Review: SMITE Alpha for Xbox

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SmiteAlpha

 

UPDATE: The have opened up all GODs that are avaialbe in the Alpha to try out. Also got a few more hours to play so i have revised my article a bit.

So last night the SMITE Alpha was released. A very successful MOBA on PC now on a console. Even better its F2P. I am not going to into too many details about MOBAs in general or How to play the game, but focus on the port and how it played.

What is SMITE?

SMITE is a MOBA (multi-player online battle arena) built initially for the PC but now being ported to the console. The game has you playing a God (Zeus, Loki, Hades, Etc...) in a third person view. There are over 30 Gods to choose from in the Alpha. They each fit into a general category but do offer some flexibility as you rank up. Those categories or classes are:

Key: Class - Desc - Example God

  • Assassin - Fast high burst damage melee characters but little defense
  • Loki Guardian - High Defense and CC (crowd Control) abilities - Ares Hunter - Range class with high mobility but pretty squishy - Apollo
  • Mage - High Damage Range class very squishy and no escape mechanism - RA
  • Warrior - Melee class with high versatility - Odin, Guan YuEach

God has specific unique attacks that are unlocked as you rank up during game play. Most game modes allow you to choose the God you will play except for Assault which is randomly chosen for you. AS you play the match your god will rank up this will provide the ability to purchase items from the store to better quip your god with armor, potions, etc… the store is only accessed during a match and only at home base. You can return to home base by pressing the down arrow on you gamepad. Be warned it takes a few secs to channel and you can be killed during the channel so make sure you are somewhere safe.

Upgrades are bought with gold that you earn during the game. There are a lot of options to choose from if you want your God to have more damage potential, health or many other options. For beginners I would suggest the auto-purchase ability be kept on at first. This is by default. So every time you head back to home base, or die, new and better armor items will be bought for you. This works on a pretty conservative level. I recommend this for any time you are trying a new god.

After each match you earn favor which ranks up your overall level. This favor can also be used to purchase additional gods from initial ones granted. You can also buy Gods with real money (gems) as well along with skin packs for your gods.

If you would like to read more about the game, the gods that you can play as, class types and game modes check out http://smitethegame.com/…

UI

Right of the bat the UI (look and feel) are almost exactly like the PC, so if you play on the PC you will feel right at home with navigation and where things are placed. However this did not translate to console very well as the font size in very small for my old eyes. Reading skill descriptions is very tough unless you are right up in front of the screen like you would be in front of a pc. Not sitting 6ft away on your couch on a 48" plasma. From that distance the UI can look pretty cluttered. Hopefully something they can address without losing the functionality. I really do like that i can bring up the skill descriptions when ever I want.

Controls

Smite XBOX controls

Basic game play controls seem simple at first move and aim with the thumbsticks. Main attack skills on on the buttons and normal attack is the trigger. When you get to consumables and upgrading of equipment, store purchases and the such is where it gets ugly. There are a lot of RT + X, LT +A, etc… kind of combinations. All i can say is Thank almighty for auto-upgrade and purchase options. Read here for more about that.

Gameplay

Pretty damn smooth for Alpha gameplay. Plus I was surprised with the amount of game options that they had. There were Game Modes included both CO-OP and VS styles. CO-OP had Practice(tutorial), Conquest (5v5), Joust(3x3), and Area (5x5). VS had Conquest (5v5), and Arena (5x5).

Overall

This game plays more like a beta then it does an alpha. There are some known issues with it of course. But overall seems to be a very fun game and should work well on the console. They did have an option the menu for custom games that was locked which is a good sign for us as getting 10 GRG into a conquest or assault match should be fun. I believe each person that got a Alpha invite got two codes to play. I have created a thread in teh forums for members to post their extra codes if they want to share.

Website: For more info on SMITE, check out the official SMITE website.

 

Originally published at: http://grimreapergamers.com/review-smite-alpha-for-xbox/

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I played a for a bit last night. I sucked pretty bad b/c I couldn’t aim, but here’s a short video I grabbed off game dvr:

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The moba gameplay in Smite is the conquest mode. You play 5v5 on a symmetrical map that consists of 3 lanes, and a jungle section between those lanes. Each lane has a set of towers that must be destroyed before you can advance. Once you’ve cleared one lane of towers, you can attack the enemy’s phoenix which protects the entrance to the opposing teams spawn. After downing the phoenix, you can then attack your opponents final boss which wins the game. There is also an assault mode that is the same as conquest, only you play on 1 lane with randomly picked gods. With every game mode in Smite, you start at level 1 and max out at level 20 by the end of the match. You must use any money you get during the match to buy items to make yourself more powerful. Thus, early game in any mode usually consists of farming creeps to build your character for endgame. Also, the respawn timer after death gets longer and longer as the match progresses. So even if your winning the match, if your team were to wipe late game, you could lose while you wait to respawn. It makes for some really fun endings.

The mode I was playing in the video is Arena. Arena is smite’s version of tdm. You play in an arena that has a portal at each base. Every time an opposing creep (npc) makes it to your portal you lose 1 ticket. Every time a player dies, that player’s team loses tickets (5 or 10 I can’t remember). So the goal of the game is to clear the creeps early game, which gives you money and xp, allowing you to build for late game. Still, the team that’s killing players will win. Also, you can return to base to fully heal/get mana, and to purchase items. The downside is it takes you out of the match while you recharge.

As for the camera angle, the game plays like a third person shooter which is why it’s perfect for consoles. It has moba rules, but plays like a third person shooter.

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Here’s some Hades Arena gameplay from last night. I did much better with a god I’m familiar with.

Triple Kill:

Last 5mins of the match:

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Nice vids Das.

Also I got a few more hours to play with the game and have added more “meat” to the article.

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This is a really fun game. As with any team based game teamwork is essential. You really need to call targets and focus fire. I’m still playing like a noob, I have the items on auto-buy. While the combat may seem simple, the character builds and customization gets so in depth that it’s overwhelming. Regardless, I’m having a great time with the game.

My biggest issue so far is the text size. I can’t read most of it. All the text needs to be larger.

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Pure wreckage w/Thanatos:

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Not much talk about this lately, so here’s a nice vid to get it back to the top. Joust 3v3 gameplay

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I only think 4 people in the clan have access to Smite. You, Das, Grex and I. Das plays late EST. Grex and I rarely play. That’s about it for the schedule.

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Anyone got extra alpha keys?

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No alpha key left, sorry. Hopefully they release it as open beta soon. It runs so smoothly.

Das and I played tonight. First 2 matches were rough. 1st match we just got beat. 2nd match we had 2 AFKers.

I then dumped Neith like Disney dumps dead hookers and starting playing Anhur. I’m really digging him. Actually being able to fight and do damage. I would love an escape but we can’t have everything.

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@Das, I uploaded your video to the Youtubez. Now everyone can see your kill stealing ways.

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I played a few rounds last night. They open up all the gods on the weekend so I gave Posiedon a try. I know Das always uses him. He’s a a fun God to play. Nothing beats his special, the Kraken. That’s pretty cool, and deadly.

I highly recommend this god If you a chance to play this weekend.