Super MNC is basically a third person shooter take on DotA and fails to be interesting for the same reasons

User Rating: 1 | Super Monday Night Combat PC
I tried this game out when TF2 released some unlockable hats that required in-game achievements. I have never played the original MNC, but took the chance to play this one and learn how it works. How disappointed I was to learn that it's basically a DotA game with creeps, turrets, lanes and heroes like the others. While slightly different, this game still suffers the lack of skill flaws that all DotA games suffer.

DotA games require no inherent player skills. The games allow enemy teams to gain far too much upper hand, and when turrets are destroyed you can basically just exit the game because the match is over - you lose. Other game genres allow you to recover - just because you've lost the middle ground doesn't mean you can't take it back and end up winning the match, but in ALL DotA inspired games losing the middle ground is a permanent set back. Comebacks are the very rare exception that will only happen if you possibly have an excellent team (i.e. almost never). The game randomly matches you up with players unless you team with people, so the odds of good players are slim. Even character choice can completely affect the outcome of a battle.

You as a player ultimately have control ONLY at the start of the match. If you win at the beginning, you just about have the game won. Since the middle point is arguably the winning part of the game, it makes the remaining time in a match pointless and repetitive. Blow up thier turrets, blow up their bots, kill their pros, rinse and repeat, destroy their core, you are winner. Never once on a winning team did they push us back to the middle again, and never once on a losing team did we push them back to the middle. Unlike skill based games, your fate is sealed. If you're a great player, it means nothing because the game has levels and other arbitrary measures to limit your ability to make a difference.

I think of this like a standard CTF game mode, but with changes. In a regular CTF match, you may not have middle ground - but if you're sly you can sneak past them and steal the flag and get it to the middle ground (back to your flag if you're super lucky). But usually you die in the middle area, and now your team pushes harder to get that flag back and frequently take back the middle area. DotA derivatives treat cores like the flags, but you must destroy the flag instead. The problem is, even if you're skilled enough to get there - you can't do it. The turrets act as a hard block to keep you from using your true skills to their potential. If I'm a good enough player to get past the horde of enemies near my base I should be able to start damaging the enemy's core without needing to have my bots arbitarily destroy their defenses (And how will my bots ever get to their defenses after our turrets are gone?). Even if all your heroes assist the defense, you can at best hold them off but eventually they'll break through. And the game forces you to stay in the game, or penalizes you for leaving (Because how DARE you want to leave the game when you just keep dying and know the loss is coming - the matter is just how long will it be). I'm sorry, but if I'm in a game that has no chance of recovery and is going to lock me in for 15-20 minutes or more I don't want to waste my precious time on it.

So basically, that's what this is. Third person shooter DotA that's been simplified (no items to purchase, just skills to unlock). While at first the wins were fun, they became boring and as with all DotA games feel like hollow victories. I don't feel like I've overcome the might of my enemy - more like "ha ha! We got middle first - now we win! Fear as my bots destroy your bots and cause your doom!" It starts to feel like toward the end you don't even have to do anything - the bots will just kill them and their base for you. When the game is able to play itself without you - what's the point? Where's the fun?

For me, Super MNC is a huge disappointing game. The original MNC looks interesting with the tower defense element, but may likely suffer the same tedious fate this one does. I have uninstalled this game and do not ever plan to play it again after getting my achievement hats, it just goes to show there is no formula of the limited DotA style that works. Personally, I'd like to see this game style disappear or at least dwindle greatly as it's highly unoriginal and just boring for the reasons stated above.