Developer Ronimo Games proved with Swords & Soldiers that they’re adept at merging real-time strategy gameplay with a two-dimensional world. But how did they do marrying MOBA mechanics with frantic side-scrolling action? The following should give you a hint:

When you start playing a game that features a giant robot, a space cowboy, a monkey with a jetpack, and the word “awesome” is mentioned well over five times within the intro movie, you know you’re in for something out of the ordinary. Welcome to the world of Awesomenauts.

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It may simply be coincidence that my birthday’s in May and Ronimo Games’ Awesomenauts is coming to PSN on May 1st, but I choose to believe it’s a sign from the universe…an awesome sign. Better still, PlayStation Plus subscribers can get it for free throughout the entire month.

Awesomenauts is what would emerge if you mixed eighties cartoons, platforming shooters, and MOBA games into a crazy, frantic blender. The game features 3 on 3 online and offline action with 6 different characters, upgrades, turrets, and bunch of other cool things. Awesomenauts will hit PSN on May 1st for $9.99 and XBLA on May 2nd for 800 Microsoft Space Dollars.

[PlayStation Blog]

A new champion is on the horizon and her name is Riven. Riot Games recently announced that a sword-master with a mysterious past will be joining the cast, and the community is all abuzz about what her abilities could be, and her general role in the meta. The top predictions seem to be gunning for a Mage Tank or melee push dps, but of course, we won’t know until she actually drops.

A lot of “fans” are complaining that it looks too “Final Fantasy“, but I for one welcome the design – having a diversified design palette can only mean good things for gamers who are interested in joining the community. One of my favorite things about League of Legends is playing as champions that are appealing to me aesthetically – if I don’t like a champion’s look, I won’t play as him – it’s pretty simple!

Hit the jump for a full look at Riven’s storyline, in picture teasing format. Read more… »

Riot Games went all out at PAX Prime this past week, providing a ton of coverage on their increasingly popular MOBA style game, League of Legends, and specifically showing some footage of the upcoming gametype, Dominion. Hundreds of players flocked to Riot’s booth to play in tons of all out battles, and pick up some PAX exclusive skins. As Riot has promised, Dominion looks like it’s incredibly fast paced, which is good news for hardcore PVP fans who are bored of hour long stalemates in Summoner’s Rift.

There’s even a bit of cosplaying to be found, so even if you’re not interested in the genre, you’re bound to at least get some enjoyment out of it.

League of Legends has just released a new patch that basically redesigns the entire UI – from the store, to the in-game UI, to the after-action screen. All in all, it’s an incredibly welcome addition, given how scattered some of the launcher’s options were.

Upon logging in, you’ll immediately notice the storefront is fixed up to look more presentable (with bigger champion icons, and a cleaner interface), and the sorting options are a bit cleaner. A new hero, Talon, has also entered the fray – if you want an idea of how he works, think Assassin’s Creed meets Shaco – how can you go wrong?! Read more… »

MOBA fans, rejoice! No longer will you have to occasionally sit in lanes, constantly wondering whether or not you’re going to face your next opponent in the near future – with the upcoming “Dominion” gametype in League of Legends, you’re going to see a whole lot of direct PVP confrontation.

Dominion works just like the common FPS gametype “Domination”: various checkpoints are set up and as each team captures objectives, points are awarded over time – in essence, all hell is breaking loose, all the time. DotA II and Blizzard DotA are still quite a ways away, so at the very least, definitely check out the free League of Legends client when you get the chance.

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