Hey, neat, I never came back to this thread.
DOTA is 5v5, like Rob said, but the 'manager' thing only comes into play in a specific mode, and it's only for choosing characters. It doesn't affect the actual gameplay at all.
The game has a pretty steep learning curve, since decent play requires not just a good grasp of the strategy but also solid knowledge of all the items you can get and the capabilities of all the other characters.
It's also true that the games can take a long time, and a game can go on for 20 minutes or more even after it's obvious who's going to win. The game also punishes you for abandoning by sticking you into a shit priority queue for a while.
Also, the community is one of the worst in the entire online gaming world.
Upsides:
Having said all that, it's an extremely well-balanced game and I enjoy it an awful lot. I also generally only play when a friend is around, since it's easier to suffer fools in the company of friends. There are plenty of videos and tutorials for learning how to play, and a coordinated team of five can pubstomp quite effectively.
It's also a free game that will never have any game-affecting purchases or leveling system whatsoever, since it's got a big competitive scene. I can go into more detail about how the game actually works if anybody actually gives a shit, but otherwise fuck it.
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