Since I've talked to a few people about it now after mentioning it in the Rift thread, I figure I may as well explain wtf I'm talking about (and also... Nick wanted a link, so here).
This is a free to play Multi-player Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game (which is the new tag for games previously covered under the umbrella of "DOTA-clones") produced and maintained by Riot games. For those familiar with Defense of the Ancients / Aeon of Strife / Heroes of Newerth, this is a stand-alone free-to-play game which includes automated matchmaking, win/loss tracking, and a bit of a metagame involving pre-game selection of talent trees and minor passive benefits. Riot has put a bit of a personalized spin on it, meaning there are a few differences in the actual gameplay and that champions are not a direct port from DotA. One interesting metagame point is that a set of ten champions is available as free-to-play (the set changes each week), and other champions must be either unlocked through playing games or purchased. All elements which effect actual game balance can be achieved through play (in fact, champion unlocks are the only gameplay-altering things which even have the option of being purchased with cash - everything else is unlocked by playing, or is purely cosmetic such as custom skins).
If you're not familiar with DotA, MOBA games are a bit of a hybrid between MMORPG's and RTS's. Each match starts with teams (typically 5v5, though there is a 3v3 map) coordinating their champion selection, which is essentially similar to choosing a class. There are currently 71 champions, with Riot releasing a new one every couple weeks. At game start, all champions spawn in their team's starting area at level 1 with no equipment and a small fund of starting gold. From there, the game involves killing things (either NPC minions, player champions, or opposing team structures) to gain gold and experience, increasing your own champion's abilities and baseline stats. When a champion dies, they continue to watch the game while waiting to respawn (20 seconds at level 1, increasing to 55 seconds at the max level of 18), then are placed back at the starting area at full health and mana; no gold, items, or experience are lost. The player(s) who killed you, however, do collect a fairly hefty gold bounty as well as bonus experience. The ultimate goal is to work as a team to destroy the other team's nexus, a building at the center of their base. When either team's nexus is destroyed, the game ends in a victory for the opposing team. The average game length is roughly 35 minutes, though the occasional stand-off game will last to 50 minutes and the option to surrender (requires a 4 out of 5 vote as a team) becomes available at 20 minutes.
The game's a lot of fun if you enjoy competitive player-versus-player teamwork. While there is some minor influence in games by the talent points, match outcomes are completely dominated by building a team with good synergy, in-game performance, risk assessment, and having some ****ing map awareness. This is a fun style of game if you play MMORPG's and dislike the "gear > skill" conundrum. I also find the game is best played with at least one or two friends, as it is easier to coordinate that way.
The game is not fun if you have to win every game (batting 500 is pretty normal because matchmaking will place you with harder opponents as you consistently win games). The MOBA genre also has a very steep learning curve. If you intend to play alone, there are also a lot of *******s out there. At low rating levels, people occasionally just leave in the middle of games (if their account gets closed for excessive leaving, they just start over). This problem becomes less frequent once you get into the more experienced crowd who don't want to reset their accounts. The chat servers are pretty unreliable at prime time; the game servers are much better.
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