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Champions Online

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6.5 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 36 critic reviews
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Based on 162 votes
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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...

Vandal Online

Champions Online is hands down a breath of fresh air for the MMORPG genre. The game concept is slightly different from the one we are used to seeing in the genre, although only in some details that genre newcomers might not even notice.

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Gamers.at

Champions Online might not rise to supreme MMO-excellency, but it's a damn good game nonetheless. If you're waiting for DC Universe to come around, the least you can do is go and kill some time with Champions Online.

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GamesNation

Champions Online may pose no threat to WoW, but it still is a solid MMORPG. We were quite happy with the action-oriented control system, the mission pack and the overall gameplay structure. The graphics is good too, but you’ll need high specs to really enjoy it.

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GameZone

It's a solid MMO that will serve as a good diversion from WoW, but only time will tell if it has the depth of content necessary to keep people around.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Champions Online currently has some pretty ugly bugs, but hopefully as it goes forward, the rough edges will get smoothed, and it will become the great game it has the potential to be.

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YouGamers

Entertaining, if somewhat unfinished superhero MMO. Feels a bit like the unholy marriage of City of Heroes and World of Warcraft, liberally borrowing features and gameplay from both and mixes them with a couple of original ideas. Thin on content and in need of a balancing patch or three, but depending on further development, could turn out to be okay in the long run.

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Meristation

Cryptic Studios develops this fast-paced action computer MMO that allow us to create our wannabe hero. The game includes an extremely powerful characters editor which is one of the best experiences in the genre. Champions Online succeeds in creating an impressive heroes MMO.

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ActionTrip

Overall Champions Online truly is the next generation hero MMOG. Cyrptic studios took everything they learned from City of Heroes and their obvious love of comic books and superheroes and have delivered a game that allows players to realize their own unique superhero dream.

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PC PowerPlay

If you are the kind of person who enjoys traditional MMO design you will find Champions one of the best to appear on the scene since Azeroth got connected. [Nov 2009, p.62]

Cheat Code Central

Champions Online gives the appearance of a vast open-world full of rampaging villains and heroic adventure, and it lives up to this promise on many levels. You'll find much of the fun and mayhem one might expect to encounter in such a place. Yet there are moments when it's hard to shake the linear feeling that gradually creeps into the experience from time to time.

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PALGN

Champions Online is a fun and accessible MMO that doesn't quite do anything really new, but keeps things enjoyable and dynamic.

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Multiplayer.it

Champions Online has a fast paced and fun gameplay but lacks in contents, showing the need of a more complex end-game.

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3DJuegos

Champions Online have potential to be a great MMO, but it should polish and improve its merely likable proposal.

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SpazioGames

Champions Online is unfortunately not able to give the impression of depth to 360 degrees, and to enthuse those users looking for a real alternative to addiction to games as World of Warcraft or Lineage II. Unlike the novice player who could find in this title a good way to start, knowing that after a few months with their super hero, they could feel the need to try something more complex and satisfying.

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IGN

If Cryptic can adjust the balance of the crafting system, find a more meaningful format for PVP and introduce new content and zones that makes story elements more apparent, the prospects for a player to enjoy the game over the long term will be high. Whether you'll really enjoy the game in the meantime depends on how much you like the character creation and combat systems.

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GameFocus

If you are into playing a purely action based MMORPG then this is one you should look at. But if you are into more traditional MMORPG games, such as World of Warcraft, Everquest 2, Age of Conan, etc. then you should look elsewhere. This feels more like a console action hero game than a standard MMO which is not a bad thing but I cannot say go out and buy it without putting down this one caveat.

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1UP

At the moment, Champs is a good MMO with the potential to become a great one.

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GameShark

Champions Online doesn’t inspire the drive to explore or build a community, but it thrives on the spontaneity of twitch-based combat and the thrill of experimenting with new powers.

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Strategy Informer

With the customary spit and polish the engine will receive over the next year, Champions Online certainly has the potential to turn into the best superhero MMO out there. For now, that mantle still belongs to City of Heroes, but having played both games throughout beta and release, this is certainly a more daring title in the initial stages.

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Worth Playing

Champions Online has something for everyone, so when we get to the bottom line, I'd recommend giving it a try. The problem with having something for everyone is that when you try to make everybody happy, no one really is.

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PC Gamer UK

It's quite broken in many ways, but it quickly grows on you, and becomes surprisingly endearing. [Nov 2009, p.82]

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9Lives

A solid MMORPG which needs another year to get to its full potential. That’s how you could describe Champions Online. It’s definitely worth a shot if you’re looking for a change from the traditional games. The elaborate character creator and the comic setting make it hard not to love the game. Content-wise, especially in the long run, the game isn’t quite there yet. Only fourty levels and five large areas mean that there’s not a whole lot to see. One might want to wait for content updates before diving into the adventure. At the moment it’s merely a snack, waiting to become a huge hit in the long run.

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GameSpot

Before you take the plunge, ask yourself whether you're looking for a new virtual world to call your second home or whether you just need to cleanse your palate with a bit of streamlined superhero action. If you're in the former group, Champions Online isn't broad or deep enough yet to make it your game of choice. If you're in the latter, you'll get more than your money's worth for the initial retail price, and the month or so that it takes to fully explore its vibrant nooks and crannies.

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GameStar

Great atmosphere, a great settings, heroes and villains built by the players - and still it's not enough for a great game. Most of the quests are too easy, usually it's no problem to fight opponents up to four levels above your own characters, so there's no need to group with other players. So why play an online game?

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Play.tm

Champions Online holds a lot of promise and is the type of game that brings a smile to your face as you play despite its flaws, but it does still need some work.

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Everyeye.it

A nice approach to the MMORPG genre, but the game needs a patch to solve the early problems regarding the growth of the characters.

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Gameplayer Sweden

It's without question the best superhero simulator so far out there, but it lacks some in presentation and probably won't attract mainstream gamers at all.

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PC Format

Frontloads truly excellent stuff, then has a snooze shortly afterwards, becoming formulaic and lacking quests. [Dec 2009, p.88]

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

City of Heroes evolved into a new kind. Comic-book fans who overcome the chaotic preamble will be rewarded by public quest lines, strong PVP potential and truly exotic adventures. [Nov 2009]

DarkZero

Incidentally, if they bring this game out for the Xbox 360 like they keep saying they want to, it’ll probably be amazing. So I’ll see you on there… in two years. Good-day!

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Game Revolution

Overall, Champions is actually pretty good – I don’t think I’ll be abandoning City of Heroes for it, but it has some qualities worth mentioning. It shines most when you’re dealing with your nemesis or when you’re in the exemplary character creator; but outside of those shining moments, the overall game is very much just another MMO.

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PC Zone UK

Lacks a coherent structure. [Dec 2009, p.68]

Eurogamer Portugal

Unfortunately nothing more than an ordinary MMO that quickly fall into oblivion if nothing is done to counter this situation. It is interesting as a novelty.

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Level7.nu

Champions Online contains some new elements for the MMO genre such as the massive amount of freedom during the character creation and the game is more action oriented than many other MMO’s. But it isn’t enough to reach the top of the MMO scene and with irritating bugs, rough graphic and an ordinary structure the game will only gather a small amount of players.

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Eurogamer

Technically rough (it doesn't run smoothly, in terms of graphics or lag) with lumpy character progression, shallow combat, a narrow world and thinly-stretched - albeit entertaining - content, Champions Online is off to a scrappy and threadbare start. As it stands, it's hard to recommend. But it's not hard to like - for the customisation, and for offering a genuinely different flavour in MMOs: a bit of poppy, disposable bubblegum in a world of nutritious gruel.

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GameSpy

Champions Online too often feels like a professionally assembled Second Life module, where character creation is king and the thrill of being superhuman wears thin once you realize that everything else just feels off. Whether or not future patches can set some of the more glaring flaws right is anybody's guess.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 162 User Votes

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

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.

Scott M gave it an8:
I started playing about 2 weeks ago with my Pre-SW:TOR guild and this MMO really has potential. I've played WoW, WAR, etc since they all came out and I have to say so far I love Champions. They have fixed a lot of bugs with the game so thats a poor excuse to give it a poor rating. They are doing very well with pumping out constant fixes with any problem they find. The Combat system is amazing and NOT turn-based, rather then being gear and rotation based like WoW, It actually takes skill to excel in PvE and PvP. The Charater Customization i obviously great. truthfully it's just fun and its a good change from repetitive MMOs.

B J gave it an8:
Pretty good game overall. There are still some things to be worked out, but I'm impressed. The balance issues aren't nearly as bad as some would have you believe (if you're dying to level 4 mobs you probably shouldn't be playing any video games) and Cryptic seems to be trying to fix the major ones asap (to the point of making a lot of people who use the OP builds very angry - most negative reviews I've read on other sites come from this group). The game itself feels like a console action-RPG. Something like the old Spiderman games as an MMO. You can build any type of character you want. Personally, I just throw characters together based on what I think looks cool and I haven't felt like any of my characters are particularly weak at all. The main thing you have to learn to be able to compete at all is how and when to block. It's not that hard, but most people who think the game is particularly hard simply don't block or don't know when to block (I've run into them in game, where they think one of my characters is OP because of how many enemies I fight at once, but then when I watch them fight they NEVER block). The main thing I don't care for much in the game is the pvp. I've only participated in two styles of pvp matches. One is more or less a team deathmatch in a small circular room with a cage in the center, the other is a free for all death match on the streets. The street BG is the better concept for me (the cage match is too narrowly focused), but the free for all kills it. If you have a character that fills any kind of support role, you may as well not bother going in. It ends up being a fight where everyone is trying to kill the person who's being ganged up on while trying to avoid notice themselves. The other minor complaint I might have is that for many people the zones don't stand out a lot. I thought they were pretty cool, standard comic book fare, but a friend of mine got bored with Canada and pretty much just quit playing before I could even start. It does help to keep in mind that the zones you start in may not be the ones you finish in. For instance, when you start Canada is being assaulted by forces creating a blizzard. The blizzard limits how far away from the base you can go. If you stick with it, you'll eventually stop the blizzard and have much larger access. It works something like the phasing in wotlk, but it's zone-wide (you go from a canada during the storm zone to a canada after the storm zone). If you like comic books and you like the general game style of something like The Force Unleashed, you'll probably like Champions Online (just remember to block!). If you're huge into pvp, you're probably better off somewhere else.

dan s gave it a0:
I can only begin to tell you how terrible this game is! If you like farming 60,000+ low level mobs just to get costume unlocks this game is for you though. If you care to play a concept character you WILL be feeble compared to a character who only picked powers based on usefulness: ie my level 10 TK blades could kill foes my level 18 Martial arts character would die to. Melee is far inferior in every way compared to ranged to the point it should have been called "Blasters Online-also with some ignorant melee." Whole power sets are nearly useless in PvP AND PvE! The character creator everyone keeps praising is a step backwards from the one in City of Heroes, often times you pick a costume piece only to have an error message appear. I only visited 3 zones in the time i played(out of 5) and those zones seems very sloppy and piece-meal. There isn't a single landmark or interesting location in the whole dang game that i know of, and the novelty of cowboy robots wears off after about 5 seconds... Another fault I found was that unless you have graphic settings turned to MAX at character creation you don't actually have any idea what you like like as certain textures and layers of pattern only appear at max settings! I could go on and on people(travel power balance, developer responses, horrible trade skills, auction house, bank,customer service and outright thievery of money) it would be hard to find a positive thing about this game. Avoid at all costs, and if you must play don't give them your credit card info!

Martin B. gave it a2:
Wow. I bought this game after stalking it for months with high hopes, and i ended up with crushed dreams. Character creation and PvP are the only reason i even gave this blasted game a 2. I am level 20 and since i took time to read perks of abilities, i can take on mobs of level 27 at ease. I rarely to never die when I'm in PvP, and the mission are ridiculous. Mobs are over-powered in every way, before i grabbed regeneration i could barely take on a mob of 4, if that. This game either needs serious patches, or just take off the monthly fees. Don't waste you money. I would NEVER recommend this game to anybody.

Karri J. gave it a10:
It's the most fun MMO I've tried. It's very fun and dynamic compared to many other MMOs. There are bugs, but the game is playable, and the bugs are being worked on quickly. Does the game really deserve a 10? Well, no, probably not, but neither does it deserve the 1s and 2s it has received. I'd be happy to see it end with a score of 8.5 or so.

Michael T. gave it an8:
Though there are a few rough edges I would say this game is by far an excellent choice for someone wanting to try something new that is not a WoW clone. The fact that character choices in power selection can make or break your characters solo and group viability is hard for some to grasp and is often the main complaint on the forums.

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Champions Online

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