City of Villains Review

[Akeldama]

City if Villains is finally here, but how is it being appraised by long-term hardcore City of Heroes players? You've probably read many reviews of NCSoft's latest MMO already, but Boomtown's review of City of Villains (http://rpg.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=9786), has been written by our Editor-in-Chief who lives and breathes City of Heroes. Yes he doesn't get out much, poor bloke.

[Dabombpizza]

I have to say, being a launch subscriber for CoH, and then preordering CoV for a "guarenteed beta spot" that only lasted a week after file planet's stress test, I was not only dissapointed in the beta entry, but the game felt like such a rehash and seemed to me to be too little too late.

I'll pass for some WoW anyday.

EDIT: Good review, but definetly written by a CoH fan. How long 'till they start nerfing? 2-3 months?

[Steve_Erhardt]

Cov IS very much CoH with a red interface, but if you hang in there a little while it really shows the stuff that makes it a content update worth buying. Now, if they had decided to charge monthy for it on top of CoH, well, I'd give it a hearty thumbs-down too. But since you get both for the single monthly price (I think they jacked it up by a whole nickle), it works for me.

[Dabombpizza]

Cov IS very much CoH with a red interface, but if you hang in there a little while it really shows the stuff that makes it a content update worth buying. Now, if they had decided to charge monthy for it on top of CoH, well, I'd give it a hearty thumbs-down too. But since you get both for the single monthly price (I think they jacked it up by a whole nickle), it works for me.

I agree with you. If you dig CoH, you'll love CoV, that much was apparent with the beta.

[DeadPixel]

I have to say I was disappointed in CoV during my first few sessions. It sure feels a lot like CoH in Kings Row with worse framerate and 10000 million Masterminds running around everywhere I look.

After giving it a few nights of play, its growing on me again. I think because I took a year break from CoH. I forgot what makes it fun, the fast pased action. Being able to login, do a few missions, not have to worry about loot or advancing your crafting skills just saves a million hours in the end. If you suffer from alt-itis, like I do, you can experminent with endless combinations of powers without leveing up for a week just to find that you don't like the character.

As far as CoV specific things, the new powers are nice, but really if you recently left CoH cause you got bored, you probably would not find CoV much different.

[Dabombpizza]

If you suffer from alt-itis, like I do, you can experminent with endless combinations of powers without leveing up for a week just to find that you don't like the character.

Or you can level the hell out of your character only to discover you picked the wrong powers and realize you are gimped for a long time.

[Vorphalack]

You know you can respec, right?

-V

[Ernst_Jager]

I get tired of using the same 4 powers. With no loot there really isn't anything to look forward to with lvls, Just new more powerful versions of...yep you guessed it, the same power.

[Librum]

I got bored with CoH, and I'm worried that CoV is going to have that same problem in the end, too, though I can at least say I like some of the new character designs. The fact that you can solo a lot of it makes casual grinding easy enough, and picking up teams for missions is a snap, too. But I guess I've still got a few weeks to decide before the free month runs out.

[Jetherik]

I can see how the designers will be changing the brute quite soon. In a PVP, with a scrapper, a tank, and a blaster against a single brute, the brute won and had almost no damage (the blaster did get away since he was flying). The thing I love about CoH is I can jump on, do a mission in 15-30 minutes, including traveling, and then leave and feel like I accomplished something.

[Dabombpizza]

You know you can respec, right?

-V

If I remember correctly you can respec at something around...20, right? And since CoH is a slow leveling system that means you play with the 6 crummy powers you picked up until 20 to respec. Might as well recreate.

[BitterCupOJoe]

I can see how the designers will be changing the brute quite soon. In a PVP, with a scrapper, a tank, and a blaster against a single brute, the brute won and had almost no damage (the blaster did get away since he was flying). The thing I love about CoH is I can jump on, do a mission in 15-30 minutes, including traveling, and then leave and feel like I accomplished something.

The key to taking down a brute is to nullfy their only major advantage, their rage bonuses. If the brute was soloing, the most he could get his damage to without rage, inspirations, or the fury power is about 100% over base damage. If the team mostly plays keepaway with him, the brute will go down before he can do too much damage.

Given the team that you had, the best way to take him would have been for the tank to taunt him and stay away from him, the scrapper to wail on him, and the blaster to do the same and/or throw toggle dropping attacks. Solo Brutes are relatively weak in PVP if good tactics are used.

[MagicAlex]

It's an MMO, of course it's addictive! But I think the main appeal for CoH and CoV has to be in your mind, because overall there's not much "game" in these games. But with the Arena and the new PvP areas it looks like they're at least trying to expand the game beyond its original concept. Unfortunately for me, I've not had much luck with PvP. The first problem is that it's a little confusing since you enter the zone and suddenly there's a countdown that sounds like a bomb is about to explode, but it's really just the time until your PvP mode is activated. Then there's the confusion over the faction buffs and debuffs. Apparently when you complete missions in the PvP zone it can affect the Attack or Defense of all players on one side. Well, I see the debuffs listed among my status effects, but I've completed one or two of the buff missions and those effects don't seem to display.

As for the actual PvP combat, I haven't really gotten the hang of it. Being a tanker, it doesn't seem like there's much I can do against people who are flying around shooting at me. I guess you really have to be playing with a group to succeed, but since everyone's adjusted to the same level shouldn't a 1on1 be a little more even? I guess they still have a lot to work out with PvP in CoH/V, but at least there's still the regular game.

[Bushido]

I was tempted to buy this but then I was like COH gets broing after 5mins so fuck it.