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)

I'm tempted to play this just because it has the wonderful PC vs Consoles in it.

I know that I'm going to be playing it because of the amount of control that a player will have over the game.

• You get to design your own hero's costume from over a billion combinations.
• You get to chose your hero's powers and you're not limited to a specific type of power from the beginning.
• You get to chose who your arch enemy is, how they look, etc.
• Ability to solo the entire game, if you wish, rather than some situations being forced to team up with other folks.

Quote: Originally Posted by Rob I know that I'm going to be playing it because of the amount of control that a player will have over the game. You get to design your own hero's costume from over a billion combinations. You get to chose your hero's powers and you're not limited to a specific type of power from the beginning. You get to chose who your arch enemy is, how they look, etc. Ability to solo the entire game, if you wish, rather than some situations being forced to team up with other folks.

OK, thats FREAKING COOL.

I hope it isn't pay to play. That would totally kill it.

Considering that it is an MMO, more than likely there will be a monthly fee to play. That fee covers a variety of cost, such as server maintenance and a continuing salary for the GMs.

HOWEVER, as with their previous MMO (handled by NCSoft), they did not charge for the expansions. Whether that was a Cryptic call or NCSoft call, I don't know, but I feel that it was pushed by Cryptic. Their reasoning is that you are already paying to play, you shouldn't have to pay more to get more content.

With their previous MMO, some of the expansions (or, as they called them, "Issues"...as in comic book issues) was the addition of new zones, new enemies, new hero archtypes, reworking of some old zones, hundreds of new costume pieces, etc.

Hey Rob,

Long time no see. Looks like you're still playing CoH/CoV (well for now at least). How are things in the game now?

If Jack Emmert truly is bringing almost everything that players wanted from CoH, it just might be time for me to return to a pay to play game. I've been playing Guild Wars for the past 2 years.

Quote: Originally Posted by Enko Hey Rob, Long time no see. Looks like you're still playing CoH/CoV (well for now at least). How are things in the game now? If Jack Emmert truly is bringing almost everything that players wanted from CoH, it just might be time for me to return to a pay to play game. I've been playing Guild Wars for the past 2 years.

Yeah, I'm still playing CoH/CoV. Had some pretty exciting things happen in the game since you left, but nothing that would really change the game up that much. They re-did the Rikti Crash Site into a coop zone (now named Rikti War Zone), introduced the Vanguard, and a few other things.

Yeah, Jack is bringing to this game everything that the CoH crowd wanted. For example, if you wanted to be a "brick" (tank), you normally wouldn't have any ranged powers. In Champions, though, you could select outside of your AT but it would cost you more points. Say you select ranged blast 1. You could then chose from having it look like a fire ball, ice bolt, lightning strike, etc., then get to chose your own colors for it.

Keep an eye out on this game. It's going to knock your socks off.