Champions Online

Not exactly a flying start...

I was greeted by a somewhat surreal sight upon entering the world of Champions Online for the first time. Significantly different from when I arrived during the closed beta, where it was distinctly quiet and at times felt more like a singleplayer game. This time round, it was a bustling array of every strange superhero combination you could possibly imagine. There were a few subtle nods to famous superheroes and some not so subtle ones such as the Dr Strange character I encountered, and one fellow who looked suspiciously like Wolverine, but there was a real buzz of excitement seeing such creations. The sort of buzz that I hadn't really felt since the launch of World of Warcraft's servers in 2005. Initially Champions Online felt tremendously promising and like a breath of fresh air. If only it had maintained this feeling.

Much has been said about the character creation screens in previews and the system really is impressive. There are hundreds upon hundreds of different options to adjust and tweak ensuring that the player's character truly can be unique in the game world. On a less aesthetic basis there are also countless adjustments to be made regarding the skill frameworks. For those who don't want to spend countless hours tweaking things, one can choose from the 18 pre-defined frameworks such as the quite typical electricity based framework to types such as sorcery and darkness. Of course for the control freak in you, there is the custom framework. This provides the player with ultimate control over the character, by enabling them to choose what powers they want as well as an 'innate' ability. The frameworks control pretty much everything, from what type of weaponry is used to inflict damage to providing exclusive skills such as the ability to damage numerous targets at once.

As the levels progress in the game, so does the amount of skills and powers that open up. These can be quite useful as it's not as constricting as other games, for example enabling a player to be both a damage dealer and to be able to heal. The entire character creation system manages to be both inspiring and intimidating. Unlike other MMORPGs, odds are that players won't stick with their initial creation. As they come to learn more about the inner workings of the game, they will switch around until eventually settling after a few different creations.

This unfortunately does demonstrate one of the flaws in Champions Online. Despite offering a very basic tutorial in the early stages, it doesn't feel as thorough as it could have been. While this spell explains the basics such as how to move around or attack (something that admittedly anyone who's played an MMO before will be able to figure out), it often feels as if it doesn't really explain enough about the finer details of the game. Although there are brief descriptions of what each statistic means or what each power does, there are times when it all just feels a little vague. It's not a huge problem as the more playtime devoted to it, the more it all makes sense, but in the early stages it can feel a bit like a matter of trial and error at times. For a stat-fiend like me who likes knowing exactly what did what, it did feel a little confusing and yet shallow too. Arguably though, this matches exactly who Champions Online is intended for: those who want a fast paced, quick to develop MMORPG without the need to analyse what item works best all the time.

Champions Online is certainly much faster paced than other MMORPGs. The control system feels like it is aimed at appealing to those who prefer a spot of button mashing rather than careful, strategical attacks. It works well, however, and is very easy to learn. An Xbox 360 controller can also be used to direct the action and it's clear that the control system has been designed with this in mind. The tutorial city stage lasts for roughly the first five levels of the character's life and is something that can quickly be traversed, a true convenience as every new character must go through this and by your fourth or fifth character you may become bored. Skills are quickly acquired during this time making the player feel quickly powerful, just as one would expect as a superhero. So it was a pity that once through this quick process, I only seemed to be able to acquire new powers every three levels which felt a little disappointing and unusual by MMORPG standards. On the plus side, it did make gaining a power extremely satisfying.

Each zone comprises of a pretty large area with a mixture of quests available and many enemies to attack. Despite the zones being large, Champions Online didn't feel as huge as some MMORPGs with it only currently comprising of five zones to explore, excluding the tutorial area. Granted, they are sizanble zones, but for someone who is used to the size of the worlds that games such as World of Warcraft and Everquest 2 can provide, it does feel rather lightweight. Each of these zones are instanced which at times makes it smaller still. It makes sense to be instanced considering there is the one main game server rather than a choice of servers such as in other titles, but it does take a bit of getting used to.

Currently, Champions Online does feel a bit like it needs some improvements in order to be a trly great MMORPG. It is instantly endearing, with much of this thanks to the character creation options, but it still feels a little half complete. After the character creation section, it feels as if it reverts to being somewhat shallow for the remainder of the game. Something that will certainly appeal to those who have been put off by the relative complexity of other MMOs, but leaves the experienced player feeling as if something is lacking.

For a game so focused on questing, there just weren't enough quests on a few occasions forcing players to 'grind' experience to level up, something that can get boring fast. Champions Online holds a lot of promise and is the type of game that brings a smile to your face as you play despite its flaws, but it does still need some work. Players who have never been interested in an MMO before due to their relatively slow pace should enjoy this, as Champions Online quickly gets going and provides some fun powers and fast-paced action. However, MMO regulars may feel a little disappointed by this offering as it currently stands because it all feels just a little too small compared to others available on the market. In time, Champions Online could be a fantastic superhero title and a fairly unique take on the MMORPG genre in general, which is somewhat saturated with goblins and elves. It might not quite deliver yet but give it a chance, it may be a slightly ugly duckling at times but it has a lot of charm underneath, and potentially could flourish into a beautiful swan.

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By Jennifer Allen