It seems like forever ago that Cryptic Studios released Champions Online released to moderate
fanfare. It was only a year ago in reality, and now
Champions Online has followed in the footsteps of Turbines Lord of the
Rings Online and countless other reforming subscription-driven titles with a free-to-play
alternative. Does the epic game of spandex and superheroes lose
something in the transition? Not as much as you might expect!
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like the American flag vomited on Ironman, but I look good.
The first thing you do, as in every superhero game, is design a
hero. Your hero can choose from an array of archetypes that
define the powers you gain as you level. These align to basic
ranged DPS, tanking, melee DPS, and control/support roles.
The majority of archetypes are available to all players, but a few "special" archetypes require
you to subscribe or make a one time payment. Since these special archetypes are more hybridized and arguably more challenging to play, they're not absolutely essential to a group or (especially) for solo play, so
you can go without as a F2P player. However, if you want a return to the old days and freeform character design, you'll have to subscribe.
Costume designing is a blast. You have over 3000 parts to
work with from the start, and more unlock as you play or with a handful
of Atari Tokens, the cash currency. Angel wings, devil wings,
animal hides and more give every superhero a completely unique look.
Youll spend a few hours at character creation probably, but
remember, theres a whole MMO behind the costume screen!
Cautions
The ESRB gives Champions Online a T for Teen. It has Blood, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence and Suggestive Themes. In my time with it though, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary for superheroes fighting crime, so I'd say this is safe for the children so long as they can put up with the usual unruly suspects and chatter that inhabits MMORPGs.
Gameplay - 80 / 100
you attack quickly, and you can find your way to quest and enemy areas
in the blink of an eye. The basic flow of combat is
similar to the new Hunters in World of Warcraft. You have an
energy bar that depletes as you use special attacks, but you have a
basic attack that builds energy back up. The global cooldown
is almost nonexistent, so attacks will fly from your fists left and
right as you pummel your opponents into submission with rapid fire
attacks.
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to create a Nemesis, a baddie who you will run into and eventually have a
series of showdowns with. Make him ugly. The bad guy has to be
less handsome than the hero!
Enemies are everywhere, and very few are neutral. Whenever
youre wandering about, expect random hails of gunfire or charging
goons to interrupt your leisurely stroll. Fortunately, when
you dont want to be attacked, your Travel Powers make you quick enough
that most enemies wont even bat an eye as you pass by, and even if
they do, youll be a shadow in the distance by the time they get a shot
off. Travel Powers can even be activated in combat for a
hasty retreat or to assist an ally quickly, albeit at a slower
speed. If you cant flee, you can also block to reduce
damage, an important mechanic in many boss fights. You cant
just freely mash your attacks and win!
Quests are obtained from various contacts found throughout the city,
and some even come via exploration and the Crime Computer, a little
mission generator in your inventory. Most are the
basic search and rescue, search and destroy, or collection types, so no
real ingenuity there.
Just like at character creation, Champions shines in progression with a
wide array of customization. Advantage Points allow you to
empower certain basic skills for additional effects, and Talents give
you a way to customize your base stats for a particular role.
Not only will no two heroes look alike, but even with the same power
set theyll be different!
If you are a fan of Warhammer : Age of Reckoning, youll recognize
areas that are dedicated to a live multiple step quest that resets
every time it fully completes (or fails!) These are perfect
for a superhero game, as they have tons of enemies and people working
together towards a common goal. Sometimes youll even get
heroic backup as a public quest nears completion!
Graphics - 77 / 100
For all the performance gains associated with cell-shaded graphics, gamers tend to love or hate this particular art style. I would have argued this kind of art style and direction a perfect fit for a comic-book game, but after seeing what DC Universe Online with its more photorealistic bent, I think I much prefer the atmosphere of, say, Gotham City to Millennium City. Yet Champions Online hosts a variety of non-urban settings, from jungles to a wild west theme park, so your personal mileage may vary.
Model design and animation are certainly on par with CO's recently launched cousin, and the game does regularly capture the feel of a live setting. Bright lights, neon outfits, and fiery explosions occur on a regular basis in Champions Online, and it does a good job of keeping it pretty yet civil enough to understand whats going on. Travel Powers in particular are a lot of fun and have some neat graphics to go along with the super speed, flight, or a variety of other ways to get around. Enemies can be a little difficult to pick out of a crowd, so you just end up assuming everyone is hostile by default. Its the only way to ensure there are more of those lovely explosions!
Champions Online also does a good job of scaling down to lesser computers and windowed modes, so those of us who like to multitask on one monitor or a laptop are still able to enjoy our time fighting crime.
Sound - 70 / 100
Some above average voice acting is in place for the various heroes and villains that dot the storyline, which helps fit the setting. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the music and sound effects, which come off as clips from a low-budget superhero movie soundtrack. Music and sound do the game justice especially now that we're talking F2P; its just not on the same heroic level as the voice acting clips youll run into throughout the game.
Value - 97 / 100
Perhaps the best part about Champions Online Free For All is the fact that the majority of the content is unlocked from
the get
go, even for free subscribers. Only
freeform character design, a
few archetypes,and costume packs require payment to access for
customization, and some of the most recent content (Adventure Packs like Demon Flameand The Serpent's Lantern will require a more than reasonable $5 purchase, and the just-announced Resistance) is on the horizon), but such high-end content isnt necessary for at least several weeks of gameplay.
For once, you wont feel gimped running around the city
without having a
credit card on file.
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Deadpool wanna-be? You can do that. And you can
break the fourth wall all you want along the way.
Lasting Appeal - 87 / 100
Champions Online draws a lot of comparisons to City of Heroes for obvious reasons, and both tend to suffer from the same drawbacks. Alt-itis, or the temptation to create new characters every few days to tinker with the powers and costumes, is really hard to kick in games like FFA, though a limited set of archetypes and character slots does address this compulsion to some extent.. If you decide to stick with a character, the base gameplay is solid, if not fairly chaotic and too formulaic for my tastes. Since, as a Silver member, it costs nothing to keep your account active, there's no reason not to fire it up when you're in the mood to bring law to the lawless.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
-
A robust character creator, with
tons of unique travel powers -
Some fancy encounters
with above average voice work for
a few
quests. -
A ton of content for free-to-play purists, unlike the other big names
that have gone F2P..
Cons
-
For a game that came out less
than two years ago, the
graphics and sound really dont impress. -
Boring progression, with a good
chunk of grinding and long interludes of
mundane normal quests. -
No new content at FFA launch could tempt long-term players to wait for the next Adventure pack.
Conclusion
Champions Online : Free For All is a fantastic F2P option if youve never tried the basic Champions Online. The few things youll be missing out on wont even matter unless you find yourself really drawn in. Either you wont reach high enough of a level to get to the meaty content that requires a purchase, or youll want to be a subscriber at that point because youre enjoying the game so much and want the new areas and archetypes for a small monthly fee. But if youve got an itch to dole out some justice in the streets with spandex and superpowers, youll be hard pressed to find a better free option out there!
Overall 81/100 - Good
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Champions Online Game Page.
