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A massively multiplayer game that's actually fun! (updated!)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 90 / 101
Date: May 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Update: I've now been playing for almost a month. I have one character (Empathy/Radiation Defender) now up to level 20, and a Fire/Fire Blaster at Level 14. The game continues to be at least as much fun as it was in the beginning. Went on my first Task Force mission over the weekend, got to level 20, took Group Fly as the new power at that level which is a lot of fun, etc. I don't quite get what all these no-star reviews are trying to say; this is the best computer game I've ever played. Beyond the first 7 levels or so, the real fun comes in grouping with other players to take on higher level missions and all of the social interaction that happens within a good group. Grouping is very easy and there's no problem finding people to group with even when you don't know anyone. Pretty soon your /friends list will be full.

--

I pretty much ignored this title until recently. I mean, a game where you get to play a "superhero". How childish. How stupid.

How wrong.

After seeing the incredible buzz that this game has gotten in the week or two since release, I actually looked into it and decided to give it a try based on all the positive comments and reviews.

My previous MMOG experience has been limited to a couple failed attempts to get interested in EverQuest (a humorless torture mechanism that will suck the very living soul from your body as it crushes your will to live and tries to push you over the edge toward becoming a homacidal maniac) which I couldn't really get into for some reason.

But City of Heroes sounded like it might be good as a diversion for a while and, sure enough, even after a relatively short period of play I find I'm having as much fun with this as with any computer game I've played.

There are a lot of good things to say about this game, but for me the thing that ultimately matters is that it's actually *fun* to play rather than just being an experience grind to gain ever more levels. Right from the beginning when you find out you can jump high enough to soar over fences, trucks, walls, etc. (though not buildings with a single bound, at least not until later in the game) it's fun running around beating up bad guys, doing simple missions, etc.

The character customization capability is one of the standouts in this game. I don't think I've yet seen two players that were similar enough to each other that you could confuse them.

The urban terrain works very well (and is a nice change from dungeons and hobbits). The skills and character development options are many and varied, making replay or multiple-character play rewarding. And then there's flying.

I haven't gotten to a high enough level yet to get the ability to fly, but you have only to read the descriptions of other players to see that they've managed to capture one of man's oldest desires in a convincing way.

Even if you're not a superhero fan (and I certainly wouldn't have described myself that way) you may find that all that changes once *you* get to be the superhero.

G.

Awesome

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 32
Date: May 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Bad Stuff:
1) Your character appearence does not change. I know a lot of people like getting new swords and helmets and whatnot in other games that make your character look different but this does not happen in COH, there is no equipment looting in this game.

2) No PvP. Ok, a lot of people consider that a plus but it's a shame to have human-player Super Heroes and no human-player Super Villians to go up against.

3) Pay-to-play. Worth mentioning, this is a Massively Multiplayer Online Game. You play with a great variety of people and that doesn't happen for free.

Good Stuff:

1) Character creation gives you a TON of options. In a week of playing on the busiest server I have not yet seen anyone that looks like me. Frankly, this makes your character more unique than in a typical game where all high-level players tend to have the same high-level gear and look very similar to each other. I've made several characters that I don't play just because the character generation is that cool (note: you need to uncheck the "color coordination" button if you want to play around with the colors of each piece of your suit).

2) There is a planned expansion called "City of Villians" which will apparently have optional PvP between heroes and villians, good news for me.

3) Combat is excellent, more more interactive than other MMOG's. In fact, there really is no "auto-attack". Every attack requires a press of a button, some special move you want to do and there's a big variety of special moves. You can't watch TV and fight at the same time in this game.

4) AI is excellent, honostly the best I've ever seen in a MMOG. I don't want to bore you with names and details, but let's just say that when you get to fight the group called "Tsoo" you'll understand that this is some vicious AI that someone put some time into.

5) Missions are fun and maps are excellent. Best "dungeons" I've seen in a MMOG since Everquest, with a lot of detail to them.

6) Instancing. I didn't think I'd like it, but it works well. When you enter an office building on a mission, that is your "instance" of it. Your group joins you there but another group doing the same mission in the same place will enter a seperate "instance" -- you have the building all to yourself. This makes for more sensible missions as your group can clear it from top to bottom, beat the boss and go get another mission without interruption or annoyance by random other people who show up.

7) Great variety of superpowers. Not only does nobody look like me, but nobody totally fights like me either. Blaster is one of 5 available archetypes, so there's lots of Blasters like me. But Blaster has 5 major powersets (pick 1), 5 minor powersets (pick 1) and I'm not sure how many pools of extra abilities (can pick up to 4) plus every individual power can be customized with "enhancement slots" (for an eventual total of 40) -- more damage, more range, more accuracy, etc, pick what works for you.

All in all, a surprisingly strong game.

Still playing it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: June 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

City of Heroes: If you didnt exactly like Everquest, or SWG, and are tired of L33T kids/adults broadcasting junk all game then City of Heroes is for you.

My History: I played Everquest for 2 year, was an early Beta tester for Planetside and played that for 3 months, was an early Beta tester for SWG and played that for 3 months. My typical playing style is 1-2 hrs 4-5 nights a week. 80% soloing, 20% grouping in game.

Character setup: I thought that SWG had a great character setup, but COH matched and exceeded it in many areas. There are at least 20 different aspects of your character to set up, with each aspect having many many options. In fact one of my few complaints about this game is having to scroll through the 80+ chest embelems when designing a character. This is also when you choose your characters power family. For those that say this game is just for soloing, I say you've never played some of the more defense or support based power sets, and if you are doing ok soloing, then with the support/defense type characters in your group you can defeat more baddies with less downtime.

People who dont like this game seem to be expecting Everquest: the Superhero version. You want loot? What sort of loot should your super hero be collecting? Did you see batman picking up armor from his latest defeat? No. What you get instead of drops, are more powers. So instead of the +18 sword that you hoped would drop you get XP that helps you to your next power say "Flame thrower" or if you were hoping for that +20 defense chainmail armor, may be you choose your next power to be defense based. Same difference, you just cant sell the powers on e-bay.

There is no commerece, or I should say none has come up of yet. The only drops are enhancements (which can be permanantly attached to your powers to boost them in some way) and inspirations which are consumable temporary heals and buffs. Let me say crafting, to me, holds no interest, commerce, to me, is actually annoying. I earn enough money in the game to buy the enhancements I need to strenghten my powers to keep playing and move into new areas, where there are new baddies to fight.

People who do not immerse themselves into the character they have created will not have fun, the game can come across as repetitive, but only if you dont enjoy the environment and the variety of bad guys that you fight (which is ever expanding)...

There is a monthly subscription cost (like every other MMO game)and NCSoft has already released the first big enhancement patch which includeded
1) allowing for multiple costumes on a single character
2) 2 new higher end zones
3) 5 new story archs (so more missions)
4) fixed many bugs including mission bugs

That is what your $14.95/month gets you (along with hours of gaming)

Also just for the record Ive experienced no server down time (and I only play weekends and evenings so peak times) and no major lag.

This game has occupied my time since April. I usually buy a new game every other month (so thats about $50 every 2 month, so instead I spend $30 for 2 months of City of Heroes... I think thats a reasonable price for the quality of this game.

Great game balance leads to great MMORPG.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 16
Date: May 01, 2004
Author: Amazon User

City of Heroes is probably the best pure combat MMORPG to come along in a couple of years. The freshness of playing a superhero as well as not being completely pigeonholed into skills determined by some predefined class are the base for a good game. The fact that no single build can dominate the game (or advance without working with others) makes it great.

Gameplay is simple. Basically, your job is to go out and kill villains through quests or simply walking around the streets of Paragon City. Lots of villains. That's it. There's no crafting or economy to speak of; the only two commodities are the equivalent of heal/buff potions and enhancements to your basic attacks/defenses/regens/moves that require replenishment as you advance . The world is beautifully constructed as a big city - think a less dark Gotham - with the graphics and sound good enough so you'll need something running at least 2GHz and 64MB of video ram to play.

Where this really shines, though, is in the game balance and character development. The first key is that its very difficult to advance without teaming up given the sheer number of villains during encounters. While soloing is definitely doable for any of the classes depending on which powers you pick, it just is simply slow going after a while. Forcing people to team makes the second key - great balance within groups - brilliant. While there are some well-tested classes here - the tank, the healer, the ranged attacker, the enchanter - the implementation makes no one class strong enough to dominate combat (tanks take a ton of damage but have weak attacks, for instance) and ideally you need a good mix to succeed. Finally, the last key is that within the classes themselves there are hundreds of different attacks/defenses/moves that vary effectiveness based on the critter; once you throw in buffs to those skills you're talking hundreds of thousands of variations for your character. Your style of play is set when you pick your class, but you're definitely not pigeonholed.

The only caveat to COH is the current lack of PvP, which will be a bigger issue in several months once characters hit high levels and run out of things to kill. However, sometime soon we'll have City of Villains released - and the combination of the two games should lead to some naturally great PvP battles. Until then, one of the best games in years.

An excellent game. Play it with friends.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: September 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First I'll admit it, I'm one of those "casual MMORPGers." I've played plenty of online games before but I am not a power gamer by any means. I've always shied away from subscription based games because I only have time to play for few hours each week. However, a friend convinced me to try out his copy of City of Heroes, and I found that I could enjoy it even with limited time to play. I have to say that City of Heroes is worth the monthly fee. In fact, it is the only online game I've ever played which continues to be worth a monthly fee.

As for the (much complained about) Issue 2 update, I don't find that it has made the game less accessible at all. In fact, the new features such as capes, badges, new zones, etc... only add to the game content. Plus, it's a good incentive to try out new characters.

Here's the only catch though: you really need to play this game with friends to get the most out of it. City of Heroes has very little in the way of gameplay targeted for solo players. Even with the variety in character and costume design, the game mechanics are nothing revolutionary: defeat X enemies, gain levels, powers, etc... It's like any action-oriented RPG in its potential for becoming tedious. City of Heroes really shines as a social experience though, and you'll likely get a lot more enjoyment out of it if you team with even just one other person. If you have friends or family members who play City of Heroes (or if you are willing to meet players online), then don't hesitate to try it out.

Release your inner hero

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: December 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When you saw Batman Begins and watched him punch out and terrorize the baddies, did you think, "I could do that"? Ever dreamed of flying over the city streets in search of crime? Ever think about what you'd call yourself if you were a hero?

Here's your chance to live your dreams.

A little over a year ago, NC Soft released City of Heroes. The premise is simple: Paragon City fell to an alien invasion of the Rikti years ago. The city's heroes fought valiantly, with most dying in defense of their beloved home. Now the world needs a new generation of heroes, and that's where you come in. For the first time ever in an MMOPG, you can create the superhero of your dreams and fight crime. The possibilities of how you do this are huge.

NC Soft is to be commended. They weren't afraid to think big, and with this game, everything is big. You start out by choosing a server to host your hero (there are 11 to choose from). Next you choose what type of hero you want to be. Each type has its strengths and weaknesses. You can be a blaster, with the ability to take down foes from long range. Maybe you want to be a scrapper and unleash your inner Wolverine. How about a controller, able to manipulate the minds of your enemies? Or become a Tanker and show the Hulk how it's supposed to be done. Finally, you could be a Defender, keeping your team healed during missions. There are two other choices (Warshade and Peacebringer), but you don't get to choose them until you have a character at level 50. Some hero types are better suited for solo missions, while some are almost helpless without a team. Hey, just create one of each and try everything.

Then you get creative. You can choose practically any type of hero you want. Male or female, human or robot, tall or short, muscular or skinny...the list goes on and on. Design your own costume, and you've got hundreds of ways to do that. Capes don't become available until you reach level 20, and some incredible aura effects are open to you when you hit level 30 (burning eyes, glowing body, etc). You have to complete a mission for each, but they're worth it.

After designing your hero, you're off to Paragon City to fight crime. As you defeat more enemies, you gain more XP points, which helps you reach higher levels. With each even level, you gain a new power. With each odd level, you gain two slots you use to enhance your current powers.

There are so many fun things to do in Paragon. You can just hunt baddies and beat them up all day long, or you can go on missions with a team (or solo), or join a task force if you've got a lot of time on your hands. NC Soft continues to add things to the program, meaning you never know what's waiting for you when you log on. For Halloween, they unleashed giant monsters and smaller ones on the city. Earlier this year, huge, nasty snow creatures menaced the town. And most recently, they've opened the arenas. In an arena, you can pit yourself, your team, or your supergroup (think The Avengers or The JLA) against other players.

The key to this game is finding good teammates and friends. When you join a supergroup, you have an ongoing batch of fellow heroes to call on at a moment's notice. If you join a team, you guys just stay together as long as you'd like and then everyone goes their separate ways. Bad guys are labeled with their level, so you can tell ahead of time if this is going to be a hard battle or a walk in the park.

The question presents itself: Can I be ? Well, possibly-but not for long. NC Soft was careful to avoid anything resembling DC or Marvel superhero logos or insignias, and major costume designs (you can't be a web-covered guy, for instance), but there are some creative folks out there. On any given day you might see a Green Lantern, Flash, or Batman clone (and if you play for more than an hour, you're almost guaranteed to run into someone's idea of a Wolverine. He's got to be the most copied character in Paragon). But for the most part, the fun comes from seeing how different the heroes are. And thanks to legal pressure from Marvel, NC Soft has started policing things a little more. Create an obvious knockoff of a well-known character and you might just log in one day to see it changed and renamed "GenericHero1234". You get the chance to redesign him/her without losing your experience points, but keep your ideas fresh and original just to be safe.

The graphics in this game are intense, and everything looks great. Just be warned, you'll have to have a video card that supports 3D graphics or it won't work properly.

Now with the release of Issue 5 just around the corner, new villains will be released, and they'll be adding two new types of powers: archery and trick arrows (think Green Arrow), and Sonic powers (think Banshee or Black Canary). And later this year they'll be releasing "City of Villains", for those on the flip side of the coin.

The ongoing price of this game is very reasonable compared to "Everquest" and "The Matrix Online". The price also includes a subscription to the "City of Heroes" comic book. Recently, the comic was picked up by Top Cow Publishers, and the story and artwork have become a lot more professional. From the first few issues I've seen, it looks ready to stand on its own with the big boys.

With Marvel and DC both announcing plans to create their own similar MMORPG games, City of Heroes still stands out. Marvel has already said you won't get to play their characters, so I don't know how they plan to draw people away from this game to their own unless they're discounting the price dramatically.

If you're looking to lose yourself in an incredible world of heroes and villains, come to Paragon City.

Excelent for old timers and young alike

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: November 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing CoH for over 4 months now. I am still enjoying it as much as when I first started. I know for a fact I am one of the oldest players on Coh but that does not stop me joining in and having fun. Being one of the few Brits who plays CoH at present makes it interesting as I have made a lot of friends over there in the states. I throughly recomend this game. go for it you know you want to

A fresh Relief to Online gaming

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: November 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

City of Heroes is a fresh relief to the world of online gaming. While the game does not offer as much depth as some of its competitors in the online game market, it does offer fun.

COH is fairly easy to play and within a few minutes of hero creation you can jump into the tutuorial which offers a few basics of the game. The character creation offers a good range of choices for you new super hero.

There is plenty to do with contacts offering you quests that are geared to your level. Most questss can be finished quickly and with the mapping system you can find your way around easily and quickly. With a push of a location your compass will guide you to Places and People. So no getting lost in huge zones playing find the next person.

People are friendly and you won't have to spend hours looking for a group or even a super group to join. COH, puts Fun first and that is what a game should be FUN.

This game is a blast!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is so much fun that I've lost sleep playing it. My boyfriend and I have to schedule our use for the computer. (We only have one. Hopefully that will change soon.) The game is really easy to get used to. But that doesn't mean that you'll be an efffective hero. This game is a great challenge, especially if you decide to be a healer or controller. These characters usually can only work in teams and if you can't heal correctly or take control of the situation, you'll be forever avoided by your peers.

Yes, there are people that suck and you can have amateur teams but that's what's fun about this game. You can meet people who you deem skillful and create lasting hero friendships. In the later levels this will be quite useful since some areas are too hard without a group of people no matter how high your level is.

Another great thing about this game is that you get to choose your hero's powers. You can select from a pool of powers (teleport, flying, heal, etc.) besides your two primary hero's powers. This makes for each character being somewhat individual. However, I do recommend making your OWN character and not copying a already existing comic book chracter. It is SO annoying to see Superman or Ironman walking around.

This game is fun! There are over 180,000 users in North America alone (and this is from April to August!). You will have fun! I assure you!

So much fun you start feeling like a hero in everyday life!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: August 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Alright...I have always been a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of warcraft, UT, BF1942, and Wolfenstein. However, this game beats all.

The best thing about it is it has more than one element of fun. You can chat with people and dance, go hardcore and spend a day on a few Task forces, go on single missions, or simply go fight villains at random. It's almost like a "choose your own ending" sorta game. It never gets old, each level comes with a new ability or slots to enhance the ones you have. There can be a lot of strategy involved, every team has it's stronger heroes which, in the end, determines the style of fighting...which is never the same.

I could write a novel about this game, but I am sure I wont be given enough room. Let's just say I am finding a new apartment with three of my friends so we can all play in one room at one time. :)

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