Monday 5 April 2004

Pic of the day: Coming out in the morning light. Screenshot from City of Heroes, featuring a policeman and the hero Uusivalo.

Coming out

Yes! City of Heroes is coming out at the very end of April, look for it in stores around April 29. But before that, a slew of superheroes will be coming out of the phone booth, as we would say in this genre. By the time you read this, the beta test Non Disclosure Agreement will be lifted. So all of us beta players can share the love...

Yes indeed. Congratulations to the one of my readers who correctly guessed (and at the first attempt even) that I was beta testing City of Heroes. This is entirely correct. The top secret thing that has consumed most of my waking moments (except at work) was the beta testing of this hottest new online game. Prettier than real life, more addictive than EverCrack, and almost bugfree before open beta, this looks set to be the new cult hit.

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It would probably help to have some interest in superhero comics already, or at least having watched the occasional movie. But the game caters to a wide taste of heroes. Don't want shiny tights and primary colors, flying across the sky and shooting energy beams from your eyes? There's a nice suit and tie for you, along with mental powers to convince villains to fight each other. Or how about a camouflage uniform, a buckshot rifle and a few stun grenades? Or you may prefer to be seen only as a translucent shade by your friends, and not at all by the city's villains, until you suddenly and painfully bring them down. Or perhaps your idea of a hero involves a black belt, a flurry of fist attacks and dodging blows and bullets without even turning your head? It's right here. It is a city of heroes, where even reformed demons can be seen patrolling the streets, wreathed in flame and wielding dark powers for truth, justice and the American way. And don't get excited if a green-skinned alien with 3 eyes suddenly pops into existence before your eyes, wearing jeans and a sweater. Some people just don't have any sense of style! ^_^

Actually there is no mention of the American way, but Paragon City is definitely American and plays a similar role in its world as New York does in ours. Unlike New York, however, Paragon City was largely demolished by ruthless aliens from another dimension, attacking with combat drones and psychic blasts. Some of them are still holding out in the ruins, while other parts of the city have been rebuilt and are bustling with activity. With the government busy with the aliens, all matter of criminals have been flowing out of their rat holes, from drug dealers to neo-nazis. It is not uncommon to see a small bunch of gang members mugging someone on the street, while people run in all directions. Most victims however are holding out, because they know a hero of some kind is likely to appear.

When the game goes live, the almost-safe areas are likely to be flooded by thousands of fledgling heroes, looking for any suspicious activity. But as they gain more experience, many of them will move on to more challenging areas and eventually take on the super-villains that are plotting for world domination.

I won't tell you that you should wait a couple weeks, because I won't wait a couple weeks if I can avoid it. Even during stress testing, the game is likely more addictive than some of the milder illegal drugs. Some testers had to fight their spouse and children for play time. Others have taken sick leave to play the game. Me, I did not feel any discomfort during the days without playing, but I did have the occasional brief flashback where I suddenly for a moment was in the game doing something, until the brain adjusted itself and got back to the correct reality. It's kinda disturbing, but I had similar experiences with Black & White, and I got fed up with that in a month or so. I doubt it will last so short a time with this. Especially since I've already played it for more than a month and like it approximately as much as when I started.

More details about the game over the next few days.