champions posts

Games that are coming out soon have a lot of unknowns that the average person might not know. Who is this character inspired by? Is all the talk of volumetric fog or cel-shaded graphics really worthwhile? Do the game mechanics really seem solid, or are they lackluster? In All You Need To Know we provide information to help you fully appreciate what these upcoming games have to offer.

Superhero games are one of the major archetypes, and they range everywhere in genre from extreme action to in-depth tactical strategy. So far there has only been one in the MMO genre: City of Heroes. The original developer, Cryptic, sold the rights (and most of the original team) to NCSoft to focus on their newest game, Champions Online. Naturally, this game is what Cryptic knows best after years of support: a superhero MMO. Now that they have the license that they originally wanted, Cryptic has decided to take on their pals head-on. Here's hoping that the Champions backdrop is substantial enough to push its online iteration forward.

As cool as it would be to see Batman swinging across rooftops or Spider-Man slinging web, you couldn't pay me to live in a superhero's city. Sure, they do their best to protect civilians, but one could argue that Gotham, Metropolis, New York City and others were somewhat better off before friendly neighborhood heroes moved into town. When villains are on the loose, chaos never ends: buildings explode; cop cruisers and lavishly decorated villain and hero mobiles speed through residential areas and across highways; your stock as a hostage is raised considerably if you're female; and if you're an average Joe, women will forever compare you to the local sexy stud wearing colored tights.

The heroes of the Champions Online universe have recognized the vulnerability of their mortal charges and have done their best to assemble many of the world's most dangerous beasts in one exotic location: Monster Island. At a recent Cryptic Studios press event, Chief Creative Officer Jack Emmert gave attending journalists a tour of the isle's dangerous flora and fauna.

In 1974, quite a few years before computer role-playing games allowed players to traverse dangerous dungeons with a keyboard, Dungeons & Dragons was born. Co-created by venerable game designer Gary Gygax and released through the Gygax-owned Tactical Studies Rules, Inc., D&D equipped users with pen, paper, and several multi-sided dice. Users were forced to bring their own imagination to the literal table as DMs, or Dungeon Masters, led them through treasure-filled tombs and dragon-infested valleys, transforming mothers' basements and comic book shops into the most fantastic of locales.

Fantasy geeks were able to get more than their fair share of D&D. TSR released several character manuals, sourcebooks, and constantly devised new settings -- and honed familiar ones -- to keep players enthralled with the game. Comic book readers, however, yearned for a different type of fantasy, one that would allow them to leap tall buildings in a single bound and potentially move faster than a locomotive.

One of the first things just about anyone seems to ask when the subject of Cryptic Studios' recently announced Champions Online comes up is, "How will character creation be different?" or "How will powers be different/better?" Both of these subjects are touched on in the most recent Ask Cryptic article to go up onto the Champions Online official website.

We're happy to say that Cryptic is promising lots of options for players looking to create a bestial avatar in the world of Champions Online. Apparently players can expect to see head options ranging from rats, cats, bears, wolves to stag -- which is a lot more than we honestly expected!