I had a chance to put hours into the Smite beta on Xbox One, a flagship enterprise for MOBA games on console, and came away impressed with what I saw.
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Having only experimented with the game on PC, I was curious to see how the title translated to consoles. The platform generally has steered cleared of the genre, with its click-heavy gameplay and complicated interface. Smite, a mythology-based MOBA by HiRez Studios, successfully navigates those issues due to its third-person perspective, which plays more like an action title.
Most MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arena) use a top-down view, which works well for PC. There are strategic lanes to control against teams of other players using your chosen characters' unique abilities and teamwork, and Smite does share all of these elements. The more action-oriented gameplay fits a console controller much better than other games in the genre would, however, allowing you to take Thor to the skies and smash down on your foes with ease.
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I've now played more of Smite on console than I have on PC, and it's not a watered-down or simplified version of the game. The four main abilities are mapped to the face buttons, and using other combinations with the triggers is simple. There's a large variety of characters with their own strengths and weaknesses, just as on PC, and teamwork is still important.
The arena mode that doesn't use lanes, but simply pits teams against one another in a scored deathmatch, is particularly fun on console. It's a frantic and fast-paced time, where your characters' abilities and your mastery of them can earn you individual glory and help turn the tide for your team. It's not quite as strategy-based as the traditional lane mode, but it is easier to player with strangers through matchmaking as a result.
There are plenty of incentives to continue playing by unlocking characters and skins, and the roster of fighters in Smite is impressive. The Gods range across Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology, providing a variety of different visual and mechanical powers and appearances.
If you're looking to get into the genre, Smite is a good way to start, especially on console. That doesn't mean it's a simplistic game, but it shares more in common with other genres than some MOBAs, and as a result feels more accessible. Easy to learn but difficult to master, the Smite beta is a promising start for console MOBAs.
