Brian Michael Bendis is one of the biggest comic book writers in the business, so it made sense that Microsoft Game Studios would tap him to work on "Marvel Universe Online." Unfortunately the Marvel aspect of the game hit a wall in 2008 when Microsoft pulled out and Cryptic Studios, the game's developer, moved on to make the game with the "Champions" license instead, leaving Bendis out in the cold...to work on a dozen or so other projects.

Read more...

With "Champions Online," Cryptic Studios stands in direct competition with itself. The other major superhero-based MMORPG on the market, "City of Heroes"/"City of Villains," is their baby, and it's still going strong. Now along comes "Champions" with its cel-shaded graphics (actually "comic shaded") and its robust character creator, offering players a new set of environments and stories to explore, none of which have anything to do with Paragon City. And yet, there's a charm to "Champions," an evolution beyond Cryptic's earlier effort which ought to appeal to MMO gamers who appreciate being able to express themselves through their character from the offing.

Read more...

In this week's episode of "Game Plan" we've switched up the location and tried a bit of a more laid-back vibe. I think the change was for the better, especially since Tim seems way more comfortable about making fun of me.

Agree with the picks? Any suggestions of your own? Let us know in the comments!

"Champions Online" is developed by Cryptic Studios, the guys behind "City of Heroes." It's hard not to see this game as a direct sequel, as it's a super hero MMO with improved graphics and a broader feature-set. But, obviously, the game has the "Champions" IP to work with, allowing the developers to use the characters and environments introduced in the pen and paper RPG.

Read more...