Champions Online is set for open beta pretty soon (just over a week now) and I’ve got my pre-order ready, client downloaded and waiting. I won’t be doing too much else with Aion right now, I’m waiting on release to really sink my teeth into it and need something to pass the time. So, Champions should fit the bill nicely.

I’ve been a fan of Cryptic’s first supers MMO — City of Heroes — and I’m hoping this next version will be even better. I’ve only kept up with it loosely; most of the information is available at other major game blogs and the game’s site should you be curious. What I’m most interested in right now is the use of micro-transactions in a major western sub-based game, from launch. This isn’t somethig that has really happened yet.

What also interests me is the special subscription offers going on right now, the lifetime and six month ones. Will this game be worth the fee? So far, only two MMOs have kept my attention and money for over six months straight — those being World of Warcraft and EVE Online (kinda polar opposites, yeah?). The inclusion of Star Trek Online beta passes and special in-game items does help.

I’ll be writing some posts come beta time, so look forward to that. In the meantime I’ll continue with the Necropolis 2350 posts (maps are in the works still) and the odd iPhone game.