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A good buy at a great price

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm a little biased being a long-time CoH/ CoV player, but at the Amazon price, it's hard not to pass this up.

The content in CoV is great for a teen-based game. No blood or gore like M rated games, but you still get to do bad guy stuff like rob banks, ransack city blocks, plant bombs, kidnap hapless dupes, throw down with heroes (both NPCs and optionally player heroes), etc.

You can also build lairs and super bases. CoH players can use CoV to do this too, as well as to gain access to CoV's PvP zones.

Players who have both games get four extra character slots per server also.

My only complaint is that CoV is a little weak as a stand-alone game. Compared with the older brother that's CoH, it lacks zones and a bit of content comparatively. Most of the new expansion content is created for both games, but that still means CoV has a deficit in regards to number of zones and amount of content.

The content it does contain, however, is good and very story-driven. Enthralling mission info compliments the missions nicely. Some of it is just damn funny - villain monologues, mad scientists, evil plots, etc.

The real steal isw what's inside the box. Fans and HeroClix players will enjoy the CoH/CoV gamepiecces inside. My personal favorite though is the Art of CoH/ CoV book that comes with the box.

All in all, a great box for the price, and a great game too!

Great gameplay, easy to learn, so-so customer service

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Want to be a super-hero? This is your chance! Want to be a super-villian? This is also your chance!

I'll get the bad stuff out of the way: fact is, if you have a problem running this game on your computer, or a game client or server bug causes you some negative outcome in the game, or the system admins make a change that costs you in the game, good luck getting help with that. The usual response from customer support: "we're sorry, there's nothing we can do". But hey, at least they get back to you, which is more than I can say for some other software companies. The graphics engine isn't very efficient, but hardware these days is more that sufficient to keep up; they aren't exactly pushing the envelope, so game performance doesn't suffer too much in spite of things.

In-game content is somewhat limited compared to other MMORPGs. You'll get over it though, especially if you find the other aspects of the game enjoyable.

The good? There's plenty. This game has been around for awhile now. Almost thee years, I think? But it's aged well. Game mechanics are very simple, which may disappoint the EQ/WoW crowd, but there is still surprisingly good variety to be had. In addition, while you can make weak characters and strong characters, it's hard to screw up too badly, and character development lends itself well to matching your role-playing choices.

Inventory is simplified to very small storage of "enhancements" and "inspirations". Enhancements are long-term improvements to characters, while inspirations are temporary. The money is "reputation" or "influence" (villian or hero), and you don't have to worry about losing it or carrying too much of it. Character development involves selecting various "powers" on even levels, and selecting which powers to enhance on odd levels. At character creation, you select a specific character path to follow, based on archetype, and then on primary and secondary power sets. All characters also can pick a wide variety of supplementary powers (including "travel" powers: flight, leaping over tall buildings, super-speed, teleportation) from a common "pool" of powers.

Combat involves selecting which powers to use. Some powers heal or help you or your allies, others hurt or hinder your foes. They range from the basic firepower, gadgets, and technology all the way to supernatural, extraterrestrial, and fantasy side. More powerful powers take longer to recharge, or cost more endurance, or take from your health, or some combination. Power balance is pretty good, though continues to be tweaked as the game evolves.

Social networking is easy. There's an in-game "find a team" UI...players can indicate what kinds of missions they want to join in on or invite others for. You can search by level, mission type, character type, etc. Having problems finding someone your own level to play with? No problem: lower-level characters can be someone's sidekick, allowing them to effectively fight at one level below their "mentor"; higher-level characters can be someone's exemplar, allowing them to temporarily drop their level to the mentee's level (no xp is gained in this case, except for that which can contribute to "debt reduction", debt occuring when one is defeated in combat).

But the most fun of all is being able to role-play a villian or super hero. Brilliant game design, an amazing variety of character design options (both in terms of skills and in terms of costume), easy socializing, and playing out one's comic-book fantasies. All worth while!

And did I mention? The same monthly fee covers the cost for Heroes and Villians. If you already have Heroes, get this and for no additional money you can act our your villianous tendencies to your heart's content! :)

CoV in-game extras

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you already own the game then this upgrade can be handy for unlocking one of the alcolade badges (earned by owning this version & the heroes deluxe version) & the arachnos chest emblem with matching cape.

if you can get this for $20 or less I say its a great upgrade for in game items!

please see the regular game version for a review of the actual game.

great game but BIG problem

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: November 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

loved this game had alot of fun making characters and trying out the different abilities.BUT one HUGE problem for me and i know there is other like me and have the same problem.
this is a 3rd person game but for some reason it does to me what ONLY first person shooters do, and that is cause MASSIVE migraines, bad eye strain, and nausea.
and this game caused it to me 10x worse than i've ever had before, i even tried using motion sickness pills didn't help, and lasted days after i stopped playing it.

so if you have the same problems as me stay away from this game, but if you have no trouble playing first person shooters then you should have no problems.

there is no gear in this game to farm endless hours for btw its all about the fun and it was :)

Not Exactly What I Thought It Would Be

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Ok, so I have been playing CoX for about 6 months now, and I thought, "Well I might want to get the collectors edition, I'll get a bunch of cool Arachnos stuff." But that is not the case. In-game, you get a little Arachnos chest emblem, and an Arachnos cape. These things can be cool but I dont think if you getting this just for the in-game items, its worth the money. If you a hero clix collector like I once was, this could be a cool thing to get because you get either 5 or 6 Hero Clix that can not be given anywhere else. It also comes with a City of Heroes trading card deck. I know nothing about the game so i dont know if they are any good.

If you already have CoX I dont recommend getting this, but if you are going to start playing City of Villains go ahead and get this. If you get it off amazon it costs about the same as getting the regular Villains in the store.

The Actual game City of Villains is a great one as is City of Heroes. If you going to start the game this is what you want to get. But if you are currently a player I wouldnt bother unless getting the chest emblem and cape is a big deal, or if you are a hero clix collector.

For more info you can contact me in game. My global is @Fellnair

One year in the City of... World and happy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing on both City of Heroes (CoH) and City of Villians (CoV) for one year now and am still happy with the gameplay. Occassional delays due to updates occur, but they are managable and may result in a few hours of dealing with issues, it is not that serious of an event. These stoppages usually occur briefly after a major update to the game, about every two or three months. A lot of drama over them from some people, but I can handle it. The gameplay is "grinding" in style (go hit, hit, go hit again, etc. not any puzzles or searches etc.) but you rarely feel that way while playing. The graphics are beautiful, and compared to other games, I find them the the most appealing. The main draw is the community of people. You play to find a niche of players similar to you...mature, casual gaming, player versus player core, role-playing, you will find the type of crowd you want to be with. The hundreds of character design options is fantastic (compared to the relatively minute offerings of other online MMORPGs), the character types, and the numerous badges and side missions are set up where you cannot get them all in one shot, you have to branch out in different characters to see all the content. Only a markdown in rating due to graphic and software compatability issues, but the company's customer support is great and very helpful. Last bonus...fairly solid kid safe play environment (my pre-teens play it), profanity filters and a core of mature players keep the field nice for young ones as well.

City of Fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: August 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

City of Villans is a great addition to the City of Hero's. instead of the 8 chearacters you would get if you had either one singally, add villans to an existing account (or get Hero's to add to the account you start with villans) and get 12 characters per server! the character design is where you'll have problems deciding what you want, as there are soooooo many costumes! The game play can get repetative but it's not too bad and the scenery is quite stunning. Over all I give game play 3 stars but character design 5 stars!

Quality of Service

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I wanted to take a moment to tell you about *why* I bought this game. I play City of Heroes, and what makes it a good gaming experience is that the path--from taking the shrink-wrap off that box to playing the game--is short and sweet. The way PlayNC runs the company has impressed me again, and here's why:

I purchased this boxed set at 29.99. It costs me no more money than I'm already paying to have a City of Heroes membership, but what's more, there's a free month of gameplay in the box that will go into my account and give me a credit of 14.95. Do the math and I'm only paying about 15 dollars to join.

But I ran into a problem: I didn't set the game's account up right. I meant to "upgrade" an existing game instead of "adding" a new game. I had to call tech support.

Tech support answered on the first ring. Not only did they go out of their way to apologize for the inconvenience, but in 5 minutes I had an e-mail from them setting things up so that my game account could be fixed. Shortly after that, I was up and running.

I'm sure I'll enjoy this game at least as much as City of Heroes, and I'll update this when I've put some hours in. In the meantime, you should know that the company that runs it is the best company I've ever had to deal with, and I couldn't be happier with the quality of service. These people know how to run a business.

UPDATED, 7/20/06: I've logged several hours in City of Villains, and it's quite an impressive package. The game plays a great deal like City of Heroes, but with a few extras tucked away here and there. For example, I created a villain similar to my Hero, but her class of character offers some really interesting ways to play that I can't do with my hero. There are extra gameplay elements added, such as "mayhem missions", but that doesn't make you locked into the kind of mono-minded over-the-top evil that your typical comic-book villain possesses. There's a lot of room in this game to make choices and build your character's particular style of villainy. Having to walk through the "beginner"/tutorial phase again, I can tell you that this game is still one of the easiest MMOs to figure out: it holds your hand, revisits you when it's time to tell you something new, and there's a menu for just about anything you might need to find out about. Often if you're not sure about something, you'll still find a lot of people online who have written you a guide--they even publish guides to their guides, and guides to writing a guide!

I see the price is lowered--if you're even curious, think about the fact that you get a free month (a 14.95 value) with your purchase, then grab a copy.

City of Heroes/Villains

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: June 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I think that I fall in the middle of the previous reviews. I am a veteran MMO player starting with the Ultima Online beta test so many years ago. I haven't played them all, but I've played a lot of them.

The most popular game on the market now is World of Warcraft. Its smooth interface, superb art direction, and easy game play attract many players. But, like any MMO it gets boring after you reach the top and start grinding high end content. Enter City of Heroes/Villains.

City of Heroes/Villains is not quite the polished game that WoW is, but it has some very compelling elements. While the back ground stories and world may not be as rich, they are better than most MMOs on the market. I played CoH when it was released, then went to WoW. When I became bored with WoW I tried other games, but being spoiled by Blizzards production value I found them lack luster. Not so CoH. I can still play this game without feeling the grind too bad.

CoH has a quick mission (quest) system that gets you in the fight quickly. It has a group matching system that quickly easily allows you to find other players to do missions with. In my opinion this is better than WoW. No running around LFG (Looking for Group) to find players to adventure with. The interface makes it quick and easy and people use it.

Most missions are short and can be done quickly. You can usually be in and out in :30 to an hour. There are longer chained missions (called task forces) for those that like longer games and greater challenges.

There are no "Magic Items" to pick up. Rewards come in the form of "Inspirations" (temporary buffs), Enhancements (permanent augmentations for your super powers), and Influence (like money - used to buy alternate costumes and custom augmentations for your super powers).

The power sets are many and compelling. The travel powers are interesting. They are comprised of Super Jump, Flight, Teleport, and Super Speed. All are fun (particularly Super Jump) and get you places fast. Not only that, they are fun to use and explore with.

CoH/CoV has a lot to offer MMO fans. I would consider it the number 2 MMO on the market and I highly recommend it if you need a break from the fantasy genre.

NCSoft's latest financial results say it all.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 26
Date: June 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

NCSoft recently published their financial report for the first quarter of 2006. Revenue for City of Heroes/Villains is down 58% in the last three month period. Keep in mind that many people sign up for 6 or 12 months at a time so this only reflects the people who's accounts have expired in that time. Also keep in mind that this is a 58% decline after including any new players who signed up during that period.

They have so thoroughly ruined the game that most of the people who still have accounts are not playing them (choosing just to let them expire rather than play). They are offering incentives just to try and get people to log on once a week! (Check out the City of Heroes web site for more info).

While other online games (like World of Warcraft) are growing through word of mouth, City of Heroes/Villains is hemorrhaging users en mass. The reason is simple, in order to slow leveling in the game they have made the game a tedious bore to play. You no long feel like a super hero/villain.

Now you could trust the people giving this game a positive review keeping in mind they have a vested interest in getting people into the game to play with, or you could trust the nearly 60% of the players who quit the game in the last 3 months. You have only to go to their own site to see the incentives they are offering just to get people to log on. Fun games don't have to offer incentives to get people to play, people WANT to play.

Avoid this one like the plague folks.

For more info on their latest quarter search for:
"NCsoft Announces 2006 First Quarter Financial Results"

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