Champions: Return to Arms

"Champions: Return to Arms has a ton of flaws, but those who look past them will find one of the best games for the genre released in recent times."

Champions of Norrath: The Realms of Everquest was an amazing game. Simply put, it was one of the best action/RPGs released on the Playstation 2. Now, well over a year later, its “sequel” Champions: Return to Arms has been released upon the gaming community. The game is amazing, but the problems of Return to Arms are noticeable from the get go. It plays very similar to its predecessor and the difficulty is somewhat of a problem. However, those looking for a great multiplayer game need not look further.

Action/RPGs now of days seem to copy each other in every way shape and form; this is no different in Return to Arms. The gameplay is extremely close to that of Diablo 2 and is an exact replica of the original Champions of Norrath. Hitting the X button will tell your character to attack, circle and triangle launch magic attacks and the square button remains your primary action key. The seemingly copy of the gameplay from the first Champions of Norrath doesn't really seem to be a massive problem however, since the gameplay system is fluid, fast-paced, easy to learn and ludicrously fun.

Like in action/RPGs past, you are able to outfit your character in the latest medieval fashions. Everything from swords, to staffs to plates of armor are all available at your disposal. Just like Diablo 2, each character has a skill tree in which they can pour skill points into. Once you learn a particular skill you are able to go deeper into the skill tree. To boost, the character variety is sheer bliss for fans of this genre. The classic five characters have returned and two new races and classes have joined the roster as well. Players may now choose from a warrior, cleric, shadowknight, ranger, sorcerer, berserker or shaman to reek down pain on their enemies with.

Playing the game with friends multiplies the fun factor by ten and the online play is a welcomed added bonus. (For people with broadband.) In addition to all of this, the simple gameplay mechanics are a welcomed treat. The gameplay mechanics consists of your character (or your character along with a few of your friend's characters) running around killing everything and anything that moves. The formula stays the same throughout. You walk, you kill an enemy, you gain experience, you level up and you did it all over again until you character reaches level 80 or you just get sick of playing.

Again this is wonderful… if you're playing multiplayer. However, single player gamers are going to be in for one of the toughest action/RPGs ever created. The enemies don't get easier on a single player game and the experience gained seems to almost drop in amount compared to multiplayer games. This isn't so much a challenge as it is a pain. In addition to all of this, the glitches are some of the worst ever experienced in a video game to date. All of the hatred for the glitches in the first game are back to haunt gamers all over again for the second coming. In the midst of a quest it's not rare to have the loading screen freeze on you, have your character begin to disappear or have some area-maps fail to load properly. This is an annoyance beyond words. Owners of new Playstation 2s seem to have fewer problems with all of this, but it's still an inexcusable act on the developer's part.

This is basically a shame, because Champions: Return to Arms is simply phenomenal. The multi-player is grand and you truly feel a sense of accomplishment every time your character levels up. As your character grows in strength, the cooler the spells and weapons become and it's an overall satisfying experience. The unique creatures you fight are also a welcoming. Fans of the old game can even import their character from Champions of Norrath into Return to Arms allowing you to start your quest right where you left off. Those who are willing to look past (or at least deal with) all of the glitches will find a lot, and I mean a lot, to love with the gameplay mechanics of this great RPG.

The storyline is well told, but also cliched. It's your job yet again to save Norrath and defeat all the creatures that reside within its various planes. The story is told well and detailed, if you're able to follow it. Just like in Champions of Norrath, the storyline in Return to Arms often seems mundane and lacks heavily in the cut-scene department. Rather then a beautiful FMV, the developers plucked in random text to tell the story of Return to Arms. Just like in games previous, you will more likely be concerned with leveling up your character rather than the past life of an NPC. Those who do have the patience to follow the story line will find an interesting tale to be told, despite its slow pace.

The in-game graphics are beautiful and well detailed. The spells, while simple in graphical design, are fluid and colorful as are the unique creatures featured throughout. Your characters are also animated well. The character designs are simply “cool” to look at as your fighter grows more powerful and the battle animations are fast and animated accurately to suit the battle style of your current tool of destruction. The design team worked hard on the overall graphical interface, and it's easy to notice the hard work they put in. Although it's only a slight improvement from the first game, the graphics are still some of the best for the genre and remain beautiful and unique throughout the entire adventure you will undertake.

The sound and music in Champions: Return to Arms is easy on the ears. The sound effects in battle are well done and have almost no slowdowns; if your character hits an enemy then you know that they took damage, if you block a weapon then you will hear the clank of your shield as it hits your opposing force's steel. The music, while cliched, strays far from annoying. The voice actors are also accurate to the character they play, although the dialogue read could've been a lot better. There are some glitches in sound however, you will often be walking through a level and the music will suddenly die on you for no apparent reason. Along with this, the sound effects on your enemy's behalf often do not match the creature you are fighting. In general however, Snowblind Studios worked hard on the sound department of this game and it's easy to see this throughout.

All and all, Champions: Return to Arms is a good sequel to an amazing game, but the glitches just throw it down almost single handedly from being perfect. You'll have a lot of fun with this massive action/RPG title and fans of the genre will be right at home. You'll want to play this game over and over again. Multiplayer is simply addicting and online play is like a drug. The new features like player versus player aren't all that great, but the classic gameplay system is where it's at and you'll find yourself playing well into the night to gain that one last level, finish that one last quest or find that one last item you need to complete your character.

Now that I've said my piece about Champions: Return to Arms, let's jump into the scores.

Gameplay 9/10
Story Line 6/10
Graphics 9/10
Sound 8/10
Fun Factor 9/10
Replay Value 8/10

A score will be given on the pros and cons in the game, this score will be called the Tilt. If there are more pros than the Tilt will be high, if there are more cons, than expect the score to be low. This will help achieve a more accurate final rating.

Level Up!
+ Hours Of Fun Gameplay
+ Huge Array Of Character Classes To Choose From
+ Multiplayer Is Some Of The Best In The Genre
+ Unique Enemies
+ Characters Become “Cool” At Higher Levels
+ Online Play Is Addicting
+ New Spells At Your Disposal
+ You Can Import Character From The First Game
+ Fast Action And Fluid Controls
+ Gorgeous Graphics And Sound

Where Will You Be Placing Your Skill Points? (Neutrals)
O Gameplay Is A Carbon Copy Of The First Champions
O Certain Character Classes Will Become Repetitious In Gameplay
O Takes A Long Time To Level Up At High Levels

Your Character Has Died!
- Single Player Game Is Somewhat Dull And Ridiculously Hard
- The Storyline Is Tough To Follow
- Use Of Text Over Cut-Scenes
- New Features Like Player Versus Player Need More Work
- Voice Actors Often Have Boring Scripts
- Loading Screen Sometimes Freezes
- Absolutely Terrible Glitches That Were Not Fixed From The First Game
- Online Play Sometimes Lags
- Don't Have The Freedom To Import Characters In Mid-Game

Final Tilt Score 6/10

Champions: Return to Arms is a great action/RPG with few noticeable gameplay flaws. Those who can look past the glitches will love the finished product. Multiplayer is also the best for the genre and fans of the original game will be right at home with Return to Arms. Those who expect an original and unique action/RPG need to look somewhere else, but other gamers who want a fun time with a few friends and would like a game with a deep role-playing engine that features fast controls and addictive gameplay need to pick up a copy of Champions: Return to Arms as soon as possible. The product they find behind the fancy packaging will be one that can be played and enjoyed for hours and hours on end.

Overall Final Grade For Champions: Return to Arms 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/10/05