Doctor Murk's Game Review

I'll play any game once. Video games. Backyard sports. Board games. RPGs. Online games. Card games. Some people relegate the world of gaming into the realm of Game Con/ Star Trek nerdophilia. Take a deeper think for a moment. My parents and grandparents played card games. Many families play horseshoes or such. It's the same idea. It's interactive entertainment.

With this in mind, I bring you a review of a game that is close to my heart. City of Heroes. http://www.cityofheroes.com/ (sorry, blogger is screwing with my autolink feature).

The premise? Simple. Make a superheroe and kick ass. The twist? Thousands of looks, styles and power combinations and thousands of players from around the world. Is there a learning curve? Heck yes, is you want to be at the top of the hero pile. If you want plain old fun, there's not much to it. Point and click. It's a bit graphics intensive, but with its release date 4 years ago, most computers can handle it.

There are 11 servers to play on and you can have 8 to 10 characters per server. Of course, as you gain experience, you level up and get more powerful. You can team, join a supergroup, or make your own. The online forums are spectacular and helpful. The people tend to be more mature than the typical mmorpg. The enemies are fierce and yes, you can play a villain.

The chat system is a bit counterintuitive unless you're familiar with chat systems, and it IS hard to chat while slapping bad guys or breaking down heroes. There's optional PVP content (player versus player) in zones and in the weird arena system. The optional story arcs are so compelling as to be mandatory. There's a loot system and a market just as cut throat as Wall Street. Characters can have multiple costumes, can change names (for a price) and even switch servers if they find a group they like on another server.

You want to roleplay? They have an unofficial roleplay server. They even have a server for drunks.

You can download the entire game in an hour with high speed internet and the price is reasonable. There is a monthly fee, but hell, life comes with its own monthly fees as it is. Small price to pay to save an imaginary world that's as well populated as the one you go to work in.

Caveat: They are VERY strict about copywrite violation and trademark stuff, so no Marvel or DC knockoffs. But, if you want to make a short dude with claws and regeneration, you can do it. Just don't give him that signature outfit and a name like Wolferini. I've got a Superman knockoff, but he's dressed in his PJs.

Guns, Ninjas, Weapon Customization, Blasting, Magic, Mutants and more. Wanne be a drugged up cyborg? You got it. A ballerina who likes to leave her mark? Yours. Have some. Want to be a frustrated plumber who beats people with a wrench? Go ahead.

This is one of the few games I've played where the premium is on customization and traditional roles like healer, tank, scrapper, nuke etc get very blurred.

Buy it. Play it. Love it.