After hanging out with the guys from Cryptic Studios last night, we met up again today on the PAX floor so that we could play a little Champions Online. Champions is an upcoming MMO in which you play as a superhero, and the game is supposed to have a very good character creation system, making each hero completely unique. Each hero can also develop some skills as he or she progresses, as well as acquiring different types of weapons.

I was hoping to get some time in with the character creator, but that wasn’t up and running on the show floor, so instead I explored a little bit with the pre-made characters. I chose to use a 360 controller instead of standard PC controls, because I feel more at home with a controller than a keyboard. I wasn’t thrilled about my superhero, just because I felt that I could make a better one, but I did the best with what I had.

I got to try out some powers on surrounding enemies, such as the waves of dinosaurs that kept coming after me at one part of the level, and they worked pretty well. It’s nice to be able to keep attacking even while you’re gaining power to use your stronger moves. I loved the comic book look and feel of the game, complete with exclamations that appear over the heads of foes as you annihilate them. The targeting system left a lot to be desired, but I was told that it was something the developers also weren’t happy with, so I would expect to see an improved targeting system when the game is actually released.

Being able to use different kind of superhero powers is an interesting aspect of any game, and it looks like Champions Online can pull it off. I still want to get some time with the character creator, but hopefully I’ll be able to in the coming months. Champions Online is slated for a spring 2009 release, and will be available on the PC and Xbox 360.

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