by NCsoft

Member Reviews: Review This Game Yourself!

Pros
•  Adds much-needed PvP.
•  New characters like Stalker and MasterMind add new possibilities with pets and invisibility.
•  Bases for Super Groups.
•  Nice tutorial to get you started in the game. 
•  Very easy to pick up and start playing.

Cons
•  Too much like City of Heroes.
•  Need City of Heroes to get the most out of the expansion.
•  May lead to a shortage of heroes.
•  Can be repetitive.

The Bottom Line - Fun expansion/sequel that adds PvP and a certain coolness factor that will attract both CoH players and new gamers alike.  

Link: Official Site

Review

Although City of Heroes is one of the better MMORPGs for casual gamers, it has always lacked true PvP against villains. The ability to create your own super hero was nice and all, but it always felt like there was something missing. Here was this game that was supposed to let you live out your comic book fantasies but there was no major villains to go up against. Sure some comic books have heroes pummeling generic bad guys but it gets old. 

Like a henchman jumping to answer his master's call, City of Villains swoops in to add the ability for super heroes and super villains to finally go head-to-head. Now heroes and villains can duke it out in PvP zones to see whether good or evil triumphs. The villains may need a little while to catch up to some of the older heroes but the newness of the game and the coolness of playing a baddie will likely enable that gap to be closed rather quickly.

Heroes and Villains can also battle over another much needed addition, bases. Bases are only for Super Groups in City of Villains. City of Heroes Super Groups can have bases as well but the players need to have both City of Heroes and City of Villains. Besides helping with PVP, these bases give a good reason to join a Super Group that didn't really exist before. Thus, bases add a new element that improve the depth of the game. 

Another new element are the abilities of the a couple the archetypes that you can choose for your villain, the MasterMind and the Stalker. While the other 3 archetypes play almost identically to their CoH counterparts, the MasterMind and the Stalker add a couple of new interesting twists. Unlike the Scrapper in CoH, a Stalker can turn invisible to all enemies of the same or lesser level. This basically allows you to freely walk where ever you want to without having to fight. A MasterMind is even more fun to play because you can lead your own little army. Your own posse can consist of a wide variety of henchmen including ninjas, zombies, and mercenaries. Can't find a group to play with? Don't worry about it! Bring along a couple of ninjas and just watch them mow down mobs. You can either just command you henchmen to pounce or you can help with a ranged weapon like a bow or a gun. 

Nevertheless, do not expect City of Villains to be a completely different game. In fact, CoV basically plays just like CoH but adds more content, new features, and the ability to express your inner evil. This "if-it's-not-broke-don't-fix-it" strategy may disappoint some gamers but it is also a good thing since one of CoH's core strengths was simplicity and having a low learning curve. That said, City of Villains may not reinvent City of Heroes, but it does make a CoH a significantly better MMORPG.  

Game Ogre's Rating (out of 10): 

9.00

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