City of Heroes

We��ve all asked ourselves at one point or another, ��If I had superpowers, what would they be?�� Evidently, lifelong comic junkie and Cryptic Studios�� lead designer Jack Emmert has been posing the same question. We recently lured the developers of the upcoming City of Heroes into our offices, created characters, played the game for a couple of hours, and learned many of the secrets lurking inside this MMORPG. So, true believers, read along now and witness the amazing adventures of The Bugg and Headcase.

Not-so-secret origins

Every superhero has a beginning��especially the eight you can create on each City of Heroes world server. Your first job is to decide how you got your abilities: science, mutation, magic, technology, or blessed with natural talent. Next, pick your powers. Are you a cagey scrapper, a big and brawny tank, a mental master (controller), a blaster, or a defender? While category names are still tentative, these help to define your alter ego and narrow down the 400-and-some-odd unique superpowers that��ll be available to you over time.

For us, the toughest part was picking the right appearance for our new dynamic duo. The Bugg wears his nanosuit with a technology-based quill attack, while the psychotic Headcase��s look screams ��punk raver ex-girlfriend.�� There are plenty of ways to tweak outfits, and when you��re done, you get your hero license, which serves as the stat screen on which you declare your name, backstory, and battle cry. (Headcase��s battle cry: ��I��m soooo drunk!��)

On to Paragon City, which is based loosely on New York City. The playfield is huge, with 16 zones (the smallest measuring one square mile) to patrol. Once a bastion of decent people with a cadre of elite superheroes to defend them, Paragon City��s old guard is gone. Most heroes have given their lives trying to beat back the alien menace known as the Rikti. Now, evil is loose on the streets, and it��s your job to clean up.

Thankfully, the game contains no rat-catching missions. Even a freshly minted hero can beat the stuffing out of a gang of average thugs. You can stop random crimes in the street, get missions from departments in city hall, or stumble across subquests. In due time, you can even get your own personal Jimmy Olsen or Commissioner Gordon; once you gain enough levels through fame, inspiration, and performing good deeds, you get a confidante of your own from one of the hundreds of NPCs available. v

xBut this game isn��t about dealing with NPCs��it��s about dealing out justice with your friends. Partner a 20th-level veteran with a 5th-level newbie and you can have one hell of a team. So long as the sidekick sticks close by, his powers get ramped up to his boss�� level.

One teammate not enough? Form your own supergroup of 15 to 30 people (a final number hasn��t been set yet). This is the only way you can get a vault to stash all the upgrades you acquire and earn the ability to fight in the epic big battles. Still no word on whether you can get your own Hall of Justice or Fortress of Solitude.

Give supervillainy what-for

OK, so, we��ve got a bunch of people bandying about in their underwear. We need some heads to bust. Sadly, there��s no PVP in this game��not yet, at least. That��s because Emmert wanted to focus on perfecting the hero experience. Don��t worry, an expansion is already planned��at some point, City of Villains will let you blow off some steam and strike menacing poses, but there��s no firm date yet on when that will happen. In the meantime, you��ll have to settle for the huge number of gangs and enemies you��ll encounter (see sidebar), and that��s without mentioning 144 different enemy models and three power ranks (minion, lieutenant, and boss). Long story short, there��s a whole lot of variety in villainy these days.

There are also plenty of deep story lines to uncover. Years of pulpy plots already squirreled away have you spelunking below the city and fighting aliens on the moon, among other places. And while the company couldn��t announce a publisher, Emmert says full-fledged comic books will introduce new plot elements, enemies, and parts of the city.

A warning to those expecting a campy experience similar to that of Freedom Force: All the action here is inspired by comics from the ��80s to the present day. As a former comic-book store owner, Emmert was quick to point to Marv Wolfman��s run on Teen Titans and Chris Claremont��s work on X-Men. Heck, most of the areas in the game are named after noted comic-book artists and authors.

The game has been in development for several years, and as we speak, it��s speeding toward a March release date. What we saw a few months back was enough to convince us this game has the goods. In fact, we called it out as one of the few MMORPGs that shows lots of promise (��Online Overload,�� September 2003, page 82). Are we anxiously waiting to bust some heads and deliver two-fisted justice? Oh yes. And so should you.

Rogues Gallery

There are years�� worth of stories and villains lying in wait around Paragon City. Are you ready to do battle?

Banished Pantheon: Mysterious deities that recently appeared in town

Circle of Thorns: Arcane secret society that lives below the city in Oranbega

Clockwork: Mindless robotic automatons

Crey: Evil corporation (aren��t they all?)

The Family: No game is complete without the mob

Fifth column: World War II rejects, supersoldiers, and so on

Freakshow: Cyborg punk gang that watched The Road Warrior too often

Hellions: Bikers��err��from hell

Nemesis: A 17th-century steampunk supergenius; a big baddie

Rikti: Alien menace that wiped out most of the old superheroes

Skulls: Superpowered thugs

Sky Raiders: Flying thugs

Trolls: Drug-powered gang bangers who turn green when they OD

The Tsoo: Mystical Asian gang

Vahzilok: Gang of killer zombies and voodoo necromancers

Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.