Sony Online Entertainment’s latest offering comes in the form of Champions of Norrath, a Baldur’s Gate style hack and slash RPG that proves to be even better than the recent Baldur’s Gate sequel. While Champions of Norrath doesn’t accomplish anything terribly new, it takes all of the elements from previous games of this genre and polishes them to perfection. In short, Champions of Norrath is better than Baldur’s Gate and also better in some respects, than the PC mammoth Diablo 2. It has flaws, as most games do, but all of them are small nitpicks that usually have no affect on the overall experience that you can have. Champions of Norrath is the second branch off for the EverQuest series, which had a real time strategy game released late last year called Lords of EverQuest. Just like that game, Champions requires no prior knowledge of the series for you to be able to enjoy it and it also expands the lore of Norrath for those who do play the PC online RPG. The game is a long and satisfying adventure that can be shared with your best buddies down the street or with people you have never even met before online, but one thing is for certain, this is not your typical EverQuest.  

The plot that you follow in Champions of Norrath is not as deep as most games of the genre, but this is not an issue considering that EverQuest has always relied on its lore to outline its games rather than fleshed out storylines. You begin by choosing your character from a group of five races and classes and then you set out on a journey to defend the Wood Elf city of Kelethin . If that sounded familiar to you, then you probably have played the PC version of EverQuest. There are many references to creatures, items, towns and spells in Champions, which will make the veteran fans feel right at home. The gameplay is your basic hack and slash affair with some minor changes here and there. Each of the weapons found in the game can inflict a certain amount of damage based on their points rating. How long a character lasts in battle is determined by the strength of the armor that it has equipped. Being able to place armor on many different sections of your character gives you a certain amount of freedom in customizing its strengths and weaknesses. Your character then sets out to complete quests and clear various dungeons scattered along the game world. As creatures are slain, your experience bar increases until you reach the next level. At that point you will be able to assign points to stats like Strength and Stamina. These statistics are the defining factor of your character. No matter the weapons you have equipped, they are nothing if your character lacks the initial strength points. You also have skill points at your disposal which will make new spells available to you, like fire arrows, or a spell to help increase the chances of landing critical hits. 

The magic and battle system can be as deep as you make them out to be. It is possible to go through the entire game without making massive changes to your equipment, but to create a strong fighter; you really need to find the equipment that fits the character best. Speaking of equipment, Champions is full of many different items. You will find over ten thousand randomly generated items throughout the game including weapons, armor and potions. This not only guarantees that every character will be different in some way, but it will also change how you are able to deal with the creatures that your warrior must face. Not only that, but you can perform killer combos by mixing and matching your physical attacks and spells. Throughout the game’s large forty-five levels you will come across quite a few boss battles. It must be said that the bosses in Champions are some of the most entertaining gaming experiences you can have and definitely for the genre. Each boss is intimidating and requires strategy and thought to be slain and that is something very much missing from most games today. The queen ant for example will have many small ants hover around her for support and you must decide who you wish to take out first. It’s the little things like this, which make Champions worth the dedication.

 Champions should take most seasoned gamers about thirty hours to complete and slightly more for the casual folks, but what makes the game great aside from a nice random dungeon generator, is that you have the option of playing with a friend, or going online. The multiplayer aspect of Champions is slick, polished and wildly fun. If you have a young brother or sister, it is a must to play this with them because teamwork is very effective in Champions and you can literally spend hours playing and fiddling with items and weapons. Champions also features an online portion which allows you to join up to three other players on SOE’s very own server, and for free. Yes, unlike EverQuest, there is no monthly fee to play online and you may choose to host servers or join ones that belong to others. For the most part gameplay is smooth, but on lower connections lag can effect everyone in the game. Multiplayer and the online section are definitely going to be points that make Champions stand out in a world where games like Fallout and Baldur’s Gate still only support two players.  

In all honesty, Champions is a looker. Developer Snowblind has tweaked its famous engine to feature even more special effects and texture work than before. Character models are colorful, clean and detailed and the environments scream ambience. While walking through the Queen Ant’s lair you will come across larvae that are squirming around on the ground as you pass which is just one example. The level of detail placed into the game makes things like this stand out. Aside from the signature spell effects, you can also expect to see some amazing lighting. The caverns light up and respond perfectly to spells, slashes and explosions making even the darkest cavern light up in all of its corners. Enemy models are sometimes repetitive in their usage but it is completely forgivable considering the type of game that this is. Aside from some minor framerate hiccups here and there, the visual presentation of Champions is top notch. The beautifully orchestrated music fits the settings and situations perfectly and the music shows that there was considerable thought put into the ambience and feeling of the game which is also supported by some excellent sound effects. From swords clanking to barrels exploding, the game has no shortages of ear stimulants. The voice acting in Champions of Norrath is also quite exemplary and doesn’t feel forced or cheesy. Overall SOE did a great job with giving you the feeling of being a true warrior in the world of Norrath.  

In the end, you cannot help but wonder why recent games like Baldur’s Gate 2 and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel failed to surpass their heritage and how a game like Champions of Norrath can do that and more. Regardless of how you feel about the MMORPG, if you liked Diablo and Baldur’s Gate then this is surely the game to get. And if you are inching your way into the genre, then Champions is also the best way to start. If the Playstation 2 had any heavy hitters these first two months of 2004, then Champions of Norrath was definitely it and it only goes to show that just because it may not have the reputation in the action genre that BG did, it doesn’t mean it can’t be a much better game, which is everything it turned out to be and more.