It looks like Microsoft is gearing up to unleash its own gods of war, with the free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), SMITE, opening its doors to Xbox One beta sign-ups. If you want to try the game out before the rest of the pack, now is the time to act.
If joining the SMITE beta sounds like your idea of a good time, all you need to do is head on over to the game’s official website, drop off your contact info, and wait patiently for the invites to start rolling out.
Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 seem to be evolving a bit in this new generation, with more and more formerly PC-only free-to-play games making the jump to consoles. Big war games like World of Tanks and WarThunder are already available on the new machines, alongside shooters like Blacklight: Retribution, Warframe and, more recently, Loadout.
Also seeing a resurgence of interest over the past several years are MOBAs themselves. League of Legends and DOTA 2 are the titles most likely to ring a bell for newcomers to the genre but, in recent years, we’ve seen new MOBAs based on the DC universe, Lord of the Rings and more pop up from time to time. Even the 2D game Awesomenauts is a type of MOBA gaining a big following within the console crowd. And then there’s Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm.
In other words, if you’re going to survive in either of those markets, you’d better be bringing something new to the table. According to the folks at SMITE HQ, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
“Players choose from a diverse cast of deities and use their unique powers to triumph over the opposition in 5v5 team matches,” reads the game’s description. “SMITE is a new take on the MOBA genre; rather than observing from above the action, the game’s third-person perspective puts players into the thick of combat.”
So, instead simply clicking the mouse to move around, the player actually guides their character directly. Along the way, you’ll rely on your godly powers to lay waste to your foes, unleashing insane spells, elemental damage and the like in order to turn the tide of battle. As with most of these types of games, SMITE is basically class-based, with each character having its own strengths and weaknesses for dealing damage, controlling the flow of battle, taking hits for the team and the like. The trick is getting a good mix of friends together who can play a diverse team well.
Given its more action-oriented focus, it seems like SMITE might be a good fit for the Xbox One controller. To find out for yourself before the game becomes available to the masses, don’t forget to sign up for that beta.
