A while ago I got the opportunity to head down to Cryptic Studios to see their latest foray into the MMO space: Champions Online. I was both excited and wary; being a huge City of Heroes and City of Villains fan, I was concerned that Cryptic might just being rewriting history. Is it possible that superhero games are just what they know and they needed to put out a product on their own? Luckily, after spending some time with Champions Online, I return to tell you that this is a very different game from City of Heroes, and it kicks much ass.
Taking customization to a whole new level
The watchword for Champions Online is customization. This is the first MMO that I know of where you can create both the look and the powers of your character. The feeling from the developer perspective is that when people sit down to play a superhero game, they have a hero already in mind. "I want to play as Spawn," or even "I want to play my D&D character." Sometimes the preset power options really don't go with the character you want to build. But with Champions Online, not only are you able to combine powers (ranged, healing, what-have-you) into a custom powerset, you can then go and change the color of the spell effects of every one of your abilities.
Of course, it's the character creator that Cryptic is most known for, and I have to say, this is the most detailed version of their work to date. Nearly everything is customizable, from the pattern in your character's eyes, to how they stand between battles. There are so many options I felt lost the first time I sat down to create a character. The physics added to the cloth and tails is quite realistic. Since the game is still under development, I can't speak to the final set of parts you're given to build with, but what they showed us was both overwhelming and exciting. I now can finally make that half-butterfly witchdoctor bent on revenge.
Costume building a la Spore
Champions Online has a Spore-like costume system. You create your character with the basic items, and then find other pieces out in the world. Some pieces may fit the genre of your cybernetic hippy ninja, and some may not. When you equip those items, it is up to you whether or not to show them on your character, and when you next create a character, the items you have already found will be unlocked in the character creator.
When I saw this sort of creator system translated to the MMO space, I was highly impressed. I know from personal experience exactly how much fun it can be to collect all the parts for your little aliens in Spore, and now I can collect, trade, and even sell items I find to other members of my supergroup.
Artwork that makes you feel like you're in a comic
Above all, it's the art style that impressed me most. Champions Online has a modern comic feel, enhanced by the time honored comic artist's tradition of heavy line weight. With a lighting system too advanced for me to know much about it, this MMO looks beautiful from the first time you load in. It feels so much like a comic book, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have a screenshot editor soon that lets you create your own comics based on the adventures you have in the game.
That's not to say that the engine is without flaws. This is still Cryptic, and the rubber-banding that plagued us in City of Heroes has returned to wreak havoc on us in Champions Online. Running up to mobs only to be told that they are behind you is frustrating as hell, but I am hoping that this is an issue they work on through beta testing, as it was the lag that ultimately killed my love of CoH.
Bottom Line
When Champions Online releases this September, another solid MMO will be added to a growing genre. For a distinct segment on the MMO population, I believe the deep level of customization and the overall feel of the game will make it a contender up against DC Universe Online and City of Heroes. There's a new member of the pantheon of superhero MMOs, and his name is Champions Online.
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