Champions Online was developed by Cryptic Studios and released in Sept 2009 as a subscription game. It is a superhero MMORPG where you can create a superhero and give him the powers that you want such as superhuman strength, fire control, superspeed, and flight. In October of 2010 it was decided that Champions Online would make the switch to a free to play model.
Create your own superhero
After you create your superhero, deciding what powers you want and the costume, you are thrust into a world that looks like a 3D comic book. The graphics play to this type of feel in game. The gameplay is action based where you have to press buttons for each attack as there is no autoattack. You will also need to learn to use the block button to avoid incoming damage. You’ll be fighting thugs and alien creatures as you stop from area to area to help the group that needs saving. As you level up you gain more powers and can either customize your superhero to be good at many powers or focus to be great at one or a few powers.
Fight in many different locations
Leveling isn’t too hard and the quests are fairly easy to understand as it will show up on the minimap with arrows and areas where you go to complete them. The quests are fairly straightforward with the usual kill so many enemies or pick up certain items that are guarded. After you complete the main arc of the quests you will then have a quest to go into an instanced area where you will fight a boss that you will need to kill to progress to the next area. The boss fights can be fun and challenging at times.
Fight your Nemesis
After you level a good amount you can create you own nemesis that will bother you through quests and eventually lead to a showdown with the nemesis you created. This adds a unique twist that isn’t found in other superhero MMORPGs. The enemies and boss fights will progressively get tougher and grouping makes these fights easier. You can also group up for quests to make them go quicker.
Fight others in PvP arenas
There is a good deal of PvP in this game if you prefer that as well. Some powers even operate a little differently in PvP and block becomes even more important. The arenas in Champions Online include arena team deathmatch and free for all. You can even earn loot from PvP. The PvP is fairly well balanced though not all PvP specs will be good as a PvE character and vice versa.
Free to play
The switch to free to play does have its drawbacks. As a free player you will not be able to customize your superpowers as much as a paid player as you will need to stick to the set archetypes in the game. There will also be some content that is locked in adventure packs that you will need to purchase if you wish to play. There is also the usual restrictions in bag space and character slots that many free to play games have. Premium costumes will be available in the shop as well.
Overall, Champions Online is a very good superhero MMORPG and competes well with the other MMORPGs on the market or coming soon like City of Heroes/Villains and DC Universe Online. What Champions Online will have over them in Q1 2011 though is that it will have a free to play option which may entice more gamers to pick it up to try it out.
This game will be free-to-play on january 25, 2011. Those who wish to play this game without wasting money can finally do so in two weeks.
Just a few more days until the re-launch of Champions Online as a Free-To-Play game. Now, I’ll be able to take my demo version character, Ultimate Champion, out of Millenium City. Woohoo!
(4.18 out of 5)
Gerald