E3 2003 –
First Look
Do you hunger to leap tall
buildings in a single bound? Would you like mutated powers at your disposal in
the battle against homegrown evil or alien invaders?
City of Heroes, a massively
multiplayer online role-playing game from NCSoft, may be your chance to don a
cape and take on the role of a superhero. This is a game with depth, and though
a final release date was not available during the demonstration at E3 in Los
Angeles, it was noted that the game had been in development for two years.
The game takes place in
Paragon City, the leading metropolis in this cyber universe. The city is also
the birthplace of the legions of superheroes (and once you are a superhero, you
must register as such with the Paragon City authorities). Not only are there a
host of bad guys, and quests are given by a wide variety of NPCs (non-playing
characters), but you will also have to contend with an alien invasion by the
Riktis.
The mapboard is huge. The
game has eight hazard zones and the whole city is bigger in size (at 16 square
miles) than Manhattan.
Plans are even in the works
to allow players to create and play as super villains.
The controls are designed so
that everything (all powers and equipment) can be hotkeyed. Players can team
with others for alliances for missions or can easily experience the game on an
individual level. The will also be areas designated for PvP gameplay.
The game will allow for
10,000 accounts per city server, and servers will allow for up to 3,000 active
players at any given moment.
Other features include up to
four levels of mobs, and heroes are customizable. Players can choose the origin
of their powers, their archetype, and the costume combinations are varied and
offer the opportunity for a unique look. Players will level and can eventually
have up to nine powers.
The look of the game is very
good, with nice special effects and a lot of action. City of Heroes is not quite
a comic book come to life. Instead it is an interactive, persistent realm full
of challenge. If you have a hankering to be a superhero, this is your chance.
