Super Monday Night Combat Super definitive review

When it comes to forming an opinion of a video game, its graphics, aesthetics and mechanics; some will argue that it's possible to express their thoughts after spending very little time with a game. Others would argue that only after playing a game to completion, can one truly make a fair evaluation based on their experiences. The narrative twists of Bioshock would not have been taken into consideration had a reviewer only played the first few hours of the game; in contrast, would completing angry birds have altered a reviewers disposition towards the game?

With this in mind, how much time and dedication is required to formulate a balanced judgement, when the game in question has been designed without an end, a game that is unfinished for that matter? 10 hours? 50 hours? 100 hours? Try (a shameful) 200 hours. It should be noted that I didn't need 200 hours to form an opinion of Super Monday Night Combat, it just sort of happened (and will continue to do so).

The nature of a FTP (free To Play) game, offering the base game to players at no cost, allows producers to add content on a regular basis; players are then able to unlock this content through dedication and in game currency, or through real world money. FTP games are updated more often than any other genre or type of game; in most cases, content is added or adjusted weekly. This leads me to question whether it's possible, or even fair, to review a game that may change the day after the reviews publication. Considering this, I feel as though I should change the title of this 'review':

 

Super Monday Night Combat

Super (not so) definitive 'impressions'

(working title)

Super Monday Night Combat is a FTP MOBA, (Free To Play Mulitplayer Online Battle Arena) a recent addition to a trending genre. While the game has been accessible to players since before the end of last year through means of Beta keys, the game officially launched prematurely on April 18^th, months before its intended release, due to confusion regarding beta invites and players of the previous game. Its early release has not hindered Uber Entertainment's future plans for the game, as they aim to introduce the features intended for the release build of the game through regular updates.

While SMNC plays very much like a MOBA, in which players must escort AI bots to the enemy base while defending their own, its 3^rd person action combat is an unprecedented take on a genre that is currently saturated with games akin to top down, dungeon crawlers. SMNC is a departure for the original Monday night combat, to a point where its strict rules and punishing gameplay may alienate previous players who are not acquainted with the

nature of MOBA gameplay. Incidentally, veteran players of traditional MOBA games with top down gameplay, may find the addition of 3^rd person action and shooting mechanics an uncomfortable deviation. 

 

Dungeon crawler gameplay is not the only recurring element in the MOBA genre, as many games adopt a fantasy aesthetic to compliment their growing rosters of magical playable characters and pay homage to the World Of Warcraft mod that the MOBA genre has derived from. Super Monday Night Combat, in a bold move, completely disregards fantasy for a futuristic aesthetic. The arenas in SMNC each vary in setting, from a western themed mining colony to a re-purposed Aztec themed time-share estate. These arenas are all tied together with a consistent futuristic bloodsport game show theme; spectator stands hover above the arena, commentators deliver humorous speeches advertising fake products, trash talk each other and deliver updates based on the match.

It may look pretty, it may look clean, but hella' killin' going on at Loco Moco Ruins

The element which really drives home SMNC's unique futuristic setting is the characters, or 'pros'. Pros are clones of previous contenders of the gameshow, each character has a vastly different identity from one another; be it a Martian sniper, super intelligent ape or a 1990's superhero. The size of SMNC's roster as of this 'review' is tiny in comparison to other, long established MOBA games; this can be seen as both a disadvantage and a benefit. The small roster not only reduces the amount of characters of which Uber Entertainment can monetise (view that how you will), but the comparatively vast range of champions the likes of League of Legends has to offer may also seem more appealing. However, the small amount of characters allow players to hone their skills with a specific pro faster than you would in another MOBA, the weekly rotation of pro's makes it likely for the same character to appear more frequently in SMNC than any other MOBA. The few characters that a player is likely to be opposing allows them to learn attack patterns and other required knowledge vital to a competitive team game.

 I said Cheston was super intelligent, and I stick to my guns

The overall visual treatment of SMNC evoke similarities with Team Fortress 2, particularly the characters. This is a greatly beneficial attribute, due to the speed of gameplay in SMNC it is imperative to know which character an opposing player is using. SMNC pros are coherent from a great distance away, due to their exaggerated silhouette and attacks. The arenas in SMNC are also completely symmetrical and clinically clear of any obstacles; the speed of SMNC matches rival those of TF2 and require a photographic memory of arena layouts without the worry of accidentally colliding with a cosmetic environmental asset. 

 MNC takes a few other things from Team fortress 2, other than just design methodology

The premature launch of the game has led to inevitable teething problems. While bugs and glitches are constantly being ironed out with each new update, Uber are tasked with accommodating for an influx of new players that may potentially disregard the game as being alienating, while also tending to the established veterans of the beta who constantly crave new pros and arenas. While it's not fair to deliver a review of any kind to a game that's not quite finished and has new content added weekly, these impressions deliver a verdict based on fundamental elements that are not likely to change.