Heroes of the Storm: Closed Beta Now Live

Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard’s take on the MOBA genre. It’s a beautifully designed game that promises to improve upon the pitfalls and common complaints that many gamers have with titles like League of Legends and DOTA. And, in true Blizzard fashion, it embodies the ‘easy to learn difficult to master’ twist that’s the hallmark of their other titles like Hearthstone, StarCraft and World of Warcraft. Sound interesting? Then you’ll be pleased to know that Heroes of the Storm is now in closed beta! And to entice Blizzard and MOBA fans alike, the Heroes of the Storm closed beta came chalk full of some exciting new features to enjoy. If selected to participate in the closed beta, you’ll get to check out the new Ranked Play feature which will keep you glued to the screen. Beyond that you’ll get a two new mounts, brand spanking new skins, a fresh battleground and a even a new hero to enjoy as well.

So what are my thoughts on the game? I don’t know about you guys, but I am really looking forward to the release of Heroes of the Storm. After checking out some of the gameplay, I have to say that I am quite impressed with Blizzard’s approach to MOBAs. Beyond being a gorgeous looking game that makes the sometimes boring top down gameplay beautiful and dynamic, I think some of their riskier moves like removing gold and items will pay off in the long run. And since Blizzard is known for making games that reward teamwork, it should come as no surprise that Heroes of the Storm will feature Global XP. Yep, that’s right! All team members will get to share in the glory of the battle as everyone levels up together. I think this was a brilliant move on Blizzard’s part that removes the incentive for Leeroy Jenkins style shenanigans and encourages players to work and support each other. These are just a few of the things that really struck me as moving in the right direction and giving the MOBA genre a much needed shake up. Have any of you gotten to check out Heroes of the Storm? What did you think of Blizzard’s changes?