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City of Villains
Release date: 29 Nov 2002

Mygamer review

Gameplay		9
Graphics		8
Sound		8
Value		10
Curve		9

8.8
Distinguished

Cryptic Studios Proves That It's Good To Be Bad...

The Rogue Isles are certainly a seedy place� good thing I wore my washable rubber cat-suit.
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When City of Heroes was released just over a year ago, one of the first things that players put a the top of their �wish list� was the ability to play not only as a noble and staunch Superhero, but also as a scheming, conniving Supervillain. Developer Cryptic Studios and publisher PlayNC added in a hint of things to come several months ago, when they introduced limited Player-vs-Player Arena combat in one of that title�s free upgrade packs. While this welcome addition did allow players to finally unleash a bit of pent-up PvP frustration on their fellow heroes, the action was still limited to small teams or groups battling one another in an artificial space removed from the rest of the game-world-- there was no way to truly be a �bad guy�.

Frustrated Masters of the World and Evil Geniuses can finally rejoice, for on October 31, 2005, Cryptic launched City of Villains, the sequel (and, in some ways, the add-on pack) to City of Heroes.

As the title suggests, City of Villains is a massively online multiplayer RPG (MMO) in which budding criminals of all stripes can flex their genetically-enhanced muscles and wallow in being bad. Players use the game�s extensive character creation tool to build a costumed super villain of one of several archetypes before venturing forth to explore the Rogue Isles on a quest for personal power, infamy and glory.

Players already familiar with City of Heroes will feel immediately at home with the game�s mechanics and controls, while new players tempted to sample �the dark side� will have little trouble mastering the basics- starting characters begin in a tutorial area (the infamous Ziggurat prison) where you must escape from jail. By the end of the tutorial, players will become familiar with the game�s basic movement and power keys, how to use contacts to get new missions and navigate through the sprawling city using the in-game map, etc. You will also be introduced to Arachnos, the game�s premiere villain group.

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You think you�re so tough, puny hero? Come say hello to my little friend �Spidey��

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Following the tutorial, Arachnos will transport you to the Rogue Isles, an island chain off the American coast. The Isles are a seedy place, truly a �wretched hive of scum and villainy�: the streets are twisting and dark, often littered with trash and other troubling things. Buildings are run-down and dilapidated, with peeling billboards and signs advertising any number of dubious pleasures and services, all squatting miserably beneath neon-festooned skyscrapers emblazoned with the blood-red spider symbol of the Isles� masters.

The player ventures forth to do the bidding of their new Arachnos contact, running missions of mayhem, kidnapping, bank robbery, assassination and espionage. As the player advances, they make new contacts and are given more challenging tasks against increasingly powerful enemies. All the while, their sinister power grows.

Villain character classes are strange, twisted versions of City of Heroes� archetypes, cunningly designed to take maximum advantage of the game�s darker theme. Masterminds, for example, use their powers to raise small armies of undead zombies, deadly ninja assassins, mercenary commandos or robotic henchman. Stalkers have an inherent Stealth ability available at the time of character creation, which emphasizes a sneaky and devastating �backstab� attack over the ability to honorably stand toe-to-toe with a foe. Brutes are less �meat shield� than �walking bomb�, with the inherent ability of Rage- the more a Brute attacks or takes damage, the greater their combat damage grows. Don�t make the Brutes angry� you wouldn�t like them when they�re angry (unless you�re playing one).

Players will use these nefarious archetypes in a completely new and villain-centric Player-vs-Environment storyline, or in knock-down, drag-out PvP action versus heroes and even other villains. The storyline is every bit as fun and engaging as the one that made City of Heroes such a compelling title. As in CoH, the ability for higher-level villains to sponsor lower-level ones remains intact, encouraging grouping and assuring that any player can see almost any zone or mission content at any time.

CoV Supervillain groups can now also build hidden lairs and bases, where they can plot the overthrow of the world in peace. Hero groups in CoH also get this ability, however hero players must purchase and register a copy of City of Villains to actually access them. Even better, if a supergroup (villain or hero) has one or more Items of Power in residence at their base, raids can be organized by opposing factions. Defending the Items of Power is quite desirable, as the supergroup that controls them gains powerful benefits such as extra health, defense or experience points so long as they remain safely installed inside that group�s base- lose them and the bonuses evaporate. Bases can also be fitted with a number of beneficial devices, such as medical bays, personal teleporters alongside a bevy of furniture, whiz-bang scientific apparatus, defensive batteries and other personal touches.

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Say what you will about Arachnos� they certainly are stylish and well-organized.

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CoH and CoV players can and will come into conflict in one of the game�s many new PvP areas. These hot spots, located on the borders of hero- and villain-controlled territories, serve as �free fire� hazard zones and should not be entered into lightly. While some missions actually force you to explore these areas, death at the hands of other player-controlled characters carries no XP debt, which should make those players concerned about their character�s advancement being slowed feel more comfortable. While some of these new areas are intended for PvP use primarily, others, such as the �Siren�s Call� zone feature roving bands of AI-controlled Arachnos raiders that assault fortified hero-controlled security checkpoints with regularity. Players on both sides can throw their might behind these �bots to tip the scales in favor of their chosen side. As engaging and rich as the PvE storylines are, it�s nice to see Cryptic adding in different kinds of game content for players wanting something a bit different.

Best of all, City of Villains adds to the existing game play already available on the existing City of Heroes servers. If you are already a City of Heroes subscriber, then City of Villains will not cost any additional subscription fee on top of what you�re already paying, beyond the purchase price of the software. The same thing applies for CoV players that want to add on CoH at a later time- the two games share subscription fees and servers, so if you have an established group you won�t have to bother with worrying about how to get messages back and forth to set up the evening�s gaming. That Cryptic chose to make the game a �freebie� beyond the purchase of the software, and decided to not charge additional fees for each separate title says a lot about their dedication to their fan base. Add that to the developer�s existing track record of releasing regular, feature- and content-packed upgrade packs (called, in true comic-book fashion, �issues�), and the game swiftly moves into �must have� territory for any player with even a passing interest in comics or MMOs.

The Scores:

Gameplay: 9 The �easy to learn yet challenging to master� game mechanics that made City of Heroes so engaging returns with a vengeance in City of Villains. Players of all skill levels will enjoy mastering every facet of their superpowers, all while facing increasingly challenging foes and learning new more powerful abilities. The PvE missions are well written and challenging, and really do serve to create a suitably sinister environment, one where Power and Villainy trump Truth and Justice. Players also have a wealth of game options, from forming teams to complete missions to joining forces expressly for busting heroes� skulls in one of the PvE zones.

Graphics: 8 While the graphics engine employed by City of Villains is beginning to look a bit dated, the game still looks fantastic and captures the world of superheroes and supervillains to a tee. The Rogue Isles are lovingly realized, right down to the smallest detail, with litter-strewn, twisting back-alleys and brooding skyscrapers looming over dilapidated warehouses and burned-out tenements. This ain�t Paragon City, meat-head- this is a place where bad guys ARE the law, and you�ll be reminded of that fact every time you go out your front door. City of Villains also features on-demand high-end graphics effects such as antialiasing, anisotropic filtering and bloom effects, providing your PC and video card can support them, which makes the title�s many superpower and environmental effects a real treat. Character design, especially the game's signature Arachnos spider troops and combat robots are a visual feast, managing to be both awe-inspiring and creepy all at once.

Audio: 8 In-game sound FX and music are lovingly recorded and realized, and give every power set a unique and distinctive flavor. The game�s total lack of anything resembling pre-recorded voice-overs does hurt this score, however- we were really hoping to hear the menacing voice of Lord Recluse, the master of Arachnos, or his main squeeze, the lovely Ghost Spider, piped over loud speakers in true megalomaniacal fashion. Pity.

Value: 10 City of Villains carries no additional monthly subscription fee beyond what players are already paying for access to City of Heroes. Even better, since all of the CoV content shares the same servers as the original game, existing player groups will find it easy to contact one-another via global chat handles, even across hero/villain territories. Color us impressed.

Curve: 9 City of Villains captures the essence of comic-book villainy better than we could have hoped. Existing City of Heroes players might, and probably do, find some of the required game mechanics changes needed to properly balance hero-versus-villain battles disappointing and/or frustrating (a change introduced for CoV called �Enhancement Diversification�, for example, reduced the energy costs of all powers while simultaneously changing the fundamental way that those same powers could be enhanced throughout the player�s career), but only time will tell if these changes will indeed become part of the permanent �City of�� landscape- this is an MMO, of course, so anything and everything is subject to change at any time. The good news is that Cryptic seems to be a developer that prides itself on listening to its subscribers� comments on how to improve the title- they certainly did when they were building City of Villains. If the next year is half as exciting as the previous, then the City of Villains is going to be a very interesting place, indeed.

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