While it is true that the popular Defense of the Ancients (DotA) custom map for Warcraft 3 still maintains a massive following, the limitations of the seven-year-old Warcraft 3 engine cannot be denied. Thus, the potential for fresh and new DotA-like games are exceptional. California based developer S2 Games capitalized on this idea with Heroes of Newerth.
But what is in MMO game? What actually defines and separates it from other PC based games of its kind? Is it merely a repackaging of games we've already known, or does it really have a reason to stand on its own. For more insights about this, check out this article defining What An MMO Is. However, regardless of what you call Heroes of Newerth does tend to have a style of its own, similar to older games like DoTA or even Warcraft games.
Currently in its beta phase, Heroes of Newerth or HoN for short is heavily based on the intensely popular WC3 custom map. Unlike other games which have only slightly emulated the DotA-style gameplay, HoN significantly mimics several of DotA's main characteristics, from almost carbon-copy map layouts to directly transferring heroes. The game is basically DotA with a brand new look, with its own distinct and unique characteristics of course, such as new heroes and items.
