Champions Online screenshots

[Logan Darklighter]

I've had access to a free trial account for a few days now in Champions Online. The game does a few things better than City of Heroes but in many ways is
not as deep. It's very VERY pretty and shiny.

I made a couple of analogs of characters that were also made for City of Heroes - Lora Doubet and Stalnoy Volk.

Ironically, Lora started out as my very first Champions character when I was introduced to the P&P Champions system back during the 4th Edition days (1992
or so).

Here she is in City of Heroes:





And here's what I was able to do in Champions Online:





Now I'm not entirely happy with the character creation system. It's robust and all. But it has a weakness - Faces.

There are no alternate textures for faces (unless you count specifically non-human faces, cat-girls, etc). You make a different face ENTIRELY by manipulating
the sliders. Seeing as how most people won't take the time to really learn how to do it (and though I would, I'm not well versed in it yet) you wind up
with a lot of faces looking entirely too similar. Particularly the women. And if you try for something TOO out there, it's way too easy to make something
bizarre looking.

But the textures overall are nice. And the layering system is something that I think CoH could implement, given time.

Overall, I think Champions has a similar problem that Pixar once had - problems with organic people as opposed to artificial surfaces, which look MUCH better.

As a case in point -

Now you're probably familiar with Stalnoy Volk. I intended him to look properly "Russian Power Armor". And I pretty much succeeded. I've
always liked this look for him. It works well.



Well I wasn't able to get precisely the same thing in Champions Online, but what I DID get I'm pretty happy with.



Shiny...

And yes, that is an actual shot of Millenium City as the backdrop for the character screen.

Here, want a closer look?





And by the way...

ACTUAL BOOT JETS!!!



Oh yeah. We're really high up now...











Another interesting take on a travel power is superleap. Take a look at this -









The ground cracks and shatters when you land!

Anyway, there's more. But this post is getting pretty long and heavily graphics laden as it is.

Here's the link to the entire album. I have some screenshot sequences of Lora and Stalnoy in action in the desert. You'll get to see the animations and
poses for Martial Arts. And some of Stalnoy's weapons in action.

Including MISSILES. Yes, Stalnoy Volk in CO can do an Itano Circus/Macross Missile Massacre. ^_^

Logan's Champions Online Photobucket page.