It's the best MMO I've played simply because they got me to subscribe. Other than that I can't be a superhero/villain in real life so I use this to do that. 
What else can I play for a hero MMO? Champions is gave me a rash(emotionally) and DC? I refuse to be anyone's Sidekick. To go along with many here, I have a vested too much time into the game and the journey of many heroes and villains are not over by a long shot and I must see it to the end. Tho I like the stories and the improvements to the environment there is still one flaw that sticks me raw, but that would violate the compare and contrast rule so I will not go into it, but overall it is about the journey and the stories is what keeps me here.
The Community. Would have left long ago if it weren't for the people I play with regularily, as well as the community on my server and on the forums.
There's several reasons, but the biggest is that it lets me imagine what my life would be like if I were a superhero. I've said it before in similar threads, Knight'Hawk is me. I also love how there was always more than one way to 50. I've had very few encounters with the CoT, Banished Pantheon, Devouring Earth, and some others. Why? Because I wanted it that way. I instead opted to face more "natural" enemies: Arachnos, Council, Malta, etc. With the "younger siblings", you really don't get that option.
The story in a lot of areas is fantastic. I've gotten chills, I've gotten that "****'s going down" feeling, and I've gotten the "wow.....I just did that" feeling. For example, at the end of the Doppelganger story where your double is on the platform surrounded by the bodies of your evil doubles. Just after the cutscene, I jumped down to the platform....but never made it. The building blew up, got the loading screen, then was walking out the front door. However, as far as Knight'Hawk's backstory is concerned, it was the first time he got whacked in the face with the realization that you can't save everyone every time. It's also why he got a costume re-design.
A character I created just before joining CoH has grown leaps and bounds due to the experiences in this game. Something that might not have happened, or happened as good as it has if I hadn't started playing. I'm trying to decide if I want to go Incarnate when I get to 50. It'll allow me to experience the Praetorian story and allow further growth, however at the same time, Knight'Hawk isn't super-powered, and I'm not sure if the godliness of the Incarnate stuff would be "right" for the character.
Along the lines of the story, I like also how CoH has always been more about the journey to 50, rather than most other MMOs where "all the cool stuff" comes at the higher levels or even at the level cap. And, like others have said, I love how this game isn't all about the "perfect" gear and setup. I'm just slotted with the standard IOs, no purples or anything special, and still do my fair share of ***-kicking.
I may take breaks from time to time due to burnout, but I'm one of those that will be here until they shut the servers off. 
Freedom
Blueside: Knight'Hawk, lvl 50, Scrapper
Yellowside: Dark'Falcon (Loyalist), lvl 20, Blaster
That Stinging Sensation #482183
Non-linear gameplay. I do things my way.
Also, non-furry catgirls. Nekomimi mode.
'I don't like the look of it at all,' said the King: 'however, it may kiss my hand if it likes.'
'I'd rather not,' the Cat remarked.
'Don't be impertinent,' said the King, 'and don't look at me like that!' He got behind Alice as he spoke.
'A cat may look at a king,' said Alice.
Quote:
yay!
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Originally Posted by Aneko
Also, non-furry catgirls. Nekomimi mode.
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It gives me a happy (most of the time)
It's helping my girls get better with their reading
It lets me have a costume creator to use in fleshing out my characters for my books
It lets me do fun things with my husband
The game itself is fun.
The message boards give me something to do even when I'm not playing.
Same reasons I had when I first started playing:
1) Short of an accident with Gamma radiation, it's the closest I can be to a superhero. All of my characters are aspects of me.
2) Simple, easy to pick up and can be enjoyed in short, half hour bursts that no other MMO can do as far as I can tell.
3) Great community, only a few trolls and simple to team.
4) It's provided a springboard to a lot of my writing, my first novel and a host of other fun activities.
5) A detailed and immersive world with a metric ton of lore and backstories to explore and be involved in. I squee'd with delight over the last SSA (Part 4) as I got all the references and remembered the correct answers to all the questions. (Yeah, I'm a lore junky, so sue me. 
)
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
A lot of reasons have already been said, but I have to add two of my own.
1: Super-sidekicking. I don't have to worry that my friends are too high, or too low. I can team with them anyway. With exception for task forces, of course.
2: The mission system. Every time I look at the competition's systems, I just long back to CoH. It's not a single-player mission system with a share button tacked on to it. It's a real scalable team mission system.
- I don't have to share the missions for you to see my objectives.
- It isn't a problem if you're not at the exact same spot in the mission tree. You can participate anyway, even if I can't share my missions.
- It isn't a problem that you don't have the same mission that I have. You get rewarded anyway. Okay, at times you miss a badge or an unlock, but most of the time it isn't a problem, even if I can't share my missions.
- In fact, I don't have to share anything at all. The mission system just works as a scalable single player or team mission system.
Those other games can keep their silly single-player-with-raids systems.
And then there are all other reasons, like fun, cossies etc yadayada. But you've mentioned them already.
Still @Shadow Kitty
"I became Archvillain before Statesman nerfed himself!"
I have always had an interest in superheroes. I liked everything about them. I wasn't the most obsessed fan, in fact, I gave up reading them many years ago, but the concept always stuck with me.
As I grew up and aged, in the back of my head, I still wanted to be the superhero.
This game affords me the (virtual) experience of being that. The flexibility it offers allows me to be an anti-hero that can manipulate lightning, or a classic "good guy" who flies and is super strong. I can prevent that bank robbery, or I can rob the bank. I can travel through time and fight Nazis, or I can stop a giant robot destroying the city dead in its tracks.
It gives me a break from my mind-numbing job. It lets me put responsibilities on hold, and just have fun.
Thank you, Champion.
Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters