League of Legends (LoL) Review, Game by Riot Games

Story: 4/5
The general story behind League of Legends, though not critical to gameplay and serving more as "flavor" for players so inclined to delve into it, involves a general conflict between opposing factions with differing moral philosophies, Demacia and Noxus. The League is a sort of mediation arena where conflicts between factions are handled through competition. Summoners (magicians who represent the conflicting factions, also the role players take on) chose a champion to fight and control during the match.

Graphics: 3/5
The graphics are similar to any player familiar with Warcraft III, which is what LoL is built off of (coming originally from the Defense of the Ancients (DotA) custom map). At its core, graphics aren't significant here because the main objective of this game is PvP combat. The graphics serve to enhance the experience, rather than being a core aspect of this game. Depending on the computer components being used, the characters and environments can be manipulated with a familiar set of controls, adjusting line smoothness and shading. Overall, players with stronger computers will enjoy a small enhancement in graphical performance, whereas modest hardware will still result in a favorable experience.

Music: 3/5
Largely a background aspect, the music is generally meant to enhance the feel of the match, utilizing "warfare" style music, lots of drums and ominous chords. Sometimes the music alters a bit depending on the champion a player chooses, as some characters have passive "auras" that cause the music to change slightly (Sona, a support caster, is an example). Overall it's average music, which adds to the experience and is definitely better than listening to nothing.

Controls: 5/5
This reviewer actually likes the controls a lot. While initially a bit awkward to become accustomed to, The standard [w,a,s,d] configuration is scrapped for a simplified movement pattern controlled by clicking the map. Ability keys are simply [q,w,e,r] as well as [d,f] for Summoner spells (spells the player directly casts to affect the battleground, rather than coming from the Champion). These controls enhance greatly the pace of the game, as players aren't encumbered with complex key-bindings or macros. Smart-casting is controlled by pressing the [Ctrl] key and the spell, it then automatically targets the enemy PC or area your cursor is at. This is a nice feature for combo-heavy Champions that must rely on quick successive casting to maximize their potential. Overall, simple is key in a game like this and the controls favor simplicity.

Gameplay: 4/5
Simple translates itself well to the game in general, as players seeking casual PvP will find favor in this game's set up. More dedicated players, seeking challenging champions to master, will also find what they are looking for. At its core, this is a PvP game, and perhaps the most fun matches are against other players. For those less inclined, there are Player vs AI games at the beginner and intermediate level. The matches themselves take less than an hour, which is nice for casual gamers. The meat of the game lies in the PvP matches themselves, but players can only enhance their play experience by delving into Masteries (skill trees designed to buff the Champions in combat with passive abilities) and Runes (similar to another game's glyphs, which provide passive bonuses to Champions). While not absolutely required or necessary to enjoy the game, they do enhance the experience by making the player more competitive at lower Summoner levels, and are almost required at maximum level competition.
Champions are aided on the maps by small Minions, who essentially serve as front-line warriors and cannon fodder. The goal is to defeat the opposing team by destroying their base, called a Nexus, after navigating a series of lanes defended by turrets. The number of lanes and turrets depends on the game chosen, whether 5v5 or 3v3, but the goal is the same. Scattered throughout the map are various NPC monsters who can be battled to provide the team with money (to buy in-game items to improve the Champion), or passive buffs for a short duration.

Difficulty: 4/5
Since this is a PvP game, much of the difficulty rating is dependent upon who you decide to play, what level you are at, and whether it is an AI game or straight PvP. Players come from many backgrounds and many skill ranges, but the teaming system is relatively good about matching like-skilled players. the AI on intermediate can be annoying at times, as a player who is assaulting a turret might quickly find themselves overwhelmed by all five enemy AI coming to defend. This is resolved by good team communication, which may or may not occur depending on the team. Simply calling out that an enemy is "MIA" in their specific lane should be sufficient to tell the offense to watch their flanks. Overall the balance of the game is great, and the great variety of champions allows for nice dynamic matches.

Overall: 4/5
This reviewer enjoys the relatively short match length, the variety of champions, and the PvP of League of Legends. While nowhere near a dedicated player, this reviewer has played enough to get the flavor of the game and enjoy it. The presence of the LoL Store, where players can purchase Champions for permanent access and use (generally there is a rotation of "free Champions" which changes often), as well as the ability to purchase Runes to improve their Champions, and access to entertaining "Skins" or costume changes for favored Champions. The Store is largely there for any player who wishes to sink money into this game, however the core game is free to play, which is very much appreciated. What is encouraging with a game like this is how smaller game companies not relying on massive graphics or massive budgets can put out good games that people enjoy. If you'd like to check out League for yourself, head on over to the website and give it a go, it's free and a lot of fun.