Earlier today, we reported that the eagerly-awaited superhero MMO, Champions Online, launched in North America. Although some players had the chance to participate in the head-start a few days early, those numbers are a minority compared to the swarm of players hitting live servers today. But not everything is peachy at the Cryptic Studios official forums, where a substantial amount of players are unhappy with the new patch that also went live today (addressing a number of class balance issues, among other gameplay bugs).

In the forums version of the "State of the Game" Launch Day announcement that we linked to in our earlier story, Cryptic described the game issues fixed in this launch day patch. But many players disagree with the way the game developer handled the patch, accusing it of dropping major game and character ability changes on them, without proper testing. In addition, some players believe they should have received a free respec, especially for characters with significant ability changes. Cryptic responded in this forum post, writing that the community team recognizes and is working on addressing today's player feedback.

The big day has arrived! Following an early start weekend, Champions Online is now available for PCs online and in North American stores. European players will be getting the game on Friday. In honor of the occasion, Executive Producer Bill Roper has written a special launch day edition of his weekly State of the Game address on the game's official site.

In his letter, Roper says the team is already making some adjustments to the superhero MMO based on player feedback. As he said, "We’re reading and listening, and addressing things as quickly as we can." They're working on changes that make the game a little more challenging at higher levels, fixing bugs and lowering retcon costs. They have even activated all of the special edition action figures in the online store.

In addition, Roper briefly announced the team's plans for Blood Moon, the first free update to the game. He said to keep watching the official site for the actual announcement page. You can read Roper's full letter after the jump.

So do you plan on playing Champions Online? If you're still on the fence, check out our in-depth preview to see if it's the right comic MMO for you.

Developed by Cryptic Studios, Champions Online is the world's next superhero-themed MMO, launching on September 1. It's been in the works for a couple years now, originally slated to be a Marvel Comics superhero MMO, until the licensing rights fell through and Cryptic designed it around the Champions pen-and-paper RPG.

A series of closed and open beta testing periods were played out over the summer, with fans finally having the chance to give Champions Online a try. The early-subscriber head start begins on August 28, allowing early-adopters the chance to start leveling their characters a few days sooner than everyone else. On Tuesday, everyone who purchases the game will have the opportunity to take part in the game's launch, which should kick off without a hitch, according to the latest reports.

Earlier this month, ZAM had the chance to take Champions Online out for a spin, creating a few characters and playing through the game's first few levels and missions. In the interest of providing a critical preview of the game to our readers, we took a first-hand look at what makes this superhero MMO different than the few we've seen so far, judging it on its gameplay merit, character creation and customization and accessibility. While Champions Online isn't without its faults, it does prove to be one of the most ambitious superhero games to date—regardless of platform—and should provide a lot of enjoyment to comic book fans, most of all.

VG247 released a new podcast today, and this one features an interview with Cryptic's Jack Emmert on the release of Champions Online, which is set for Sept. 1. The Champions Online Daily News blog noticed that Emmert briefly discussed the Xbox 360 version of the game, and his explanation is probably not one that eager console players wanted to hear:

"Right now we’re talking with Microsoft. The ball is in their court. We’re just sort of waiting right now. Microsoft is a big company and it just takes time for such a big beast to get moving."

So it looks like only time will tell when Champions Online will make it to the Xbox 360. Emmert also says the first subscriptions goal for the company is 100,000 users, so we'll see if that's an attainable goal when the game launches in a few short days.

We reported yesterday that Champions Online fans were upset the discounted subscriptions for the game had sold out abruptly without much communication from Cryptic Studios. Well, the company listened to its fans and has reinstated the lifetime and six-month subscription promotional programs. There's no supply limit this time, but the offers end on Aug. 31 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

The lifetime subscription costs $199.99 and includes in-game exclusive items and eight additional character slots. The discounted six-month subscription costs $59.99, which is $29.95 less than the regular price, and includes a Retro Future costume set. Both promotions also give you access to the Star Trek Online closed beta, which begins later this year.

In the beginning of the month, Cryptic announced that players would have the chance to purchase a lifetime subscription or six-month discounted subscription for Champions Online, both of which came with in-game items and access to the Star Trek Online beta. Well, even though the most recent news post regarding the promotion on the official Champions Online site says both offers are almost gone due to high demand, they have in fact sold out. And prospective players aren't too happy about it.

A post on the official forums announcing the discount subscriptions were almost gone turned into 68 pages of users complaining about the lack of communication regarding the status of the offer. Online Community Team member Draeke then started a new thread with Cryptic's explanation regarding the the discontinued offers. "First, we do sincerely apologize for the rather abrupt end to the promotional offers. It was never our intention to spring that news on our fans or anyone else. In short, we had an allotment of special subscription packages to sell over a fixed time (ending September 1). ... Frankly, we never suspected our special offers to be so popular," the post said.

The thread is currently at 104 pages right now if you're interested in reading through users' reactions to the statement. You can read the full response from Cryptic below.

The Champions Online open beta draws to a close at 5 p.m. PDT today, so you still have about seven hours to log in and fight the wave of Destroid and Mega-Destroid robots that are attacking Millennium City. If you help take down a Mega-Destroid, you'll even get perks and items when the game launches Sept. 1, including a "Mini-Destroid" action figure.

The open beta was originally scheduled to end last night, but was extended due to "overwhelming participation." The NDA has been lifted, so be sure to let us know what you think about Champions Online if you participated in the beta.

Players who have been eager to play Champions Online can now sign up for the Open Beta via Fileplanet! The process to do this is a little bit confusing, but here's what you need to do:

1.) Head on over to Fileplanet to register for a Champions Online Open Beta Key.
2.) Attach it to your Cryptic account, or go register for one.
3.) Next, you'll need to confirm that Beta Key on Fileplanet.
4.) Then just remember to download the client from the Fileplanet Champions Online page.
5.) Log in and enjoy yourself!

All pre-orders of Champions Online also come with access to the Open Beta, so if Fileplanet runs out, pre-ordering seems to be the only other way to get in. The Champions Online Open Beta will continue until 11:59PM, August 24th. Finally, remember that the NDA for Champions Online has been lifted, so be sure to tell your friends and family about your experiences!

The Champions Online open beta kicks off today at 10 a.m. PDT, but that's not the only good news for new players. MMORPG.com noticed the NDA has been lifted today, according to a post on the official forums by Community Manager Daeke. "Speak of the game until your face turns blue. But remember to breathe," Daeke said.

The open beta runs through Aug. 24, which is when the servers will be wiped to prepare for the game's official launch on Sept. 1. Now that the NDA has lifted, feel free to share your thoughts on Champions Online with us in our forum.

Cryptic has announced that Champions Online has gone gold, paving the way for the game's Sept. 1 launch date. The open beta is scheduled to start on Monday, Aug. 17, and you can participate by heading over to FilePlanet or pre-ordering Champions Online from a number of retailers or Direct2Drive.

As the launch date draws near, Cryptic has also cleared up some confusion regarding payment options for the game. "We currently accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express worldwide as payment methods. In addition to these, Discover Card in the United States and Carte Bleue for Europe are also accepted." Game cards will also be available in stores that will add game time to your account if you don't have access to a credit card.