Champions: Return to Arms Review

Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment

Rating: Teen (T)

About Champions: Return to Arms

Champions: Return to Arms is based on the popular online game Everquest for the PC. It is the sequel to Champions of Norrath. Fiona Vie has summoned you to stop a terrible threat on the Planes of Power. She tells you of an unspeakable new power that has taken many lives and has torn the armies apart. You must then travel through the Planes of War to begin your journey. Will you help Fiona Vie? Or will you take a different path? Create your character to prepare yourself for a quest that will take you through many different dimensional planes.

Levels of Difficulty/Modes of Play

There are four levels of difficulty: Adventurous, Courageous, Champion and Legendary. Only the Adventurous level is open when you first play the game. When you complete it, the next level of difficult is available to you, and so on with the other levels. Modes of play are: Play Missions or the Arena. Gameplay is single-player or Internet play.

Return to Arms offers a selection of character races and classes: Iskar Shaman,Vah Shir Berserker, Barbarian Warrior, Wood Elf Ranger, High Elf Cleric, Erudite Wizard, and the Dark Elf Shadow Knight.

Each of the different characters has specific strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the Iksar Shaman has regenerative powers, but his attacks are only spiritual in nature. The Vah Shir Berserker is good with throwing axes but weak in his fighting style as he focuses on dealing damage more than evading it. The Elf Ranger is superior with the bow, but weak in close up combat.

You can also adjust your character’s physical appearance. Skin color, hairstyle and hair color can be changed to your preferences.

Like many role-playing games you get to allocate ability points to what suits your fighting style. You start with 20 points to distribute into Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity or Stamina. When you gain levels you will continue to put points into these statistics and select new skills or spells to enhance your character.

Fun Factor

The fun part about Return to Arms is character selection. Depending on your fighting style, each one will give you a different challenge. The Shaman, who is a magic user, is a weak fighter in the beginning of the game, but later becomes very powerful with the devastating spells he can cast. The Barbarian is your basic Warrior who uses only melee weapons and bows to fight his enemies.

My favorite character is the Dark Elf Shadow Knight because they have excellent fighting skills and use magic well. Summon Skeleton was my most useful spell. Not only does he fight for you, he is a good distraction for your enemies. Once they were out of my way, I would just use magic or arrows to take them down easily without damage.

Gameplay is in a third-person view that can be adjusted for closer viewing. A good feature is the map, which shows you the areas you have explored. You will spend a lot of time exploring different areas and encountering various monsters. Each plane you enter is different, and presents you with interesting challenges.

The arena section is a good place to practice your combat skills. It gives you bonuses for survival of each wave. You have three lives. The object is to survive as many waves as you can until all your lives are gone.

Audio/Video

The audio background music is like a soundtrack for a fantasy-adventure movie. The voices for the characters are fitting for most of them, but the male Barbarian voice sounds a little dim-witted.

Graphics in this game are pretty good. The characters and areas you travel have a lot of detail. Character movement is pretty smooth, and the combos and magic you use look cool. To see some good screenshots of the game go to the Champions Return to Arms official website.

Summary

Champions: Return to Arms is based on the popular online game Everquest for the PC. It is a role-playing/adventure game that offers a variety of characters and classes to play- Iskar Shaman, Vah Shir Berserker, Barbarian Warrior, Wood Elf Ranger, High Elf Cleric, Erudite Wizard, and the Dark Elf Shadow Knight. Customize your character to your specific fighting style. Use weapons and magic to work your way through the Plane of War and others to stop (or help?) the new power that has caused destruction in all of the other planes. Play it single or online. The choice is yours.