Free-to-Play Focus is a video/article series that highlights a free-to-play game everyone should give a try. Free-to-play games are 100% free to download and play, but usually include optional perks and upgrades that can be purchased with real money. The video will demonstrate navigation of the game along with gameplay and audio commentary, while the article describes the game in general along with highlighting key features. Please comment below with your thoughts, or suggest other free-to-play games for me to try!
Past entries in the series: Blacklight: Retribution.
Next entries in the series: Tribes: Ascend, Star Conflict
Full Title: Champions Online
Developers: Cryptic Studios
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Available now
For this edition of Free-to-Play Focus I’ve chosen an established superhero MMORPG, Champions Online, that can be downloaded from Steam, or directly from the game’s website. The game is 100% free to download and play on your computer, looks and runs great at high settings, and is hands down the best character creator I have ever seen in or out of a game ever. Your options for creating a totally unique superhero are basically endless. If you decide to pay money, you can even customize your powers fully, giving you full control over your hero’s design.
The overall plot of the game begins in the tutorial zone. The city is in the midst of a large-scale alien invasion and it’s up to you and all of the other heroes to band together and fight. Once you complete the tutorial, the game really opens up and allows you to pick your travel power (flight, super speed, super jumping, etc) and complete quests as you progress through the game. Some of the key highlights from the game include:
- Customization: Choose from thousands of different costume pieces, colors and body types to create your character’s one-of-a-kind look. There are billions of possible combinations, and even in a universe brimming with the fantastic and the unforgettable, you can be completely unique!
- Archenemy: Every hero must have an archenemy. Design your character’s supreme adversary, choosing a name, powers and costume for a superpowered foe to bedevil your hero throughout his or her career.
- Vast Exploration: he battle against evil rages across the world and into alternate dimensions. No other MMO offers players the chance to explore such diverse realms — from the shining skyscrapers of Millennium City and the frozen wastes of Canada to the hidden underwater city of Lemuria, the foul mystical dimension known as Qliphothic, and the tormented Vibora Bay.
- Action-Packed Gameplay: Combat is instantaneous and electrifying. No more boring auto attacks and lengthy recharge times. very enemy and super-powered threat in Champions Online: Free for All has its own unique abilities and combat specialties. Use your head or wind up dead!
If you missed it, I had a chance to ask Champion Online’s Executive Producer a few questions about the direction of the game and what makes it unique. Check that out right here.
Be sure to check out my video above for demonstrations of the game’s features, as well as commentary along with some gameplay. The game used to be pay-to-play but went free-to-play a couple years ago to attract new players. Without any entry fee and only your time and fun at stake, you have no reason not to give it a try. Haven’t you always wanted to be a superhero?
The next edition of Free-to-Play Focus will feature Tribes: Ascend, a free-to-play sci-fi first-person shooter. Keep an eye on The Koalition for future free-to-play game highlights and news. Please comment with any other game suggestions!
