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Issue 3 of Whiteout available for Champions Online players
No job ever goes quite right, no matter how well you plan it. It's as true in Champions Online as it is anywhere else, and it's certainly the case in the latest installment of the Whiteout series. After all, the first two issues made it plenty clear that heroes would have their hands full dealing with a downed alien spacecraft, but now things are going from bad to worse for the Steelhead soldiers and the player characters. It seems there's another player involved in the game who hopes to get in on the wrecked ship... As with previous installments of the series, the new issue can be played by any character over level 11 and provides special rewards in addition to the usual mission benefits. But if you've already played through the mission, you can take a look at the game's latest Art Corner, which shows off the design of the mechanical antagonists plaguing the newest mission installment (and the subsequent ones as well, most likely).
New Champions Online Whiteout comic series content debuts
Comic book geeks rejoice! Well, digital comic book geeks, that is. Champions Online has just announced the first issue of its second Comic Series content update. The new stuff is called Whiteout, and like the previous series (Aftershock), it spans multiple weekly issues that take the form of free content packs. The Champions website says that Comic Series are designed to take you on an "exciting adventure in which you'll encounter new creatures and environments, all the while playing through an intriguing story." The new Whiteout series is accessible to players at level 11 or higher, and on top of the new narrative you'll get special issue rewards and item drops as you progress.
New video diary outlines designing comic series for Champions Online
The second comic series for Champions Online is just around the corner, but before it launches, the team at Cryptic Studios has a few things to say about the design of these missions. After all, the comic series work a bit differently from normal missions or even the older adventure packs -- it's designed to feel more like a short arc for a comic book. In a new video diary, the team explores not only how the arcs are put together but some of what players can expect from the second series. As players of the game are no doubt familiar with, the comic series place a heavy emphasis on keeping the trappings of a comic book alive, which was one of the major goals in designing the arcs. Whiteout, the second arc, will see players encountering a new alien threat in the north, one that comes crashing down around players' ears. You can watch the full video just past the break.
Champions Online gives players the full Aftershock treatment
The first comic series for Champions Online has come to a close, and it certainly made an impact, which makes it more than a little ironic that it's titled Aftershock. But what would a good comic series be if it didn't get a collected edition after it finished? The completed series is now available in-game, and rather than simply allowing players who've experienced the first run a rehash of the old material, the completed series offers a bit more incentive. Four new rewards can be picked up from the complete series -- a serpent cowl, a new sword, a new aura, and a quartet of action figures. In addition, the complete series features dynamic panels and all of the same core gameplay that debuted with the individual issues. So if you've been meaning to run your way through the series but hadn't quite gotten around to doing so, now would be the perfect time.
Behind the Mask: A long, slow, rumbling
One of the things I absolutely hate about comics is waiting. When I read Detective Comics regularly, I used to patiently wait while re-reading my old issues, wondering what was going to happen to Batman next. Eventually, I got into manga a little bit and was totally spoiled by the graphic novel format. Now I only read comics (or novel series) if I can get an entire plot arc in one shot. I hate waiting. Heck, I prefer to watch an entire TV season on Netflix instead of waiting for each episode to get released. Unsurprisingly, I played through the first three issues of Aftershock, Champions Online's new comic series, before I decided I was irritated with waiting every week for the latest issue. I was sort of put off by bugs in the first issue of the series, and I decided that waiting for the final release would give the devs time to polish out the bugs. New content is new content after all, and when it's released weekly, it doesn't get a lot of time on PTS before it gets pushed to live. Issue #6, The King is Dead, was released a few weeks ago, and the devs have put the finishing touches on Aftershock. How does it match up with the rest of CO's content?
Champions Online's weekly comic series continues in Bad Dreams Are Made of This
In the last issue of Champions Online's weekly Aftershock comic series, A Long, Long Way From Home, our heroes found themselves in far deeper danger than they had expected. Operation Demonflame veteran and UNTIL soldier Sergeant Jim Collins had been manipulated by Despair Incarnate, a champion of the cosmic horrors known as the Kings of Edom. Though our heroes were able to contend with the Kings' champion, they were too late to prevent it from teleporting the entire fortress into the chaotic Qliphothic realm. Our heroes managed to save the few surviving UNTIL soldiers, but still they remain in this demented, dangerous dimension. Why were they brought here? Will they ever escape? The story continues in this week's issue of Aftershock, titled Bad Dreams Are Made of This (someone at Cryptic is a Eurythmics fan), which sees our heroes taking shelter in a strange cave in the Qliphothic realm. But all is not well, as the recently rescued UNTIL troops have once again fallen captive to the eldritch Horrors of the dimension. Now our heroes must give chase through twisting caverns that descend ever-deeper into the Qliphothic realm in order to save the UNTIL soldiers and find a way back home.
Champions Online comic series issue 3 goes live
The last issue of Champion's Online's Aftershock comic series, Hang On, saw our valiant heroes returning to Camp Lantern, where UNTIL's Major Okonkwo and her troops were trapped in a bunker with a legion of UNTIL and VIPER troops possessed by some eldritch power. Against all odds, the heroes were able to reach the Major before she met an untimely demise, but this small victory was short-lived as the Major reported the presence of Operation Demonflame veteran Sergeant James Collins as well as a number of arcane Qliphothic artifacts. Do the artifacts have some connection to the strange occurrences at Camp Lantern? Will our heroes make it out alive, or are they doomed to meet the same fate as the possessed soldiers? Well, Champions Online players can find out now, as issue 3 of the Aftershock comic series is now live. In this issue, the entire fortress in which our heroes are currently trapped has been transported to the Qliphothic realm, described as "a dimension of chaos and destruction." Players must contend with the unspeakable horrors of the Qliphothic realm while they search for a way home. The fate of Major Okonkwo, the Champions, and perhaps the universe rests on the shoulders of our heroes in Aftershock issue 3, A Long, Long Way From Home!
Champions Online comic series Issue 2 now live
In Issue 1 of Champions Online's Comic Series 1, Aftershock, heroes were called to North Africa, where something had gone HORRIBLY WRONG. UNTIL's Camp Lantern base at the wreckage of the Temple of Nama had fallen off the grid, and it was up to the Champions to investigate. Finding the camp in a state of disarray and infiltrated by VIPER agents, our heroes barely escaped certain death at the hands of a large sortie of VIPER forces. Whatever's at work here, it's more powerful than even VIPER can trust, as VIPER's commander has ordered all his troops to be sealed into the fort's bunker to prevent its release. What is this arcane power? Will our heroes make it out alive? Or is this the end of our valiant Champions? Well, it's time to find out! Cryptic Studios announced today that Issue 2 of its weekly Aftershock comic series has gone live. Issue 2 sends the heroes into the bunker in which UNTIL's Major Okonkwo and a handful of UNTIL soldiers are fighting for their very lives against VIPER and UNTIL troops possessed by some dark force. Their chances of survival are looking grimmer by the second. Will our heroes be able to rescue them in time, or will they too fall prey to the eldritch evil that inhabits the bodies of their enemies and former allies alike? Find out in Champions Online's Aftershock, Issue 2, Hang on!
Champions Online kicks off its new weekly comic series
Are you ready to get a little bit more Champions Online action in now that the future of the game is more secure? Then you're in luck, as the game has just kicked off the first in its series of weekly comic issues. But these aren't just something for players to read -- no, these are comic issues for players to play through for themselves, watching a story unfold while blasting through new challenges. Similar in format to the featured episodes of Star Trek Online, the first series is titled Aftershocks and kicks off with an UNTIL base going dark. The first installment should take about half an hour to play through, with further installments coming in subsequent weeks to finish out the story. Champions Online players can start enjoying this ongoing arc with any character over level 11 and are encouraged to visit the official page for more information on the new format.
When teddy bears attack: Champions Online suits up for another Ask Cryptic
Cryptic's future may be in flux, but the show, as they say, must go on. And part of the great Cryptic show is the monthly Ask Cryptic feature, the latest of which has landed at Champions Online. Champions Producer Rob Overmeyer tackles the smorgasbord of player-submitted queries, which range from vehicle transformation to shrinkage to shared banks. Overmeyer confirms that the team is working on revamping several additional lairs, including Dr. D's Robot Factory. The upcoming comic series, available for all types of players, looks to be promising: "Our first Comic Series is called Aftershock. The first issue is scheduled to release Wednesday June 1, 2011 and each subsequent issue in the series will be released each Wednesday of the following weeks. Each issue will be available to play following its debut along with any previous issues. You will need to complete any previous issue in the series before you can play the latest in the series. Aftershock will wrap up the first week of July and once the entire series is out it will be playable as a complete adventure. Each issue targets about 30 minutes of gameplay, however, that time can be affected by a number of factors." Overmeyer also said that while there are no set dates for porting Star Trek Online's Foundry system over to Champions Online, it's only a matter of time. "Getting The Foundry working in Champs is actually easier than getting Champs ready for The Foundry," he writes. You can read the full Q&A over at Champions Online.
