Clobberin' TimeĪnyone who's had experience of either this or NCsoft's other MMOG-m-waitmg - Lineage II - will probably have noticed the same thing. Mustn't forget the aliens.īut then, a month or two after starting, something I like to call the NCsoft Factor hits and things start to go wrong. Men and annoying, buzzy robot things called Sprockets. It's a glorious world where every prospect pleases and only man is vile. Your mighty battles are recounted in the most exacting detail to anyone that will listen. It's impossible to keep your tales of derring-do to yourself. The moment that first bolt of lightning shoots from your eyeballs into the gullet of ' a ne'er-do-well, or when your razor claws slide from betwixt your fingernails with a satisfying 'snickt', or when you see your first higher-powered hero suddenly leap into the sky and gracefully tell gravity to get stuffed as they continue to rise higher and higher, the moment you play witness any of those seminal superhero moments, you're left grinning from ear to ear and confidently proclaiming that City Of Heroes is the finest game ever to be coded.Īnd boy how you proclaim it.

Initially you're playing the superhero game of your dreams. And while, yes, underneath all the primary colours and knockabout fun, all cliches are present and correct, you're generally so busy having a stress-free blast that you barely notice.Ĭity Of Heroes is deceptive like that. A traditional, bog-standard, MMORPG in superhero clothing All the usual basic character types, the familiar rat-killing level grinding, the same basic detached combat, the same XP to reward ratios. This could so easily have been Everquest in spandex. It's important because it shows that NCsoft have taken this concept seriously. or well thought through originals like my own Doctor Gravitus). But it's more important than just deciding the visual impact you'll make (be it expertly crafted famous hero knock-offs - Wolferine, Daredeevil, The Incredible 'Ulk, etc.

Sure, everyone wants a good-looking superhero image and the wealth of options available to you in City Of Heroes puts every other MMOG to shame.

It's more important an issue than you might think.

How to still play city of heroes