But your enemies have a guardian, too! Work together to overpower the enemy guardian, then strike its heart when you have the chance. And beware! Each guardian has its own attacks and tactics–everything from impaling tail spikes to destructive tornadoes.