As we creep up on the Sept. 1 release of Champions Online, Cryptic is releasing more and more news to excite prospective players on both the official site and the Daily News blog. First off, the finalized box art has been released, which you can see in full by clicking the above image. According to marcom manager Ivan Sulic, the image has action, signature characters and a look at powers like ice slide and flight.

As for the Daily News blog, both Design Director Bill Roper and Producer Chris Lena stopped by to discuss various aspects of the game. Roper talk about combat and powers, explaining that combat is very action-oriented and that there are more than 200 powers in the game with extra advantages based on their elemental properties.

Lena talks about the pros and cons surrounding the decision to delay the release of Champions Online from early June to September. While it may be disappointing to fans and cause problems with marketing and the media, Lena feels the delay will ultimately give players a more polished game.