style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
The
launch date of Champions Online is looming over the horizon. With the
NDA lifted, the Champions Online Ten Ton Hammer Staff sat down to give
their thoughts on the beta.

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style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Let's
start with character
creation for Champions Online. What
are you impressions of it? How does it compare to CoH's costume editor?
Being a superhero game, how you look is essential for your superhero
identity and minty goodness.
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I'm
not trying to make this sound like a bad thing... but there's
almost TOO MUCH choice.  I felt like I was staring at my
screen for an hour when I made my first guy.  Turned out it
was for two.  It's extremely deep, and I'm still finding
pieces and parts I didn't know existed 10 characters later.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
kind of agree with you. While I love choice, it can be overwhelming
starting out. However, I prefer too many choices as opposed to too few.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Well,
the interface has come a long
way, though it's still not quite as
intuitive as the CoH costume editor once you move beyond the body
sliders and into creating your costume. In terms of what's there to
work with though, Champions Online has pretty much every other game on
the market beat hands down... provided you can find all your options.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/68758" alt=""
style="width: 200px; height: 129px;">

The joy of getting a travel power early!

style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I
was tempted to just randomize it and get in there to play, knowing I
could edit it later for a price.  It was totally worth
it.  I love my monkey-looking angel demon with clown make-up.

style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
There
are some pretty scary costumes that come out of the randomization
option. I'd love to see some preset options; so say if you wanted a
ninja, you could just select that theme from a drop down.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Overall,
I do like the costume creator. It's a lot to take in, but you
need a ton of choices to really cut down the copycat factor and be an
individual. One thing I loved about CoH was that nobody else looked
like you (mostly). It's not like your typical fantasy MMO where
everybody looks the same.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
I've
seen some pretty creative costumes so far though. Last night I ran
into Walmart Checker at the Powerhouse.
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
That's
the key to a system like this... you rarely if ever will meet
your doppelganger.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
A
second plus is that, once you’re in the game, you can use
the tailor without having to do some mission chain or wait to a high
level. It just takes resources.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
The
cost of the tailor has come way down as well, which is a huge plus
in my book. Earlier in the beta it cost an arm and a leg just to adjust
your arms and legs.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Yep,
I took off a Halo on one guy and drained my bank.
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style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Overall,
while there's a lot to take in with costume creation. I agree
that it's second to none with what you can do with it. The sad thing is
for a non artist like me, it takes forever to get a costume to look
cool enough for playing. You don't want to hit the mean streets looking
like you stepped out of a thrift shop.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
For
some costume ideas, you should check out style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/72868" target="_blank">Queer
Eye for the Superhero Guy style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
I
agree. I honestly don't expect anything to really come close anytime
soon in terms of the sheer number of options. STO might get there with
the race creator but that's about it. The interface has come a long
way, but it could still use a bit of loving so that casual players can
dive into the game a bit easier
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I
couldn't have said it better, Sardu.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Let's
move on to powers then. Do you like how powers are set up? That
you can specialize in one school to get powers earlier, but the option
exists to get any power you want?
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I'm
going to be terrible at being objective here, because I've never
played a game that allowed me so much freedom.  I love that I
can get some lesser skills in one power set like Fire, and then spend
the rest of my time in something else like Strength.  It
really lets me shape exactly how I want my character to be... and I'm a
comic nerd, so I do spend way too much time thinking about that.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
So
in short... yes.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I'm
running along your lines here, man. I do love the freedom of power
selection. And, as an ex-comic nerd, the ability to create exactly the
character you want really rocks.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Frameworks
are a good example of lowering the barrier for entry I
think. Otherwise, I love the overall flexibility of the system is
pretty awesome for the reasons William already stated. Being able to
have an idea for a character and shape that as you advance is a huge
leap forward from selecting a pre-determined path within your first 5
minutes of a game you may end up playing for months or years.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
No
classes. That’s something we've all been craving. This
system allows that. I can be whatever I want, and no one can tell me
different.  Nah-nah-nah!



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Same
here. I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees class names like
Cleric and has a violent shudder at the thought of being forced to use
blunt weapons for X levels.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
But
what about the min/maxers? Who's looking out for them? Don't you
know that if you don't take this specific path, your damage output will
be 2.5% less than full optimum? Why play such a loser?
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Hey,
they're golden too.  They'll have to be rigid in their
picking of power-sets, but I'm willing to bet that someone who puts all
their time into a purely Gadgeteering character will be fairly
ridiculous.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Oh,
there's tons of min/maxing you can do in Champions if you really
dig deeper into the power sets to find the synergy between things like
damage types, secondary energy builders and passive powers.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
True
enough. I'm sure the spreadsheet brigade is already working on
that.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I'll
pass.  I spend too much time with that kind of data at
work. At play, I'm making a fire-wielding, tunnel-travelling,
tail-having, gun-toting, blade-slicer and I'm gonna love it.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Exactly...
why turn an entertainment form into a second job?



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
agree. I want to have fun when I play. Dammit! If I want to play a
hot vigilante chick with 2 pistols who wears hidden rocket boots and a
fedora, then I will play her!!
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Being
classless almost makes me giddy. How can I function in a
non-tank-healer-dps specified role?
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style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
But,
with
the way Cryptic laid things out, you can piece together a perfect tank,
ranged dps, or healer if that's what you're aiming for as well.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
do really love the framework style. I'm doing guns, so it's cool that
I get gun powers faster if I stick with it.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Yep. 
And really, with what... 14 powers you select
total?  You can really focus fire on a specific role, or let
yourself go crazy and be a jack of all trades.  The game does
not rely on heals and tanking as much as we're all used to.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
What
do you think of the power sets themselves? Some seem really
fleshed out while others are somewhat bare bones. Sorcery vs. Unarmed
as an example here. Or do you think with the number of overall options
that specific power sets are less important in the grand scheme of
things?



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
That's
a good question.  I think it sort of sucks for those
who might WANT to be an Unarmed Master. They’re just not
going to be as flashy as other folks.  But, hey, that's
Batman.  He's not flash either.  He's Sherlock Holmes
with a cape and an attitude.  With the range of options, I
don't think it's fair to complain about one power-set being
weaker.  But that won't stop people from being...people. Plus,
I can't imagine it's fun balancing all these powers either, to be
honest.  Not a job I'd want.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
think that they probably didn't have to time to really flesh out all
the sets.  That being said, I think that with all the options
available, it doesn't really matter.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu: style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
Very true.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I'm
glad that not everything is scaled to each other. People will still
bitch, but that's the nature of the beast today. Everybody expects
balance, but there ain't balance in the real world or in the comic book
world. I mean.....who would you prefer to hit you in the jaw? Superman
or Blue Beetle?



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
I
think that's part of the nature of gaming in general though... people
tend to like absolutes because that means you can theoretically "win".
And I think I'll pass on getting hit in the jaw, thanks!
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style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Overall,
I can't be totally objective rating powers as that I haven't
played 10 toons to max level while respeccing from time to time.
However, I do love the freedom of the system allowing me to pick and
choose what I want, and not limiting me to a specific path. While some
powers might be stronger than others, I'm not worried too much about
balance.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
What
do the two of you think about the power customization? Have you
come across any awesome power replaces that you really dig?



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
With
my schedule, I haven't had the time to really get into the power
customization aspect of the game. From what I’ve seen,
they’re pretty cool.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Yea,
they're upgrades that you can equip that will give powers a
different visual element. Once you unlock them, you can swap them out
at the tailor. So, say you find some cool toxic swords, you can replace
your standard swords with a pair of cool looking green glowing ones.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Now,
see... there's more additional customization.  I was
wondering how to change my 2 desert eagles on one character to
6-shooters.  I suppose that's how.
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
I've
been noticing they've been adding a boat load of them as quest
rewards finally which is cool.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Wow.
They've really upped the ante on customization, which I love.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Oh
yeah. Like, you can even add in Darkness effects to Ice powers or
whatever.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Now
that's what I'm talking about! Rewards that make you more
distinctive and cooler, but doesn't really impact gameplay. Sweet!
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I'm
going to make the happiest looking evil badass ever when I can.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
How
much do you love getting a travel power at level 5?



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo: style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
I LOVE, and I do mean to capitalize, getting my travel power
early.  The zones are so massive after the Tutorial and Crisis
zones that I would have cried otherwise.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Getting
travel powers at such a low level is easily one of the smartest
design decisions they could have made.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I'm
doing a happy dance that a game finally gave you something that I
consider ESSENTIAL early on instead of making you wait 20+ levels of
running from one end of a continent to another. A very, very smart
decision on their part.
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Is
there a 2nd travel power selection too?  Later on?
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Most
MMOGs tend to use faster travel as a mid-level carrot, but that
always makes it more painful to start new characters knowing how much
slower they'll be. Yes, you can get a second travel power at level 35.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
still break out in sweat hearing the words Stranglethorn
Vale....shudder.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
See,
now there's your carrot.  By the time you get to 35,
you'll be anxious to try out Swinging along with Tunneling.  
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style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
And
that opens up some cool possibilities as well, especially in PvP
where things get really chaotic.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Speaking
of PvP, let's get into that and combat in general. How do you
like the combat system? For me, it took a bit to get used to holding a
button down in combat.

style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Let
me preface this.  I do not use the 360
controller.  And I hear it does wonders for the
gameplay.  But I am in love with the combat
regardless.  Little to no down-time, tons of action, hitting
multiple enemies at once with my two swords, picking up and throwing
cars at people…it took some getting used to the Energy
Building and whatnot.  But it's really grown on me. By level
10 you really start to feel pretty powerful.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow: style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
I do dig picking stuff up and slamming it into people. Energy
management is something you got to learn, but it's not too hard. You
get energy back from your building attack pretty quick. Plus, the
powerups help. I thought the powerups were kind of stupid at first, but
now I like them. It's like an unexpected perk.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
I
picked up my gamepad to see how the controls felt a few months ago
and honestly haven't looked back. The control scheme isn't quite nailed
yet, but once they have it I can see exactly how easily the game can
transition onto consoles. Otherwise, I really dig the combat in
general. You still have your auto-attack, but even most of the energy
building powers look spectacular. The nutty unarmed kung-fu moves still
crack me up no matter how many times I see it.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
do like the combat. I'm still using a variety of powers in each
fight. While I do use some attacks more than others, it's not like I
ignore 3/4s of my attacks and only use one or two.
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style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo: style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
This is true.  And a conscientious planner can really make
some winning combos on their power-bar.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
It's
hard for me to plan with my twin .45s blazing away!



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Earlier
in the beta I had a fleet (yes, a fleet!) of level 40
characters running around and even with 14 powers I still found all of
them totally useful and more importantly *fun* to use rather than
relying on 2 or 3 basic attacks.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
That's
encouraging. In most games, you tend to use a few attacks,
especially at higher levels.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
They
give you 14... I want to use 14, you know?
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Exactly.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
My
characters are lower level, but I feel pretty bad ass. I'm usually
taking on 2 to 3 guys at once and wiping them out. Plus, they're not
boars!!!!!
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
And
depending on how much you get into swapping out builds / roles, you
can pick up some pretty cool passive powers for each build if you don't
want to pick all active powers which is nice.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
actually feel.....heroic in combat at low level. Fighting radiation
plagued zombies or evil minions of criminal overlords as opposed to
killing wildlife.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Not
to mention picking up forklifts and hitting things. That's really
all I need.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Yea,
fighting villains and aliens right off the bat makes a huge
difference over a million bears and boars by the time you reach level
20.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
How
about PvP? I've only done the cage matches so far.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu: style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
I've messed around on all three map types so far, and would have to say
the Apocalypse maps are my favorite since there's a lot more push and
shove involved with all the interactive objects and PvE elements thrown
into the mix. PvP still feels extremely chaotic to me at this point
though, almost like travel powers detract from the experience since one
minute you're punching someone and the next they're on the far side of
the map.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I've
only done the cage matches, which you can queue up anytime. It's
been fun, but it needs to be tweaked a bit. The timer doesn't start for
a bit, and I was running around the locker room wondering what to do.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Hah,
the first match I played I just stood there in the locker room
wondering where my team was. The arena door needs a big red sign that
says "Enter here dummy!"



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Plus,
I've heard people complaining that claw attacks are overpowered
in PvP, while rooting powers are twitchy and sometimes don't work like
they're supposed to.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Oh,
people are going to complain that powers are over-powered for the
next 10 years. Last month it was Invulnerability and Regeneration, and
next month it'll be something different.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
What
are the perks to PvP though, for those who don't know? Why should
a hero fight another hero?



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Well,
the Luchador costume pieces rock for starters...But you can
unlock a crap load of Perks in PvP as well, so even if you don't want
the PvP costume sets you can still get nutty amounts of Perk Points to
spend on different things.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
would so make a hero named 'The Nanchos Grandee'.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Oh,
you can totally unlock Luchador pieces. So far I've seen 3
different full sets.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Okay...
so looks like I'll be a fan of PvP after all.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Plus,
it's fun beating other people! "Hey look, another Wolverine clone
rip off with a dorky name of 'Killer Wolverine'. I must kill him to put
him out of his (and my) misery!"
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
I'm
going to spend my time making Robert Kirkman characters... then
waiting for a lawsuit.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Well,
I said earlier that it's still somewhat chaotic, and that's kind
of a plus for me all things considered. The AI in the game is pretty
decent, but sometimes it's just nice to dive into a situation where you
have no idea what to expect. And with the power options you really
*don't* know what you'll be facing, versus something like WSG where you
know who the flag runners will be, and who will guard, etc.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Agree
100%, Sardu. Now,, you don't know exactly what you're facing.
That Walmart Checker might be a mini-Superman in power!



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
That's
a good call. There's almost no way to tell unless
you’re familiar with a player just what/who you're facing
until a few minutes in.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Oh,
Walmart Checker was really kicking some Test Dummy tail! I'd be
pretty intimidated if I ran into him on the opposing team!



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
More
unpredictable PvP = more fun in my book. Now, you don't spend time
going, "Where's their healers and ranged dps at? We need to take them
out first." Now, it's more like, "CHAAAAAAAARRRGGGGEEEEEE!!!!!!" and
start throwing haymakers at the first jaw you see.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Onwards
to visuals! What do ya guys think of the look of the game?



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
For
me, I prefer style over realism.  I'll take cartoony old
WoW to Everquest 2 any day when it comes to visuals. That said, I was
taken aback by Champions at first.  It's not quite cel-shaded,
but it's got that appearance. It took me a while to realize I could
turn off the outlines around the characters (advanced video settings),
and once I did... I wanted them back. It reminds me of a 3D...version
of that old Sega Genesis game where you played through a comic book. I
cannot for the life of me remember the name.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
Basically,
the art style was a bit shocking at first, but it's really grown on me
lately.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
*nods*
I agree, the visual style of the game tends to draw me into the
setting a ton more than had they gone for a more realistic approach.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
prefer that the style goes with the game. If you're doing heroic
fantasy, I want bright colors. If you're doing a gritty noir, then I
want it dark and foreboding. For a comic MMO, I don't want realism. I
want it to look like a comic book. The style took me a bit to get used
to after playing so many other games, but it's really grown on me.



style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"> style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
In
some ways
I kind of wish that players could be introduced to zones like Monster
Island and Lemuria a bit earlier though, since Canada and the Desert
can get a bit bland if you spend 20 levels in either.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Hey
now... Area 51 is pretty dang cool looking.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Don't
bad talk Desert. I can't get enough of those glowing skeletons
dotting the countryside.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Oh,
don't get me wrong! There's some pretty awesome atmospheric effects
that help distinguish sub-regions within the massive zones.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Hey,
anything that beats the Barrens is pie to me! Alright, what are
your impressions of the beta?



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
For
my own piece of mind, I wasn't too sure about this game when I
first started it.  I was a fan of CoH, and therefore
cautious.  But once I gave in and started seeing the depth of
character creation and development, the interactivity of the
environment, the combat, and the very well done mission content, I
caved. I'm now a fan of Champions Online. It's casual. It's
time-limited player friendly. It's for me. Plus I can throw forklifts
at people like I was a monkey with huge dookie.

style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
What
about the mission content? Anything new that you haven't seen
before?
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
They
took on the Open Missions (thanks Mythic!) which I was always a
fan of. But I also like the patrol quests. Nothing like stumbling upon
something random as you're out doing your business. That helps take
away from the normal go here and get this quest style of missions.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
I
was skeptical too at first. However, I think this game is good for
both casual players and more intense ones. You can go to town with
crafting if you want, or you can just go out and smash bad guys in the
face!
style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
A
huge plus for the game for me is that it's high on instant
gratification but at the same time there's plenty of cool things
driving me forward which has been a pretty rare combo in my experience.

style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Open
Missions are cool. They were one of the things I loved in WAR and
I'm glad that this game is using them too.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Yea,
there's some other awesome ideas I'm glad made it in as well, like
the Hero Stars system rather than a "death penalty" ala Spellborn's
personal experience point system etc.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
You're
right, Sardu. I'm having a blast now, and am not actually going,
"I can't wait to get to level X so I can get power Y!" There are powers
I'm looking forward to, but it's not that I need them now where I'm at.



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
The
Hero Stars system is another nice little addition.  I was
glad to see that CoH's Death Debt was gone and done with.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
So,
overall, I'm digging the game. PvP needs some working, but what
game doesn't need that at launch? The graphics fit the style of the
game, combat is fun, and character customization is out of the freakin'
world!
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">


style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
Agreed
and agreed. Overall I think CO has enough familiar elements for
MMOG players to get into but at the same time adds in tons of things
people haven't really seen before, at least in terms of character
customization and even the cohesiveness of the setting. I'm a lore nerd
though, so a strong setting is big in my book.



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Ok,
so three thumbs up for the game?



style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">JoBildo:
Take
it from me, JoBildo, Champions Online…is nice. I give
it a thumbs up, and a purchase for me.  In time, I think it
could come closer to my heart than CoH.  And that's saying
something.



style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">Sardu:
I'd
certainly give it Sardu's Seal of Approval!



style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Mattlow:
Guess
I’ll make it unanimous. Thumbs up from me as well.