Champions Online’s character creation options, action-orientated gameplay and knowingly campy scenarios will allow comic fans to play out their every fantasy… well, apart from the one involving Wonder Woman and a mud monster.

When Atari and Cryptic Studios gave us access to an early build of Champions Online several months back, I happened to get on it at the very last minute, and had but a dense weekend to participate in the game’s primary Millennium City section, which acted as both a tutorial and your newborn hero’s induction into super-team The Champions. The new Closed Beta that was until recently open has brought numerous tweaks and changes to Champions, including the opening of further stages, and overall the MMO is looking to be a memorable experience whether played alone or with a team of super-friends.

On that note, one thing that has obviously changed with Champions Online since I first played it is the vast increase in other players. The servers are currently bustling, and there’s a real “wow factor” from seeing some of the inventive avatars people have affectionately crafted. The game’s character creation tools are potentially the most flexible ever seen, with even movement animations now adjustable – for instance, it is possible to have your Beast variations traverse on all fours. The movement abilities themselves, which range from angel wings and rocket boots to the ability to hover on chunks of rock or ice, also add immensely to this visual diversity. The only limit really is your imagination… though in all fairness it is nigh-on impossible to create something truly original given the oversaturated nature of superhero comics. Depending on how far you want to take the role-play element, character snapshots and bios can be placed on the official website for all to enjoy/mock.