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As an avid gamer, I have played many types of computer games ranging from first person shooters (FPS) to real-time strategy games (RTS). Unfortunately, I have to admit that I never really had the time to look into the online multiplayer role-playing genre. These types of games can immediately be traced to popular game names such as Everquest or Ultima Online. Today, I will be reviewing an online multiplayer game published by NCSoft called City of Heroes. Based on the name, you can immediately guess that this game involves super heroes of some kind. Just like other online multiplayer role-playing games (RPG’s), City of Heroes is a bit different than your usual PC game. Most people are used to buying a game off the shelf and being able to play online for free with just a CD key of some sort. City of Heroes is different in that it requires a monthly subscription to play. “Why would you want to pay a monthly fee for a game?” is the question that came up in my mind. Let’s find out if this game is worth the cost. |
Installation
Just like other games, this game needs to be purchased in a retail store. That is because the entire game fits on 2 CD’s. First, you need to do the usual setup routine by running the installation from the CD. You just follow the simple instructions from one window to the next and it will start installing. You insert the 2nd CD when it prompts you to. You’ve now complete the first phase of the installation.
The second phase of the installation involves creating a master account with NCSoft. You can do this by going to their website. You just enter the usual information such as your name, address, etc. This account is used to manage the details if you plan to subscribe to one or more of NCSoft’s games. Next, you need to add the City of Heroes game using the provided CD key on the back of the CD cover. That is used just to prove that you bought the game. Once you’ve entered that in, now it’s time to determine how you will pay for the game. You can pay for it either by a monthly subscription or by a game card. You will be provided another key which will be used to activate the game with your chosen subscription.
Creating Your Very Own Superhero
After you have everything set up, it’s time to create your new superhero. Creating your superhero involves several steps. The first and most important is to give your superhero a name.
You should know by now that superheroes don’t just come from out of the blue. Superheroes are formed by some means. For example, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider while Batman trained to become what he is known to be. This is where you decide how your superhero was formed. You can decide whether your hero was formed through science, technology, natural, magic, or mutant means. This will determine the kinds of powers available to choose from for your superhero.
There are a wide range of powers to choose from to help your superhero start out. I chose my superhero to carry a gun. When creating your character, it is best to choose the fighting style that fits you best. You can have a character specialized in ranged attacks also known as a Blaster; Or you can get close to your enemies and deal your attacks directly as a Scrapper. There are other types in between these which may vary the amount of ranged and close attacks. If you’re the type of person who likes to help others, become a Defender who can heal people.
The fun part is being able to customize the look of your character. There are so many different options available in customizing parts of the head, body, legs, and arms. You can change style and color of each part as well as allowing you to add items such as cool looking glasses. When playing the game, I saw a lot of unique looking characters as well as look-a-like comic book characters. For instance, I saw look-a-like’s such as Wolverine and IceMan. Although there aren’t unlimited parts to choose from, there is more than enough to make your character look unique.
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Playing the Game
Despite the many people playing online at once, I was very surprised at how well organized the game is. When you first start out, you are brought to the Tutorial map. The tutorial really gives you a feel of the spacious environments and teaches you the basics of the game such as learning to navigate, talk to people, as well as fighting. The tutorial is online so you will see other newcomers to the game walking around.
Super Powers
Your powers are the main attacks or abilities that your character will use. For example, since my character is equipped with a gun, his main attack uses a shotgun style attack or a rapid fire attack. There are more passive attack powers such as being able to run fast or being able to float in the air slowly.
Enhancements
Enhancements are very important in the game. All of your superhero powers come with at least one enhancement slot. An enhancement slot as the name implies, allows you enhance the abilities of a superpower. Enhancements may be obtained either by fighting villains or buying them from your contacts. Every enhancement has a little number right below which tells you the level of the enhancement. At lower levels, you will only be able to use enhancements at a maximum of 5. When your character reaches level 12, you’ll be able to use enhancements at a maximum of 15. For example, for my shotgun attack, I put several damage enhancements which increase the damage of the attack. I also put a ‘recharge reduction’ enhancement which decreases the time it takes to recharge the power to be able to use it again.
Missions
You begin your journey at Atlas City. Atlas City is generally the main hub for all players. At the beginning, I was told to talk to some people and that was how I began my first missions. A mission is one of the primary ways in getting experience for your character. Having played the game for many days now, missions consist of similar objectives. These may involve going into a building and killing all the people in there.
There are also missions involving killing 10 of some specific enemy type. Sometimes this mission may take longer than others. That’s because sometimes it is hard to find a specific enemy on the map. You have to spend a lot of time looking for them unless you are already familiar where to find them.
In general, doing missions generally involves killing the villains (computer-controlled). They may come in different forms such as killing a bunch of villains to rescue hostages or just killing everyone with a single head boss at the end (usually).
Leveling Up
When leveling up your first few times of the game, the game will start to unfold by teaching you more about the available functions of the game. For example, you will eventually learn about being able to create your own superhero group as well as being able to combine enhancements. Leveling up generally followed a pattern. After leveling up, you may be able to add two enhancements slots to a power. The next level, you might be able to choose another superpower. Keep in mind that once you level up, you need to visit a super character such as Ms. Liberty in Atlas Park whom will enable you to level up. I always see lots of people hanging around there when I visit her.
Exploring the City of Heroes World
As you level up, there will always be an opportunity to face new challenges. New cities and areas will be unlocked and available once you reach a certain level. Exploring is the key in succeeding in this game. By exploring, you will learn where specific villains are at as well as the difficulty of certain areas. Don’t forget to check everywhere, you may even find villains in places you least expect such as the roofs of buildings.
Traveling from one place to another is not too cumbersome. Each place has a train station which allows you to travel in between key places. In addition, there are usually exits on the edges of the map which allow you to also travel to other areas.
It’s All About the Teams
Teams are a very important aspect in the game. By teaming up with other individuals, you will be able to work together to tackle even greater challenges than by working by yourself. I found it very easy to team up easily with other individuals with the simple system. You just click the ‘Seek Team’ button on the left hand side and this will allow other groups to invite you to their team. If you see a group nearby, you can just ask and they are fairly happy about inviting another member.
When fighting together in teams, you will gain experience for each villain that is killed by any member of the team. The experience you receive depends on your level relative to the villain’s level. When you are in a team, there is a leader in the group indicated by a star on the left of the team list. The leader has the ability to set the team mission. The leader can choose one of his existing missions or be able to choose one of the missions for team from one of the members.
Show Some Expression
Chatting with just text is just fine, but the problem is that text never really shows your true emotion. City of Heroes allows your character to express a variety of emotions that help enhance the communication in the game. If you’re playing the game and need to go grab a bite, just show yourself reading a newspaper. If you’re patiently waiting for other teammates, you can help bring up the team spirit by dancing with a boom box. The available actions/emotions really make it easier to communicate with other individuals.
The Interface
The interface is very clean and well organized. In fact, some of the interface is windows. You can drag and move them to any place of the screen you want. Windows can be hidden, collapsed, expanded, to make the interface suited to your needs. The interface is very easy to get used to after a while playing City of Heroes. I really found no problems with the interface.
Graphics/Sound
The graphics are not Doom 3, but I found the graphics to look good for an online game. The maps are very spacious. When seeing people fight, the powers are well animated and are consistent with their actions. The sound effects are also consistent with the powers being used by others. You may see and hear a superhero zoom by you really fast. The sounds are not as important in this game as in other games. You only hear background music usually when you enter a different part of the city. I’ll let the screenshots speak for themselves. You can pass the judgment.
Conclusion
I found City of Heroes to be a really enjoyable game. I have to admit that the game starts off a bit slow at first. Once you level up quite a bit, the game really starts picking up the pace and you’ll enjoy becoming more powerful when you’re able to take on tougher villains. I’m still looking forward to being able to fly. I have to admit that some of the missions are a bit repetitive at heart, but joining a team has helped maintain the fun and enjoyment as well as being able to communicate with others. City of Heroes is available for $49.99 at most retail stores which includes one month of free play. After that, be expected to pay $12-15 dollars a month depending on the plan. This game has really changed my perspective of the online multiplayer RPG genre and I look forward in continuing to play City of Heroes as well as exploring other similar titles.
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