Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

After training the levels received from carving our path of carnage through the bank, I was whisked away to Stravana's secret base, Abyssal Planes. Honestly, how can you be taken seriously as a super villain if you don't have a secret hideout? After witnessing the pure genius that is the CoX character creation system, it came as no surprise to find the bases are, in one word, un-freakin-believable! The screenshots I've included in the review can't do it justice. It takes time and effort to grow your base from that first single room into a haven so cool, it makes the Bat Cave look like...well, a cave, but it will be well worth the effort to make the architect in you happy. Along with the smorgasbord of decorating possibilities available, there are also functional items you can add, like teleporters, crafting tables, extra storage, and empowerment stations.

Your own personal portal.

To build a base, you need to be in a Supergroup (think of them as guilds) that can be created with... wait for it... one person! How many times have you been running along in the game of your choice and seen players calling out for people to join their guild ("You don't need to stay, I just need X people") just so they can create a particular item in the game? They don't have any urge to run a large guild, they just have a name in mind. I can't stress how much I wish other games would allow you to create a guild with a single person. Being a one man Supergroup may leave you a lot of work to get the base of your dreams, but at least this way, you don't have to argue with anyone over the choice of decor! 

Since we're on the topic of all things cool, let me take a minute to explain one of the coolest ideas I've seen in a game yet: the Ouroboros Flashback System. The name may be clunky, but the concept is anything but. How often in your gaming career have you wished you could go back to a series of quests just because they were a lot of fun, but didn’t want to take the time to get another character up to that level? If you're anything like me, you simply reminisce about the good old days of your character's early career and move on. Well no more, Sunshine! The Ouroboros Flashback System allows you to go back to any story arc your character could have participated in. Notice how I said, "could have"? Starting at level 25, you can go to the Ouroboros and find a list of every past story arc (equal to or under your level), select one, and go play it. Whether you've already gone through the arc before, or it's one you may have missed, they're all there just waiting for you to jump in. How freaking cool is that?

My mind is still reeling from all the things I saw this week. There are so many new and exciting systems that I still haven't checked out, but sound fantastic, such as Strike/Task Forces. These are a series of quests that require you to get a group together to complete. Think of it as a mini-raid that still requires all the skill and strategy of a full-blown raid. Don't believe me? Waltz into the final mission on the Roman-themed Imperious Strike/Task Force like you're taking a stroll on a Sunday afternoon and see what happens. To picture the massive ambush of gladiators raining down on you, think of last year's surprise blockbuster, 300. Stroll in like you own the place and it's not going to be pretty.

You know you want it!

I could go on and on about some of the spectacular things I've witnessed, but let's get off the Mellow Yellow for a bit and come back down to Earth. Even though this game has come light-years from the boring 1-2-3, rinse, repeat game that I played in the past, there are still a number of things I'm not overly happy about.

In this day and age, everyone expects a company to reinvent everything, to be original, and to be creative. I'll agree with this wish list in a number of areas, but there are certain times when this creed should be completely ignored. Camera control in an MMOG should be one of those things that should be left alone. The majority of us have been playing other games for years, so why not make the camera control scheme work the same way as virtually every other game we've played? Hold the right mouse button down and move the mouse to pivot the screen off your character. Why does the default control scheme in CoX want me to actually use the keyboard for this? I don't know and quite frankly, find it a little more than astonishing. 

The user interface is also non-intuitive and quite often, I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out where some things were (such as how do I tell what level my character is). Combine this with pieces of the UI automatically attaching themselves to other windows when you open them and you now have a system that becomes more frustrating than it is helpful.

Yeah, you know. Me and Lord Recluse are tight like that.

To be fair, I was able to remap everything the way I wanted, and I eventually figured out how to unattach various windows, and the camera control has now been set to *almost* the way I want it. Some of this I managed to figure out on my own (do I get a cookie now?), while other issues found their resolution with another shining star among the tapestry of CoX's night sky, the community. The people I met in my travels were all very friendly, helpful, and never rude. On the contrary, quite a few of them were very playful, and it's easy to see a deep sense of roleplaying permeates the game and its players. Communities like this have become increasingly rare to discover, but when they're found, they are deeply enjoyed.

Before I let the game off any hooks though, I do have one final complaint that I must air out. With a melee-based character, the combat is initially too slow for my tastes. It feels clunky and with a limited number of powers, it feels as though you’re hitting your hot keys then waiting for your cooldown timer to refresh with the speed of sap sliding down a maple tree in January. It's not *actually* that slow, but compared to the fast paced combat the majority of games out there share, it's slow enough to be noticeable in comparison. The good news though, is that your character will not only gain speed as he or she progresses, but with the addition of new powers (every two levels), you'll quickly find yourself with a wide enough range of abilities that there will always be one available for use.

I have to admit that I'm completely shocked at how much has been changed, improved, and added to this game since I had last played it. The alterations are nothing short of amazing, and the amount of new content is simply staggering. If this week's release of Issue 13 is any indication, they're on the right path and they're not content to just sit on their laurels and make minor adjustments here and there either. Coming down the road in Issue 14 is something players have been crying for in every MMOG - the ability to have player created content. Players will be able to design their own missions, bosses, story arcs, and more. The candle of CoX is shining brightly already folks. Be sure to get those sunglasses ready when they take the next step!

(4.5 / 5 Hammers)