Over the past few years, I've felt that the number of quality MMORPGs entering the market yearly has been dwindling. Perhaps it's the fact that there's a massive behemoth named World of Warcraft that's attracting millions of potential customers who could be playing other MMOs, or maybe everyone has been collaborating, waiting to unleash a torrent of awesome MMORPGs into the market at the same time; hoping to smash into the Blizzard half of the pie and come away with enough crumbs and blueberry filling for everyone. Either way, even if the past few years have seen only a few really successful and innovative titles (EVE Online and Lord of the Rings Online come to mind), I'm sure most of you will understand me when I say, with confidence, that the next few years of MMO development should radically change the face of MMORPGs as we know them.

Don't believe me? During the next few years, and speaking purely about the 'mainstream' MMOs with solid, experienced development teams or extremely popular brands, players will see the release of Aion (NCsoft), Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix), DC Universe Online (Sony Online Entertainment), Champions Online (Cryptic Studios), Guild Wars 2 (ArenaNet), Marvel Universe (Gargantuan), Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare / Mythic) and The Agency (Sony Online Entertainment). Of course, while a majority of you have probably already chosen your 'soon to be favourite' MMORPG of the future, I'm sure you're all very worried that this latest batch of MMOs may not end up delivering the hype and the prestige that some of these companies inspire. In this way, I've decided to compile a list of my most anticipated upcoming MMORPGs that I believe have a strong chance to succeed, and what I believe it will take to turn them into the next big thing.

If you're planning on making a martial arts hero in Champions Online when it launches Sept. 1, you may be interested in the two newest power sets unveiled on the game's official Web site. Both involves blades, but each set uses them very differently.

the single blade power set is all about high damage on single targets, as well as bleeding effects that cause damage over time. Martial artists who use dual blades, however, use close range AoE attacks to take on numerous enemies at once.

You can check out all the power sets that have been revealed so far here. So what type of hero will you be in Champions Online?

Cryptic has announced the schedule for the Champions Online open beta, which kicks off Monday, Aug. 17 at 10 a.m. PDT. In preparation, all characters from the closed beta will be wiped from the servers on Sunday. The open beta ends Monday, Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. PDT followed by another server wipe.

The "Early Start Program" begins on Aug. 28 for select gamers who pre-ordered the game. They'll take part in a world event in which special enemies will drop unique items until the Sept. 1 launch date.

To participate in the open beta, head over to FilePlanet or pre-order Champions Online from a number of retailers or Direct2Drive.

In the midst of showing Champions Online to various news outlets, such as The Associated Press, Executive Producer Bill Roper found some time to write a new State of the Game address. In the letter, Roper says heroes in the beta should start seeing clues at level 20 that lead to the creation of their Nemesis at level 25. He also says players will be able to purchase special edition action figures and toys using Cryptic Points.

As far as crafting is concerned, Roper said heroes enter into research and development in one of the three crafting schools by talking to a trainer. You'll then choose one of three specializations within each school, which can be changed at any time. Roper ends his address by talking about UNITY mission flow. You can read the full letter after the jump.

If you're looking for details on more powers, the gadgeteering and sorcery sets have been revealed on the official Web site.

Champions Online is set to launch in a little less than four weeks, and Cryptic is keeping is keeping fans excited with a constant stream of updates to the official Web site. Most of the newest updates focus on powers, which makes sense since every hero is going to need a customized set of abilities. For example, information on ice and force powers were just added to the Power Sets section of the site.

If videos are more your thing, IGN has a video showcasing melee power sets. Also, a new video showing off the Dueling system has been added to the Champions site. And if that's not enough news for you, the Champions team will be at Gen Con Indy Aug. 13-16.

Champions Online, developed by Cryptic Studios, is a hotly-anticipated MMO for comic book and superhero fans right now, since DC Universe Online is still pretty far over the horizon. Originally slated to be a Marvel Comics-based MMO, the deal fell through and the game took a direction reminiscent of the Champions pen-and-paper RPG, created by George MacDonald in 1981.

The buzz has grown exponentially since last spring, when executive producer Bill Roper announced the game would be released a few months later than originally scheduled, so that the development team could add more features to the game. The new release date is September 1, and the beta phases have been underway this summer.

Earlier this month, in a "State of the Game" announcement from the developers, Cryptic revealed that Champions Online will feature a micro-transaction revenue model in addition to the traditional subscription-based model. There's been an ongoing debate over this announcement, with MMO fans both supporting and opposing Cryptic's dual-revenue system. Some of the concerns don't even target Champions Online directly; instead, fans are worried that developers in-general might make a habit of the dual revenue model.

Cryptic Studios just announced a new promotion available for Champions Online (scheduled for release on Sept. 1); the chance to buy a "Lifetime" or "6-Month" subscription, which entitles you to a few "exclusive specials" only available via this offer.

According to the new post, a "Lifetime" subscription ($199 USD) will get you guaranteed access to the Star Trek Online Closed Beta, which Cryptic says is scheduled to begin later this year. You'll also get a few exclusive character outfits, an exclusive action figure and eight additional gameplay character slots.

If you buy the "6-Month" option ($59.99 USD), you'll save about 30 bucks off the normal subscription price, receive an exclusive costume set and also get access to the STO closed beta. Check out the offer page for more details. This isn't the first time we've seen a company let you buy your way into a closed beta, and if you're a fan of both the Champions Online and Star Trek IPs, it might end up being a pretty appealing offer.

Atari and Cryptic have already announced a bunch of pre-order promotions with various stores in preparation for the Sept. 1 launch of Champions Online. Well, if you prefer to download games directly to your computer, you'll be happy to hear the superhero MMO is now available for pre-order on Direct2Drive.

There's two perks to pre-ordering the game through Direct2Drive. First, you'll get guaranteed access to FilePlanet's open bets for Champions, which starts Aug. 17. Second, you'll get an exclusive costume piece: the Mechanoppendage Backpack. You can pre-order the game here.

If you missed the first Champions Online dev chat on Thursday, a user on the official forums has transcribed the chat for your reading pleasure. Since this is the first time fans have been able to talk to the devs in this type of format, most of the questions seem to focus on very general topics, such as raiding, the nemesis system, crafting, combat, and costume customization. You can read the full transcript after the jump.

If that's not enough Champions news for you, check out the new video showcasing the Stronghold PvP scenario on the official video gallery page, or take a look at the abilities you'll be able to use in the Power Armor set. You'll be able to toggle these weapons on and off, which means you can work on creating the best combos for a given situation. For example, turn on a hand weapon and a shoulder weapon and see how your enemy reacts.

As we reported, the Power Sets section of the Champions Online Web site just launched a couple days ago with information on electricity powers. Well, the team has added a second set the to section for all you pyromaniacs out there. So if you plan on creating a hero with some fire abilities, check out powers such as Fire Breath, Conflagration and Pyre.

Also, if you can't wait for the open beta to begin on Aug. 17, a bunch of sites are offering closed beta keys. European players have a chance at 450 keys spanning four sites, while the online magazine Thirteen1 is giving away 50 keys through its Twitter feed.