Another hate filled thread on Blues News? ... Surprise, surprise, surprise!
Actually from memory it was Turbine who FIRST offered a lifetime subscription for their game, and that has paid off in spades for those taking it up on day one. I'm very happy with mine.
Champions Online will last the distance. Roper may be the front man (and what a huge target he is too), but the game doesn't hinge on him. Cryptic did a good job with CoX and there have been plenty of times I've just wanted to jump back in and play .... but I'd hate to hand over my money to NC$oft.
As far as the cost goes, it's all perspective. In Australia, AU$220 is about 2.5 new shelf games. They would keep me occupied for ... three months maybe? And after I've gone through the cognitive dissonance stage of a "large purchase, leap of faith" outlay, will I miss the cash? No really. The convenience of having a subscription based MMO become effectively free-to-play after that outweighs the cost.
Frankly I am willing to take the leap of faith on Champions Online, not because of Roper, but despite him. Personally, I think he's a douchebag, but I think Cryptic is also a good enough studio to make it work and for me to recoup my money.
As for the posts here, is there anyone able to respond without reverting to the kind of offense crap you'd expect from a thirteen year old child?