Courtesy of iGames and the S2Games, we are now running the showcase for a standalone DotA game called Heroes of Newerth. Much like the Warcraft III original map, the game encompasses a map, a variety of unique heroes and items with which to upgrade them. The game play is eerily similar, a combination of knowledge, quick thinking and solid strategy, although the characters themselves have been vastly modified and the game has been brought up to speed graphically. It’s also now stands on its own, no longer reliant on WC3. At this time, Game On has five beta accounts, so please inquire with an employee if you are interested in trying this new game out.  Once the game comes out of beta, it will cost $30 to get an account and it is our understanding that the software itself is free. The accounts will have stat tracking and, unlike DotA, multiplayer games will be much easier to both find and join.

Gameplay Screenshot

To understand where Heroes of Newerth comes from and how it plays one has to be somewhat aware of how it came about. Originally, a custom map was created for Warcraft 3 that features heroes and items battling against each other. The sheer number of heroes and items made the game a steep learning curve (go memorize a thousand possible permutations) but once familiar, we hear tell that it’s a very fun map to play. Defense of the Ancients, however, was limited by both the tile sets, which comes from Warcraft itself, and battle.net which had problems both with multiple PCs on one network and game joining. Heroes of Newerth takes this idea one step further and turns the single map into a full gaming experience. They’ve had the opportunity to create better grapgics, add heroes and items, and do so much more that just wasn’t part of Warcraft 3. This game should and does stand in its own right.

One Hero in the land of Newerth

To note, this does not mean that DotA will no longer be available at Game On! This is just another opportunity to play with friends.