 Dota 2 received universal acclaim , according to video game review aggregator Metacritic . PC Gamer <unk> the game in September 2012 , stating the game was " an <unk> deep and complex game that offers the <unk> sequel to the original Defense of the <unk> . <unk> like few others , but tough " , giving it a rating of 85 / 100 . Adam <unk> , the editor who authored the announcement article for Dota 2 for Game Informer in 2010 , praised Valve for maintaining the same mechanics and game balance that made Defense of the Ancients successful nearly a decade prior and <unk> Smith of Eurogamer described Dota 2 as the " supreme form of the MOBA which everyone else working in the genre is trying to capture like lightning in a bottle " . The most frequently praised aspects of the game were its depth , delivery , and overall balance . Chris <unk> of PC Gamer described the gameplay as being " deep and rewarding " . Martin <unk> of GameSpot complimented Valve for the delivery and artistic design of Dota 2 , citing the execution of the user interface design , voice acting and characterization as exceeding those of the game 's competitors . <unk> Cameron of IGN praised Dota 2 for its freely @-@ available game balance that was not affected by cosmetic items . 
