Champions: Return to Arms

Whether you're returning to Norrath or just getting your feet warm, Champions: Return to Arms turns action/RPGs up a notch.

Champions: Return to Arms is the latest EverQuest-themed action RPG from Snowblind Studios. Based on the same engine that powered Champions of Norrath, Return to Arms will push the action online for up to four players. Unfortunately, the online multiplayer and medal rounds aren't ready yet, so we had to be content with exploring the offline features.

The preview introduced Return to Arms' new playable races, the Iksar and the Vah Shir. The Iksar are lizard shamen whose spells are similar to those of the Shadowknight, while the Vah Shir are gigantic feline berserkers with strong attack skills but poor defenses. They have their limitations, though, and in this build they felt better suited for augmenting a team rather than for playing solo.

Early on, the player is presented with a choice: to pursue a good or evil path through the game. Once made, the decision is irrevocable. In either case, quests lead the player through planar gates and into a variety of worlds.

The few planes that were available in the preview introduced imaginative and challenging monsters. In the Plane of Water you encounter frogmen, cyclopses, and a mermaid, while the Plane of Invention contains mechanized monsters and claustrophobic junk-heaps.

Graphical upgrades are apparent in the environments and characters; the camera zooms in nice and close to show off the details. The new features improve the experience, and Return to Arms looks like it will be a solid continuation of the series.

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