Champions Online Gameplay Trailer

IGN has an exclusive first look at Cryptic’s recently announced Champions Online, with a few bits of info and a debut trailer.

Though Cryptic is remaining, well, cryptic about the details of character creation, a few details have been revealed. Champions Online’s motto is “total customization.” Along with fully customizable costumes, you’ll also be able to put your own creative stamp on your characters’ powers. This includes selecting the appearance of your powers. Want the Crimson Commando to have a red force field and an energy blast that’s a jet of hot flames? You can do so with Champions Online. If the character creation system is anything like the tabletop game, you will also be able to select specific advantages and limitations for your powers to turn a set of common base powers into something unique to your character.

Champions Online takes the character creation a step farther by having you also design your hero’s arch nemesis. You choose your adversary’s name, powers and costume. Remember, a foil is often the reflection of his or her darker half. Whoever you create will torment you throughout your superhero career.

Cryptic promises thousands of heroes will be online at one time, each with their own arch nemesis (along with many other enemies and threats). Those thousands of PCs and NPCs won’t be crowded into a single city. Instead, Cryptic is tapping into the vast Champions universe for its MMO. You may live in futuristic Millennium City, but you’ll travel to Canada, the moon, the underwater city of Lemuria, and the mystical dimension Qliphotic. Make sure your passport is up to date.