PC Gamer reviews City of Heroes, its Community, and the test of time
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2010-03-02 15:39 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Shame they didnt mention more about the future of the game, especially in regards to the dated graphics.
Overall a nice writeup though.
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
Quote:
| Awesome write up! Thank you for taking the time to post this, Marcian! |
That is a pretty accurate review. I personally can't wait for a completely new overhaul of the game.
Virtue: @Santorican
Dark/Shield Build Thread
o.o Virtue very good red-side too. O.O
Quote:
Yeah. They had a preset list of questions for each MMO, and it was only fair to answer just those questions. Kinda wish one of them was "What can we look forward to this year?" Would have built anticipation and separated the stagnate from the imminent awesome.
|
Originally Posted by EU_Damz
Shame they didnt mention more about the future of the game, especially in regards to the dated graphics.
|
I agree about the forums. Although I think it's sad that these forums are considered exceptional. It really should be the expected norm rather than the cess-pits most MMO forums seem to be.
I realise it probably sounds as self-serving propaganda to nod in confirmation of a positive review of my favourite game, but I do think these guys gave it a fair shot and a fair look.
It's interesting that they'd reference the community as much as they do, especially considering the kind of arguments we get into, but then I often take our community for granted in ways that I really shouldn't. I've called it this before, but it really IS a culture shock when I ship off to another MMO to try something new and instinctively assume I'll see the same thought-out, level-headed discussions we see here, with merit given to all view points and understanding as the basic premise. All too often, I get hit with the "lolnub" syndrome and, being as mouthy as I am, just incur too much wrath to be worth my time to fight against it.
It is interesting, though, that every community, even the DUMBEST one on the face of the Earth, still has nice, considerate people hiding in the dark corners. These people seem to delight engaging in more interesting discussions whenever they present themselves, and seem to be able to ignore the noise and focus on what's really interesting. To a large extent, that's most of the people here. I don't know how and why, but we've just managed to keep the noise on these forums very low, to the point that whenever someone throws a fit, it's REALLY obvious and not very well received.
But, yeah. That's just a longwinded way to say that we have a great community here 
And that IS saying something, coming from me. I don't even LIKE people.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
|
They pretty much hit the nail on the head, except for that hilarious part about the "marked lack of whining".
=P
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
Doom.
Quote:
Compared to most forums for any game, not just MMOs, we're practically total raving fanboys.
|
Originally Posted by Nethergoat
They pretty much hit the nail on the head, except for that hilarious part about the "marked lack of whining".
=P |
Quote:
Was going to say the same thing. Go to any other MMO's forums. Any. Just TRY to have a real conversation in any of them. Oh we have our lumps and our problems, but gosh golly I have to say that we've got some of the least contentious, least whiny, and most productive forums in the market, hands down.|
Originally Posted by LaserJesus
Compared to most forums for any game, not just MMOs, we're practically total raving fanboys.
|
If possible, I always try to read the forums for a game before I join: while the forums aren't everyone who plays, they're some of the most vocal, and I like to see who the game will inflict apon me if I pay for a subscription.
As bad as this place can get sometimes, I'd rather play with this crowd than the community of just about any other forum out there.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by eltonio
This is over the top mental slavery.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by LaserJesus
Compared to most forums for any game, not just MMOs, we're practically total raving fanboys.
|
Good point- I forgot how low the bar was for a minute.
=D
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
I love you Detroit!!
What, this is Duluth?!
This write-up does look pretty balanced, yah. Seems I keep following links to other ones (can't all recall where) and they're either over obsessing about the age of the game or overlooking obvious strengths, such as us wonderful forumites. u.u
Very interesting. I'm curious what they say about LOTRO and Warhammer. Do they also review Asheron's Call and Everquest 1?
Quote:
I think so. Didn't check, but I would recommend picking up a copy before I plagarize the entire thing. |
Originally Posted by Prime_Nighthawk
Very interesting. I'm curious what they say about LOTRO and Warhammer. Do they also review Asheron's Call and Everquest 1?
|
Quote:
Did you just... thank yourself?
| Awesome write up! Thank you for taking the time to post this, Marcian! |
Quote:
More people need to give Marcian props.
|
Originally Posted by Westley
Did you just... thank yourself?
|
Quote:
Okay, here you go:|
Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
More people need to give Marcian props.
|
They mentioned the lack of whining. and tbh, besides the funny doom threads that we seem to post...most of the top whinning is very little or confined for a while. which shows that despite the things. i believe we have one of the best communities in any MMO/Game...and thats a bold statement alone.
Lack of whinning? they didn't read the General Discussions forum long enough
Quote:
Compared to the forums of some games... This is nothing.
|
Originally Posted by Silverado
Lack of whinning? they didn't read the General Discussions forum long enough
|
In the Arena of Logic, I fight unarmed.
PC Gamer Magazine has an article this month where they take all the MMOs still kicking and re-analyze them now that they've had time to establish themselves. Additionally, they asked themselves the same questions of each MMO, allowing readers to compare the answers. City of Heroes was reviewed in this, and I loved what they wrote. As the article is not on their website, here is the write up in its entirety:
Be evil. Be good. Be powerful.
What is it? What's better than playing a super hero or villain in a fantasy game world? Playing one in a world that you created. The original superhero MMO, City of Heroes has been around since 2004, and has the content, polish and stable community to show for it. But last year's addition of the Mission Architect, which allows players to create and publish mission arcs for themselves and other players to play (for XP and loot), really defines this superhero/villain simulator now.
What's the endgame? This is the odd part about CoH: There isn't much sectioned-off endgame content, but there's a lot to do at max level. There is no abrupt change when you hit the level cap. You keep doing what you were doing before- grouping with other superheroes and learning how to tackle enemies with your unique combination of superpowers, fighting through more content to accumulate rewards and titles, touring the city for bad guys and saving the day yet again. Fans insist that unlike other MMOs, this game is "about the journey, not the destination," a sentiment supported by the 132 available character slots on each account.
How good is it? It excels at enabling you to create and play out your superhero fantasy. Allowing you to create your own content to play through is a dream come true for anyone who grew up a gamer.
Any problems? The game is almost six years old at this point; the graphics are dated and some desired features simply aren't possible without a complete overhaul of the game engine. Some of the community left for Champions Online, but CoH still has a solid player base (enough to make 344,000 mission arcs in the Mission Architect). The heavy reliance on instance encounters can make you feel disconnected with the rest of the game world.
How has it improved since last year? 2009 saw three content updates, bringing new taskforce missions, power effect customization and difficulty adjustment options. But none of that compares to the introduction of player-made content. The Mission Architect is incredibly powerful and intuitive, resulting in a near-endless supply of new content to play and roleplay through at any level. Random elements ensure that your favorite missions are replayable.
Is it here to stay? Browse the CoH forums and you'll notice a significant lack of whining, the sign of a very reasonable, content player base. City of Heroes could have easily gotten lost in the shadow of Champions Online, but it took bold steps not only to establish itself as a viable alternative in the superhero genre but as an exciting stand-alone MMO. The upcoming Going Rogue expansion is highly anticipated and should bring significant additions.
How should I start? Virtue and Freedom seem to be the most populated servers for heroes, with Freedom being the best option for villains, as well.
Verdict: It's not as flashy as Champions Online, but City of Heroes has unique gameplay elements that will appeal to any MMO fan, not just would-be heroes and villains.
Pretty dead on. I love this, as its great an accurate press. My only wish is that they'd point out the imminent graphical upgrade with Going Rogue. Other than that, my qualms are nitpicky (Virtue's an RP server!). It's fantastic that they emphasized what 2009 meant to City of Heroes.
Additionally, I'm really proud of you. Yes, you reading this post. Twice in this article, the forums were referenced, once as proof that the game is viable. Paragon Studios has repeatedly said that the City of Heroes community is great. The more I see things like this, the more I realize that isn't just them screaming "I love you, Detroit!" at the end of the concert. It's not lip service. You people rock and it reflects well on the game you love.
While I wish that they would have touched on the costume creator and how City of Heroes/Villains are two full and separate MMOs for the price of one, I understand that they had to cover multiple games. Can't bear that a grudge.
Awesome write up! Thank you for taking the time to post this, Marcian!