"Being a hero...nah"

Game-play: 9/10

The combat varies in many different ways as you have many powers to choose from, you start with a basic class that you choose and form there are pools of power you pick, you can summon deadly minions as an example, combat is fast paced, you press the icons to attack when you select your target, you can even team up with other players to help you through your missions, at the end of most missions is a boss of some sort if you have to kill everyone in that building, but the missions can vary from rescue missions to, kidnap missions or defeat all enemies, or it can just be a simple get the X item. Combat is very fast-paced, as the fights can be over in a mere seconds, it really depends on what you fight, if the enemy is white he will be your power level, if he is yellow it means you will have trouble, orange means avoid, red means he is far higher, and purple is usually very dangerous, but green, blue, and grey signals you are stronger. There is many classes to choose from, There is a Brute, who goes out and fights head on(like a tanker), there is also a necromancy class that lets you summon from zombies to soldiers, there is also a stalker class, more of a assassin type class that sneaks up on opponents, there is also the dominator that controls gravity or can have mind control powers, or the corrupter who can shoot elements out of his hands. There is also PVP, or player verse player zones where villains and heroes can collide.

Story: 8/10
The story is that you have been broken out of a jail thanks to arachnos, and now you have a choice to work for arachnos or to work independently, from here on out it is heroes vs villains, and you have to work your way up through the islands by defeating who stands in your way and proving who runs these islands. When you also create your character you can type up a background story of his biography which can be pretty fun but it is optional.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics are improved from city of heroes, the rag-doll physics have also improved, you can even see the sun rise and fall, if you can handle this game it will look gorgeous on your monitor.

Sound: 7/10
The sound is decent, the music only plays when u enter a new area on the map and doesn't last longer than usually a minute or two, but the sound effects of some powers can get tedious but you usually wont tend to notice.

Conclusion: 10/10
This is a great game, and if you are new to massive multi-player on-line role playing games you can pick this one up, the monthly fee is $15 a month or if you choose to buy a game-card for $30 that will let you play for 2 months, it is well worth it, and if you have city of heroes you will only have to pay one fee for both games. Overall i recommend this game strongly.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/21/06