Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4424 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2004-06-25
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.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 preposterously 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.

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 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 (available separately). Voice communication requires USB headset (available separately).

Customer Reviews

Baldurs Gate Beater
Ok I only started playing this game as I bought it ages ago and got bored with the other game i was playing at the time, but as soon as I put it in my PS2, it never game out until I completed it. Some 40+ hrs later.
The Game is in many ways an improvement on Baldars gate I/II but in the most annoying habits worse- but more on those later- the first the good.
Graphics- are very Crisp and clean, However there are moments of graphic catch up if you die and then re-spawn .
Sound - Same as Baldurs Gate, atmospheric and moody in points and cheery and uplifting in others.
Replay value- As mentioned it took me 40+ hrs to intially complete it on the 1st setting (and you have to start on easy as the AI will kill you sooooooooooooooooo easily if you not at least ranked up a bit b4 trying the harder settings.
Length - a massive game,dungeons are huge and numerous.
The game it's self is in the same vein as Baldurs Gate- a hack and slash RPG, so dont go thinking theres loads of time to look at the pretty sites and weapons. You kill things,pick up their gold/items move on and generally go about the killing and collecting till you've done the set tasks.
The Ugly -
The ranking up for the first 10 levels is generally easy and quick- but after that its sooooooooooooo long to add and change your character. This is a major flaw as you can carry only so much due to weight limit and on some characters it takes to level 10+to add an extra 15lbs..(ohhhhh). Everyone you kill drops sumthing an item/weapon etc, and you find yourself going back and forth to the shop so many times - On the ant hill den level I found myself warping back and forth over 30 times!!!a few seconds loading every time - so annoying!!!
A jump button Please.... nope not one . so some times your stuck in a corner getting the snot beaten out of you and you just cant move!.
Save points - You need to save very often as the levels are so huge you can get killed and then spend 30mins catching up.
This said the good outways the bad and is a very good game to simply play and switch off to.

This will be a champion in your RPG collection
My brother and me were looking for a game over the holidays, we came across Champions of Norrath and had our reservations. However when we started playing it, the game was actually excellent. We didn't put it down till we finished.

The game puts you straight into the action, so you don't have to listen to characters babbling on, all the chracters speak for you so don't worry about scrolling for ages. There are quite a few of races to play in the game, and you get to have up to four players in the game at once in the story mode.

The graphics are excellent, there is plenty to do there are absolutely tonnes of weapons, armour and items to collect throughout the game. Lots of environments and characetrs to meet like gnomes, elves, vampires and even a mummy. The game has a wide variety of monsters, you will have giants chase you around the map, giant ants attacking the gnomes, orcs, vampires, scorpions and much, much more.

As you can see this game will not drag on it has plenty to keep you entertained, the controls are easy and the upgradeable character system. You even get to drive a lava glider in the game, which is quite strange and innovative for this type of game.

It champions over Baladeur's Gate, Hack and Guatlant Legends. Have fun meeting the weird and wonderful characters like one who acts like Golem in the Lord of the Rings, the irish speaking gnomes and the little girl you have to save with an attitude problem.

More of the same - but it is fabulous!
OK like everyone else - we all know that this is produced by the same group that gave the World Baldur's Gate; however, it really is great.
There is just the right amount of hack and slash; puzzle solving and even a traditional "You are charged with...." plot line that has you charging around collecting stuff.
It closely resembles AD&D and so satisfies that urge from all those hours spent playing AD&D instead of revising.
It is playable by crusties and juvenilles alike - my kids fight me for it!
There is the obligatory character speech evertime you achieve something substantial, but the good bit is that you can "X" your way through it so you dont have to listen to a diatribe of psuedo Tolkien pap - much better just to get on with the game. Anyway, the character pages keep a mission brief to refer to.

Go on - indulge yourself.