Filed under: Super-hero

City of Heroes puts players in the action with its Summer Blockbuster Event

by Matt Daniel May 22nd 2012 at 4:30PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Events, in-game, News items, Free-to-play

Summer is almost officially upon us, and you know what that means: summer blockbusters! But we're not talking about the movies; we're talking about City of Heroes' Summer Blockbuster Event, which will put players in scenarios straight out of huge summer films, but with a special Paragon Studios twist.

The double-feature begins with Time Gladiator, which puts players in the coliseum's spotlight as they go head-to-head with opponents pulled from across the annals of time, such as "deadly assassins, outlaw gunslingers, cybernetic soldiers... and the mighty God-Champion." Of course, if suave subterfuge is more your style, perhaps The Casino Heist will tickle your fancy. Ocean's Eleven's got nothin' on this scenario, which puts players in charge of busting up the Tyrant's Palace Casino. Of course, they'll have to do something about the Tyrant's "armed guards and state-of-the-art security" first. The Summer Blockbuster Event goes live on July 10th, so grab some popcorn and get ready for action.

[Source: Paragon Studios press release]

Marvel Heroes unveils its first official trailer [Updated]

by Matt Daniel May 22nd 2012 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Trailers, Video, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Marvel Heroes

Screencap -- Marvel Heroes announcement trailer

After months and months of teasing us, Gazillion Entertainment has finally officially released new details about its upcoming new title, the free-to-play Marvel Heroes. The press release claims that the game will take "the MMO category to a completely new level of excitement and engagement" by combining "the energy of action role-playing games with the breadth and immersion of the MMO genre."

Players can now get their first look at Marvel Heroes with the title's first teaser trailer, which features gameplay footage interwoven with some rather menacing shots of a certain Victor Von Doom, who seems to have gotten his titanium-plated hands on what appears to be the Cosmic Cube, an artifact that gives its bearer the power to bend reality to his will. We're not sure what Doc Doom plans to do with the Cube, but we know that it can't possibly be anything good. Presumably it will be up to the players to put a stop to Doom's nefarious plans and return the Cube to its rightful place, but until we find out more, head on past the cut and enjoy the trailer in all of its super-goodness.

[Source: Gazillion Entertainment press release]

[Update: IGN has a preview of the game that discusses in detail its Diablo roots.]

Winners announced in Champions Online Design a Villain contest

by MJ Guthrie May 22nd 2012 at 7:00AM

Filed under: Super-hero, Contests, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online

Who could resist the opportunity to see one's very own custom super-villain face off against the heroes in Champions Online? One glance at the contest's forum thread shows that many couldn't; a wide variety of nefarious villains were proposed in page after page of contest entries. After much deliberation, Cryptic has finally announced the winners of its Design A Villain contest. However, with so many entries, Cryptic upped the number of winners from five to seven and promised that another round of winners will be announced at a later date.

The grand prize winner who will see both of his creations featured in an upcoming 10-man Alert is Fryguy8544. Runner ups are Ubusunagami, Akwartz, Rianba, chezpizza, Azathoth-Sothoth, and CCat76; their villains will also be featured in the game.

Congratulations to the winners! To check out the winning submissions with their corresponding costumes, visit the official announcement linked below (you'll need to log in to the forums to see the pictures). And for those whose submissions weren't chosen this time, keep watch for the next waves of winners.

DC Universe Online shows off the new Shield weapon

by Eliot Lefebvre May 17th 2012 at 11:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, DC Universe Online

Based off of a Kirby character who was based off of another Kirby character owned by a competing company.

Shields generally aren't thought of as a weapon; they're usually seen as the exact opposite of a weapon. But in the superheroic milieu, all that changes. A shield is something to be used offensively, and in DC Universe Online's next major update, players will begin wielding the shield for their own superheroic (or villainous) capers. A recent interview with creative director Jens Andersen discusses the intended role of the shield in combat.

Andersen explains that while the new weapon comes along in a very PvP-centered update, it's not meant to be used specifically for PvP; the team just wants to have something new for players to enjoy no matter what. In play, shields are similar to a staff weapon, but unlike most other weapons, the shield can continue to build a combo after a heavy strike by moving back to light strikes. That should make the shield a very aggressive option -- perhaps odd for something that's not generally thought of as a weapon.

Choose My Adventure: Cruisin' with the gang in City of Heroes

by MJ Guthrie May 16th 2012 at 5:30PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Galleries, Polls, City of Heroes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Choose My Adventure

You've experienced it, right? That magic moment on any trip of significant length when you've been living and breathing the locale long enough that the place starts to feel more familiar and you settle in, that time when you feel less like a tourist and more like a local. After the last few weeks traveling with you all, I have hit that moment in City of Heroes. While I still may not be able to tell one inspiration from another by sight, I can find my way around the 'hood and know the skyline when zipping about -- well, at least in Atlas Park. Oh, and I found a Mexican restaurant! It's almost like a second home now.

It was upon reaching this comfort zone that City of Heroes got better for me; this past week has been more fun than the previous ones during this Choose My Adventure road trip. (And yes, I'd even call the torture of the expansive character creation fun. Exhausting, but fun!) What transpired this week? Buckle up and step on the gas to see.

Gallery: CMA: City of Heroes

DCUO's Last Laugh features Hamill as the Joker, lots of new content

by Jef Reahard May 16th 2012 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online, Dungeons

DC Universe Online - The Joker cutscene still

Sony Online Entertainment is bringing out the big guns for its next DC Universe Online content patch. As we reported last week, the Joker is set to return for The Last Laugh, and fortunately for everyone, his voiceover duties will be handled by none other than Mark Hamill.

Hamill is joined by DC stalwart Arleen Sorkin (that's Harley Quinn to you, mistah), and Adam Baldwin returns to the role of Superman for the first time since DCUO's launch. The Last Laugh also features a new shield weapon, four new safe house battles, and 8v8 throw-downs in both the Watchtower and the Hall of Doom.

The Last Laugh will be freely available to legendary DCUO members, while free and premium players can purchase it via the in-game marketplace, the official website, or the PlayStation Network.

[Source: SOE press release]

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Why there are no more Epic Archetypes in City of Heroes

by Eliot Lefebvre May 16th 2012 at 12:30PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Classes, Game mechanics, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

A Mild-Mannered Reporter header by A. Fienemann

My weekend plans went cross-eyed, as they often do, but as a result I found myself looking through some old notes for future columns on City of Heroes. There were a lot of notes I took early on when I was first writing columns, some of which I wound up using and some of which wound up being discarded, but one particular idea jumped out at me: a column about potential future Epic Archetypes.

Specifically, I was looking back over and noting how a lot of the archetypes I listed wouldn't actually work at all.

I've gone on record as having been a big fan of EATs right from the beginning, as they're meant to be classes that break up the regular structure of the game's classes. That strikes me as laudable. But even disregarding the technical aspects of the epics that makes them more complex to develop and balance, I think there are some noteworthy basic problems with them on a conceptual level. We may very well never get another one just because the game has been structured to make them almost a design mistake that's never been corrected.

Marvel Heroes teases with new character silhouette

by MJ Guthrie May 16th 2012 at 9:30AM

Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, News items, Marvel Heroes

Cyclops and the other revealed playable characters will soon have a another compatriot to add to their ranks in the upcoming super-hero game Marvel Heroes. Who will it be? For now, Gazillion is teasing fans with a silhouette of the mystery woman, but guesses are already being tossed around. Is it Ms. Marvel? Could it be Phoenix? Some are even hedging a guess that it's possibly even Elektra. Mum is the official word for now, so it is up to fans to puzzle it out.

All right, Marvel aficianoados: Who do you think it is?

[Commenters have rightly pointed out that it can't be Wonder Woman, as she's a DC character.]

City of Heroes announces Paragon Market Freebie Fridays

by Matt Daniel May 9th 2012 at 6:30PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, News items, Free-to-play, Promotions

Everyone loves free things, and the folks at Paragon Studios know it. That's why the studio has announced a new treat for City of Heroes players: Paragon Market Freebie Fridays. The program is exactly as it sounds: Every week, the studio will choose a new item to be that week's freebie. Players then simply have to log on during the specified time frame, claim their free items, and enjoy! That's all there is to it, folks.

The premiere Freebie Friday will be taking place this week, beginning on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. EDT and ending at the same time Friday, giving players 24 hours to claim their free stuff. The announcement states that the freebies "could be almost anything currently available in the Paragon Market," so be sure to log in each week and get your goodies!

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How City of Heroes almost died

by Eliot Lefebvre May 9th 2012 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Business models, Culture, Expansions, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

If it hasn't become clear over the past two and a half years, I really enjoy speculation. I like crazy theories, I like exploring possibilities, I like thought exercises, and so forth. There's some speculation that I find particularly ill-informed or lacking in some fundamental point of logic, but that doesn't mean I don't learn about them first.

Why am I making a point out of this? Because I've developed a theory about the state of City of Heroes, and I want to make it clear before I launch into this somewhat grim theory that I'm basing this entirely on outside observations. I want it to be clear that I could, in fact, be totally wrong, and when I say that City of Heroes nearly committed unintentional suicide a couple of years ago, I don't want that to be seen as some grand behind-the-scenes revelation.

And if it weren't obvious from that line, yes, that's where I'm going. I think Going Rogue nearly gutted City of Heroes and burned the whole game to the ground. And I think everything the game has done since can be directly traced back to that expansion.

Choose My Adventure: Patrolling the park

by MJ Guthrie May 9th 2012 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Polls, City of Heroes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Choose My Adventure

Yes, Virginia, there is a game after character creation.

With such extensive customization available, it is quite likely that I would have spent the duration of Choose My Adventure without ever actually logging in to play City of Heroes. For all of the hours I spent in character creation with all the options (enough to completely blow a fuse in your mind), it was easy to lose sight of the fact that there was actually a game to go play once I finally made my character. Now I see the real appeal of the VIP pass with all of those character slots; it has even me thinking wistfully of all the alts that could be.

Luckily I have you folks directing me, forcing me past the costume creator and into my role as defender of truth and justice. If it hadn't been for you, I would have never embarked on my journey of flight and fricasseed evil doers in Atlas Park. Or participated in an impromptu street band performance. Yup, it is all your fault! And I'm looking forward to what we do next as we continue our City of Heroes adventures together.

But first, let's take a look at what mayhem I caused... er, put an end to this past week.

The Joker returns to DC Universe Online in upcoming DLC, The Last Laugh

by Matt Daniel May 8th 2012 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, DC Universe Online

DC Universe Online players, prepare yourselves: The Joker's back, and he wants to put a smile on your face. The Clown Prince of Crime is making his grand return to DCUO in the game's upcoming DLC pack, The Last Laugh. Not to be confused with the renowned crossover comic story arc, DCUO's The Last Laugh "will pit players against each other in high-intensity multiplayer brawls, feature an all-new weapon, and introduce new Light-Powered Legends PvP characters." The new weapon in question isn't much of a weapon at all, but if Captain America has taught us anything, it's that even a shield can be lethal in the right hands. Now players will be able to slam, bash, and wank to their hearts' content with the new shield weapon type.

And players will need every trick they can get to succeed in the new Safe House Battles, which are 4v4 PvP brawls that involve players invading one anothers' safe houses in order to complete a number of objectives. So much for safe houses being... well, safe. Players thirsting for larger-scale combat will be at home in the new Headquarter Battles, which see eight heroes squaring off against eight villains as they try to take control of the Hall of Doom and the Watchtower, respectively. And finally, the game's first light-powered Legend characters will be making an appearance in The Last Laugh, allowing players to take control of the Green Lanterns' Kilowog and Sinestro Corps' Amon Sur.

The Last Laugh will be available in June for free to Legendary members and for purchase on the market for Free and Premium players. For the full details, check out the official announcement at the DCUO site.

City of Heroes player summit promises Water Blast power set, cyberpunk costumes

by Eliot Lefebvre May 3rd 2012 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Events, real-world, Previews, News items, Free-to-play

Sadly, you cannot have a friend summon you to the summit. Even if your friend is playing a time-based character.

If you weren't in California over the past weekend, you sadly had to miss out on the City of Heroes player summit. That means no voice in the several panels during which the doors were thrown open for new suggestions. But you can at least read through the summary of the weekend's events to find out what nifty new elements will be coming to the game in the near future, including four new powersets and several new costumes.

While there's not a firm launch schedule, players can look forward to Water Blast (exactly what it says on the tin), Natural Affinity (healing over time and debuffing), Symbiotic Armor (a new defensive set based around absorbing damage types), and Radiation Armor (again, what it says on the tin). Players can also look forward to another Super Pack as well as the upcoming Retro Sci-Fi costumes and a Cyberpunk set. There's a lot of interesting tidbits, so if you want to get excited about the future, best to read through the event summary at OnRPG.

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What City of Heroes needs for its ninth year

by Eliot Lefebvre May 2nd 2012 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, A Mild-Mannered Reporter, Anniversary

The past year of City of Heroes has been in no small part defined by the free-to-play revolution moving into full swing. 2010 was the year in which it became clear that free-to-play could work; 2011 was the year in which nearly every game moved over to the new model, with only a handful of stalwarts clinging to the subscription-only model. Unfortunately, this also means that the once-present divide between business models no longer exists, and by and large there's less sense that free-to-play games are inherently worse than subscription games. The imaginary barrier simply doesn't exist as it used to.

What does that have to do with City of Heroes for its next year of development? Almost everything. I've talked about how the game has two obvious and direct competitors in the superhero genre, but now they're all competing with the same business model. They all have the same initial outlay, instead of City of Heroes being the oldest, most respected, and cheapest option. In order for a game to be successful, and it no longer has to convince players that it's worth $15 a month for a few months -- it just has to convince you that downloading it and giving it a shot is worth the effort. That means flash, fun, and a quick dose of what you're looking for.

Choose My Adventure: Taking a right at Paragon City

by MJ Guthrie May 2nd 2012 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Super-hero, Polls, City of Heroes, Opinion, Free-to-play, Humor, Choose My Adventure

Choose My Adventure City of Heroes Road Trip

It was the flying Scrapper on Virtue with a mask!

The masses have spoken. For this leg of our Choose My Adventure journey, we will be parking ourselves in Paragon City, fighting the forces of evil, destruction, and movement keys! I must concede that Bree certainly knew her City of Heroes community -- ya'll voted just how she said you would. But Bree, you didn't predict the mask, now did ya?! Ha!

It recently came to my attention that I could have easily queried you on the spandex issue, but come on -- what superhero doesn't have to shimmy into that painted-on suit? We want the full experience, right? Right. So let's get to it. All we have left to do to get this show off the road and into some action is whip up a character.

But this is me we are talking about here! Thankfully, I am marching into this process armed with your decisions! I mean, how bad can it be? We have three days between close of the last vote and a new set of new ones, so it isn't like there isn't time. Here goes...

Massively Features

Events Calendar

Name	Date
Cataclysm Launch	Dec 7, 2010
DCUO Launch	Early 2011

Massively Staff

Name	Title
Shawn Schuster	Editor-in-Chief
Brianna Royce	Senior Editor
Rubi Bayer	Community Manager
Brendan Drain	Contributing Editor
Eliot Lefebvre	Contributing Editor
Jef Reahard	Contributing Editor
Justin Olivetti	Contributing Editor
Krystalle Voecks	Contributing Editor
Larry Everett	Contributing Editor
Beau Hindman	Columnist
Edward Marshall	Columnist
Greg Waller	Columnist
Jeremy Stratton	Columnist
Karen Bryan	Columnist
MJ Guthrie	Columnist
Patrick Mackey	Columnist
Ryan Greene	Columnist
Lisa Poisso	Columnist