Brace yourself, Blizzards storm is coming

http://youtu.be/qBxzsiIbuIc

STORY AND VIDEO BY ROBERT SGOTTO

Diablo, StarCraft, World of Warcraft. Blizzard Entertainments flagship titles are coming together in their newest game, Heroes of the Storm.

The game, which will be released for PC and Mac, will let players do battle on vast landscapes using a popular mashup of popular characters from Blizzards favourite existing titles.

Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBA) like League of Legends or Defense of the Ancients, DotA, have been increasing in popularity over the years, and now it’s Blizzard’s turn to enter the arena. Heroes is an attack and defend game where the goal is to push to the enemy’s base and destroy it to win.

“Grab your buddies and engage in fast-paced mayhem across varied battlegrounds that impact strategy and change they way you play every match,” said by Blizzard in a recent press release.

But why are MOBAs so popular right now, and what can the designers of Heroes of the Storm learn from other games in the genre?

“The idea of a roulette match-making-style strategy game that you can pick up anytime allows people to have easy access and fits into our current society’s schedule,” said Ashlee Heinle, 22, a long time MOBA enthusiast and League of Legends expert.

Heroes of the Storm is following the footsteps of League of Legends when it comes to games with a forgiving learning curve and low barrier of entry.

But that doesn’t mean Blizzard is serving up more of the same with Heroes of the Storm.

The new game features maps with objective-based gameplay, and includes environmental factors that keep the game from getting stale.

“Playing League of Legends for years does get pretty repetitive,” said A.J. Luciani, a second-year game design student. “Especially when you’re playing the same map.”

To combat this, Blizzard has conjured up a series of new unique maps. Five are already available for play and more on the way.

“I like the idea of the different maps,” said Adalyn Ordono, an interactive multimedia student. “When I first play a game, the first thing I look at is the environment. I love taking in how the designers actually made it.”

Blizzard’s game does not include an in-game gold item shop. In other MOBAs, players could purchase equipment from a store to improve their characters stats and abilities. But item stores can be confusing to new players, almost dizzying.

“I think it’s a valid idea to remove trivial parts of the game. The item shop being a good one,” said Heinle. “However, Blizzard then needs to create something in game to strive for.”

It is possible that Blizzard could stray too far from the successful formula; some people might not like all the change that Heroes of the Storm is bringing.

“I think a lot of people kind of hold on to what they’re used to,” said Ordono. “It could work if it doesn’t mess up the mechanics of the game itself.”

Despite the skepticism, Blizzard has yet to fail when it comes to making smash hits.

Heroes of the Storm is currently in closed alpha testing with plans to enter beta testing in the near future.

For more Information visit http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/game/ or http://us.battle.net/heroes/en/blog/13108939/