GAME REVIEW: BLOODSPORTs.TV / DEVELOPER: TOADMAN INTERACTIVE / PUBLISHER: FATSHARK / PLATFORM: PC / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
As genres go, there are few more daunting for new players than the MOBA (or DOTA-like) games. The interfaces are often daunting, the Everest level learning curve to actually start winning the game can be frustrating, and the lengthy grinding for items can make you seem like you’re wasting your time. While many are pointing to Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm as the best MOBA gateway to date, Bloodsports.tv beats it hands down. While more of an area combat title than a full MOBA game, it nevertheless retains many critical elements and the micromanagement required to ease yourself into something like League of Legends.
The situation here is simple. You pick one of several of the usual suspects of classes, tank to healer, and enter an arena to halt waves of enemies as they try to destroy a nuke you’re protecting. As the matches progress, you run back and forth to grab new times, build your character and occasionally kill bigger monsters off to one side. Oh, and it’s all set in a post-apocalyptic Sweden with Blood Bowl-style commentary and crowds cheering for blood.
A concerted effort has obviously been made to give players as many toys to work with from the beginning. Each class has two characters from the outset with another two capable of being unlocked, and nine categories of items to be equipped, from consumables to speed boosters. For a game on launch, this offers a great deal of variety to players given its straight forwards nature. There’s less classes to immediately worry about keeping track of all at once while at the same time enough items to keep experimenting with to trailer them to your needs.
There is also a great deal of maps on offer, from complex mazes of corridors and spawn points to circular arenas. Each varies in its design considerably with a different placement of defensive bots and obstacles. Combined with the matches themselves capable of being altered to suit a player’s needs, from brief skirmishes of a few waves to unending onslaughts, means they can easily be keyed to a player’s experience and skill levels. That or if they just wanted a very brief bloodbath rather than a drawn out siege.
If there is one thing to criticise, it’s that the enemy AI itself isn’t all that challenging. Even on its hardest difficulty, it never offers anywhere near the problems for a team facing human opponents. As such, while good for learning the ropes or some entertaining team based brawling, experienced MOBA players will likely find the experience all too easy.
For everyone else though? Bloodsports.tv is definitely well worth your time and money.
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