Champions of Norrath (PS2)

• Action role-playing game.
• Five playable characters (both male and female).
• Thousands of items and magical artifacts to acquire.
• Randomly generated dungeons and monsters mean a different experience every time you play.
• For 1-4 players offline or online (online play requires broadband connection and Network Adapter).

.co.uk Review ------------- It may labour under one of the blandest names yet devised, and contain some equally unimaginative character designs, but beneath it all Champions of Norrath is actually really good. The game is based within the EverQuest universe but this does little to offset the preously uninteresting plot and setting. In fact it's all too easy to dismiss the game out of hand until you realise it has been developed by the people behind the original version of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance ( /exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=video-games-uk&field-asin=B00007JWNL%3FB00005N5HK/${0} ). Just like Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath is an action RPG that's heavy on the action and light on all the other boring stuff. It's essentially Gauntlet ( /exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=video-games-uk&field-keywords=gauntlet/${0} ) for the 21st century and could almost be described as a shoot-'em-up if it weren't for the role-playing elements that see you gaining experience points and constantly replacing your armour, weapons and other items. Apart from the excellent graphics (which, despite a bit of slow down, are some of the best ever seen on the PS2) the main draw with Champions of Norrath is its multiplayer cooperative mode--particularly the online option. Played with some trustworthy friends this is as excellent as it sounds, although Sony have been rather naive with the trading system, which makes it all too easy to get ripped off by errant traders. Despite this, Champions of Norrath works extremely well and although it's utterly unoriginal it's certainly the best Western-styled action RPG lately, beating both Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes and Dark Alliance II. --David Jenkins Manufacturer's Description -------------------------- Champions of Norrath, published by the creators of EverQuest and developed by the team behind Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, is an action-RPG like none other on the PlayStation 2. Create your own champion, each with unique powers, appearances and skills. Experience an epic adventure filled with powerful action and ominous intrigue. Battle vicious monsters where your mastery of weaponry and spells is the only thing between you and supreme evil. Champions of Norrath allows gamers to create their own unique hero to journey from the city of Faydwer into the wilds of Norrath to save the land from a gathering army of evil orcs and goblins. Players can adventure alone or with a band of up to three other players either over the Internet or on a single PS2 with a multi-tap. Import player characters into friends' games using a memory card and then take them home to play solo--the play options offer console gamers the freedom to play at anytime and from any location. Champions of Norrath offers players more than 100 hours of gameplay per player character, unlimited battles, deadly missions and unmatched character customisation in an enthralling fantasy world. The game supports USB headset voice chat functionality during online play. NB Online play requires broadband connection and Network Adapter ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003E37F/${0} ) (available separately). Voice communication requires USB headset ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001KBFWQ/${0} ) (available separately).