We checked out two of the biggest superhero MMORPGs on the market right now for our latest MatchUp; SOE's DC Universe Online and Cryptic/Perfect World's Champions Online, both big contenders for the title of undisputed superhero MMORPG, but when it came to comparisons which game ended up being Batman and who was Robin?
Both games have their own longstanding franchise, no doubt with the wide range of media and immersion within popular culture DC has the bigger following and is the better known of the two; Champions being a relatively unknown franchise for anyone outside of the tabletop RPG industry where the game was pretty much the best on the market for superhero RPGs in its day. Being a big franchise has both its draws and its setbacks, of course many people who love the DC comics can get pretty excited with the idea of fighting alongside their favourite comic book heroes, particularly with the release of new movies; however invariably the hype people build up in their heads doesn't quite get lived up to in the game, particularly with DC Universe Online, that doing missions for the "big guys" (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, The Joker and Circe) and helping other famous faces along the way sometimes makes you feel like a sidekick and not a superhero in your own right helping save the day. In contrast as Champions is pretty unknown by most, those interacting with the "famous faces" can easily feel as important as them and be more immersed in the world as opposed to feeling in their shadows.
So aside from the world that players are surrounded by we reckon, at least in our own opinion, that for many people the most important aspect of playing a superhero MMORPG is being able to recreate that awesome concept you have in your head and bringing them to life within the game; for this we look at two things: how the character looks and what exactly they can do!
How the character looks is, in both games, pretty much defined at character creation where the costume you create for your character is pretty much set in stone unless you choose otherwise; acquiring and equipping new gear doesn't necessarily change the look of the character, unlike other MMORPGs, so players retain that idea they had. However, how easy is it to create that look in the first place? Well when it comes to character options both have an extensive list of costume pieces to choose from, practically everything you can think of with multiple costume components from gloves, capes, hoods, masks, skin styles, auras, you'd be hard pushed to not be able to make at least a relatively close match to any superhero you can think of with either system. The devil is in the detail though and this is what separates the two and, in many ways, makes Champions Online stand head and shoulders above DCUO and makes it many players preferred MMORPG. With DCUO when a player has chosen all their different costume pieces and the size/shape of their superhero from the pre-set templates, they have to choose three focal colours, from the primary, the secondary and the tertiary, which automatically recolours your superhero costume so that it matches and doesn't look like a dog vomited up a box of Crayola on you. Champions Online allows just that, the ability to individually colour each costume piece, not only the piece but individual aspects of the piece and have multiple colours and more detail, from choosing your hair style and giving pink highlights and orange lowlights, as well as having multiple sliders to define your characters shape and size. Both systems are good, one is far superior than the other.
Things go a similar way with the available powers; both games use some variation of a "Power Set" a category of powers based around a certain theme e.g. gadgets, fire, ice and other groups that will define the type of superhero abilities you have access to. DCUO uses these Power Sets like classes, each class can primarily deal DPS making a superhero capable of standing on their own, but also acts as a secondary class e.g. tank, healer, to make them more effective in a group when combined with other players, and so players choose an individual class. That said in DCUO players do also get to choose a weapon that they will primarily use as well as their Powers Set, such as a rifle ala The Punisher, a bow like the Green Arrow or just good old martial arts and brawling like Batman. Champions Online have taken a different route where players can pick and choose different powers from different Power Sets to make their preferred skills based on the type of superhero they want, however players get benefits and bonuses for focusing more powers from a particular Power Set. Second to all this is actually how your character gets about, DCUO has the main travel powers that you would expect: flight, acrobatics (super jumping), superspeed and skimming (using a hoverboard type item), whilst Champions Online has these and more, totalling 15 in total (with a few falling into a similar camp eg. different variations of flying) but overall there’s at least three times more travel powers such as swinging ala Spider-Man, Teleporting and Tunnelling. Overall we have to give it up to Champions Online to create the type of superhero that you may have designed in your head.
Gameplay is a little different, for us we feel that both games had quite grindy quests, not always that fun and a lot of the environments felt pretty vacant like the city had evacuated as opposed to having the hustle and bustle you would hope of a place like Metropolis. Graphically they look okay, DCUO definitely having the edge and being available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, whereas in places Champions Online is starting to show its age, rescued only by the comic book style of the graphics. Though DCUO was on the PC prior to console it does have a more action styled combat system that lends itself well both to a console game and using a controller, whereas Champions Online can be a little tedious and uninspiring, so gameplay we would generally have to hand it over to DCUO as having the edge. That said whilst players can choose to be a superhero or a super villain in DCUO, we do love the Nemesis System from Champions Online where players are able to design their own NPC Nemesis, the same as they would design their own character complete with their own costume, powers and name. From here the Nemesis will continue to hunt down the player, sending henchmen after them and usually when they are fighting other enemies, as players work through a plot line that results in a final fight and sending the mastermind off to jail (and players can simply make a new Nemesis for themselves and start all over again).
So do you get your money's worth? Well, both games offer a $14.99 subscription with Champions Online offering access to some perks, a few costumes but reportedly the majority of the stuff still being trapped behind micro-transaction pay walls. Whereas for $14.99 in DCUO this gives players the SOE AllAcces subscription which not only gives them a ton of benefits including all DLC content, tons of extra costumes, free premium currency, market discounts and more, but also gives similar types of bonuses for other SOE MMOs with a catch-all subscription for if there’s other SOE games that you play, which is pretty cool. Players can gain access to more stuff with the Lifetime Membership for Champions Online, which gives them access to all available content, whereas DC Universe Online offers a cheaper subscription if you sign up for longer periods (12 months for $9.99).
Ultimately which is the best game for you is completely personal choice, if DCUO had the character customisation that Champions Online has then we'd say DCUO is the winner outright, unfortunately it doesn't and the appeal of having that amount of control of your character in Champions Online does tip the scales back the other way. Both games offer a different experience to players, so if you are interested then we'd recommend trying them both out as they are free to play after all.
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