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News: FACEOFF:D&D Heores vs. Champions of Norrath
Posted: 2003-09-07 21:18:26 |
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FACEOFF
Welcome XBOXActive attendees for another installment of Faceoff! Where two games get thrown into the gauntlet and only one will emerge with your hard earned praise! As always before we get to this? weeks exciting match-up let?s take a look at the results of last weeks aerial confrontation!
Recap: Last time Factor 5?s Rogue Squadron 3 tried to defend its? territory against newcomer Fasa Studio?s and their Crimson Skies: HRTR! While Skies won the altercation with 60% of the votes it's clear that this Microsoft Games title has some airborne hurtles to overcome if it wants to really fly high, as my man Tomcatm16 details in our new Quote of the Show highlight
Kudos all the way Hedgehog for this week?s Faceoff! I may have to go undecided because I?ve never really played a Star Wars game. Upon further review my decision is?..Rebel Strike because I may be biased like Razeon but I won?t waste a vote on a game that has nothing but hype going for it. Crimson Skies could be worse than Brute Force which sold out on the hype which I didn?t buy into. Hype doesn?t turn my wheels, quality does and Rebel Strike has the advantage there. So I vote for Star Wars Rebel Strike Hedgehog Boy.
OUCH! Clearly Tomcat is the kind of guy who doesn?t pass judgment on a game till he?s got it on his own TV screen! Well we don?t have long to wait for the final test of Crimson Skies, but in the meantime we?ve got a new match to look into so let?s GET IT ON!
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes
vs.
Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest
The Rivalry: If you?re in the market for a good Action-RPG this holiday season then you?ve got plenty to choose from, unless of course you only own a Gamecube! But while both PS2 and XBOX owners can enjoy the next installment in the Dark Alliance franchise both consoles have their own exclusive hack?n slashers in the works. Each of these titles are out to suck up your money and your life, but perhaps never before have I paired off two titles who claim the same Genre slot, yet play so totally unlike each other!
Profile: Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes
Publisher: Atari
Developer: MicroProse Studio
Origin: U.S.A
Release Date: 9/20/2003
History: Based on the 3?rd addition rules for one of the most popular pen & paper games of all time Heroes has a rather unusual history for an XBOX exclusive. The title was originally unveiled for all consoles late in 2002 and then went XBOX exclusive shortly after this year?s E3! MicroProse never cited any real reason for the change other than wanting to develop the XBOX version to its full potential. Well we?re certainly not going to argue with them, XBOX loves every exclusive it can get don?t you know!
Storyline: You think these Atari boys have watched the Evil Dead series one too many times? I mean not only is the ultimate bad guy already dead, but so are you?! Heroes tells a tale of how the evil Lord Kaden was defeated by four heroes 150 years ago. Now, some dopy cleric has resurrected Kaden thinking that he can control the evil lord. Naturally as all undead evil lords do, Kaden killed the twerp and has picked up the whole wreaking havoc bit right where he left off. Normally this is the time for some heroes to rise up and stop this walking corpse, and they literally do just that. The people perform some mystic mojo of their own and resurrect the four dead heroes that stopped Kaden before in hopes that they can do it again!
Concept: Heroes has a lot in common with Midway?s Gauntlet franchise, and Sonic Team?s addictive PSO in that all the action is on the battlefield. You can choose as one of four heroes, a Warrior, Cleric, Rogue, and Wizard. During the course of the game you?ll chase Kaden through seven distinct environments broken down into around four zones, nearly thirty areas in all. Oddly enough there?s not one shop or safe haven along your root, all your healing and item grabbing is done out in the field. Gamers are also stuck with the same weapon they begin the game with, but don?t fret. All weapons can be upgraded and customized with different runestones you?ll find along the way. These stones can give the weapon special properties like ice, or enhance a specific attribute like strength! Speaking of attributes the game follows a streamlined version of D&D 3?rd addition. So each character has plenty of stuff to learn. Each time you gain a level you can enhance or learn any of 40 combat moves and attributes, each character also has specific moves that only he or she can learn.
Gameplay: Accessibility is of great importance for the team behind Heroes and you can therefore totally customize the control scheme! All the face buttons are programmable, just like PSO and you can put them in any combination of attacks and actions that you like! In a very unique touch you can actually modify your control scheme on the fly without halting the game! Just pull the R trigger and the game will enter a sort of Isometric bullet-time which will give you some precious moments to equip what you need to equip. Combat itself is fast and frantic, enemies are relentless and there are a whole lot of them to play with! Gamers primarily use a mixture of magic and combat moves but can also use some unique items and powerups, also on occasion you can linkup with other players for a lethal combo moves!
Multiplayer: Heroes is all about multiplayer! Not only is your character mobile so you can download him onto a memory card, but you can pop in and join a game over at your buddy?s crib anytime you want! The layout for multiplayer is pretty standard for an action-RPG like this and is very reminiscent of Hunter the Reckoning! Gamers will probably need all the help they can get as many of the baddies in Heroes require one hell of a pounding before finally going down. Now if only XBOX Live support was present! I know you got a deadline and all MicroProse, but believe me will wait if necessary!
Graphics & Sound: With that boxy yellow stamp now on the cover, Heroes has received a serious facial overhaul the last few months. Don?t believe most screenshots, this game is very impressive. Bump mapping is everywhere and the particle effects from all the spells will probably put at least one person into spasms! Animations have also been seriously smoothed out, that counts for both you and the enemies by the way! Music wise you know what to expect from a game like this. Epic and frantic background tunes that hopefully won?t become to intrusive as the game goes on!
Biggest Strength: Feeling like a cross between two of the most addictive games I?ve ever laid my hands on Heroes has the potential to consume many a Friday nights for you and your buddies. XBOX is known for bringing gamers together and this title will do just that!
Biggest Weakness: XBOX is also known for Live, and without it Heroes may not measure up to Microsoft?s tough crowd!
Profile: Champions of Norrath: Realms of Everquest
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Developer: Snowblind Studios
Origin: U.S.A
Release Date: 11/25/2003
History: The 1999 MMORPG Everquest is known for ending marriages, shattering relationships, and family counseling sessions. To sum the franchise up in two words, really addictive! After about half-a-dozen expansion packs and on the eve of a true sequel Sony is making several spin-offs of the franchise. Alongside an RTS is Champions of Norrath! Developed by the same team that made the original Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance the title definitely has some experience behind the wheel! So how exactly is this team going to turn a franchise known for its complexity into a game of simplicity? Let?s examine.
Storyline: What Storyline? Actually even though the game is only a few months from release the plot of Champions is still under lock and key! Snowblind actually has quite a challenge on its hands crafting an involving and linear storyline into a world that?s as open-ended as Everquest! We do know that the game will span roughly 50 levels, and will be broken up into chapters a lot like Baldur?s Gate: Dark Alliance was!
Concept: When it comes to recreating the way the world of Everquest feels to gamers this team is off to a great start. There are several hub towns in the game based off actual locales from the MMO. These range from the Wood Elves treetop city of Kelethin, to the human port of Qeynos! Inside the towns you can buy items, obtain side quests, and talk to villagers. Outside of these hubs thing get interesting, as all dungeons in the game will be randomly generated from one of forty separate graphic sets. Random generation might seem like a bizarre way to depict the environments of a persistent online game; but as anyone who has traveled across Norrath?s vast continents will tell you, there?s not much out there! While I would have loved to see all the races of Everquest available to play, sadly only five are playable. You can choose from a Barbarian Warrior, a Wood Elf Ranger, a High Elf Cleric, and a Dark Elf Shadow Knigh, strange no humans! Sadly it doesn?t appear that any of the new races from some of Everquest?s expansion packs, like the Iksar, will be in Champions!
Gameplay: Gameplay in Champions is a lot like that found in Dark Alliance, no surprise there! Characters will gain experience points for killing monster and completing quests. When you level up you will earn skill points that can be spent on stats or to move your character along their own skill tree. On of the few things that this game has in common with heroes is the customizability of you weapons! The title uses a Prefix and Suffix system for modifying weapons, unlike heroes however you can buy and equip different weapons! The games control scheme is also like Dark Alliance; you attack with X, can scroll through spells with the D-Pad, the square button is you action button, and all the R and L buttons are used for things like potion swigging, auto maps, and weapon switching. Actually playing Champions feels a lot like Dark Alliance, are we noticing a pattern here? You?ll hack lots of enemies, firing a bow still feels a little awkward, and even the barbarian warrior has a few spell like attacks??
Multiplayer: Now here?s a first, were covering online play and it?s not on the XBOX game! Champions can be enjoyed by four players, either by using a multi-tap, or logging online with either a broadband or dial-up connection. Note should be made if you?ve got narrowband that this will likely be one of the last games to support your connection so enjoy it while you can! Online, it?s nice to have the TV all to yourself, and the game provides a fluid online experience. This is a very good thing, as the screen begins to look a little crowded when you?re playing this game with four buddies on a couch.
Graphics & Sound: Snowblind coaxed a lot out of the PS2?s hardware the last time they did an Action-RPG and this time they?re pushing the envelope even farther! The game possesses the same gorgeous water and textures found in Dark Alliance; but with the added bonus of a higher polygon budget and cleaner environments. It?s hard to judge how the melodramatic tunes in Champions will fit the Everquest world, as Norrath has always been a quiet land! Voices are also being added for the first time in an Everquest title, although they hadn?t been finished when the game was last showed off.
Greatest Strength: Online play is a definite plus, and Snowblind?s track record with this genre speaks for itself. The very well known Everquest brand on the cover is also sure to attract a few fans of the MMO over as well.
Greatest Weakness: The game might be a little too much like Dark Alliance for its own good! If Snowblind doesn?t distinguish this game enough it?ll end up just being passed over in favor of the Baldur?s Gate sequel. Snowblind also has the incredible challenge of faithfully recreating a very beloved online world within the confines of an Action-RPG, not an envious task.
Conclusion: Wow tough call! This one might just come down to the gamers own personal tastes, and opinions on how an Action-RPG should feel. D&D Heroes feels much fresher and more original, yet without online play it may get little attention. Champions has the online play and an excellent pedigree, but it feels way too much like another game on the way! Cast your vote in the comments section and remember. If all else fails, just get Dark Alliance 2!
Preview: DAG YO! It?s that time of the year when the slopes of mountains everywhere are covered with suicidal maniacs strapped to a plank of wood! Next time on Faceoff we highlight two fall Snowbaording games that want to knock each other off the slopes. Be back here in a few weeks to see Nintendo?s 1080? Avalanche take on Microsoft?s Amped 2!
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Author: Daemonar :: 2003-09-08 13:30:32
I think D&D Heroes will be a good game, but without the live support, there is really nothing that distinguishes it from BG:II DA. So unless they make the game XBL compatible I will just purchase BG:II.
Author: Tomcatm16 :: 2003-09-08 09:45:50
Thanks for the quote of the show Hedgehog Boy! In fact you hit the bullseye dead center on about the way I view games.
Now to the poll this vote could go either ways if I owned a PS2 but, I am going to vote for D&D Heroes. If Champions of Norrath didn't have live this poll wouldn't be a challenge. Besides the name is horrible you'd think that this is a gamecube :P title. D&D also has another advantage that some may have overlooked the release date. So when Champions of Norrath comes out for $50. Dungeons and Dragons will be selling copies for $35 on e-bay! Besides who would want to buy a rehashed game for the PS2?!!
Author: Exzir :: 2003-09-08 06:49:07
What I like abo9ut d&d heroes is that someone can pop into the world at anytime and leave at anytime. Another big toot is that your able to play the same charters all fighters if you want. DA did not have this and that was something that I hated about it. With four different charters and wide trees to build up it is going to be a hit. I never realy dug everquest to well so there is not pull here. Everquest was a charge (buy) the month type thing. Well all I hope everything works out but I choose D&D heroes. Not becuase of it is an xbox game but I never really required it to be a online game. My rpg thing is with 4 people in the same room.
Author: Razeon :: 2003-09-08 03:02:50
From what I hear i would have to go with Champions. With it's random maps, skill trees(branching?), and online play this game reminds me of the highly addictive Diablo 2. Though D&D heroes sounds like a blast and im sure I will be buying it sometime. My vote is Champions.
Author: fadetoblack :: 2003-09-08 00:26:04
Not what I meant, I meant the majority of Xbox Live owners would dismiss the title.
Author: SoF gamer :: 2003-09-07 22:18:07
fadetoblack
most Xbox owners don't have Xbox Live! Duh! There are like 9,500,000 Xbox owners without Live.
Author: fadetoblack :: 2003-09-07 21:52:00
Like Hedgehog stated, most Xbox owners have Xbox Live. However, for those few who lack Live (such as myself), Dungeons and Dragons will definitely be the definitive action-adventure title to beat (even when compared to BG2). However, the idea of online Gauntlet Legends like action is too hard to resist. My vote goes to Champions, but I'll probably pick up D&D when the price drops.
Author: Bender :: 2003-09-07 21:51:13
Since D&D heroes isn't online cabable, I will strictly only judge their offline multiplayer aspects. Which in case I vote for....... D&D Heroes!
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News: FACEOFF:D&D Heores vs. Champions of Norrath
