User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11934 Ratings

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  1. Mar 18, 2014
    6
    While Dota 2 is a fundamentally good game, it has its share of issues. The most notable of these is its absolutely horrible community -- possibly one of the worst I've ever encountered. However, it would be wrong to let the players impact the actual game's score. The REAL issue with Dota 2, though, is its overwhelming complexity. There are 112 heroes at the time of writing (107 playable),While Dota 2 is a fundamentally good game, it has its share of issues. The most notable of these is its absolutely horrible community -- possibly one of the worst I've ever encountered. However, it would be wrong to let the players impact the actual game's score. The REAL issue with Dota 2, though, is its overwhelming complexity. There are 112 heroes at the time of writing (107 playable), and each has a minimum of four skills. This means that there are more than 448 skills which you need to memorize the function of just so you won't be at a disadvantage when facing off against someone using them. Then you have to get a grasp of the highly complex mechanics, and various strategies that take a long time to learn. There are also over 100 items in the store, the purchasing of which varies from one hero and situation to the next. Again, Dota 2 is simply too complicated for its own good. I shouldn't have to read a freakin' textbook just to play a game! Expand
  2. Nov 1, 2013
    6
    This game had a good start, then it slowly became something else. I just don't understand why did Valve seem to abandon this game. The developing process has became really slow, but the worst thing is that they REFUSE to communicate with the community. I used to love everything Valve does, but nowadays it's just like they are a different company in a very negative way.
  3. Jul 16, 2013
    6
    The game has good and bad points.
    The good: So nice graphics, good improvements (then dota 1)...
    The bad: The game dont have feling, i dont like the separete market...
  4. Jul 19, 2013
    6
    This is one of the most difficult multi-player games you will ever play. The people who tell you otherwise are probably doing it wrong. The game play is solid, and the mechanics are balanced properly. For the most part any hero in the game is capable of defeating any other hero in the game if the two players are equally skilled. It's very balanced in that respect. It is also a fun game ifThis is one of the most difficult multi-player games you will ever play. The people who tell you otherwise are probably doing it wrong. The game play is solid, and the mechanics are balanced properly. For the most part any hero in the game is capable of defeating any other hero in the game if the two players are equally skilled. It's very balanced in that respect. It is also a fun game if you can get past the culture, attitude, arrogance, and hostility that people bring to the game.

    That problem is it's very hard to get past that part. This game is full of the most hateful, immature, ignorant people you will ever find in any MMO game, period. I played WoW for over a year, I played SW: TOR, I have played several random "web-based" games where you also expect the bottom of the barrel in terms of users and community, but every horrid online community I've ever seen pales in comparison to this. You may think I'm exaggerating, but if you can put 10-20 hours into this game without being called newb, baddie, or told to go kill yourself/uninstall, then I'm envious of you. That doesn't even cover the harassment and berating you will receive from your own team no matter how new you are, or how hard you are trying. If you make a mistake prepare to pay for it in hateful comments from your own team, up to and including calling you every imaginable name over mic and in chat.

    The majority of players on US servers at certain times are foreign and cannot speak English, and Valve has decided to ignore this problem and believe me, it's a huge problem in a game that requires communication which only adds to the overall hate and frustration level. Russians are the biggest problem on US servers right now and if you happen to offend one of them, regardless of which team this person is on, they will almost certainly ask the other Russians in the game, again regardless of team, to report you. You have no recourse and the process is semi-automated. You will receive mutes from Valve after you accumulate enough reports the validity of which makes no difference.

    I have just spent two paragraphs warning you of what you are getting into, while only devoting one paragraph to the nice parts of this game. Make of that what you will, but if you do decide to play this game, I advice muting everyone before the match even begins including your own team. It's your own team that will berate and harass you with the most racist and hateful speech you can imagine much more often than the opposing team. Score-wise I gave it a 6 because I think it represents exactly what I'm trying to say this game is fantastic, but the community and players are not. Half and half.

    I would also like to add that I am near 200 total wins, with a winning percentage around .433. I am not new nor am I offended by the overall experience, but it is indeed a negative experience as far as the community goes. I subject myself to the player interactions because I can (usually) take it in stride, mute the player, and move on. If you don't have a thick skin though, this game is not for you.
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  5. Jul 25, 2013
    6
    This game is interesting and is nice for playing with friends. On the other hand, learning curve is hard and the community is full of very rude players. Prepare to be insulted during the first 5 weeks at least.

    Also, games take usually 45 minutes, which is quite long and boring...
  6. Aug 2, 2013
    6
    I wanted to give this game a 9 out of 10 due to the good graphics compared to other MOBA games, huge character selection you can get immediately, and good tutorial as well as the interactions with the character that we chose. However I found that this game has a huge flaw which is deny creep system. Why? Because the one that can deny creep better will definitely win the game especially theI wanted to give this game a 9 out of 10 due to the good graphics compared to other MOBA games, huge character selection you can get immediately, and good tutorial as well as the interactions with the character that we chose. However I found that this game has a huge flaw which is deny creep system. Why? Because the one that can deny creep better will definitely win the game especially the solo lanes. The solo lanes gets more experience and then able to outlevel all other players and just making plays all over. So basically this game is "who can deny creeps more" in the early stage of the game. Indeed this is the redeeming feature of the game itself but I feel this feature is not necessary. However it is undoubtedly a great game and recommendable for anyone who likes hardcore mind-games. Expand
  7. Aug 21, 2013
    6
    I can see why people enjoy it, but its not without its flaws. For a start, the learning curve is pretty aggressive, and sadly when you play, prepare to be matched up with really good players who will stomp you to death. More needs to be done in order to ease new players in. LoL is of course its direct competition, and I would say LoL does a better job at handling new players. At a higherI can see why people enjoy it, but its not without its flaws. For a start, the learning curve is pretty aggressive, and sadly when you play, prepare to be matched up with really good players who will stomp you to death. More needs to be done in order to ease new players in. LoL is of course its direct competition, and I would say LoL does a better job at handling new players. At a higher level I have no idea as I was bored of the game pretty quickly. If your not into MOBA I guess this will not change your mind. Expand
  8. Sep 2, 2013
    6
    gameplay wise..this game does beat out other MOBA in the general 5v5 terms. However it doesnt expand beyond this and the matchmaking system..since the beta release has seen 0 improvement. It takes about 3 minutes to find a game and usally find yourself paired with heavily unbalanced teams that usually results in a one sided facerolling. Overall still fun but the matchmaking ...has seen nogameplay wise..this game does beat out other MOBA in the general 5v5 terms. However it doesnt expand beyond this and the matchmaking system..since the beta release has seen 0 improvement. It takes about 3 minutes to find a game and usally find yourself paired with heavily unbalanced teams that usually results in a one sided facerolling. Overall still fun but the matchmaking ...has seen no attention from Valve nor do they seem to be willing to devote attention to it Expand
  9. Sep 5, 2013
    6
    Okay, If you like DOTA 2, that's fine...If you like MOBA games, that's fine. If you like FREE MOBA games with a lot of characters with many different play styles, That is absolutely fine. But the second you try to defend the multiplayers community, then we need to start having a serious chat!! Now I do own a copy of DOTA 2 and I do enjoy bot matches as 'Venomancer' and I do OK on harderOkay, If you like DOTA 2, that's fine...If you like MOBA games, that's fine. If you like FREE MOBA games with a lot of characters with many different play styles, That is absolutely fine. But the second you try to defend the multiplayers community, then we need to start having a serious chat!! Now I do own a copy of DOTA 2 and I do enjoy bot matches as 'Venomancer' and I do OK on harder difficulties. I decided to go over to multiplayer one time and I ended up 0-2. The hate I got that game was horrific. I thought this was just a one off so I tried another match, I ended up not killing or getting killed for a while, and the comments started coming again, and again, and again, and again... This game to put it easily is a 2-sided coin. On one hand the game can be enjoyable if you find a character you can use effectively, however the community is honestly the worst gaming community I ever had the utter misfortune of playing with or being part of, if your not perfect instantly you will be hated. I'd say since the game is free, it's worth the price for the offline mode but that's it Expand
  10. Sep 23, 2013
    6
    The 5 is more for the community rather than the game itself. Played 6 online matches of LH, all of them had:

    1) Someone spamming Drow Ranger 2) At least one guy way too high on testosterone and usually quit midgame 3) people telling me how to play, sputtering utter madness at me when I apparently buy something useless 4) Using terms I've never heard of in a noob-training mode, like
    The 5 is more for the community rather than the game itself. Played 6 online matches of LH, all of them had:

    1) Someone spamming Drow Ranger
    2) At least one guy way too high on testosterone and usually quit midgame
    3) people telling me how to play, sputtering utter madness at me when I apparently buy something useless
    4) Using terms I've never heard of in a noob-training mode, like denying, rushing, jungling,

    I really, really tried to get in the game, but it was about as newbie friendly as Dark Souls.
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  11. Dec 5, 2013
    6
    I'll be honest, the game itself isn't particularly bad. Having tried out the original, DOTA2 is somewhat more forgiving to newbies, allowing games against bots to at least practice on.

    Graphically, it's not bad and there's a nice selection of heroes which is not too overwhelming like some MOBA games (here's looking at you LoL). Obviously, the major issue with the game is its
    I'll be honest, the game itself isn't particularly bad. Having tried out the original, DOTA2 is somewhat more forgiving to newbies, allowing games against bots to at least practice on.

    Graphically, it's not bad and there's a nice selection of heroes which is not too overwhelming like some MOBA games (here's looking at you LoL).

    Obviously, the major issue with the game is its fan-base, which comes across as a rather spoilt, repugnant brat... If you aren't quite up to their standard of playing, prepare to be barraged with insult upon insult. But these are issues that are pandemic to the genre itself, so doesn't really warrant marking it down, it's to be expected if you've actually made any attempt at checking a game out first...

    All this aside, the games do get competitive, but in my opinion, this is the only real thing going for it, the constant thriving to beat the opponent. If you do not connect with the community in some way, then it's not a particularly enjoyable affair.

    It's free though, so it's definitely at least worth a look, perhaps you'll love it, or perhaps you'll hate it... But if you haven't put any cash up-front, there's no harm either way.
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  12. Oct 30, 2013
    6
    Not the greatest game of all time, but probably the most legit MOBA out there, a hundred times deeper and smarter than League of Legends. The community is still horrible, mainly composed by lobotomized fanboys and but beside this, the game has hours of fun to offer.
    If you are into the online gaming, DotA 2 may be an interesting game to play.
    6/10 because not my kind of game, but a MOBA
    Not the greatest game of all time, but probably the most legit MOBA out there, a hundred times deeper and smarter than League of Legends. The community is still horrible, mainly composed by lobotomized fanboys and but beside this, the game has hours of fun to offer.
    If you are into the online gaming, DotA 2 may be an interesting game to play.
    6/10 because not my kind of game, but a MOBA player would probably give it a 8-9.
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  13. Nov 1, 2013
    6
    I have to give Dota 2 a solid 7. The game is fun, it's impressive. It's not any more original than Dota 1. I have more fun playing league of legends. It takes less time to get into matches. The voice function in Dota 2 complete sours the experience because half the players are from a different country-I'm cool with that. I know how to call you a in russian, spanish, and Brazilian now,I have to give Dota 2 a solid 7. The game is fun, it's impressive. It's not any more original than Dota 1. I have more fun playing league of legends. It takes less time to get into matches. The voice function in Dota 2 complete sours the experience because half the players are from a different country-I'm cool with that. I know how to call you a in russian, spanish, and Brazilian now, thanks Valve! Either that, or someone being genuinely helpful most of the time is lagging the game out with their mic spam about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. You can't surrender. that made me lower my score to a 6, no lie. You should play this game, but it's not for everyone. Expand
  14. Nov 2, 2013
    6
    6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your community.
    That's why the mark is six and it's obviously
    6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your community. That's why the mark is six and it's obviously 6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your
    6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your community.
    That's why the mark is six and it's obviously
    6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your community.
    That's why the mark is six and it's obviously
    6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your community.
    That's why the mark is six and it's obviously
    6. Why? Not really because of absence of diretide but the lack of responsibility for your community.
    That's why the mark is six and it's obviously
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  15. Nov 2, 2013
    6
    This is rate of valve work, dont want add heroes, dont want make new modes, dont want fix bugs, only stupid items and disbalance patches. Valve, think about this and do it better. So waiting for work from valve
  16. Nov 2, 2013
    6
    What can I say? I fell very disappointed of DoTA 2.
    That game simply can't make you pay attention. Almost zero achievements or rewards for playing, boring characters with unbalanced abilities and pointless hindrances. And the biggest flaw of all: THERE IS NO SATISFACTION AFTER WINNING. I know, some ideas are quite good (delivering items), graphic is done well as the music, but why should
    What can I say? I fell very disappointed of DoTA 2.
    That game simply can't make you pay attention. Almost zero achievements or rewards for playing, boring characters with unbalanced abilities and pointless hindrances. And the biggest flaw of all: THERE IS NO SATISFACTION AFTER WINNING. I know, some ideas are quite good (delivering items), graphic is done well as the music, but why should I play something that gives me no fun? With such a competition like League of Legends or Smite, I have no reason to play DoTA 2...
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  17. Nov 2, 2013
    6
    Is a good game on every level BUT is stupidly build around and infinite number of entry barriers for new players. Learn to play is sickening but if you do you will enjoy for sure. Also, there's that, you don't enjoy Dota 2 until you really mastered it wich is a bad thing, Imo.
  18. Nov 8, 2013
    6
    Dota 2 is certainly a very interesting game for it's genre, with the major attraction being that you get pretty much all of the content up-front, free of charge.

    Whilst you may purchase an advantage in earning points for your in-game profile via the use of 'Battle Point Boosters', this cannot be looked at as a form of 'pay to win', as all the points do is increase your level. Increasing
    Dota 2 is certainly a very interesting game for it's genre, with the major attraction being that you get pretty much all of the content up-front, free of charge.

    Whilst you may purchase an advantage in earning points for your in-game profile via the use of 'Battle Point Boosters', this cannot be looked at as a form of 'pay to win', as all the points do is increase your level. Increasing your profile level gives you both a random item and the ability to find even rarer items (Not to mention the bragging rights that come with such.), It should be noted that no item in Dota 2 gives you an advantage, or disadvantage during actual game-play. This makes it one of the more worth-while free to play games out there.

    On the other hand, Dota 2 has a very steep learning curve, and some may be turned away from the challenge of learning how to play. The genre of this game itself is a very small one, and this has led to a lot of confused newbies to the game. A tutorial was added into the game to help the player learn, but doesn't necessarily go into enough detail for some.

    To sum it up, Dota 2 is a free to play game that manages to steer clear of the ever-dreaded 'pay to win' issue we quite often come across in other free games. However, the game comes with a very steep learning curve that requires you to really get into the game and learn in your own way through trial and error.

    Dota 2 receives a 6/10 from me. It's not bad for a free to play game, but it's not the shiniest penny out there, either.
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  19. Nov 13, 2013
    6
    A game with great intentions and implications, but falls down flat in turn to the player's experience.

    With fair graphics and abundance of free heroes to choose from, Dota 2 will definitely capture the attention of dedicated and devoted players. However, casual players beware, as the smallest mistakes in Dota 2 will punish you deeply, and with even the slightest wrong selection of your
    A game with great intentions and implications, but falls down flat in turn to the player's experience.

    With fair graphics and abundance of free heroes to choose from, Dota 2 will definitely capture the attention of dedicated and devoted players. However, casual players beware, as the smallest mistakes in Dota 2 will punish you deeply, and with even the slightest wrong selection of your hero from the selection screen may set you to play out a long, inevitable defeat, as the games' balance is centred around heroes countering each other. If you are to look over the incredibly high skillfloor (new players of the genre may find this game somewhat even stressing at times), you might set yourself up for a game that you might find exciting and rich.

    Lastly, I recommend that you do not listen wholeheartedly to the critics so endorsing Dota 2. You must play the game to see if you really like it, because what they tell you, I -will- completely guarantee you that you will find a rather different experience actually playing the game, whether the experience for you would be exciting, or plain-right stressful.
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  20. Jan 5, 2014
    6
    DOTA2 is a very hit and miss game. On one hand you can get a game where everyone if cooperating well, when this happens the game is an easy 10/10, however this games major flaws are the users themselves. When checking "English" in the language pref's and in the USA servers, you are almost guaranteed to find a lot of non-English speakers with terrible ping. This leaves the game unfair andDOTA2 is a very hit and miss game. On one hand you can get a game where everyone if cooperating well, when this happens the game is an easy 10/10, however this games major flaws are the users themselves. When checking "English" in the language pref's and in the USA servers, you are almost guaranteed to find a lot of non-English speakers with terrible ping. This leaves the game unfair and quit a few people quit out.

    Good when everyone is in game, absolutely terrible otherwise.
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  21. Jan 18, 2014
    6
    This game is not great for the next generation of first Dota. Because the game with big size and have only few improment. First Dota only need under 10 mb for one map. This is very not great.
  22. Apr 19, 2014
    6
    Before I start, I would like to say that I have spent about 2000 hours on the game, and that I quit it about 4 months back.
    Your opinion on this game is based on whether you play it for hours and hours or not.
    The game itself is a well made standalone version of the famous warcraft 3 map. The detail put into the heroes is amazing(Graphic & Audio wise), but still, some fail to live up to
    Before I start, I would like to say that I have spent about 2000 hours on the game, and that I quit it about 4 months back.
    Your opinion on this game is based on whether you play it for hours and hours or not.
    The game itself is a well made standalone version of the famous warcraft 3 map. The detail put into the heroes is amazing(Graphic & Audio wise), but still, some fail to live up to their war3 counterparts.
    And that's about all of the nice things I have to say about the game.
    It's graphics(not hero design) look dated. But that's not so important.
    You see, this is a team based game, and unless you are going to play with friends, you can bet you're going to get matched with someone who doesn't speak the language you queued up for. The amount of toxicity in the community is insane, and the only counter to it which VALVE have so far is a simple mute, which only ruins the game for people who get matched with the muted player. The game also has an inexcusably huge amount of unfixed, confirmed bugs, if I recall correctly, the number is about ~800.
    Also, ever since The International 2, VALVE have been extremely slow with hero updates(Prior to the The International 2, there were updates that had as many as 3 heroes in them, all coming out each week), while still pushing out cosmetic updates week after week.
    This games learning curve is steep, and you MUST invest time in watching tutorials, streams, trying out things in a lobby(on top of actually playing the game) if you want to make any sort of progress with it.
    This, in my opinion, is not bad, but it is very intimidating for newcomers.
    And with this I'd like to end my review of the game.
    But no matter what I say, this game is still going to grow, and so is it's playerbase. Let's just hope the future is brighter.
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  23. Jun 13, 2014
    6
    I think the game itself is fun but its not for people who are new to gaming cause, while it may sound good, all characters are free which is overwhelming and the tutorial doesn't give you much help. I'm a big fan of LOL so i thought that Dota 2 is an easy to understand game but even i was confused. Although the graphics / platform are better looking, I would say LOL is more. ( LOL isI think the game itself is fun but its not for people who are new to gaming cause, while it may sound good, all characters are free which is overwhelming and the tutorial doesn't give you much help. I'm a big fan of LOL so i thought that Dota 2 is an easy to understand game but even i was confused. Although the graphics / platform are better looking, I would say LOL is more. ( LOL is also gonna upgrade the graphics to a much better state next season so if you like better graphics both games are actually the same, LOL is just a bit late.) Expand
  24. Oct 25, 2019
    6
    Can still be very fun depending on the players you get in your matches but the underlying game has totally devolved over the years.
  25. Oct 3, 2014
    6
    I am use to playing FPS games COD, Battlefield,Soldierfront and all my mates told me to give this game ago and i watched a few videos on it and thought it was rubbish but one day i downloaded it as my mates were very pertistent and let me tell you its one of the best games ive played by far! i have racked up 1220 hours on this game already in about 7 months and play it everyday just aboutI am use to playing FPS games COD, Battlefield,Soldierfront and all my mates told me to give this game ago and i watched a few videos on it and thought it was rubbish but one day i downloaded it as my mates were very pertistent and let me tell you its one of the best games ive played by far! i have racked up 1220 hours on this game already in about 7 months and play it everyday just about with my mates. so much strategy involved and alot of fun once you get past the first few bad games you have. trust me give this game a go you wont play anything else i promise. add me on steam and i can give anyone a hand if they want :Dord. good luck and have fun playing see you in there! Expand
  26. Aug 21, 2015
    6
    Items pretty much take away from the pacing of the game. Heroes of the Storm takes DOTA 2 and makes it much better, eliminating the tedium parts of the game that exist here and in LoL.

    However, the game looks great and controls well.
  27. Nov 22, 2016
    6
    Ужасное комьюнити.
    Я не так часто встречал своих "отцов" или "людей", которые возомнили себя королями вселенной, но даже одно такое существо способно так сильно испортить настроение, что хуже быть уже не может.
    Геймплей интересен первое время. Я очень много играл один, но это стало так скучно. Не могу сказать, что я хорошо играю, но играть не по фану и без друзей не доставляет. А после
    Ужасное комьюнити.
    Я не так часто встречал своих "отцов" или "людей", которые возомнили себя королями вселенной, но даже одно такое существо способно так сильно испортить настроение, что хуже быть уже не может.
    Геймплей интересен первое время. Я очень много играл один, но это стало так скучно. Не могу сказать, что я хорошо играю, но играть не по фану и без друзей не доставляет.
    А после 600 часов меня вдруг осенило. Я слил в унитаз 500 часов своей жизни ( первые 100 часов же были довольно интересны, о них я как раз и не жалею) и продолжаю сливать. Dota 2 - это наркотик? Нет. Я спокойно могу обойтись месяц без игры, но почему-то тянет сыграть хоть иногда, не знаю, когда закончу играть.
    Игру не рекомендую, если у вас есть личная жизнь или вы хотите за свою жизнь сыграть в реально шедевральные игры.
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  28. Apr 4, 2016
    6
    DOTA 2 is a great improvement and standalone successor for its Warcraft III version. Everything is remastered, from graphics to user-friendliness, to bring out your addictive online multiplayer RTS game. Although personally, I haven't been blown away as I have played DOTA 1 for years.

    Plus, it updates and patches way too frequently.
  29. Jan 22, 2016
    6
    hardcore game for hardcore players. this is not a play for fun game. you need to give your blood and soul for this game.
    so if you want a casual game stay away or check it out if you have the time you need to invest.
  30. Mar 27, 2016
    6
    The game is better than League of Legends, heroes have more depth, more skill is required and games are more exciting at least from a player point of view. However, better than LoL doesn't mean it's good, as LoL is probably the most overrated game ever. The game is boring after a while and it's hard to get new heroes. Playing ranked is completely annoying due to the fact that theThe game is better than League of Legends, heroes have more depth, more skill is required and games are more exciting at least from a player point of view. However, better than LoL doesn't mean it's good, as LoL is probably the most overrated game ever. The game is boring after a while and it's hard to get new heroes. Playing ranked is completely annoying due to the fact that the match-making sux (you won't get balanced teams) and it's full of russians who only speak russian and don't want to cooperate with the team, too tedious to play more than a week. Expand
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 33
  2. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Aug 15, 2017
    85
    And this dichotomy is perhaps the best descriptor I can attach to Dota 2. It is frequently a game which occupies two opposite spaces simultaneously. It is the best game. It is also the worst game. No game has ever made me as miserable as Dota 2 has. But no game has made me feel so consistently rewarded for my time, and as consistently, wonderfully connected to the friends I play it with.
  2. Feb 19, 2014
    95
    Simply irresistible and addictive as hell.
  3. Games Master UK
    Sep 1, 2013
    90
    Unforgiving from the get-go, but a landmark in competitive multiplayer design. [Oct 2013, p.68]