Eric Heimburg over on Elder Game has weighed in on the state of Champions Online - more specifically, the problems that the game has been experiencing with new players, and some of the mixed reactions that the public has been experiencing. As a former design lead for Asheron's Call 2, he understandably draws some parallels between the two games, and speculates about where CO is going to head over the next few months and whether or not it can truly "take on" City of Heroes.
It's an interesting post, and one that asks some questions that we think a lot of those who had anticipated the game have been asking. Certainly the game's open beta and release dropped with a much-muffled hype, and it's undeniable that the game still has a lot of polishing left to do. Mr. Heimburg might be a little more fatalistic about the game's prospects than necessary, but 2009 has not been a kind year to MMOs thus far, and he's had first-hand experience with a game that just requires a few bits of polish never getting the chance to finish polishing.
