Obviously when NCSoft bought out Cryptic, there were terms of the deal that we don't know about. Things like the game engine, who was allowed to leave and end their contracts, and what they were allowed to make afterwards.

NCSoft obviously didn't have any clause that stopped them from making a competing super hero MMO. That is NCSoft's fault, not Cryptics. Obviously they let them keep the studio name, so again, NCSoft's fault, not Cryptic. And again, NCSoft allowed them to keep the rights to, or use, the game engine. Once again, NCSoft's fault, not Cryptic.

Cryptic has done nothing illegal or wrong. It was just oversight or foolishness on NCSoft's part. They didn't cover their bases when Cryptic left. That was stupid on their part.

So perhaps you should be asking NCSoft why THEY didn't put in any legal contract preventing Cryptic from doing all those things, because obviously, they didn't.

What exactly are they 'mirroring'? Because it sure as hell isn't the combat system.

Couple of clarifications for the discussion:

- NC Soft never owned the Cryptic name. Cryptic was an independent studio, and NC Soft was merely their publisher. Part of the reason Cryptic sold CoX to NC Soft and moved on was that NC Soft was increasingly interested in shaping and controlling the direction of the game.

- The Champions Online engine (a.k.a. the Cryptic Engine) is not the same game engine powering CoX. It was designed after Cryptic left NC Soft for use in Champions Online. The engine will also be powering Star Trek Online, which is why STO is further along in development already than one might expect, even though Cryptic only acquired the Star Trek Online license from the original, now-defunct developer, Perpetual, a year or so ago.

On Topic: Will the PvP in Champions Online work? It really depends on how much the hardcore PvPers require before they will deem it acceptable.

Based on past experiences, I expect they'll call it a failure, because the hardcore PvP crowd tends to be very demanding -- and more importantly, very _specific_ -- when it comes to PvP gameplay.

It's a very hard crowd to please on an ongoing basis; the competitive nature of the play means that, even when a developer does 98% of the gameplay "right" in the eyes of the hardcores, some will still be screaming for blood over the remaining 2% which isn't tuned yet.

If CoX was any indication, Cryptic will care more about ensuring that the PvP feels appropriately "superhero comic book-y", which means that the comic book fans, and the more casual players, will be pleased while the hardcase PvP will probably loathe it.

By all indications, Champions Online was never meant to be a PvP-centric game, it may not matter that the most dedicated PvP fans may look elsewhere.

Despite what the marketing wonks say, very few MMORPGs succeed at being all things to all players. We pick games based on which ones do the things we do like the best.