Played on:
PS2
We've seen plenty of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance clones recently. Interplay, publisher of the original, has pushed out a great sequel and a sub-par adaptation in the Fallout universe. Atari released the very fun Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes, and now Sony is getting in on the action with Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest. It's based on the world of their hit MMORPG, Everquest, although you'll find little in common between this one and the five-year-old online original.
Sony didn't just hire anyone to make CoN, though. They commissioned Snowblind Studios, the developer of the original BG:DA, to make this one. It seems that Snowblind has had their own ideas of where to take this genre that other developers have been reluctant to do. This game is more complex than ever, and it includes four-player action, online play, and even voice chat support when online - if you have a USB headset. On top of all this, there are five characters to try out (as well as both genders for each one), tons of gameplay, and a huge range of items that can be had.
For these types of games, I find I prefer the PS2 controller - the four trigger buttons allow me easier access to potions than having me reach down for the white or black button on the Xbox gamepad. If you've played any of these games before, most of the controls will be familiar. Gone, though, is the ability to jump; instead, that button is a second hotkey for one of your character's special abilities.
BG:DA2 introduced a nice system to allow you access to several abilities easily, and while Snowblind seems to be the leader in innovation for these games, they fell a bit behind here. The directional pad allows you to choose which of your abilities gets assigned to the circle or triangle buttons, but you can only have two abilities assigned at any one time. Actually assigning these abilities is easier, but it's just inconvenient enough to not be worth doing in the middle of a fight. Basically, you're stuck with having only two abilities to pick from at once unless you just want to juggle them quickly.
The venerable Dark Alliance engine gets another go in Champions of Norrath, and Snowblind has done an admirable job making a visually unique game while working with similar special effects and capabilities. While the frame rate would dip and return pretty often, the graphics are top notch - especially considering this is all on the aging PS2 platform.
The playable characters get some new customizations I didn't expect in a game like this; one can pick from various skin tones or tattoo patterns, hair styles and colors, and facial hair for the males. Much of the armor also looks great - even the junk you pick up near the beginning of the game is pretty cool. Overall, the player characters look excellent, and their animations are top notch.
Some of the monsters will be familiar to those who have played Everquest, but most of them are of your standard RPG fare - spiders, orcs, goblins, and that's just to start. You can zoom the camera in to check out the action, and the monsters look pretty good even like this; I'm impressed. Much the same, the environments you traverse include your usual dungeons, forests, and so many other standard RPG areas, but their presentation is excellent.
If you've gotten sick of Dark Alliance-style games, I'll say right now that this one probably won't make you change your mind. It's an evolution of sorts, and while there are some compelling features like internet play and totally randomized items, the core gameplay is pure hack and slash.
You'll start out in the Wood Elf city of Kelethin, defending it from invading orcs and goblins. You'll traverse some places that will be familiar to Everquest players, but they'll probably only recognize the name. Snowblind has totally reworked many aspects of Norrath to their purposes, so don't expect a nostalgic romp through the old EQ zones.
There are a few attempts at comedy in Champions of Norrath, but as usual, the voice actors kill most of that with disappointing delivery. It's just plain hard to be funny with dialogue in a video game, although I guess I can applaud Snowblind for at least making an effort to be cheesy and funny rather than just plan cheesy.
