OUT OF NOSTALGIA, I decided to revisit some classic games in my PC and I suddenly realized that I still had a copy of WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne.
And my first instinct was to play one of the most renowned mods in the game, Dota: Allstars.
Suddenly the memories of my high school years returned, where I played in computer shops and joined my batchmates in some scrimmages despite me not being good at the game.
While the game manages to relieve some of the profound memories of my past, is it really fun to play in 2024?
OG Dota isn't beginner friendly
Dota 2 is already considered to be the most difficult MOBA to play due to the numerous mechanics that require a lot of mastery, meanwhile its rivals like League of Legends and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are considered to be beginner friendly as it doesn't entail a lot of gameplay factors.
And the difficulties in mechanics from Dota 2 was already implanted due to its predecessor, from the denial of allied creeps, creep blocking, the importance of the laning stage, the number of spells that can be casted courtesy of items and abilities, there's no denying that a lot of factors need to be considered.
However when comparing the OG Dota to its sequel the latter seems more beginner friendly compared to the former, as Valve has made things more convenient.
Item recommendations are already available to begin with and players can make last minute adjustments. In Dota: Allstars, players are required to do due dilligence and research before the game begins.
But items aren't the only gameplay mechanic that was addressed as the spells have also been reworked.
The simple use of the Q-W-E-R buttons in casting spells was definitely a huge breather, compared to the nonestop memorization of keyboard commands from different characters.
Also the courier has a button in Dota 2, while in the OG game, players are required to manually control their critter, which might force them to rage quit once it dies and their items get rekt.
The animations in OG Dota can be tricky
The hours I spent in Dota 2 can be an overwhelming experience especially once teamfights occur. Numerous animations can be seen from Death Prophet's Exorcism, Witch Doctor's ultimate, a Blink Daggered Legion Commander duelling the opposition, etc.
While it can be stressful to assess what is happening in every teamfight in Dota 2, it can be argued that the animations and sound design of the latest title is smoother compared to its original counterpart.
One can hear the sound of a Blink Daggered threat, or someone who decided to use a Shadow Blade to escape.
And the spells are easier to catch given the crisp animations of Dota 2.
In Dota: Allstars things could end up surprising, for instance I was randomly playing a game as Kardel Sharpeye then I suddenly got killed out of nowhere by a Pit Lord.
I was stunned since I didn't expect to be bursted down. I checked the Pit Lord to see if he has a Blade Mail which reflected the damage. Apparently, there was none.
Then I suddenly realized, he has a Necronomicon at its highest peak, and every time I killed the minions, I received damage.
I didn't notice the Necro creeps were being targetted as the enemy forces were clumped up together, plus there was no sound indicator about the damage I received.
*Sigh* How I'd wished IceFrog removed Necro in Dota 1 instead of waiting for the sequel. Perhaps many lives would've been saved.
And of course there are other instances of Dota animations being outdated and overly reliant on the WarCraft III engine, making the game look clunky.
Nothing beats the nostalgia
Yet despite some of the issues from the classic Dota game, one can never deny the impact it has brought.
Going back to the computer shop days of placing bets and listening to the Lon and Tryke shoutcast in Mineski stores have indeed molded our gaming years, and perhaps it would be good to revisit those days.
Some computer shops still have WarCraft III and Dota: Allstars, plus there are still YouTube gameplay videos on your favorite heroes. You could even revisit the Mineski duo cast of Lon and Tryke combined with the clashing of micro skills from Bimbo and Santino.
To make things more convenient WarCraft III can be downloaded anywhere online, though one should be wary of potential viruses that could harm your PC.
Now is Dota: Allstars worth revisiting? Perhaps one should give it a try, especially if you wish to forget that Primal Beast, Lotus Pools, and Two Roshans existed.
It's also a good way to reflect on those days when our simple minds were geared to buy damage-centric items for support heroes instead of wards.
How the times have changed.
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