I'd like to begin by stating i am not a regular MOBA player. i haven't tried League of Legends, i never played Dota, but i was curious about trying these sort of games. i found what prevented me in the past, wasn't only the misconception about MOBA players, that they spend every waking second playing the game, or spend all of their hard earned cash on the game, but the tales of people being verbally attacked online for not knowing how to play the game, or choosing an incorrect upgrade for the chosen character. Too many times i have heard blame on losing a match to the noob.
I have yet to experience that in Paragon.
It may be due to multiple reasons instead of just one. Paragon is a new game, and may not draw the attention from seasoned veterans of LoL or Dota. It's also the first MOBA from EPIC Games and its also one of the few on the PS4 and PC. All of these add to calm, paced understanding of the game and all it's mechanics across the entire community.
Not to mention it's free to play... sort of.
I was lucky enough to get in to Paragon during the Closed alpha testing where we had to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) about the game. so for a while, i wasn't able to show anything to any of my friends, Epic went as far as coding the actual PS4 app as an image viewer. being apart of the Alpha let me have access now that it is in it's Early Access form, a norm on PC, a first on PS4. To gain Early Access there is a small 19.99 charge, with two other tiers of 59.99 and 99.99.
I highly recommend anyone who find these sorr game appealing in any way to purchase the 19.99 founders pack. With 13 heroes available in game it gives alot of choice in who you want to run during the match. Up until level 7, some characters are locked as they are advanced heroes, but the starting characters are different enough that you can get a feel for the gameplay. If for any reason, you are hesitant or have your reservations about the game. Download the client, becuase from now until June, they will be holding Open beta weekends to let people try it and give more feedback for final release.
Speaking of gameplay, I found alot of people turned off by the starting time of any match with this game, i can't say if its the same for LoL or Dota, but Paragon is a little slow at the beginning, action isn't right in your face until later in the match. The main purpose at the beginning is to eliminate the enemy minions to gather Card Points, which can then be used on cards to upgrade any number of attributes for the hero based on deck set up. Some players prefer high health, others want faster attack speed. some prefer all out damage, and some prefer armor. the possibilities are endless.
And there isn't a single pay-wall in the game. everything is unlocked in game, the coins one can buy simply increase the rate at which you unlock cards.
This game excels for beginners mainly due to the fact that the community involved with it is very friendly, after my first match i asked what the 4/7/16 meant beside my name, and a pc player explained the now obvious Kills/Deaths/Assist.
The heroes themselves are very unique, each has a distinction that sets themselves apart from the others, while still being able to recognize the role at first glance. Each character model is so cool and realistic, as realistic as a full grown mole operating a mech suit can be of course, compared to other games in the same genre. Smite seems too Blizzard for me in the same art style of WoW, and Battleborn from Gear Box is too cartoony for me as well. But the art styles do not diminish those games. Never would I say this is better because it looks this way over that. It's all based on gameplay, and so far, Paragon is the only one to catch and hold my attention.
With the game in early access, there is only one map and one mode right now, but once PvP is unlocked it becomes a whole new game as you are having to out think other players. It'll keep my attention for sure until new maps or modes are released upon its June Retail release. At that point I will make a new review based on retail copy that isn't currently in development.
All this said and all that I have done in the game, I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves this style of art, or this genre of gaming.
Omeda Studios CEO states it was a "pretty big shock" when Epic killed Paragon, and explains why they're making its spiritual successor.
As we trend ever deeper into a world of games that require servers maintained by the developer or publisher, we see more and more games disappearing from the world. What happens when these games are shut down? What does it take for a game to survive beyond this point?
I was going to say that. Lol!
Actually, "Just ask Atari where ET is."
But basically the same joke.
Most modern games that have online components like destiny rely so heavily on co op between players that even if you had a full disc version popping it in and playing won't be a fun experience as you can't play the actual game after hitting a wall with difficulty levels of they even boot
But classic titles like vice city will still be the same in 2049 as they were in 2001 provided you play on a disc not stripped down digital versions that have the soundtrack cut out ten years later
Epic Games today released its final batch of Paragon assets to the Unreal Engine 4 developer community free of charge, with a total of 19 AAA-quality Hero characters valued at over $5 million in development investment.
Nice. If epic doesn't want to be bothered with it, might as well let the fans do the job.
Im never even played a MOBA, but Im curious to give it a try on PS4.