We recently spent a good bit of time in Champions Online, experiencing the changes made since the initial launch as well as the new adventure pack: "The Serpent Lantern". We wanted to provide our own review of the game considering it has been some time since the game launched and there are limited reviews and scores that take any of those changes into account. Now, I'll do my best to cover as many aspects of the game as possible, but if you feel there is something we have failed to mention that is important you are free to let us know and we are more than willing to add anything we may have missed.

For those of you completely unfamiliar with Champions Online, it is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). It is subscription-based (with the standard monthly $15/month fee), with occasional options for discounts and promotional pricing. Champions was developed by Cryptic Studios, who were actually the original designers and owners of City of Heroes (which has since been sold to NCSoft who maintains it to this day). Cryptic Studios is also the developer behind the recent Star Wars Online MMORPG. There hasn't been any further news on future projects, but you can be sure these won't be their last.

One of the first aspects of Champions Online you will encounter when you initially start playing is the character creation system. If you are familiar with City of Heroes, you'll know that Cryptic is renown for their VERY extensive customization abilities for character design options. But before you can jump into your character's looks, you'll need to choose a Framework (similar to classes in other MMO's) or even create your own by combining any two from the available choices. At this point there are 20 distinct frameworks (though the Sorcery framework has a few "sub-divisions"). Here you have choices that range from elemental damage (fire, ice, etc.), melee combat (martial arts, fighting claws, etc.), super strength, celestial, darkness, and more. My advice would be to read up about these different power sets and how they perform in the game before making up your mind.

Once you have chosen your initial powers, you are able to start working on their physical appearance. This is where you get to have a lot of fun and really be creative with what your character will look like. Keep in mind that you CAN change this later in the game at a "Tailor" NPC, and you even earn additional costume slots as you gain levels so you have have some alternative costumes available to change into. There are nearly infinite possibilities when it comes to what your character can look like. Anything from your typical human in tights to massive beasts with horns and demon wings. And if the initial choices aren't enough for you, you can also visit the Cryptic Store on their website and purchase additional costume packs for more options still! I have spoken to some players who have said they took over an hour designing their character, going through all the options, color combinations and physical "sliders" (which allow you to change things like chin length and eye width). So take your time and really make something you're going to enjoy.

Once you finish creating your character, you're ready to enter into the tutorial. After you have advanced your first character beyond either level 5 or 10 (sorry the exact level slips my mind) you can choose to skip the tutorial and just advance into the main world with a little automatic level boost. It's just a nice advantage not to have to run through those introductory parts every time you make a character. And if you are an "alt-oholic" like me, then you're going to be making a LOT of characters. The tutorial does a good job of making you accustomed to the controls, how you interact with your environment, and some introductory stories for your character to participate in.

Here is where you will notice much more about the graphics than you saw within the character creator. While the game client does a decent job of auto-detecting your hardware and setting up your visual quality accordingly, I would still recommend you take a look through the settings yourself. Some things, like texture quality, make a huge difference in the appearance of the game while not requiring that much system usage. Other things, like shadows for example, may be turned on and you could find your rather good PC getting a little laggy as you move about the world. Turning shadows off was one of the first recommendations I found when looking around the forums and speaking with players in-game. So I would say that if you are having any problems with frame rate or stuttering, turn off or turn down your shadows settings.

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Aside from the available graphics quality options, the game itself uses a new engine, separate from the one used in their previous super hero game, City of Heroes. Some people seemed confused about this, but it is VERY clear that the graphics engines and game engine are not the same. Champions Online has a much more detailed character modeling and the textures are strong on details as well. Not only that, but the overall appearance of Champions Online is very much akin to the visuals you would see in a comic book. Characters, objects, buildings, etc. all seem to have that dark outline and color shading that is unmistakably comic book or graphic novel style. But don't let that fool you into thinking it's not detailed or that it is 2-dimensional. It is very much a 3D game and if you're not able to get that impression from the screenshots you'll certainly realize that in-game.

Some players may not appreciate the comic book style, but if you are a fan of super heroes and that genre in the first place, you are probably going to like this new visual style. They don''t overdo it with bad cell-shading like some console games where everything seems to be almost washed out and fake. I think they did just enough to make it different without making it awkward. They also added in some nice "Pow!" and "BOOM!!!" icons for when your enemies perform one of their special attacks. It fits in very well.

The sounds in the game are very fitting to the style as well. There is a variety of ambient music from urban cities to creepy music for caves, etc. It is not something you are going to run out and buy a soundtrack for, but it fits in with the game very well. The sound effects are also well-fitting, not overly loud or obnoxious, and give some good combat sounds as you throw ice or simply smash in the face of some greedy thugs.

You'll also notice that the community is overall very friendly and helpful. It isn't like some other games where the zone or global chat is full of random talks of Chuck Norris or people's mothers. Granted, there are immature twits in any MMO, but this game doesn't seem like a magnet for them. Now, the starting areas may be more on the immature side simply due to the fact that trial players are there, often drawing in kiddies with no money looking for something to do and new people to harass. My recommendation: (and I say this about pretty much all MMO's) find a good SuperGroup to join. SuperGroups are basically Champions Online's version of guilds in other MMO's. If you can find a good group of people that you share a general attitude and goals with, your experience in the game is going to be MUCH more enjoyable.

Champions Online also boasts a number of features, aside from some of the other typical "click and wait" types of MMO's. While the general combat is based on using the skills in your hotbar, there are a number of different properties to these skills which make the battles more strategic than a simple arm-wrestling contest. You have one "power building" skill that when used will fill up your stamina/power meter and allow you to use the other skills/powers in your arsenal. You'll throw attacks (or block, which is an active skill) at your target and/or their minions while they are also pretty good at timing and using their powers. The AI is fairly well-done and the timing/duration of combat feels fast-paced without just happening in a blur.

(Forgive me if I'm using alternative names for things as I try to make it as understandable as possible for players not accustomed to this or other super-hero games).

These skills/powers vary in cost as well as additional properties like knock-down, knock-back, knock-up, pull, hold, area of effect (AoE), and MANY other powers (all of which you choose yourself). You don't just go down a list of powers each time you level. You get to choose from basically any powers in the game as long as you meet the prerequisite requirements. If you wanted to have a defensive force field, melee claws, and guns/munitions, you can do that. The only downside to taking powers outside your set is that you may have to wait a few levels before you're eligible for those more advanced powers. It's simply quicker to choose powers mostly in your own framework. But it is quite common to see characters that combine two different frameworks.

Not only can you actively block your enemies' attacks as I mentioned above, but there are also a number of passive skills to choose from in the various frameworks. They are considered either Offensive, Defensive, or Balanced. As of now there is only ONE slot for choosing your current passive power. This means that if you have chosen to equip "Invulnerability", a defensive power, you cannot also equip something like "Shadow Form", which is an offensive passive power. While this seems irritating and makes things a little more complicated, it's rather necessary. The passive powers in the game are some of the strongest enhancements you can add to your character. Adding more than one would throw off the balance and make your character too much of a powerhouse.

Being limited to one passive power does not mean that you are stuck in one use during combat though. There are a number of things that you can do to change around your character's setup so you can adapt to a number of situations. As you advance in level, you will unlock additional "Build" slots. These allow you to switch around your slotted passive skill (assuming you have more than one), and your currently equipped enhancements as well. Equipment in CO takes more of an "enhancements" role than it is actual equipment your character wears (although some do in fact unlock new costume pieces).

You can also change your "stance", adding more focus to your current chosen role as well. There are stances that increase your offensive ranged power, melee power, defense, or just a balanced role. Be sure to look closely at these while you're building up your character and deciding on powers. It can be easy to overlook them or forget they are there. But you can find them and check your current stance by pressing "C", looking at your character info window. A good combination of stances and build seemed to make a big difference whether soloing or grouped.

Aside from combat, Champions Online also offers a crafting system to create your own "equipment"/enhancements.  You're introduced to this system early in the game, and it's rather simple.  You harvest materials around the map according to your chosen profession (of which there are 3).  You then use those materials to create components or finished items.  It's very similar to many of the basic crafting systems found in other MMO's.  Unfortunaltely I didn't find it very entertaining, so I chose to leave the crafting behind after a while.  It's likely that some of the higher-end crafted items are quite good, but I was doubtful as to whether or not it was worth the time sink required.  If a deep crafting or economic system is something you need in your MMO experience, that's one thing you won't find here.

Another feature of Champions Online that doesn't get talked about enough (in my opinion) and is even underplayed in the game itself is the "Nemesis" system. Unfortunately you're not able to utilize this feature until level 25, making it completely out of sight and out of mind for new players. But it's a very interesting feature in my opinion and I wished it was introduced earlier in the game. Once you do hit level 25, you are able to start a quest to obtain your first Nemesis. Much like in comics, graphic novels, and even TV shows, your Nemesis is your arch enemy who is bent on destroying you and putting a stop to your do-gooding ways.

Part of the fun in the Nemesis system is that YOU get to choose and create your own Nemesis using features similar to those in the character creation. Many players I spoke to had a lot of fun dealing with their opposing villain. Unfortunately the missions you can do that include your Nemesis don't come around on a frequent basis, and in fact there is a 6 hour timer between completing your last Nemesis mission and when clues will start to drop about the next encounter. I'm not sure what their reason is for limiting player access to the system to such an extent, but it is very unfortunate.

Eventually you are able to lock that Nemesis up for good (which takes about 10+ levels to accomplish usually), but you don't worry because there is a new villain waiting in the darkness to take his place. I had players tell me that in all you can encounter as many as 18 different nemeses, though I don't know the details on how that plays out. At level 40 you can also participate in a "Nemesis Confrontation" in their lair. This is a 5-person group instance where you and your team will have to face off against each player's Nemesis. So, there seems to be much that can be done and the system was a favorite feature of several players. It's just too bad it isn't introduced earlier and more often.

Cryptic Studios has also begun releasing what they call "adventure packs". These are a sort of free mini-expansion, offering additional content for players to experience. The first of these packs is called "The Serpent Lantern". It offers a new location and set of missions involving the villain group VIPER. While it had its points of frustration and some parts I found tedious (particularly the first few missions), it was still overall very enjoyable and I would recommend participating in it. I won't go into great detail on it here, as we recently had a detailed look at the new adventure pack from our Champions Online correspondent. Here is the link to his look at "The Serpent Lantern": Notes from a Super Hero #3

In all, Champions Online was a great change of pace. I personally enjoy games that offer a rarely-used genre, and some new and innovative features. There aren't many super hero MMORPG's as of yet, so this is still a rather "fresh" idea. I still enjoy the traditional fantasy MMORPG's, but it's nice to have a break from the norm now and again. And it's good to see games incorporating new ideas. While Champions Online is not without its flaws, they are outweighed by its strengths. Hopefully they will continue to add additional content and features in their adventure packs and any future expansions as well. I would certainly recommend giving the game a try, especially considering the availability of the free trial.

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