Other complaints we have include the pet AI, which needs some serious attention. We found no way to directly control summoned pets. There are only a handful of options that influence their behavior and they generally don't work very well. A pair of healing drones will usually spend more time trying to repair each other or tending to strangers than the player that summoned them. There's no way to order pets to go to a specific location, which makes it very difficult to strategically place them. Additionally, pets will often end up getting stuck somewhere mid-mission and disappear. Players aren't given a lot of feedback regarding the condition of their pets, so they're never quite sure if they've been destroyed or just stuck somewhere nearby. There's also no way to re-summon a single creature if one from a pair gets destroyed. Players have to go through a roundabout procedure of dismissing all pets, including ones of a different type, and then calling them back.

Also, the in-game map lacks a lot useful information. It highlights mission areas along with a handful of key locations, but doesn't include markers for critical buildings like the bank, marketplace or Powerhouse for training. Fortunately, they happen to be found in the same area, but with the exception of the Powerhouse, they are nondescript and easily overlooked. There's no way to keep track of contacts unless they're part of a mission or you happen to be passing by them, and you can spend hours trying to remember where a street-based escort or rescue quest starts.

One major bright spot the game has to offer is the Nemesis system, which is a feature that truly sets Champions Online apart from all other MMO's. At level 25, players receive an in-game email asking them to visit a contact outside the police station. Unfortunately, the police station isn't marked on the map, so players will have to do some detective work to get there. On arrival, players can use a modified version of the character creator to make their very own arch enemy. Things go beyond just looks and powers, because players can assign specific behavior (Mastermind, Maniac or Monster), the types of minions at their command, and what weapons those minions carry. From then on, players will occasionally have access to Nemesis-specific missions and will be ambushed on the street by your enemy's goons. Having a custom-made enemy brings a lot of character to the game and fully commits to the comic book experience. However, keep in mind that you'll need a very clear idea of what your Nemesis is going to be like, because there's no way to make changes once it's been made, not even to update the background story.