SupermanHawaii.com

by Scott Shinsato

Hey gang, welcome back to another edition of the Occasional Orb. Last month we told you to go out there and dress up as your favorite hero for Halloween. Well, this month we’re gonna tell you how you can BE a hero… at least in the virtual world. If you’re a gamer and love superheroes, NCSoft has the game for you! The recently released City of Villains (October 31, 2005) is an accompanying tie-in to their already successful City of Heroes game that was released over a year ago. The struggle of good vs. evil takes on a new form as now the ability to play as the hero or the villain against other players from around the world comes to life.

Last year's release of City of Heroes gave gamers an opportunity that had not really been seen in the video gaming community. Sure the former Dungeons and Dragons style RPG had lent itself to the superhero community in previous years but the visualization and ability to create not only the look of your hero but the ability to give your hero a chosen type of powers had now been unleashed onto the multi-media platform of the 21st century. Even more exciting was the fact that the game allowed its players the ability to team with other heroes from around the world. Heroes from Honolulu, Hawaii could team with and help heroes from Tokyo, Japan all in a virtual world known as Paragon City.

While the ability to create your own alter-ego and save Paragon City from the clutches of evil appealed to many comic-book fans as well as gamers, there is always the select few that would rather play the rogue in the balance of good and evil. That is where City of Villains comes in. The new game gives you the ability to customize your own villain and run wild through the Rogue Isles. With areas that overlap Paragon City, players can engage each other as heroes versus villains. The ability to chat on-line while doing battle also allows for the trash talking remarks one would expect from your friendly neighborhood Spider-man during battle (though creating copy-righted characters is heavily frowned upon in the game… originality is a plus!).

An added bonus that has come about with the release of City of Villains is the ability to create your own secret base. This new addition to the game allows players to create their own Batcave or Hall of Justice as well as the defense system to help protect said base from raids set in motion by opposing teams. You and your team of heroes from around the world can once and for all raid and take out the villainous scum that plague Paragon City!

So if you’re a fan of superheroes and a fan of video games, this is a great combination of the two passions. The game not only allows you to create your own superhero or villain but it gives you the ability to play with other fans from around the world. Like the old David Bowie song…”We can be heroes… just for one day”.

For more information, check out the website www.coh.com.

Take care gang and be thankful for all you have this thanksgiving season. Appreciate those around you, friends and family. Stay positive and we’ll see you next month! Best wishes.

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