Champions Online

Game Info

Publisher: Atari

Developer: Cryptic Studios

Genre(s): Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

Players: Thousands

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: September 1, 2009

Summary

Earth's first and best line of defense is its heroes. For generations, brave men and women have answered the call to protect the world from the villains who threaten its safety and security. Today, organizations such as VIPER, ARGENT and PSI use both superpowers and super technology in their dastardly plots to control the world. Creatures from outer space and other dimensions seek to enslave humanity. Super scientist Teleios is creating an army of clones and superpowered constructs to do his bidding. The greatest threat of all is Doctor Destroyer. A superhuman genius driven to conquer, Destroyer will not stop until all of humanity bends knee to his greatness. In 1992, Destroyer obliterated the city of Detroit and killed thousands. With years to prepare, his next attack is sure to put the entire planet in peril. Led by The Champions, protectors of Millennium City, the world's heroes have launched a crusade for peace, security and justice. But they need allies. Defender is calling for a new generation of superheroes to fight in a war against evil that spans the globe - and beyond. Save the world. Be a Champion. [Atari]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 173 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chris M gave it a4:
This game has the potential to be a great game. The only problem is it crashes all the time and gives me BSOD. No other games I play give me the amount of problems this game does. When I can play and its not stuck on the launcher is trying to update box its a fun game. The crashing problems are a "driver problem" witch is what the creators of this game want me to think when in fact it's their crappy coding work that has a problem with my drivers not the other way around. I know an MMO does not work the same as other single player games. I have played plenty of MMOs on this Rig and none of them have given me any problems. So this game gets a 4.

David M gave it a5:
Well then, boys and girls, lets get this started. I played a demo of Champions Online a while back and thought "hey, this is kinda fun, but lacking in some regards. Maybe in a few months when its more established (like most other MMO's) it'll be even better." So I gave it that wait that MMO's deserve to get the bugs and stuff out of them. I've played CoH and CO and I can honestly tell you that there is no difference between them. I bought the game through steam when it was 10$ and I'm glad I didn't pay more for it. The game isn't bad - its just obviously not for me. It has its strong points - the character creator is amazing, the graphics are intriguing, and the grouping system is very okay, but not super especially when compared to WoW, the current MMO king. The main problem I had when playing this game is that I simply did not feel like I was a super hero. Look you can fly! I can do that in Aion. And thats as super as I felt was when I was flying. I noticed alot of people making angel characters and to them, I say go buy Aion instead. So, in a nutshell, it was definitely worth the 10$ I spent to try it out due to the fact that its a blast to make a character and the fact that the game is very accessible and somewhat fun. However, I wouldn't pay retail due to the fact that after a while it gets dull after a while after the charm wears off and there is no real feeling of being a superhero. If you want to feel like a superhero, play Arkham Asylum. If you want to fly around, play Aion. If you want to play an MMO, play WoW. And finally, if you want to play a GOOD MMO, play EVE. :)

Jim M gave it an8:
Anyone reading all the comments can see this is a love it or leave it game. I love it! One thing to note it can be really hard or way too easy to level a character. A lot has to do with what "power set/s" your start with and choose as you level. Think of each power set as a branch in a research tree. Staying in only one or two branches lets you pick up high end powers, but you can pick from other branches as well if you feel the need (and meet the prereqs). Added to the unbeliveable character generator, and you can pretty much make what ever hero you want. That's one place where the game doesn't really fail so much as stumble a bit. You really need to: 1. Research.... a lot. Like anything where you have limitless options, it's easy to make mistakes and not know why. There are a number of forum posts, a wiki (still in the building stage). One guy has even built a java based level/power set tool that will help guide you. 2. Have a solid idea on what type of character you want. Sounds easier then it is, but with so many choices if you don't have an soild mental roadmap when you start you can end up regreting it. 3. Try to limit how many power sets you draw from. There are some pretty sweet ablities the supernatural set has a passive power that to be honest needs a nerf. It's just too good a self heal buff. But if you "cherry pick" too much you can find yourself lacking at higher levels. 4. Test your powers before you leave the powerhouse (power vendor area). You can drop any before you leave, once you leave it costs you to drop it. Then test again in the questing areas. It's a total pita if you realize you need to change something you took 10 levels ago. So if you don't see a tangible result, try something else instead of leaving it as is. 5. Learning how to effectively use the combat system is very important. Unlike any other MMO I've played this is the closest to a real time system. This is even better then the one in AoC which was supposed to be RT, but as you reached higher levels became another "press the button" system. In CoL you have a much more indepth system, and knowing what to do and when to do it is very important. As well many powersets will use the system differently, so you really need to take that into account before you enter in to combat. Now as for the bugs some people have mentioned. There are some bugs of course but they don't really produce a unplayable game. In fact for how new this game is it's quite stable, and none of the bugs I've so far encountered has reduced my enjoyment by any great degree. I've played a lot of MMO's any there is always some nimrods who think it should be a complete final game right from the start. This is an evolving world, and from what I've seen so far it's going to be a great one eventually. I mean I played WoW right from the start, and I've actually died sitting in the Inn in IF. Seems the server thought I was in Blasted or something. Bugs are normal and to be expected, and none of the bugs in CoL are deal breakers. As for the quests, there are quite a lot of varied quests. so don't let the nimrods make you think it's a grindfest because it isn't. Again this is a work in progress, so expect it to only get better. Is it a perfect game. Not at all, in fact there are still a number of issues that need to be addressed Such as: Other then extra XP a better loot, there is really no reason you have to group up. This great if you want to solo, but makes finding a PUG harder. The economy and crafting aren't really there in any major way. You don't have to really grind for reasourses you get too many as it is just from breaking down loot. There's really nothing you can craft that is any better then what you loot or get from turning in quests. In fact unlike other MMO's it's the talior in stead of the auctioner that everyone crowds around Finally I strongly suggest giving it a try your self before making up your mind. It has so much to offer it's fantastic. As well the whole world is a bit light hearted, and there's a lot of little extras thrown in to make you chuckle. For example as a Canadian, it was reall funny to see Bob and Doug Mackenzie as quest vendors, laughed my @ss off on that one.

Keith G. gave it a3:
Very good character creator but seriously lacking any content for an mmo. You should not be able to "beat" an mmo and I have beaten this game 3 times now. Snore.

Travis N gave it a9:
Champions online is an MMO that is doing things differently. It is a lot of fun, sure it has some issues, but what game doesn't? It is better than WoW for me after they messed with to much stuff. The updates for Champions Online have been great and the team has done a great job of keeping the customers updated on what they are working on for upcoming patches. I wish more companies worked like this group is with Champions Online.

Ben B gave it a2:
I think I'm seeing a pattern here. I've read through most of the reviews, and while the low scores often mention City of Heroes, the high scores don't. It's all about expectations. I, along with many others, played City of Heroes for years. Five years, myself, only stopping when Champions was nearly out. I waited over a year to play Champions, hoping for the equivalent to a sequel to City of Heroes, only to be extremely disappointed. While City of Heroes relied heavily on grouping, forming teams or even Task Forces to accomplish great things with other players over the course of hours, Champions made teaming almost pointless, so no one did it. It probably comes all the way down to character building, since in Heroes you needed one of each archetype for a solid team. Here, however, people choose any powers they want, making a team just a random group of characters just as effective (if not less) than one solo hero. The game itself was horrendously linear. In Heroes, you meet one contact, then another and another, choosing most yourself, then learning about Task Forces and other challenges later. In Champions, each zone was a completely linear experience, grinding through the same few contacts until you accomplish what you're there to do, then you leave for the next zone. There is almost no variety, no choices at all. For a MMO, linear game play with one month's worth of content is unthinkable. Plus no point in teaming, because characters are not broken into categories like Healer, Tank, or Blaster to give each person a role in combat. If you are familiar with City of Heroes and enjoyed it, this will be a crushing disappointment. If you have never tried a superhero MMO before and have no expectations, you might like this. It seems like everyone either loves it or hates it, separated only be expectations from what I've seen.

Max D gave it a0:
The game was fun during Closeb Beta, the XP rate was fast, the mobs fell quickly and even the retcon was affordable, even if it did only allow you ten steps back. Since then however game balance has taken a nose dive in terms of heroics, in place characters now feel bland, toned down heavily and unable to solo effectively unless ceertain defensive passive powers are taken and slotted (used). Good luck if you planned on being an offensive character while leveling up! The other issue that just arose and which made me cancel my sub and un-install, was when it dawned on me that Cryptic is capitalizing on subscribers to the fullest degree by making in-game balance of re-specs cost a fortune (would take months to save for one respec), yet they give you the option to pay just over a months game subscription fee on 1000 cryptic points to buy 1 full respec which would normally cost 850G (alot of resources atm), in-game. The result is that they devalue their players in-games efforts, the real life subscription and initial game purchases by putting in vital micro transactions. Do not bother with this MMO, its really not worth it.

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