Super Monday Night Combat is the followup to Uber Entertainment's 2010 team-based TPS/tower defense hybrid, Monday Night Combat. Super Monday Night Combat has been in beta for a couple of months at this point, but do to a non-disclosure agreement, information on the game has been limited. However, the game recently entered the "invitational" stage and the NDA was subsequently lifted. Now information about SMNC can be freely distributed and discussed, which is good because: (a) The game is actually pretty fun, despite the usual beta oddities and, (b) there is a lot to talk about.
So, what's new?
In a nutshell? Basically everything. It's really easier to point out what hasn't changed. The aesthetics and characters are the same, although several new additions have been made to the cast. The game retains its signature sense of humor, and the core of the game still involves shooting things to push bot lanes past the opposing teams turrets to destroy a moneyball. The rest of the game has been subject varying levels of changes, ranging from, "small, but noticeable" to, "absolutely huge", so expect some noticeable differences when you start playing.
So what are the biggest changes?
Well, for starters the game has adopted the increasingly popular "freemium" payment model, meaning that although the game can be played at no upfront cost, your available pros roster will rotate periodically. To unlock pros permanently, you have to purchase them with either Combat Credits, which can be earned by simply playing the game, or Uber Points, which have to be purchased with real money. Combat Credits can also be used to unlock endorsements, small permanent stat boosts that can freely equipped and moved from pro to pro. Additionally, Uber Points can be used purchase combat credit boosts and additional costumes for the various pros. The switch in payment model also unfortunately means that, as of right now, Uber has no plans to release SMNC on the Xbox 360.
The changes on gameplay side of things equally significant. The team size has dropped from six to five. Base turrets require can no longer be built or repaired, and require bots to drop their shields before they can be damaged or destroyed. The overall lethality of the game has been drastically reduced, with ring outs being the only practical way to one shot kill a player. Health regeneration has been substantially reduced as well, and health bars now take far longer to regenerate even when being healed. A level up system has been introduced in game, meaning players can now gain an advantage with both levels and money. Maps can now be separated into two distinct levels, the bottom level, where the bot lanes and bases are located, and the top level, where you can neutral bot spawners and the annihilator. Overtime and juice have been totally overhauled, and matches are no longer decided by end of game "juice rushes".
I could on and list all the changes, but for the sake of brevity I'll cut it short.
That all sounds...different...
It is. Honestly the name Super Monday Night Combat is kind of a misnomer since the game is less Street Fighter 4 compared to Super Street Fighter 4, and more Street Fighter 4 compared to something like Marvel vs Capcom 3. The gameplay now is more inline with other DotA likes, with higher emphasis being placed on playing conservatively and moving as a team. That said however, the game definitely isn't a rehash of HoN, LoL or DotA. Much like its predecessor, there's really nothing else like it on the market, and it can be a hell of a lot of fun. If you liked MNC it's still definitely worth trying out Super, although there's no guaranteeing that you're going to like all the changes.
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