Having scored critical and commercial success with the superhero-themed MMOs City of Heroes and City of Villains, Cryptic Studios once again turns to the world of comic books for another persistent world RPG in Champions Online. Earth is practically being held hostage by Doctor Destroyer, a megalomaniacal supervillain who will stop at nothing to assert his dominion over the world -- as evidenced by his 1992 obliteration of Detroit. Fortunately, humanity has Defender and The Champions on its side, but they cannot save the world by themselves, and thus gamers are enlisted to create their own superhero personas and join in the fight to protect mankind. Players choose a unique identity and select from hundreds of different costumes, accessories, body types, and superpowers, then set about fighting evil using Champions Online's action-based combat system that promises battles more akin to console games than traditional MMOs. No superhero is complete without a nemesis though, so gamers also get to design a supervillain who will bedevil them as they travel to a number of different locations, from the shining metropolis Millennium City, to the underwater realm of Lemuria.
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