by mattlow on Aug 26, 2009
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, 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.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
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.