Issue 20 is now LIVE!

The Age of Incarnates is here with Issue 20!

Mender Ramiel's mission is now clear. From his timeline, the Well of the Furies, the source of godhood, has chosen the WRONG Marcus Cole as its champion.

Emperor Cole, the Praetorian Tyrant, would soon have the power to take over not just the Primal Universe, but ALL of the Omniverse itself!

Ramiel's plan is to disrupt Tyrant's operation and force the Well to choose another champion. New Incarnates face Tyrant's lieutenants to stop them from creating the invasion force needed. To do that, the BAF and the ultra-secret Lambda Sector need to go. Take out Nightstar, Siege, and Marauder, and you MIGHT be able to take on Emperor Cole himself and undo a dark future.

There are also new missions for medium-level operatives. Medium-level heroes join up with Admiral Sutter and the USS Mason to confront a new floating fortress from the Praetorian Universe creating portals for invasion, then race to stop the already-arriving forces from decimating Talos Island and Skyway City.

Meanwhile, medium-level villains follow an opportunity by Moritmer Kal to steal the Flames of Prometheus from Positron, and make sure the other villain groups don't then take it from them.

But there is a reason why this new Issue is called INCARNATES, and that is that new Incarnates get FOUR new levels. Combined with their initial Alpha slot, they are now halfway to reaching their ultimate potential.

There are a few other goodies as well. The teamwork system has been updated with a new grouping of teams into larger Leagues. This allows operatives to take on larger missions such as the Hamidon and Rikti raids. A new Teamwork Teleporter system has been incorporated as well so players looking for teams can register for any team available, and then are automatically teleported into a League.

One more feature for villains is the expansion of the Black Helicopter Line so every zone in the Rogue Isles now has at least ONE Black Helicopter point.

The multiverse that is City of Heroes is getting more and more interesting.

(Note: Going Rogue Expansion is required for many of the new features.)

Let's get BEASTLY! (Updated Again!)

This was something that was hinted at for a while now, not to mention being on plenty of wish lists, but soon it'll be coming to the City of Heroes...

The ANIMAL PACK!



Beastly creatures sort of were hinted at... there were the occasional dog/bear/chupacabra faces, some lizards, a few cat-like features, and of course the tails and wings, but no real ANIMAL creatures. No birds, no bulls, no actual wolves or tigers or lions.

Now there soon will be, along with the Beast Run travel power so you can run with the tigers.

The good thing is that according to the official announcement, there will be over SIXTY new costume pieces and patterns along with the Beast Run power. This is far more than the handful of pieces from recent add-on packs, so this could very well be worth the money.

Get ready, because the creatures of Doctor Moreau are coming! And they're going to be hungry!


UPDATE: The official release date has now been set at February 23rd.

On February 18th, the developers will be giving away free codes to random people in Pocket D that are dressed in their best "Ready for the Jungle" attire. They will also be giving those codes away on Facebook, Twitter, and the Forums... first use-first get. (And it's a jungle getting it that way.) Check the announcement page for dates and times.

UPDATE 2: The back is NOW available. And at $9.99, for once they have a pack WORTH its price!

Click here to view the details and purchase the game at NCSoft.

Presenting... Issue 19... AND Issue 19!

This week is a double-shot of Issue 19 releases!

Yes, that's right, a DOUBLE-SHOT!

First out of the gate, released on November 29th, was "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" Issue #19...

This is the continuation of the "Time and Changes" storyline, this time featuring the history of Icon Powers, the older "Powers" family member that came to Paragon City from another universe. He's been on the sidelines for a while now, and if you read Issue #0 then you'd know PART of the reason why. But there is another part to the story that explains why he needs a tech-based suit to augment his abilities, and it ties into events shown as far back as Issue #1!

Then the next day, November 30th, Paragon Studios unleashed their own Issue #19... ALPHA STRIKE!

And boy did they come up with some SERIOUS changes!

First, we have the start of the Incarnate System, the FINAL evolution of a hero or villain (or those in between). This is a ten-level journey (with the first being ALPHA) that will expand on ALL of your powers to a level unheard of before. You will eventually be on the same level as Statesman or Lord Recluse.

Then there is the merging of all transport systems. The Paragon Transportation Authority has merged its Green and Yellow monorail lines to create ONE transportation system that takes you anywhere you have an active monorail service. Likewise, the Ferry system is merged so you can go to any ferry port and go to anyplace that has such a port.

The same applies to the Rogue Isles, including the Black Helicopter system provided by Arachnos.

Also anyone that can create Praetorians

We have more power customization, with alternate animations for more abilities. We have free auras (snowflakes and fireflies). A rather significant change is that the "Fitness" Power Pool is now an inherent power at Level 2. (You will be given TWO power respec tokens so you can fix this if you have already slotted Fitness powers. The first was given with I19's release, the second will be given on December 8th, so don't delay in re-doing your abilities!) Also, Kheldians will now have access to the Fitness power even in their alternate cosmic forms. (This was something not possible when it was a Power Pool.)

This is just SOME of the various changes being made, and I haven't even mentioned the changes in Praetoria! The only thing really missing here is Quality-of-Life changes for supergroup bases, but I hope that will be sooner rather than later down the line.

So be sure to check out Issue 19 of "Guardians of the Dawn", and then log in and take part in all of the fun stuff for Issue 19: Alpha Strike!

Issue 19 pre-loading now

Okay CoH/CoV/GR operatives... you may have noticed a little "update" slipped in after you logged off of the system.

Yes, Issue 19 is pre-loading.

Which is strange for me because when I think "Issue 19", I'm not thinking "Alpha Strike". I'm thinking "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight". Both of these WILL be out this month!

Oh, and don't tell anyone this (*wink-wink*) but here's the cover to the GotD Issue 19...


Looks good, huh? Yeah, it's "Phase 2" of the "Time and Changes" storyline, and this one will have some surprises you won't expect! Some names and faces from "Issue 0" will be returning.

Anyway, back to "Alpha Strike"...

For those who are not familiar with the pre-load, this is a way for the developers to get most of the big changes put in without being TOO much of an inconvenience.

So, for instance, you have 100mb worth of changes you want to put in. You COULD load them up before the game starts, like all of the other updates... but this would take a lot of time, especially for those who don't have high speed cable access.

OR... you could load the bulk of the changes after the player exits the game. So all of the maps, characters, mission data, sound files, additional features, will all be there prior to launch, and then on the day of the upgrade launch, you just send a small file with what few bug fixes need to be made and a code to switch the data. It saves a lot of time and hassle.

Plus the pre-load lets you know that the developers are REALLY CLOSE to releasing that new update, because they wouldn't be doing this if they weren't confident in about 95% of the material (giving that extra 5% for bug fixes and tweaks).

SO... next time you log off, give the devs those few minutes to pre-load Issue 19. You'll thank yourself later.

AND for the COMIC Issue 19, also due out in the next few weeks, check out the OFFICIAL Guardians website at:

GuardiansOfTheDawn.wordpress.com

New Party Pack

Normally I'm pretty excited about new add-ons for City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue.

Normally I am... but not this time.

Okay, here's the skinny... NCSoft/Paragon Studios/the people behind City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue have released a special add-on pack called the PARTY PACK.

Here's the trailer.



Now with previous add-ons, there are a few additional features such as costume pieces, emotes, special weapons or objects, transformation sequences, and then that little "extra" feature that really makes it worth the purchase.

But... what you see in the trailer is really what you get with this add-on. Eight emotion (emote) commands; three involving dancing, three dealing with sports, one that involves opening an exploding gift box (which is the same as the holiday gifts you get), and one where you're doing air guitar. THAT'S IT!

No additional costumes, no extra items... just eight emotes that can keep you busy.

Not too much of a quality of life improvement there, guys.

Oh, and by sports, I don't mean your characters actually PLAY the sports in question. Sure you can dribble the basketball, but you're not PLAYING basketball. You can kick the soccer ball, but you're not PLAYING soccer. You're chalking the pool cue, but you're not PLAYING pool, even if you're in front of the pool table.

And then there's the price... $7.99. When normal booster packs with even MORE stuff to use costs $9.99, charging $7.99 is just way too much. $3.99 maybe. Or better still they should have just included it in Issue 18 that was just released to coincide with Going Rogue, or held off until Issue 19.

In fact it would have been BETTER to include it in Issue 18 because as a standalone upgrade without Going Rogue, it was pretty weak.

In short, folks, I really can't say that you should get this feature. It's just not worth the price they want for eight idle emotes. If you have the money to spend and if you REALLY NEED those emotes, then maybe. But it's not really an earth-shattering gimme feature like other add-ons.

Sorry NCSoft/Paragon Studios, but you dropped the ball on this one.

Going Rogue IS LIVE!

After all of the hype, it's finally here...

CITY OF HEROES: GOING ROGUE



The world of online gaming has now gone beyond "good" and "evil". The lines from here on in become blurred as a whole new universe is opened up for you to explore!

No more will good guys stay in Paragon City and bad guys stay in the Rogue Isles. Now good guys can go bad, and bad guys can redeem themselves.

Be a hero, be a villain, or be a PRAETORIAN!

City of Heroes Issue 18 Details

NCSoft/Paragon Studios have just released the details about the next update issue for the City of Heroes MMO.

Issue 18: Shades of Gray is the issue that will not only herald the launch of the Going Rogue expansion but will also bring back a much-requested challenge and an old supervillain.

The Cathedral of Pain was the one and only mission that supergroups could take part in together. Located in the Shadow Shard universe, this was the dimensional prison of the demigod Rularuu the Ravager and his minions. Rularuu had attempted to pierce the barriers and enter our universe, but had been turned back first by the Midnight Squad, and then in 2006 by various hero groups that could have the devices needed to pierce the dimensions.

Paragon City may have forgotten about the threat of Rularuu... but Rularuu hasn't forgotten.

In Issue 18, Rularuu tries once again to cross over. And if he succeeds, then our world is destroyed!

But that's not all going on.

Previously the merchant accounts of Wentworth's Fine Consignment and the Black Markets were completely separate, even though the same items were for sale. What could be considered cheap in Paragon City could be expensive in the Rogue Isles. With Issue 18, that ends. Both marketplace systems will be merged into one, so you will get a fair market value ANYPLACE in the City of Heroes Universe. Plus, you know how bad guys and good guys can get together in places like the Shadow Shard, Pocket D, Ouroboros, and the PvP zones? Well, now you will be able to TRADE with them. You may not be able to trust them, but you WILL be able to trade inspirations

What else is in store? A new Tip System will be created. When you take on adversaries that are at a threat level 20 or higher, they will give you certain tips for other storylines and contacts. This will allow you to take on new challenges, and will set the stage (for those with Going Rogue expansion) to change their alignment. More and more "morally challenging" opportunities will be presented, which means a hero could fall into a vigilante, or a villain could become a rogue.

Shades of Gray indeed.

That's only just skimming the surface, and of course that isn't covering all of the things that will be going live with Going Rogue, including four new powersets and a whole UNIVERSE where the heroes you THOUGHT you knew are the RULERS of the world.

Got your interest yet? You'll just have to wait until August to see it all plays out.

The MONSTER 6th Anniversary Post!

Hard to believe the City of Heroes is now in its SIXTH year.

And they started it with the release of Issue 17: Dark Mirror on the same day as the original MMO was released six years earlier. And even if users do not have a powerful enough system to handle Ultra Mode, the graphics are now distinctly sharper than ever before. And that is just the TIP of the iceberg of updates and new features, including access to the Epic Archetypes at level 20 instead of 50, simplified Market interface, easier invention interface, animated tails (and where they should be - as a separate category instead of in lieu of a belt), more Mission Architect locations, and the ability to create missions using GIANT MONSTERS! And again, that's not ALL...

War Witch (the developer) gave the anniversary message this year, and everyone in Paragon Studios is eager to see the start of Going Rogue, which should be sometime this summer. People who have pre-ordered GR will already have access to the two new powersets - Dual Pistols and Demon Summoning. (Inside word is that Demon Summoners are already the new troublemakers for players.) They are also powerset options for Mission Architect so even if YOU don't have the powersets, you can still create characters in missions that will use them.

One annual feature is that through the month of May ALL Paragon Heroes and Rogue Isles operatives will be given a special 6th Anniversary badge. But this is ONLY for those who make an appearance during the month of May.

Here are some videos...

Samuraiko's Mirror Mirror

;

Paragon Studio's Trailer

Samuraiko's 6th Anniversary Music Video

And that's STILL not all!

City of Comic Creators is putting the finishing touches on CCC Compendium #5, featuring a flashback story from the Guardians of the Dawn, a special VIP guest appearance, and with a cover designed by David 2. This should be released SOON. REALLY FRAGGING SOON!

Speaking of which...

CCC Promo

Plus there are more commercials on the way.

But I CAN say that Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #11 WILL be released on Friday - May 7th! I've gotten good feedback from the people who have read it, so hopefully we'll get more readers soon, especially after the City of Heroes forum admins announce it like they did with Issue #10. Oh, and can you believe I'm ALREADY getting work started on Issue #12? I'm sure after the teaser I leave in... ah, but I better wait until AFTER Issue #11 is released before going any further.

Hey, this is a HUGE celebration this month!

Issue 17 is Pre-Loading NOW

Players for City of Heroes will probably notice a HUGE download after closing their game engines.

Issue 17: Dark Mirror is pre-loading.

"Dark Mirror" sets the foundation for the new "Going Rogue" expansion (which should be released at the same time as Issue 18).

What this means is that GR's new "Ultra Mode" is being installed into the City of Heroes universe. This is a new graphics system that will make the layout of ALL "City of Heroes" locations look more realistic. Reflections, light shadows, textures, will all take on a new vibrant appearance.

Atlas Park

Port Oaks

Wentworth's Fine Consignment in Atlas Park

Cimerora (Ancient Rome)

The good news is if you are using a low-end graphics card, you can turn this feature off.

But that's not all!

All epic archetypes (Kheldians and Arachnos Soldiers) will now be accessible at level 20 instead of 50! That means if you're struggling just to get a character up to the cape mission, you can now enjoy the FULL range of archetypes instead of having to get all the way up to 50. (By the way, if you're using a trial version of the game, you're still screwed, because you can only get up to level 14 without getting the full subscription.)

"Dark Mirror" will also introduce a brand new enemy to the Paraverse, and it's one that you'll face AT level 20! Good thing you got that new help, huh?

Also the Positron Task Force will be split in TWO! Finally! That's the hardest of task forces for anyone to complete, and Battlerock Babe should know! Over on the Villains side, the Silver Mantis Task Force will be available for ALL villains, not just for supergroups.

Plus, new emotes, new TAIL emotes (for those of you with tails), new badges, new Mission Architect options, in-game emails to other players (or other characters), and much, much more.

And that is SOON! The pre-load means the countdown is on!

Get ready for DARK MIRROR!

Super Booster 4 sneaks in like a ninja

In like a thief and fresh from the Halloween Event and the advent of WALKING, City of Heroes and Paragon Studios have released Super Booster IV: Martial Arts, the latest add-on to City of Heroes.

This Super Booster contains several costume pieces designed around the martial arts theme. Robes, shoulder pieces, belts, pants, gloves, boots, helmets, masks, and even hairstyles for both men (topknots) and women (braids).

There are also two new animations... one for a Bruce Lee-style "Bring It On" animation, and one for pushups! Yes you can show how good you are by spending your time doing pushups.

Oh, and let's not forget the ninja costume emotes for those who need to change outfits on the fly. We have the smoke bomb and the Ninja Leap.

In addition, the goodie treat for this Super Booster is a special travel poser called "Ninja Run".

Okay, it looks a little silly, but you can run FASTER and leap HIGHER than normal (not power-pool) travel powers.  And having used the animation on several "Guardians of the Dawn" characters, I can vouch for its effectiveness.

Not to bad for $9.95, but you HAVE to have "City of Heroes"/"City of Villains" to use it and you can only order it online through NCSoft like all of the other Super Booster programs.

 

"Going Rogue" Preview

In case you were wondering when "City of Heroes: Going Rogue" would be out and what it would be like, we finally have some answers.



And more information (the boring details) are here.

And now ISSUE 16!

Issue 16: Power Spectrum is now LIVE.

On the onset, the changes made may seem to be minor, but Issue 16 gives the heroes and villains something that they have been wanting for YEARS now... the ability to customize the look of their powers!

Previously the only kind of customization was through invention enhancements, which only modified the attributes of the powers you had, not the power itself. But you were still locked into whatever kind of animation and colors were provided.

Issue 16 now gives players the ability to customize the look of the powers, not just in terms of color tinting but also (to some extent) the animation used in using those powers. You can customize EACH power individually, giving a unique look using shades and textures, or simply leave everything in default and tweak it all later. Plus some of the physical powers (super-strength, martial arts) have alternate animations, so you're not always kicking or punching.

This is possible thanks to the NEW Character Creator engine which not only includes the customization feature, but also the ability to skip through each stage of a creation set instead of having to progress from one stage to the next and then backtrack to change something.

Want to change a power? Just click back to the tab you want to change without losing any information. (Note: the tabs look different now than in the screen image above.)

The important thing to note here, though, is this customization is not just per character, but also PER COSTUME. That means that those with more than one costume slot can now modify EACH power and customize them as per their abilities.

For those of you who have been saving up those costume tokens, now's the time to use them!

Yes, you will be able to modify the look of your powers on the fly by visiting any tailor/facemaker, but it will still cost you.

That's not the ONLY thing that has changed here.

Powerset Proliferation

The cross-proliferation between hero and villain archetypes continues with the following new powers added to each archetype.

Archetype	Primary	Secondary
Blaster	Radiation Blast	None
Controller	None	Cold Domination
Defender	Traps	Assault Rifle
Scrapper	Electric Melee	Electric Armor
Tanker	Electric Armor	Electric Melee
Brute	Claws	None
Corruptor	Archery	Trick Arrow
Dominator	None	Earth Assault
Mastermind	None	Thermal Radiation
Stalker	Broadsword	None

Plus the Power Pools (hero AND villain) have been balanced out, so those missing a fifth power now have one.

Sadly, the Epic archetypes get no love... again. Somewhere in the Paraverse a Kheldian hybrid and an Arachnos operative are both screaming in frustration.

Enhanced Difficulty Options

Now you can fine-tune how difficult you want your challenges to be. Want to take on a challenge for 8 all by yourself? Now you can.

Pet Persistence

If you have a "pet", they will now zone with you. This has been an annoying concept for masterminds as their lackeys kept on disappearing every time they changed zones. Now they WILL follow you to the gates of Hell.

Super-Sidekicking

Probably one of the better changes. No more mission level restrictions, no more restrictions on side-kicking or exemplars, and ALL members of a team are now at the level of the mission owner. Also, no more level restriction on hazard zones... EXCEPT for the PvP and Hamidon areas. Low-level heroes can now wander into the Hollows or Perez Park and get themselves killed quickly.

And finally...

E-Mail Options

Finally you can end the RMT Spam messages once and for all! You can adjust your message settings in the Options to only receive messages from friends and supergroup members, or to NOT accept emails at all. You can finally OPT OUT of emails!

Bear in mind that this is still PER-CHARACTER, so if you are an altaholic you will have to make this adjustment for every character you have.

The trick is to create a saved options file. Make the necessary adjustments in the options and then click "Save to file". This will create a text-based file that can be readily accessed. (Note: This will NOT include modifications to the window settings. Those are still individually modified.) Then when you log in with another character, just go to the options menu again and select "Load from file". The settings from that text file will then be applied to that character. Then click APPLY NOW to lock it in.

Quick Thoughts on Issue 16

On the onset, Issue 16 provides some much-needed Quality of Life changes to the game. Power customization is something that will take some getting used to. Fortunately, unlike the powersets themselves, you will NOT be locked into them, so you can change what you don't like. But they DO take some time to go through. Don't be in a rush to get everything you want. You CAN go back later on and tweak things.

You will find that the customization is limited. Some animations are included, but not all of them, and some color options are limited. I would really love to have a more of a "build-up" phase when it comes to the "sniper" powers. Also, I wish we could have made some changes to the mastermind pets. I would love to have an all-female mercenary team, or to change the robots used, or even to change the colors. Hopefully that kind customization will be in line for a future issue. I can see why they waited until they finished the creator engine to get this added in the first place.

The super-sidekicking mode is a great feature and really would be great given some of the unique teams my characters get involved in. Also kudos to the e-mail tweak. That should have been implemented a long time ago.

Sadly, no epic love, no 50's love, and no supergroup love. And that's really sad, because supergroup bases have really stagnated since they changed the prestige system and how base inventions are created. I would love to see A LOT more flexibility with base creation, including being able to subdivide room into multiple floors instead of having to artificially create them. I am getting tired of hearing from forum posters saying "dude, I talked with the developers as Blah-Blah-Blah-Con and they said that it just doesn't work that way"... well guess what? Power customization, email options, and super-sidekicking ALL once fell under the category of "it just doesn't work that way". If you can code it, IT CAN WORK THAT WAY!

Meantime, congrats to the developers for taking care of some of our serious wishlist items, and hopefully they will fix the bugs quickly so they can get to work on Issue 17.

Issue 16 news

Yes, Issue 15 just came out, but there's already hype over Issue 16, especially after two teaser pictures were released.

Well wait no more because this is the next issue:



And yes, color customization is just PART of the overall changes being made to the "City of" experience. The whole Character Creator engine is getting an overhaul, making it easier to modify elements without having to going back and losing everything you had.

That won't be the ONLY thing out there, but that will pretty much be the big one.

She Blinded Me With SUPERSCIENCE!

"Nnnnn... I don't believe it!" "There she goes again!" "She tidied up and now I can't FIND anything!" Thomas Dolby may be best known for that little 1980's musical ditty, but you don't have to live in the Home For Deranged Scientists to get funky with the latest in SUPERSCIENCE! Paragon Studios has just released the third in the Super Booster expansion series. This one is all themed on SUPERSCIENCE! Now you too can do all the things that super-geniuses and mad scientists do, or even be their mad creations, with all of the costume pieces that any good super-smart tinkerer of nature would wear. This includes things like masks, goggles, lab coats, gloves, galoshes, and yes for the Frank N. Stein in you, neck bolts.

Here are a few previews:

But wait! That's not all!

Then add to that some really neat SUPERSCIENCE emotes such as mixing chemicals and calculating equations. And there's also a few new Costume Change emotes to where you can change through drinking a serum, or shooting in chemicals.

Oh, so I know what you're thinking... you're wondering what is the USE of doing SUPERSCIENCE if you're stuck in the same bodytype all the time. Sure you can bulk up and bulk down, but size, height, and even gender are still locked in. Right?

Not any more!

As with all of the SuperBooster packs, there is always that ONE element that makes it worth the purchase price, and this is it. With SuperBooster III, you now have access to a whole new breed of Icon/Facemaker agents called Cosmetic Surgeons. These specialists will allow SB3 users to change their WHOLE body type, including height, body type, AND gender! Now you CAN have Dr. Jeckyl and Ms Hyde! You CAN be Banner and the Green Raging Supertroll! You CAN be Frank N. Stein AND his monster!

Have I sold you on it yet? Well if so, then what are you waiting for? Get your mad scientist butt over to the NCSoft store and BUY this expansion pack!

Issue 15 IS LIVE!

Issue 15: "Anniversary" is now LIVE!

Most of the major additions and changes have already been mentioned, including the return of the Reichsman, the evil Super-Nazi version of Statesman, the addition of all those new faces...

And two costume sets called "Ulterior" and "Vines".

The other big change? More costume change emotes! Yes you no longer have to buy Super Booster II to have a costume change emote to switch between two or more costume sets. Now EVERYONE can do it with the following options:

• Backflip
• Salute
• Howl
• Evil Laugh

Plus both Kheldian Warshades and Peacebringers will have their own exclusive CCE options. And if you are high enough to become part of the Vanguard you can have your own special Vanguard Sigil CCE if you collect 100 Vanguard Merits. (It won't be given to you automatically, though. You WILL have to craft it.)

Sorry, Bug-Soldiers of Arachnos, but you don't get your own exclusive CCE options right now. Sucks to be you!

Oh, and you won't be able to switch between costumes if you don't have at least two of them. To get an extra costume slot, you either have to get one by running an Icon mission at levels 20, 30, or 40, or by trading in four Halloween Costume trinkets.

Plus certain Icon employees, including Trina in Pocket D, will be given new job titles. Some Icon employees will be "Cosmetic Surgeons", and Trina will now be "Trina the Body Sculptress". Does this have to do with a future change in CCE commands? The Paragon Pundit is looking into this and will report on it when he hears something more.

Oh, the other thing that needs to be mentioned... as was warned, SEVERAL Mission Architect badges have now been REMOVED from use! The developers believe that multitude of badges created were encouraging players to create so-called "Meow Missions" just to collect them instead of spending time developing meaningful stories. The developers decided it was better to correct THEIR lack of foresight by just getting rid of the trophies. And they're going to better police against those "Meow Missions". (I just hope they don't declare "With Me - Against Me" to be one of them.)

One more thing...

Just like Super Booster II was released around the same time as Issue 14, heroes and villains should keep an eye out for Super Booster III. This one will be called "Super-Science". Pity, because I had suggested the next one be about SPORTS. Maybe that will become SB4? Stay tuned for further details.

Issue 15 - Pre-loading NOW

It seems like it was just yesterday that Issue 14 went live, and now suddenly Issue 15 is being pre-loaded to all active "City Of" engines.

Actually it was just this past April that Issue 14 came out. The turnaround between issues is mind-boggling, but perhaps expected as the developers can work on their next big project - "Going Rogue".

"Issue 15: Anniversary" deals with the return of the 5th Column, the original continuation of Nazi Germany, as well as the return of the Freedom Phalanx's most dangerous enemy... the Reichsman, the alternate version of Statesman.


The Reichsman came from a world where Nazi Germany won World War II and came across to our world with the opening of the Portal Corporation in the 1990's. Defeated, the Reichsman was held in stasis in the Freedom Phalanx headquarters. Unfortunately the Freedom Phalanx HQ was in Baumton, and although the district was destroyed during the Rikti War, the building still stands, and it was only a matter of time before Reichsman would be freed.

But some of the other goodies coming out include more costume-change emotes (originally released with Super Booster: Magic), two new costume sets, and 24 new face models.

Ulterior Costume Set


Vines Costume Set


New i15 Faces


As with previous pre-loadings, please give several minutes of time for the game engine to finish. The pre-release will cut down on the future upgrade time.

NEW goodies ONLINE

We have a 2-fer today.

For those that have been interested in City of Heroes but haven't yet signed up, now is the perfect time to do so.

First, we have Issue 14 that JUST came out (and already had a few bug tweaks). It's a really popular feature, which explains why things still run slow in front of every AE building.

The folks at NCSoft have decided to go ahead and release a new version of the City of Heroes game with all of the updates included. This is called "City of Heroes: Architect Edition".

So what is the difference between this and the "Good versus Evil" edition or any of the earlier versions? Simple. With earlier versions of the game system, you had to install all of the updates before you could take part in the game. With "Architect Edition", you START with everything up to date with Issue 14, which means you only have a handful of upgrades to make. That cuts down the setup time from about two or three hours to maybe 30 minutes tops.

Also, this is a hybrid version, which means PC AND Mac users can load and run this system. You get both Heroes AND Villains AND the Architect... AND the other goody included.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, you can buy this online AND at your local electronics store.

Then there is the other goody...

"Super Booster II: Magic" - as promised, the second specialty add-on to the City of Heroes and City of Villains is now active, and I have to say that the features are all that they promised and then some.

Now here's the treat: if you buy the "Architect Edition", you will get an activation code for EITHER "Super Booster II: Magic" or the earlier "Super Booster: Cyborg". I don't know why they would make you pick between one or the other, but personally, I would suggest sticking with the Magic motif. There's a lot more goodies involved.

Oh, if you want to see how the new costumes look, here's one of the Chronicles characters with her recent "makeover"..



And to think... the 5-year Anniversary is still just a few days away... Makes you wonder what they'll do to celebrate that.

Super Booster Pack II announced

The hits just keep on coming from NCSoft for both Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.

Fresh from the release of "Issue 14: Architect", we now have news on the newest Super Booster Pack.

The previous SBP was "Cyborg" and gave specific costume themes, emotes, and a special "Self-Destruct" power.

This one, however, will top it.

"Super Booster II: Magic" will be available on April 14th 2009. This is an in-game booster pack that will give players magic-themed goodies.

Costumes:
Hats, chest, pants, gloves, boots, and magic robe pieces for women. Hats, hood, skull mask, wizard beard, high collar cape mantle, boots, and jackets for men.






And here I thought the wedding pack lingerie was hot!



Then add to that...
Mystic Fortune Power:
Ever wanted to have your fortune read in game? With the Mystic Fortune power players will be able to offer to read each other’s fortunes. Having your fortune read gives a power buff based on the Major Arcana of the Tarot, and can give a positive or negative effect on that character for the next 20 minutes.

And then the BEST add-on...

Costume Change Emotes:
Characters with multiple costume slots unlocked will also have an exciting new way of customizing their characters; costume change emotes! Super Booster II: Magic includes 4 costume change emotes these emotes activate when characters switch their costumes, and are selectable in the costume change interface.

Heroes and Villains add new costume slots at levels 20, 30, or 40... OR by earning one by getting all four special Halloween Costume pieces and delivering them to a special witch either in Croatoa (Heroes) or Nerva Archipelago (Villains). You have to have more than one costume slot for this ability to be activated.

This is one of the most requested add-ons, so if you're a serious game-player, you NEED to have this!

"SBP2: Magic" can be bought online at the NCSoft store or it comes free with the purchase of "City of Heroes: Architect Edition" (Coming soon!)

Issue 14 - The Movie!

NC Soft finally ditched that whole "Captain Amazing" thing and cranked out a really GOOD promo for Issue 14. This should give you a taste of what the Mission Architect really does and why it's so popular.

Issue 14 is LIVE!

Issue 14: Architect is now LIVE in the City of Heroes and City of Villains.

Mostly.

As of this posting time they are still having problems in the Freedom Universe, so that is still inaccessible.

(Update: Freedom Universe is back up and running.)

The key component here is the Mission Architect, providing for the first-time ever actual player-generated game content. The level of detail involved with this project, being able to design multi-level storylines with original characters and dialogue, is absolutely amazing.

Kudos to NC Soft and the developers for pulling this off.

And stay tuned for the first Chronicle mission story:
"The Legacy of Battlerock X"