After we were done playing virtual Barbie (excuse me, I mean virtual superhero construction), we got a taste of the first missions. Anyone who’s already in the beta is familiar, but this is your basic training mission – you learn combat, communications, etc. by helping out in the midst of a citywide crisis. Ho-hum stuff, but Roper made it all interesting by discussing the ways in which the usual tutorial shtick is bypassed. Here, players can still feel powerful while they learn the ropes of the interface, without having to go kill “x number of rats” to start out the game.

Things picked up considerably after we were shown some of the more interesting locales and missions – and the food arrived. We were taken through a multi-part mission that involved some giant telescope repair, a co-op boss battle, and a few in-engine cinemas.

Immediately after, Roper showed us some very funky looking terrain, including underwater, Dinosaur-Island and ice planet locales. New characters and new transportation modes – including a Tarzan-esque rope-swinging tool, a hyper speed run, a hover board and a hilarious Bugs Bunny burrowing technique were introduced – and Roper indicated that you can choose and level up any mode you’d like in order to get around, based on what you feel best suits the character you’ve created.

Certainly the coolest and most innovative feature that was introduced was the ability to create an arch villain that levels up with your hero, keeping things interesting at all times. You get to choose your nemesis’ motivation (vengeance is a biggie) and the look of their minions, and throughout your campaign, you’ll hear of his/her evil exploits.

It’s genius – how else will you ever feel like a real superhero without a worthy super villain? What would Batman be without the Joker? Superman without Lex Luthor? Marcia Brady without Jan Brady?

The team at Cryptic has clearly learned quite a bit from City of Heroes. Everything about Champions represents a refinement of the genre – and a testament to player choice and freedom. Everything from the dropped items to the ability to wear a pink-feathered cape to the way you can design your own worst enemy is designed to fit into your own preferences and themes that you’ve chosen. We’ll find out this September if this one has the power to contend with Heroes and the upcoming DC Universe Online.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you . And, in case you missed it, check out our Q&A with Senior Game Designer Randy Mosiondz .