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LEAGUE OF LEGENDS Some art work from the game by Riot Games. Featured concept art about LoL. store credit--$10 that you can’t yet spend. Right now, the lack of a store means that the rune book is unusable, and because all 40 champions are temporarily available for the initial launch period, the value of the retail box is based around future features, which is a questionable and confusing pricing strategy. Much of League of Legends’ value, in theory, will stem from the so-called “metagame.” Players, known as summoners, will level up and earn points to spend in the player store (again, features not to be confused with the leveling and purchasing performed during matches). The value this metagame will offer, however, is unknown. Due to the store’s absence, the only metagame benefits to leveling up are points that can be spent on masteries, which are universal branching perks similar to talent trees in online role-playing games. In other words, if you buy League of Legends now, you’re buying a game that is effectively still in beta testing. The slim selection of maps further makes League of Legends feel stripped down. While the map selection
screen makes it clear that more arenas are planned, there are currently only two maps on which to play, though one of them comes in two varieties--summer and winter. The other arena is still labeled as a beta map, and is not available in matchmaking play, only in offline and hosted matches. At least Defense of the Ancients refugees will feel at home on those few maps, which are obviously inspired by Warcraft III’s colorful art design. League of Legends is a good-looking game, not because it pushes the capabilities of modern graphics cards, but because its vivid color palette and stylized environments jump right off the screen. Exaggerated animations give champions a lot of personality, while spell effects are vibrant without being distracting. Most importantly, the game runs smoothly and maintains a consistently high frame rate. The cartoonish look is further enhanced by hammy--and only occasionally annoying--champion quips, along with fitting sound effects and music cues.
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“LEAGUE OF LEGENDS OFFICIALLY BECOMES MOST PLAYED PC GAME IN THE WORLD!” JOHN GAUDIOSI CONTRIBUTOR