I've just played a bit of the Open Beta to Champions Online this past weekend and my initial reactions are a definite 'meh' (if a 'meh' can be definite). Other people are raving about it but it didn't do anything for me, I'm afraid.
Some of my problems with it were:
- I died.
It was too chaotic, with dozens of people all crowded into fairly small bits of landscape all going for the same enemies.
I died a lot.
The character creation was bugged for me so I couldn't get the design I wanted (though others clearly didn't have that problem).
I died even more (and I'd stopped caring).
On the plus side, you get your 'travel power' early. I choose flight because that was always my favourite in City of Heroes. It certainly feels more fluid than CoH - the character models move more naturally. It is a shame that you have to hover along for a good 10-15 seconds before you pick up full speed, though.
If I gave Champions Online more time it would probably grow on me. A lot of my problems are probably down to my lack of understanding. If so, they've failed to introduce me well enough. They've also failed to sell me on the game in the first 3 hours. Unless a free 14 day trial comes up I'm not likely to give it a second look. Certainly I won't be putting any money its way until my thoughts change on it and the free Beta ends today, so they are out of time.
It is a shame, I enjoyed City of Heroes (a month or two at a time) but Champions Online (its unofficial sequel) failed to do anything but disappoint me.