Apex Community Forums - View Single Post - Cryptic Studios announces "Champions Online"

Rob · 25-February-08, 04:45 PM

The news is about a week old, but forgive me, I've been in and out of the hospital among other issues in my life. So, if you've heard of this, please don't roll your eyes and call me a n00b...that means you, too, Spectrum.

Cryptic Studios announced on February 20th, 2008 a brand new and exciting venture coming to the world of online MMO gaming. Based upon the hit RPG "Champions", Cryptic has secured the license to use the exciting RPG game and develop it into an online MMO that...

...wait for it...

...not only is going to be playable on the PC, but also consoles.

It gets better.

According to the scuttlebutt, it won't matter if you are using a PC or a console as everyone will be playing in the same universe!!!

Wow!

"Champions Online" is an online MMO based upon playing the part of a hero, complete with your own specially designed super powers. To start off with, you'll develop and design your hero using costume options with over a billion combinations (literally). You'll also be able to select your own powers, not to mention being able to customize them. Before you get to play, though, you'll have to do something that adds an extra element to the game. You get to design your own arch enemy!!! Don't worry, though, because if you get tired of that arch enemy, you can have him "incarcerated", either permanently or until you decide to fight him or her again.

Cryptic Studios is using the engine that had originally been developed for the Microsoft venture to bring to the gaming world an online Marvel MMO. However, Microsoft backed out of the deal and now I'm going to speculate why. Marvel is notorious for protecting their trademarks/copyrights and rightfully so. Everyone knows that Microsoft wants to take over the world (i.e., the impending hostile takeover of Yahoo!). Since Marvel didn't want to relinquish whatever amount of control over the trademarks/copyrights (and in this case, Microsoft probably wanted free reign), Microsoft decided to withdraw from the deal.

Never to fear, Jack Emmert to the rescue!

Jack decided to go after a different sort of "hero" project, one that he says he has been playing for years. That project was "Champions".

Cryptic Studios, as many of you many know, what the original developer of "City of Heroes" and "City of Villains". I got the feeling that Cryptic wanted to expand but was tied down by these two games, so they sold them off to NCSoft, who basically were the people to bring the game to the public. NCSoft holds all the trademarks/copyrights to those two games now.

For the two years preceding the sale of "CoH/CoV" to NCSoft, we really didn't hear much from Jack Emmert, who in the game plays an NPC called "Statesman". Being the original founder, many people on the forums found this to be quite disturbing. Jack, it appears, was working more and more with the management side of the house, or so we were led to believe. It's my opinion that he wanted to separate himself from the "CoH/CoV" franchise so it would be a clean break into the Marvel MMO.

Jack, however, was reading the forum boards quite often...and listened. Many of the things that the players of "CoH/CoV" had demanded was other zones, such as a moon base or underwater adventures, the ability to customize your own powers, to develop your own arch enemy.

Guess what?

"Champions Online" has all of those.

It's unfortunate but I think that NCSoft may be seeing the last of my money once this game is released live in early 2009. The only thing that may prevent many from jumping ship from "CoH/CoV" is the different cell shading that Cryptic is going to use (it will appear as a live action comic book effect).

However, time will tell.

If you are interested, there are links below where you can find more information.

Champions Online official site

Champions Online teaser trailer

Champions (Wikipedia entry)

25-February-08, 04:45 PM		#1 (permalink)
Rob Advocatus Diaboli	Cryptic Studios announces "Champions Online" The news is about a week old, but forgive me, I've been in and out of the hospital among other issues in my life. So, if you've heard of this, please don't roll your eyes and call me a n00b...that means you, too, Spectrum. Cryptic Studios announced on February 20th, 2008 a brand new and exciting venture coming to the world of online MMO gaming. Based upon the hit RPG "Champions", Cryptic has secured the license to use the exciting RPG game and develop it into an online MMO that... ...wait for it... ...not only is going to be playable on the PC, but also consoles. It gets better. According to the scuttlebutt, it won't matter if you are using a PC or a console as everyone will be playing in the same universe!!! Wow! "Champions Online" is an online MMO based upon playing the part of a hero, complete with your own specially designed super powers. To start off with, you'll develop and design your hero using costume options with over a billion combinations (literally). You'll also be able to select your own powers, not to mention being able to customize them. Before you get to play, though, you'll have to do something that adds an extra element to the game. You get to design your own arch enemy!!! Don't worry, though, because if you get tired of that arch enemy, you can have him "incarcerated", either permanently or until you decide to fight him or her again. Cryptic Studios is using the engine that had originally been developed for the Microsoft venture to bring to the gaming world an online Marvel MMO. However, Microsoft backed out of the deal and now I'm going to speculate why. Marvel is notorious for protecting their trademarks/copyrights and rightfully so. Everyone knows that Microsoft wants to take over the world (i.e., the impending hostile takeover of Yahoo!). Since Marvel didn't want to relinquish whatever amount of control over the trademarks/copyrights (and in this case, Microsoft probably wanted free reign), Microsoft decided to withdraw from the deal. Never to fear, Jack Emmert to the rescue! Jack decided to go after a different sort of "hero" project, one that he says he has been playing for years. That project was "Champions". Cryptic Studios, as many of you many know, what the original developer of "City of Heroes" and "City of Villains". I got the feeling that Cryptic wanted to expand but was tied down by these two games, so they sold them off to NCSoft, who basically were the people to bring the game to the public. NCSoft holds all the trademarks/copyrights to those two games now. For the two years preceding the sale of "CoH/CoV" to NCSoft, we really didn't hear much from Jack Emmert, who in the game plays an NPC called "Statesman". Being the original founder, many people on the forums found this to be quite disturbing. Jack, it appears, was working more and more with the management side of the house, or so we were led to believe. It's my opinion that he wanted to separate himself from the "CoH/CoV" franchise so it would be a clean break into the Marvel MMO. Jack, however, was reading the forum boards quite often...and listened. Many of the things that the players of "CoH/CoV" had demanded was other zones, such as a moon base or underwater adventures, the ability to customize your own powers, to develop your own arch enemy. Guess what? "Champions Online" has all of those. It's unfortunate but I think that NCSoft may be seeing the last of my money once this game is released live in early 2009. The only thing that may prevent many from jumping ship from "CoH/CoV" is the different cell shading that Cryptic is going to use (it will appear as a live action comic book effect). However, time will tell. If you are interested, there are links below where you can find more information. Champions Online official site Champions Online teaser trailer Champions (Wikipedia entry)