Champions:

Return to Arms

PS2

Before reviewing Champions, I had never played any other Norath games, but I was never lost in the story. Actually, I feel the complete lack of story may have been a strong point.

For some, this game will be a testosterone-fueled trip of continuous hacking and slashing. Those gamers, myself included, will be perfectly happy being a barbarian. For those who want to cast spells and use that silly mana stuff, this game will be about customizing a character’s moves and armor until your fighting style is in sync.

Champions allows you to play with up to four people. This way, as a barbarian, you can team up with your mana-hugging buddies, the wizards, and use some strategy. This is hours of fun, but it needs some work. Only two players can have their equipment screens visible at one time. Not one of the 14 buttons on the controller allows you to hand an item to another player. This means that for every hour you spend killing, you spend 10 minutes dropping items on the ground for someone else to pick up and equip. This created a serious lull in my continuous barbarian-killing-monsters-with-sword/ax time.

Although I never had enough time to play the game both as a good and bad guy, I‘m aware of the choices you get to make that affect which levels you play. I also never experienced online play. But according to Electronic Gaming Monthly, you benefit by playing the online mode after you have beaten the game offline.

All flaws aside, this game is worth your time if you’re a fan of hack and slashes or Diablo-esque games.

Grade: B+