Valve Software and HTC surprised many of us when it introduced Vive, a virtual reality headset the two companies developed in collaboration. There have been rumours of Valve’s VR offerings for years and with Oculus Rift taking a presumably more mainstream approach, Vive could become the de facto VR solution for gamers.

In fact, when speaking to BBC, HTC chairwoman Cher Wang revealed that Valve wanted its games to be on Vive. “I think Valve’s best game is Dota, right, and Portal and [Team Fortress] and I think they are very keen to have them.”

Interestingly, Wang also said that the two companies are “co-operating with Half-life, and I think…I hope, you know, it will be on it.”

This is particularly interesting since Half Life 3 has been a long-standing rumour as well and to see it appear on Vive would be a shocker. Then again, it’s more likely that we see a Vive port of Half Life 1/2 in the near future. Stay tuned for more information on Vive as GDC 2015 rounds the corner.

If there was a ton of enthusiasm for the Steam Box and SteamOS, then the recent events of CES 2014 might have changed a few minds. While it’s still an interesting option, there was a certain lack of compelling reason to purchase one at launch. This will especially be the case for Dota players, as Valve engineer Jeff Bellinghausen indicated to Polygon.

On being asked whether Valve managed to get complicated PC games running on the Steam controller, Bellinghausen stated that, “It’s a real challenge. It’s also something that’s pushing the performance and resolution of the trackpad.

“For a game like Dota, we’re probably not going to be able to match it perfectly. You’re not going to take [pro player Danylo ‘Dendi’ Ishutin] and have him play at his level with the controller, but that’s not really the goal. That’s true of the controller in general.”

While Valve is working for the game to support Dota 2 directly, bypassing the current legacy mode which allows you to emulate traditional PC controls. “Certainly something like Dota has a sophistication to it that is going to be challenging. We’re thinking we’ll get 90% of the way there.” Regardless, it won’t be a perfect substitute for the keyboard and mouse.

Will this prevent Dota/Dota 2 players from partaking in SteamOS and the Steam Machines? We’ll find out in the coming months.

A discussion in Seattle the kinds of games developers are working on from mobiles to eSports, an ArenaNet employee teased, “With the success of League of Legends, it seems like everyone’s building a MOBA these days…even ArenaNet is working on building a MOBA.”

MOBA or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games are like a fusion between action and real-time strategies, where players control a single hero, without constructing any new units and work towards defeating their opponents in standalone games using strategy and cunning, not to mention the hero’s abilities, over tank-rushing and economics.

How far ArenaNet actually is in creating a standalone title on this style of gameplay is unknown. However, whether it’s a new title or form of gameplay, it bears close observation over the next few months.

Source: GuildWarsInsider

It’s a little unfortunate what has happened, but it seems that Blizzard has sued Valve over the “DOTA” name.

You can check out the filing here.

“By this Opposition, Blizzard seeks to prevent registration by its competitor Valve Corporation (“Valve”) of a trademark, DOTA, that for more than seven years has been used exclusively by Blizzard and its fan community, under license from Blizzard,” read the filing.

This has been going on for a long time now, but it comes as surprise that Blizzard would take action now, when its version comes out in 2013.

It’s funny because Blizzard has never really licensed the name, so Valve has an opportunity to win here.

In case people are confused, Dota is actually a mod of Warcraft III, whose development team was taken over by Valve to create their own games.

UPDATE: Blizzard has not sued Valve, it has merely appealed Valve’s right to trademark the DOTA name.

UPDATE 2: Trial schedule up!

Click to enlarge

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. We will keep you updated if either Valve or Blizzard responds.

Blizzard released a video for DOTA during Blizzcon 2011, and here it is. The video is pretty funny, to be honest, though you can’t really be sure if it was supposed to be (it was, this is sarcasm). It shows some gameplay footage, characters and their specialties.

We’ll keep you updated as more info comes our way. So stay tuned.

John actually used his voice for the game, so that explains his reveal.

“Had a great time in Seattle last week recording for DotA. The guys at Valve Software are awesome!” said John on his Twitter account.

What is DotA you ask? this is actually very surprising, it is a custom scenario for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

DotA lets the teams with the destroy their opponents’ heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map known as Ancients.

Players will use heroes to complete missions, levelling up and buying equipment for their character.

Source

Excerpt from his Blog:

It started off with an email from Valve where they mentioned that they were big fans of DotA wanted to fly me out to spend some time with them and visit their studio. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the trip. After arriving and chatting with them, the first thing I noticed was how much of their decision making process was like mine. They shared the same aspirations towards building a long term and sustainable community without having short sighted business goals that end up hurting the quality of the game. One of the most important things for me though was that there wasn’t going to be anyone standing above telling me how I should be doing things. They trust the developers that have experience to make the best decisions for their playerbase. The atmosphere at Valve allows everyone to be very comfortable and able to focus on what they love doing. It also doesn’t hurt that they are huge DotA fans.. until their favorite heroes are nerfed, then I’m the bad guy for a week!

Demigod allows you to play as one of eight Demigods in their struggle for power. A god has fallen and the Demigods must do battle to claim the right to take that gods place. Unfortunately this very interesting premise is wasted with the fact that there is no single player campaign. The style of gameplay is most likely the reasoning, but a story for each of the Demigods could have been very entertaining.

Demigod has fantastic battlegrounds such as this fortress in the middle of the ocean.

Each of the Demigods has their own ability set and unique look from the Unclean Beast’s familiar monstrous look to The Rook, a towering walking fortress. There are two types of Demigods, Assassins and Generals. Assassins are powerful units that can stand easily on their own and often lead the charge against the enemy, clearing a path for the minions to strike. Generals on the other hand can summon their own special units that can aid them in battle. While generals are not slouches in combat, they tend to do better as a second attack wave rather than leading the charge themselves.

The game plays out in a DotA (Defense of the Ancients) style. DotA was a very popular game mode designed by a Warcraft III player. It involves the player using a super unit while A.I. controlled lesser units fight a constant battle. You use your super unit to kill the lesser units and other super units. Demigod uses the same system. You will spend most of your time trying to gain quick XP from enemy minions before going off and engaging enemy Demigods out to claim objectives and flags. Flags can be captured by any side and offer small boosts like increased minion damage or increased experience gain. Fans of the mode in Warcraft III will find Demigod to be a great new way to play it while newcomers can quickly get into the action by playing a few practice games offline. Those looking for a tutorial will be disappointed to find that there is none, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of how the game plays.

Demigod boasts a fantastic visual design and an even better soundtrack. Levels will have you battling on waterfall fortresses or above what seems like the deaths of hell. It is truly wonderful to take the time to look at how well crafted the levels truly see that they in themselves are an experience to be had. To add to that is the epic soundtrack. War drums will pound as you cross the battlefield slaughtering the weak and while doing battle with other Demigods. There is also a feel of desperation at some points, truly fitting of members of the losing team as they try to turn the tide of battle. It helps to set the mood of the battles so well. There are a diverse and large number of tracks and all of them will keep the intensity up as you fight to the final moments of glorious victory or horrid defeat. Howard Mostrom deserves all the credit in the world for crafting such a brilliant soundtrack. There is also a godly announcer who essentially narrates certain parts of the battle such as Demigod kills or citadel advancements. Believe me, there is nothing more satisfying that hearing him yell “First Blood” and knowing that you were the one to claim it. I’ve had my fair share of early deaths, but most have them have come from my claim of first blood and they have all been worth it.

The Demigods are all detailed and even have backstories available in the selection screen.

The only issues online are the lack of players and lag. Unfortunately the game doesn’t have a sprawling user base however those who do play range from newcomers to pros so there will always be someone in your skill range. Lag is found in most games and while it does not make the game unplayable, lag can strike at a time where you need a quick or precise click. Such times can lead to a lost kill or your own death which can become very frustrating in close game or very laggy games. Luckily the game is good about kicking players once their lag reaches an unplayable point. At that point that player’s character is replaced by an A.I. and the match continues.

Faults aside, however large they may be, Demigod is an excellent game that overcomes them by being a game that will satisfy gamers looking for action or strategy. With some outstanding visuals and brilliant soundtrack, there is more to the game than just the game. If you are looking for something different to play but want something that is going to be fun, Demigod may just be the best way to go.

This game was reviewed on the PC.