When you think of a supervillain like Juggernaut or even Solomon Grundie, you are always immediately struck by this sense of awe that a person could come out so bad. Truth be told there are probably quite a bit of reasons why these guys have gone sour-- in Juggernaut's case, maybe because "Hungry Man" meals are an absolute lie to him, or Solomon might be lonely due to women not digging the whole undead thing. That's why sometimes it's good to get into their shoes (or boots, or what have you) and see what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man. (I'm resisting shouting out Who lyrics right now.)
City of Villains is the companion game to Cryptic's 2004 smash hit MMO City of Heroes; players have the option of treating it as a standalone game or as an expansion. Gamers take the role of a custom supervillain, complete with new powers and fearsome costume, and basically raise hell throughout the Rogue Isles and a few small areas of Paragon City. The game adds five archetypes (character classes) to the universe and about a dozen new zones to explore, along with making a few changes to the gameplay in the name of balance and keeping players interested (one concept, Enhancement Diversification, is pretty severe in that it limits power effectiveness if you overload your powers with enhancements of the same type; it's a complicated issue and you're likely to hear four different opinions from any two players you ask about it). Of the zones added, heroes have access to three, which are set up as explicit PvP zones.
That's right, true Player Vs. Player has come to Paragon City at last. No more scheduled, mushmouthed arena battles-- this is an all-out war between the heroes of Longbow and the nasties of Arachnos. Two of the zones are hero versus villain in the expected manner, but the third is a free-for-all zone, meaning nobody is safe from anyone else. PvP is made a bit more interesting with the addition of a bounty system. Upon entering a zone, a player is assigned a specific bounty from the list of players on the opposing side. Defeating that player-- who may or may not have the respective bounty you do-- rewards you handsomely. Of course, other players will be gunning for you, and nobody will be able to resist picking off a target of opportunity. Granted, some character archetypes are more suited towards player killing-- but there is no penalty for a PvP death beyond a trip to the hospital (no debt is incurred for PvP deaths, either), and players don't have to set foot in the PvP zones if they don't want to.
The new character archetypes practically redefine the way the game is played. Anytime you add a new class to a stable system you run the risk of unbalancing the game. Fortunately, Cryptic's long testing cycles and closed betas have paid off in this regard because none of the villain classes feels overpowering. Each one is a blend of the philosophies behind two or more of the previous classes; for example, Dominators play similarly to a Blaster with Controller powers, while a Brute seems a bit more like a Tanker who can Scrap. However, don't let that fool you into thinking that there aren't any downsides: Dominators can't put too much power behind their hits and Brutes fold like wet napkins under really heavy assaults. Experimentation and discovering a play style that suits you can eat up hundreds of hours by itself.
Missions are handed out a bit differently in the Rogue Isles. At first you'll have your hand held throughout perhaps your first six levels (encompassing your breakout from prison and first real zone, Mercy Island), at which point you're let loose on Port Oakes with only a name and a newspaper. The newspaper acts as a perpetual contact list, allowing you to pick and choose your dirty deeds as you see fit. You also have the option of taking on missions from traditional contacts, just like heroes do. The newspaper practically guarantees that you won't be stuck without a goal. As an added bonus, completing paper missions opens up opportunities for heists, battle royales which grant you fabulous wealth and prizes.
Speaking of fabulous prizes, players in supergroups have a new option available to them- bases. Yes, you can build your very own Fortress of Not-Quite-Solitude-But-We're-Cooler-Than-The-Justice-League-Anyway. Players now gain Prestige points when they fight bearing their supergroup's colors, which can be used to construct base areas and purchase Items of Power. Bases need to be well-constructed, not just as gathering places for supergroups but also as traps for potential thieves-- bases can be raided by rival groups looking to snag an item or just looking for a fight. It adds a new element to the game that many players will greet with open arms.
The game as a whole experienced a graphical overhaul as well, and it looks... well, pretty much the same as the old game. There are some very nice effects for higher-end machines, such as reflective water, and powers manage to look even better than before. The problem is that for the majority of players, the graphical boosts will largely go unnoticed. That's all right, though-- the game has also introduced some stability fixes (and a few bugs, too). Sound is also a mixed bag-- the musical catches for zones and missions are good, but they don't really add a whole lot; the majority of the game will still be played without accompaniment. Sound effects remained untouched, but 3D sound was also added in.
Taken as its own game, City of Villains is an excellent way to deliver up some evil. The game's polished appearance and enthusiastic community make it one of the more pleasant MMOs to join. But it runs into problems if you're not looking at it from a standalone perspective; the City of Heroes folks get the graphical boost and PvP zones automatically. Certain concepts like bases might appeal to the hardest of the hardcore who're looking to get more out of the valorous life in Paragon, but to be honest it doesn't feel like it adds $50 worth of content to an existing CoH install for a casual player. If you're looking to get in on the ground floor, by all means, CoV is a great way to start, and if you're that excited about being a bad guy, then you've likely already purchased it and have been playing in the head start. Still, bear in mind that when it was first released, City of Heroes didn't have half of the content it does now (even without Villains); Cryptic's bi-monthly Issue expansions ensure that your purchase grows in value with time. The next boost is already in development and eagerly awaited.
All that said, the game definitely takes its place in the halls of infamy as one of the single most thrilling MMO experiences out there now. The raw catharsis of robbing banks, kidnapping innocents, and basically acting naughty in a virtual world while dressed up as the result of getting Jack Kirby and Stan Lee stoned-- there's little out there that beats it. Only the rush of adrenaline as you see the day-glo fuschia spandex and bright purple polka dots round the corner and identify your arch-nemesis, Fancy Man, as the fool they've sent to stop you-- only that can compare. Yeah, Cryptic still hasn't put a fashion advisor in the costume designer section.
