Champions of Norrath

Champions of Norrath (CoN) is an online-capable role-playing game for the PlayStation 2, set in the EverQuest universe. It is playable with one player, however, with a PlayStation Network Adapter, players can take the game online with others.

Story

CoN has a typical CRPG storyline, in which the player acts as a hero who must save the world and the girl. But, beyond the obvious storyline, this game does good to keep it too predictable. It begins with you, and maybe a friend or three, as the only hero(es) to step up and change the war between the elves and orcs. But it quickly changes to a bigger challenge, throwing you through portals to a variety of worlds.

What does it have to do with EverQuest? Almost nothing. The events are supposed to take place in the EverQuest world, but it is hardly noticeable.

The game starts you out by picking your race and skills. From there, the game continues to follow classic RPG standards, as you fight monsters, get gold, buy armor, fight monsters, get gold, buy armor, and so on. You continue to fight mosters as you level up.

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple and smooth. The player usually seeks out orcs and badguys instead of running. Fighting melee is a a matter of simply tapping the X button repeatedly. Archers have it simple with only having to hit a single button to switch from range to melee. And mages have a quick spell dial. Simply assign which ones you want on the dial, and assign those to both the circle and triangle buttons. Plus, the L2 and R2 buttons are assigned to quickly use Mana or Health potions, as to not break up the action.

Equipment is the common loot dropped by enemies, however the important stuff is usually bought. You have a weight limit in your inventory, which only allows for a certain amount of equipment. But with the cool ability of Gate Scrolls, you can instantly warp to the nearest shop and back without moving your feet.

As for the dungeons in the game, several are randomly generated. This allows for better replayability. And about replayability, the game offers two more levels for you when you beat the first one. This gives you stronger enemies to level up on, and more amor and weapons. Which, by the way, the armor and weapons are customizable so you can add enchantments such as fire protection or increased dexterity to them. Anyway, this increased difficulty means you can play it over and over and train. There is however, a level 50 limit. Leveling up allows you to increase your basic stats (strength, intelligence, etc.) and move spaces on the Ability Tree. This tree gives you new spells or abilities, and lets you increase ones you already have.

The camera is responsive, with 360 degree rotation and three levels of zoom.

The player can conveniently import and export a character. This allows you to save your charecter and his stats, and load it anywhere in the game. This is important for online play and the upcoming sequel. And the savepoints are generous. Checkpoints are all over, and all you need to do is walk near one to checkpoint. When you die, you are sent to the time and place of your last checkpoint.

Portals in the game are also plentiful. You travel to so many different places, and so many different settings, it's hard to think of a climate or area 'not' covered. (Everything from the plentiful gardens, to the desert, to a city, to even underwater!)

Online

Online is where this game shines. Like mentioned earlier, you can import your player online. There you can select to host a game from your save point and have others help you along, or join someone else's. You can join anywhere in the game, whether you've been there yet or not. Up to four players can join in the same game and these players cannot harm each other.

Graphics and sound

CoN featured good grahics, with detailed trees, lava, and water. Take a step in the water, and ripples move from around you. They aren't halfdone ripples either, because these bounce off the edge of you, the side of the puddle, and even each other. The graphics are detailed and varied. Unfortunately, there are a few graphical glitches. When weilding a firey axe or sword, ocassionally the fire would create a red line across the screen for a brief second. Not major, but annoying.

The sound is high quality as well. The music is varied and fits the mood well. The sound effects are also good. Unfortunatly, the sound effects of the dying orcs started to annoy me. The game even includes voices in addition to text boxes. The voice actors are pretty good too. Unfortunately, on the release version of the PS2, there is a glitch where the voices start late after the text box has appeared.

Sequel

Snowblind is now creating a sequel to CoN, Champions: Return to Arms. Scheduled for release on February 10, 2005, it will expand on CoN. With two new races, more spells and abilities, and more throwable weapons like ninja stars and axes. You can also import your CoN charecter with a new 80-level limit. One of the coolest new features in the storyline, is the choose your path option. You can pick to be bad or good. This will open new levels and increase replayability. Plus, there is a possible addition to online mode, to go head to head against other players.

External links

• Champions of Norrath official site (http://championsofnorrath.station.sony.com/)
• Champions: Return to Arms official site (http://returntoarms.station.sony.com/)