Baron Samedi
08-29-2011, 11:39 PM
I'm kind of hard on the MMORPG world. I have seen people inexplicably drawn into a few over my lifetime- Ultima Online, Everquest, Star Wars: Galaxies, and World of Warcraft. The "best" of the bunch- World of Warcraft, lost its fun at a specific point- whenever I would get some really cool-looking gear and then I had to get something "better" and I ended up looking like an epileptic nightmare. Also, I find it annoying that I have to slog through spider-slaying quests for weeks before I can get anything that even remotely resembles "badass". Truth: Best armor in the game is the Deathknight armor when you leave Ebonhold. Other awesome armor is unlockable through a ridiculous amount of arena and other maxed-out silliness. I don't want to be proud of my character when he is at 100% capacity, I shouldn't have to wait.
Which leads me to Champions Online. This game was originally planned as Marvel Online, however Marvel pulled out of the deal. Apparently, a vast majority of MMO gamers are addicted to WoW and won't even give anything else a chance (in their defense, too many companies are rushing incomplete products). Marvel realized this and backed out of the deal, and Cryptic struck a deal with a Pen & Paper game.
So, when I heard about this game, I was stoked. I never got a chance to get it, so it's a good thing-
Because this game is completely free to download and play. No purchase. No play fees. Free.
The game does charge a fee for certain things, like optional gear or missions. None of this is crucial, but you're gonna end up wanting a few of the items. Many people don't bother, but I ponied up a few bucks- the way I see it, it supports the game and offers the chance for improvements.
Highlights of the game:
-Character customization. HOLY SHIT. Let me be specific: Your "gear" does not appear on your character, it just adds to your stats. You have complete control over how he or she looks. It's pretty detailed. I went with a "spec ops archer" as my concept- using a full layered bodysuit (similar to what Batman would wear) with a full mask, goggles on my forehead, and added black eyes with red pupils. But some characters I have seen are insane: Angels, demons, robots, commandos, tiger men, cyborg strippers, cowboys, clowns from hell, almost nekkid women, ninja, samurai, and mixes and matches of all of the above. Some are completely bizarre. Some are epic in their creativity. Of course, for every hero worth admiring... you'll see a dozen Duke Nukems, Mortal Kombat ninjas, Deadpools, Iron Men, Batmen, furries, demons that do karate, and whatever name you'd have for a teenage emo hero's fantasy character who flies around with a sword on his back and shooting laser pistols. The Character creator is not just good- other games should follow this example. You can edit your costume in game at a tailor for a small "resources" cost (in-game money). Also, you can save your costume for use later on, which means you always can tinker around in the character creator or tailor shop. Apparently, you can also share these files with people.
-Hideouts. You can opt for one of these. They range for moon bases to "Mom's Basement". You can edit your costume from here as well. These cost [real] money, but it's a cool idea if you want to take a break and think out your character design or chat with some friends. Or cyber with a furry.
-Nemesis. At level 25, you get to design another non-playable character. This is your adversary, someone you get to encounter in the game (and supposedly, this person pops up from time to time. I believe you can also design their henchman. So, for as awesome as your character can be, you can have an equally awesome nemesis. Or your ex. Or furries. Or hippies.
-Classes. There are several free classes, and about as many more purchasable classes. Most of them are reminiscent of well-known hero types: The Soldier, who just mows people down with guns (Punisher). The Blade, a swordsman (Silver Samurai). The Glacier, a frost-based tank class (Iceman, Mr. Freeze). The Behemoth, a strong tanking character (Hulk). The Grimoire, a spellcaster (Dr. Strange). The Mind, a psychic telekinetic (Jean Grey). All of these classes only determine your attacks and powers, so combined with "travel powers" that anyone can have such as flight, super speed, acrobatics, teleportation, and even jetpacks- you can get similar combinations to your favorite heroes and put your own spin on them. Or just make flying ninja hookers. Whatever.
- Teaming up. Not a fan of the fact that your friend in the game is a level 40 and you're a level 7? Not a problem. You can champion a group and it sets the level to the leader's level. No matter what, anyone can help you at any time.
- Henchmen. These are available for purchase, so when I spent some dolla bills, I got two japanese girls who use chainguns and scythes. You can get several others. have not tinkered with them much, not sure how great they are.
The downside of the game is that it's got a few glitches. Every so often my bow will randomly render itself as a sword, but then it reverts back after a couple of attacks. One other time I saw a bunch of characters half-rendered.
Also, if you are playing a "Comic Series", which is basically a long story-based instance adventure- you have to watch it if you leave the area in the middle of a chapter. You will have to go back to the beginning of that chapter and start that part over (not the whole thing).
You are kind of limited on the number of characters. You have two slots for free, but can purchase additional ones. Your character has one costume slot, unless you purchase another one of those... or join a guild.
All of this being said, the basic main part of the game is free. Not bad at all. I advise this one.
Which leads me to Champions Online. This game was originally planned as Marvel Online, however Marvel pulled out of the deal. Apparently, a vast majority of MMO gamers are addicted to WoW and won't even give anything else a chance (in their defense, too many companies are rushing incomplete products). Marvel realized this and backed out of the deal, and Cryptic struck a deal with a Pen & Paper game.
So, when I heard about this game, I was stoked. I never got a chance to get it, so it's a good thing-
Because this game is completely free to download and play. No purchase. No play fees. Free.
The game does charge a fee for certain things, like optional gear or missions. None of this is crucial, but you're gonna end up wanting a few of the items. Many people don't bother, but I ponied up a few bucks- the way I see it, it supports the game and offers the chance for improvements.
Highlights of the game:
-Character customization. HOLY SHIT. Let me be specific: Your "gear" does not appear on your character, it just adds to your stats. You have complete control over how he or she looks. It's pretty detailed. I went with a "spec ops archer" as my concept- using a full layered bodysuit (similar to what Batman would wear) with a full mask, goggles on my forehead, and added black eyes with red pupils. But some characters I have seen are insane: Angels, demons, robots, commandos, tiger men, cyborg strippers, cowboys, clowns from hell, almost nekkid women, ninja, samurai, and mixes and matches of all of the above. Some are completely bizarre. Some are epic in their creativity. Of course, for every hero worth admiring... you'll see a dozen Duke Nukems, Mortal Kombat ninjas, Deadpools, Iron Men, Batmen, furries, demons that do karate, and whatever name you'd have for a teenage emo hero's fantasy character who flies around with a sword on his back and shooting laser pistols. The Character creator is not just good- other games should follow this example. You can edit your costume in game at a tailor for a small "resources" cost (in-game money). Also, you can save your costume for use later on, which means you always can tinker around in the character creator or tailor shop. Apparently, you can also share these files with people.
-Hideouts. You can opt for one of these. They range for moon bases to "Mom's Basement". You can edit your costume from here as well. These cost [real] money, but it's a cool idea if you want to take a break and think out your character design or chat with some friends. Or cyber with a furry.
-Nemesis. At level 25, you get to design another non-playable character. This is your adversary, someone you get to encounter in the game (and supposedly, this person pops up from time to time. I believe you can also design their henchman. So, for as awesome as your character can be, you can have an equally awesome nemesis. Or your ex. Or furries. Or hippies.
-Classes. There are several free classes, and about as many more purchasable classes. Most of them are reminiscent of well-known hero types: The Soldier, who just mows people down with guns (Punisher). The Blade, a swordsman (Silver Samurai). The Glacier, a frost-based tank class (Iceman, Mr. Freeze). The Behemoth, a strong tanking character (Hulk). The Grimoire, a spellcaster (Dr. Strange). The Mind, a psychic telekinetic (Jean Grey). All of these classes only determine your attacks and powers, so combined with "travel powers" that anyone can have such as flight, super speed, acrobatics, teleportation, and even jetpacks- you can get similar combinations to your favorite heroes and put your own spin on them. Or just make flying ninja hookers. Whatever.
- Teaming up. Not a fan of the fact that your friend in the game is a level 40 and you're a level 7? Not a problem. You can champion a group and it sets the level to the leader's level. No matter what, anyone can help you at any time.
- Henchmen. These are available for purchase, so when I spent some dolla bills, I got two japanese girls who use chainguns and scythes. You can get several others. have not tinkered with them much, not sure how great they are.
The downside of the game is that it's got a few glitches. Every so often my bow will randomly render itself as a sword, but then it reverts back after a couple of attacks. One other time I saw a bunch of characters half-rendered.
Also, if you are playing a "Comic Series", which is basically a long story-based instance adventure- you have to watch it if you leave the area in the middle of a chapter. You will have to go back to the beginning of that chapter and start that part over (not the whole thing).
You are kind of limited on the number of characters. You have two slots for free, but can purchase additional ones. Your character has one costume slot, unless you purchase another one of those... or join a guild.
All of this being said, the basic main part of the game is free. Not bad at all. I advise this one.