A few years ago, there was some hubbub going on about various fan-run servers for the discontinued superhero MMORPG City of Heroes (which is technically two games, "City of Heroes" and "City of Villains", though they're set in the same online world). At that time, I wasn't very tempted to start playing it again, because of the drama that was apparently going on, because I wasn't sure which of the competing servers I should choose, and because it seemed a little too complicated to set up. However, there was recently news that one of these fan servers (technically a group of servers), City of Heroes: Homecoming, has recieved the blessing and legal permission of the game's current IP holder, NCSoft. Looking at the Homecoming website, I found that the registration process and installation had now been streamlined, and I couldn't resist the temptation to get back into one of my favorite old games. Especially since it's now completely free to play.
I honestly haven't played that many MMORPGs over the years, but I get the impression that the overall gameplay of CoH is pretty standard fare, with fighting enemies, going on missions, teaming up with other players and creating guilds (sorry, "Super Groups"), etc. As I understand it, there were a few aspects of the game that were considered innovative back in the day, such as the use of instanced areas for missions, but by modern standards it might be considered a little primitive. The graphics are decent but not spectacular, there's no voice acting and no complex, emotionally charged storylines to go through.
What the game does have, however, is one of the best character creators of all time. The main focus is of course on creating costumed superheroes, but it has plenty of options for all kinds of character appearances. Best of all, in Homecoming the various costume pieces that you originally had to unlock through playing are now all available from the start. I'm especially happy that you don't have to get to level 10 to be allowed to wear a cape.
I've spent many hours already just creating different fun-looking characters, watched them run around in the city for a little while, and then went on to create something else. And it's really fun just to hang out at the starting point and look at what other players have come up with. If you want to try out the Homecoming servers, I suggest playing on the one named "Everlasting". It's the unofficial roleplaying server, but even if you're not interested in roleplaying, I find that it's the place where people are the most creative with creating interesting characters with interesting costumes.
I've mostly started this thread to write about interesting experiences in the game and posting fun screenshots, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. To start with, allow me to present my "main" characters, in a somewhat chronological order of creation:
Gargoyle-Girl is my new version of the character ("The Gargoyle") I played on the official servers back in the day. She's got skin made of concrete and hits bad guys fists of stone!
Another one of my old characters I decided to re-create is Kandykane, inspired by acrobatic and "crazy" superheroes such as The Creeper. He mainly fights with martial arts and the occasional flip-kick.
I haven't played much on the villain side yet, but the first character I created there was The Golden Age Gargoyle. He's a rough 1930s vigilante with a mean right hook, who was transported through time to the present and discovered that his conservative views and generally unpleasant personality made him have more in common with the bad guys than the good guys.
The character that I have actually played the most with so far is Princess Pop. It's just so darn fun to run around in a bright, sparkling and colorful costume and defeat enemies with the power of song, especially when I can charm bad guys into attacking each other. The fact that I've gotten lots of compliments from other players for the costume helps too, of course. Sometimes I don't even go out fighting villains, but just stand around and use the various dance emotes, trying to attract as many other players as possible into a dance party.
I honestly haven't played that many MMORPGs over the years, but I get the impression that the overall gameplay of CoH is pretty standard fare, with fighting enemies, going on missions, teaming up with other players and creating guilds (sorry, "Super Groups"), etc. As I understand it, there were a few aspects of the game that were considered innovative back in the day, such as the use of instanced areas for missions, but by modern standards it might be considered a little primitive. The graphics are decent but not spectacular, there's no voice acting and no complex, emotionally charged storylines to go through.
What the game does have, however, is one of the best character creators of all time. The main focus is of course on creating costumed superheroes, but it has plenty of options for all kinds of character appearances. Best of all, in Homecoming the various costume pieces that you originally had to unlock through playing are now all available from the start. I'm especially happy that you don't have to get to level 10 to be allowed to wear a cape.
I've spent many hours already just creating different fun-looking characters, watched them run around in the city for a little while, and then went on to create something else. And it's really fun just to hang out at the starting point and look at what other players have come up with. If you want to try out the Homecoming servers, I suggest playing on the one named "Everlasting". It's the unofficial roleplaying server, but even if you're not interested in roleplaying, I find that it's the place where people are the most creative with creating interesting characters with interesting costumes.
I've mostly started this thread to write about interesting experiences in the game and posting fun screenshots, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. To start with, allow me to present my "main" characters, in a somewhat chronological order of creation:
Gargoyle-Girl is my new version of the character ("The Gargoyle") I played on the official servers back in the day. She's got skin made of concrete and hits bad guys fists of stone!
Another one of my old characters I decided to re-create is Kandykane, inspired by acrobatic and "crazy" superheroes such as The Creeper. He mainly fights with martial arts and the occasional flip-kick.
I haven't played much on the villain side yet, but the first character I created there was The Golden Age Gargoyle. He's a rough 1930s vigilante with a mean right hook, who was transported through time to the present and discovered that his conservative views and generally unpleasant personality made him have more in common with the bad guys than the good guys.
The character that I have actually played the most with so far is Princess Pop. It's just so darn fun to run around in a bright, sparkling and colorful costume and defeat enemies with the power of song, especially when I can charm bad guys into attacking each other. The fact that I've gotten lots of compliments from other players for the costume helps too, of course. Sometimes I don't even go out fighting villains, but just stand around and use the various dance emotes, trying to attract as many other players as possible into a dance party.
