Well it is City of [u]Villains[u], by large the maps (and here I'm assuming you mean the zones and not the mission maps, which are mostly shared with the blue-side) are fairly dark, both thematically and in a lighting sense.
If you want something a little brighter can I suggest St Martial, which is pretty much like Vegas on crack, complete with 40 storey tall Golden Pyramid and Carnival Big Top. Other than that all I can suggest is turning up the brghtness and contrast on your monitor and grinning and bearing it 
. Believe me the later missions are worth the wait.
Thanks; yeah I meant the zones.
Creating a hero always puts a smile on my face - appearing in Atlas all bright and shiny.
Villain side just made me feel depressed - all dark and gloomy.
I was street sweeping most of the time villain side, maybe I need to change tact and just run missions, limiting my exposure to the zones themselves.
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
Every villain map has that Dark and Moody feel. The difference between the wealthy and powerful few compared to the squalor of the poor and miserable.
That said every map has its own unique look and feel.
Mercy - abandoned hope warzone get out fast or
PO - crime ridden harbor
Cap - The wonders of Doctor Aeon and the havoc it creates.
Shark - Industrial gritty
Nerva - Where Arachnos and Longbow clash and Cot takes the booty
St Martial - Las Vegas and the slums
Grandville - Spidercity nightmare
I like the maps. Give it time to grow on you. Run the misisons and sample the arcs and the city will grow on you. Villain arcs are excellent in quality.
Thanks guys, I'll give it another go. 
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller
Villainside didn't have to be dour. You see that arachnos has nice clean, posh, well designed decor/equipment, so it didn't have to be all miserable. I suppose that's where they pick up their 'cruits though - the disaffected, miserable and angry.
The old "wealthy hero, poor villain" stereotype.
Please fight My Brute: http://2hero.mybrute.com
Mission Architect 54161 - Michael Mundano, Megan Malloney and the Secret Senate.
Mission Architect 91838 - Constantinople Jones' Family Secret. A One Mission Story arc.
I thought the dark and sinister feel of the Rogue Isles was quite fitting for a City of Villains game. My only gripe about the maps was how many of them favor flight for getting around easily. This is especially noticeable in areas like Mercy Island (the starter zone) which has enormous walls which can barely be Super Leapt over, and Grandville where a lot of the missions can be found high above ground level accessible only by obscure lifts or a lot of leap-frogging.
But like they said, give it time to grow on you. City of Villains really has some fantastic areas (My personal favourite zone is St. Martial. It's really beautiful at night) and once you find your way around the areas, they won't seem so bad.
Characters:
The Heroic Mary Grace (50)
The Mystical Thunderspark (50)
The Candy-loving Little Jenny (50)
[ QUOTE ]
The old "wealthy hero, poor villain" stereotype.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not quite the stereotype trying to teach us morals (crime doesn't pay). It's that the villains running the Rogue Isles are more like tinpot dictators, siphoning as much wealth and power to themselves as they can whilst keeping the masses subdued in squalor. Think that's pretty much why ST M and Grandville have their highlights - to help show that the villains can be succesful, it's hoi polloi who live in the slums.
Or as Grinning Spade already said:
[ QUOTE ]
Every villain map has that Dark and Moody feel. The difference between the wealthy and powerful few compared to the squalor of the poor and miserable.
[/ QUOTE ]
I guess it's a shame that Paragon doesn't have a few more run down areas - but then, even though it's not too bad, I wouldn't really want to live in the RL equivalent of Kings Row. It's not quite Founders' Falls (where I'm betting all the city officials and succesfully sponsored heroes live).
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
[ QUOTE ]
I guess it's a shame that Paragon doesn't have a few more run down areas - but then, even though it's not too bad, I wouldn't really want to live in the RL equivalent of Kings Row. It's not quite Founders' Falls (where I'm betting all the city officials and succesfully sponsored heroes live).
[/ QUOTE ]
Paragon city got a few nasty areas (I dont mean gamewise but citywise)
Independance Port is everything but shiny joy joy. Steel Canyon is a soulless place with those high skyscrapers and you already mentioned Kings Row. And what about SkyWay? The city designer who came up with that idea should be sacked!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I guess it's a shame that Paragon doesn't have a few more run down areas - but then, even though it's not too bad, I wouldn't really want to live in the RL equivalent of Kings Row. It's not quite Founders' Falls (where I'm betting all the city officials and succesfully sponsored heroes live).
[/ QUOTE ]
Paragon city got a few nasty areas (I dont mean gamewise but citywise)
Independance Port is everything but shiny joy joy. Steel Canyon is a soulless place with those high skyscrapers and you already mentioned Kings Row. And what about SkyWay? The city designer who came up with that idea should be sacked!
[/ QUOTE ]
I only mentioned KR as I think it's the only one that is predominantly housing. IP is warehouses/docks and Steel is offices/shops. Skyway is a minor part of spaghetti junction with added trolls.
Most of the rundown areas redside are housing - and I was posting that it's due to keeping the masses living in slums - so using blueside residential areas in comparison was more fitting.
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
Well most of the run down housing areas in Paragon are in a far worse state than any in the Rogue Isles - Prime examples being Baumtown (Boomtown) - totally devastated, Astoria (DA) overrun by BP and in perpetual night, Woodvale (Eden) overrun by DE, Croatoa - in the process of being overun by an alternate dimension. Really any of the Rogue Isles zones with the possible exception of Grandville would be a better place to set up home
Mind of Gaia lvl 50 Defiant's first Mind/Storm 'troller.
Deadly Doc 50 Dark/Dark Corr
and lots more on Pinnacle,Union and Defiant
[ QUOTE ]
Well most of the run down housing areas in Paragon are in a far worse state than any in the Rogue Isles - Prime examples being Baumtown (Boomtown) - totally devastated, Astoria (DA) overrun by BP and in perpetual night, Woodvale (Eden) overrun by DE, Croatoa - in the process of being overun by an alternate dimension. Really any of the Rogue Isles zones with the possible exception of Grandville would be a better place to set up home
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't think any citizens live in any of the 1st 3 zones - they're more like ex-housing areas.
Not sure about Croatoa, but remove the dimensional problems and it looks a nicer place to live than Kings Row. Heck Croatoa even has a friendly monster.
By my mohawk shall ye know me!
my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
Basicly.
Paragon City got Hazard Zones. Rogue Islands are Hazard(ous) zones. 
I've been trying to get into villains since they became available and I'm really struggling - it's not the ATs themselves its the maps they are so damn miserable.
I've never taken a villain past 10 for this reason - so my question is do they become a bit brighter or are all of them depressing war zones?
L50s: Tanks: Cryofission - Ice/EM - Dr Celsius - Fire/Ice - Saint George - SD/SS | Controllers: Psichosis - Ill/Kin - Major Chaos - Ill/Stm | Scrappers - Neutron Crusader - DM/SR
Currently Levelling: Angelic Blade - BS/WP Scrapper | Seeds of Destruction - Plant/Kin Controller