Rock, Paper, Shotgun

This article is the first in an ongoing safari through a range of free-to-play games of all genres.

Relax. It’s ok. There’s nothing to worry about. Just take a seat, get acclimatised, perhaps browse the store for a little bit, we’ve got this. We’ll take care of everything, and the thing you’ve got to bear in mind is that this is about you; we’re here to make your life easier in every way, because hey, you’re the one playing the game, after all.

That’s League of Legends’ UI, talking to me in the sultry tones of an air stewardess that’s been in the job enough to learn how to get you comfortable, but not long enough to stop caring and grow embittered and cruel. More legroom, sir? Indeed. Except League of Legends, despite being Free to Play, isn’t the Easy Jet or Ryanair of DOTA clones. This is the premium service, right here, and it starts from the moment you first load the game up. All of the superfluous garbage has been torn away and rolled up into a ball, before being tossed into an bin, leaving you with a stripped down, super efficient experience that lets you just get on with playing the game.
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PC Gamer have got terribly excited over revealing the “incredible new art style” for League of Legends. There’s more in their issue, but they show how two of the legendary leaguers and – er – trees have been changed. Generally speaking, it looks like the increased-detail sort of retexturing and seriousing-up which you know will be rife after Diablo III is released. We’re also pleased to see that Riot Games have discovered desaturation in photoshop. Incredible.

Riot Games send word that their “Season One” event for League Of Legends is getting under way. That means a content update for everyone, but also a big old championship. Here’s the bit where it gets interesting for serious players:

Players who finish the season at the top of the League of Legends ladder will have the opportunity to participate in the Season One finals tournament which boasts a total prize purse of $100,000.

Riot are also celebrating this event with a cinematic trailer, which I’ve posted below. Watch for more information over on the official site.
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We’ve talked about League of Legends before. We’ve given away Beta keys before. We’ve danced sensuously in the moonlight, away from prying eyes, in naked, physical worship of our infinite Ursine god. But now the League of Legends Beta is open for the next week. If you’ve avoided the close beta, you can go and sign up for a free account here and have seven days of Defence of the Ancients-esque thrills. And inevitably be called a newb a lot. If you need explaination of the game’s concept, you’ll find a tutorial video below…
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As League of Legends actually inches towards an open Beta – a matter of days or even hours, according to our sources – they unveiled a new map. It’s The Twisted Treeline map. It looks like a spooky forest to me. What do they say it’s like?
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Sorry – the keys have all been given away now.

Hurrah! It’s another Beta-key giveaway. League of Legends has provided – oooh – many codes for the forthcoming Defence-of-the-Ancients-alike game, which is forthcoming in Europe via GOA. You want one? Well, just click the following link and send a mail. First come first served. And please don’t alter the headline, as it’ll make us harder to sort all the mails out. If you do, we can’t guarantee you’ll get a code. And If you want to be ultra-helpful, write your e-mail in the bodycopy to make it easy for us to cut and paste. You sweeties, you. Your gran would be proud.

(You may be wondering why there’s an odd number – because subscribers get first dibs on Beta codes. Don’t blame us. We don’t make the rules. Actually, we do.)

Anyway – Beta footage beneath the cut…
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If ever there was a time when some in-game footage of mythical dudes hitting each other was required, it’s in these two videos. They are, amazingly enough, purely of the back end summoner-management stuff for League Of Legends. Of course that does go to show the depth the game boasts behind the scenes, and the care the developers have taken in making the game infinitely tweakable, and packed with supernatural champions – exactly what the DoTA veterans will want to see. For the rest of us: less exciting. Anyway, we’ve heard the game is in closed beta right now, so the full game may not be too far off, and we can expect plenty more information from Riot Games soon. And don’t worry particle effects fans, I’ve posted the in-game trailer too. Hooray!

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I’ve been meaning to post about League of Legends for a while now, and this new trailer gave me a suitable nudge. It’s the debut game from Riot Games, who I believe previously made the Warcraft 3 super-mod Defense Of The Ancients: Allstars. It looks like Riot have captured and reworked the cartoonish essence of Warcraft III brilliantly for their own game, and the trailer shows a champion-led RTS game that’s looking like a lot of fun. There’s a beta sign up on the main site right now too, so that might be worth a look, assuming this captures your interest. No dates yet, but I guess there’s a good chance loads of you will be just waiting for Demigod…

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