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The 5th Column returns as City of Heroes Issue 15: Anniversary goes live
It was only a few weeks ago that we wrote about the City of Heroes Issue 15 beta testing, but this latest update to the game, Anniversary, has gone live. Issue 15 brings a host of improvements to City of Heroes particularly in terms of hero and villain character customization. There are 20 new character faces to choose from, two new costume sets, and costume change emotes, which provide flashy transitions between costumes for your characters. Issue 15: Anniversary also marks the return of The 5th Column and The Reichsman, and thus new missions at levels 45-50 -- with Villain Strikeforce and Hero Taskforce arcs, depending upon which side of the law you're on. NCsoft has more info about Issue 15 on their Anniversary overview site, and asks, "What does the opening of the Omega Team Time Capsule hold in store for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles?" The answers, we suspect, should be clear as City of Heroes and City of Villains players explore the new Issue 15 content.
Champions Online introduces new villain: Gigaton
While the term 'unlikely hero' is pretty familiar to most, it's not often we think of unlikely villains. But this is the case with the latest 'big bad' that Cryptic Studios has revealed for Champions Online -- "Gigaton". His story begins as Tim Colton, a perfect and loyal soldier and thus an equally perfect candidate for Project Sunburst, ostensibly a military war game involving nuclear strike scenarios. It was more than theoretical, however, and Colton became the military's unwitting guinea pig in actual nuclear tests. While most other test subjects died as a result of the tests, Colton developed superhuman abilities after being bombarded with radiation. Although he remained in perfect physical condition, requiring neither food nor water, he was inexplicably comatose. Despite the slight drawback of being perpetually unconscious, Colton's bio-nuclear powers were off the chart. This came to the attention of a major villain in the Champions Online setting, Doctor Destroyer, who had Colton 'liberated' from the army's facilities. Colton was revived and given a new purpose in life by his villainous benefactor, to join forces with Doctor Destroyer's organization, the only real option open to Colton after being betrayed by the army. From that point on, Colton became Gigaton, and is thus the latest villain announced in the Champions Online lineup. Cryptic has put together a villain profile for Gigaton outlining the character's past, and of course his superhuman abilities.
DC Universe Online's "The Next Legend Is You" trailer
The new DC Universe Online trailer that just recently hit the streets is one comprehensive video. In the short one minute and 23 seconds that the trailer runs, we get to see many of the highlights of DCUO, including environmental weaponry and damage, many of the game's iconic characters, a frenetic look at the game's combat, a taste of character customizations, and more!Currently the trailer can be viewed at the main DCUO site, or over at Shacknews in standard and hi-resolution modes. HD resolution, however, is only available to those who have a Shackvideo username and password.Now, if you can excuse us, we're going to go ponder what colors of spandex we're going to choose for when the game comes out.
NCsoft announces City of Heroes: Going Rogue expansion
Two worlds collide. Loyalties will change. Where will you stand? This is the question posed to us as NCsoft announces the first major expansion for the City of Heroes franchise since the launch of City of Villains in 2005. Going Rogue will be a new experience for CoH fans introducing the 'mirror universe' of Praetoria and an all-new alignment system that blurs the lines between Heroes and Villains.For the first time ever, Heroes can become Villains, and Villains can become Heroes. This is yet another groundbreaking game mechanic that the Paragon Studios folks have introduced in a recent whirlwind of exciting new features. Look out Champions Online and DC Universe Online; City of Heroes is raising the standard of superhero MMOs.Check out the exciting new teaser trailer right after the jump, and to answer any questions you may have, they've compiled a handy FAQ.
Fallen Earth's villainous troupe, the White Crow Battalion
Without Darth Vader and the Emperor, Luke probably wouldn't have seemed so heroic to everyone. Why exactly is this kid from the desert blasting all these guys in white armor with his magical powers? What exactly did they ever do to him? Oh, they killed his foster parents and murdered his grandfather figure/teacher. Well that changes a few things, and this developer diary for Fallen Earth discusses many of these merits for their own story.For Fallen Earth, this seems to be the role that the White Crow Battalion fills for players. As a mercenary group, they don't appear to fall into a faction -- or at least we don't think they do. Considering the opening moments of your newly created character's life revolves around picking up a weapon to stop the merc group from blowing your brains out, we're sure most people won't want to make nice. This excludes the particularly masochistic players, of course.
The Bleak Ones cast a fishy shadow over Champions Online
There's definitely a loose Cthulu influence in Champions Online's Bleak Ones, but in a way that we're digging. So if you read this recent villain profile on the ancient Lemurian gods, don't feel like you're alone in noticing references like, "And when you die, we will bring you home. We will gather you to us. We will devour your souls in the ever after. You shall be our sustenance." Hah, and they call us crazy!Well when the time comes to fend off these fishy foes, between our alliteration and determined gnashing of teeth we will ascend triumphantly to the mountaintop of victory! Or in other words, we can't wait to kick some fish people butt. But until that opportunity presents itself, we'll have to sate ourselves with lore and concept art that can be found within our gallery.%Gallery-17946%
DC Universe Online video shows open PvP gameplay as a villain
Most of the video footage seen of DC Universe Online to date focuses on the setting's iconic heroes and the role a player can take in assisting them. While taking down the bad guys in a game is fun, sometimes it's good to be bad, as the newest gameplay footage we've seen of DCUO from New York Comic Con shows us.We were pretty excited when we noticed this over at Limited Edition today and it's certainly worth a look if you're into the superhero games genre. The GameTrailers video is a walkthrough of an open PvP area, from the perspective of a psychotic clown with psi-blasts, blazing speed, and freakish strength. Need I say more? Check out the video embed below for a look at DC Universe Online's PvP mixed in with developer commentary on what you're seeing.
Newest Champions Online video is all out of bubblegum
Cryptic is on a roll with these trailers of their MMOs coming out of the New York Comic-con. Where the new Star Trek Online video showed us the power of it's character customization, this new Champions Online trailer gets nice and cinematic while showing off just how far the game's visuals and audio design has come. Also, it's hard not to love an armadillo-themed villain and his massive scaled armor.A few things immediately discernible: Animations are looking exceptionally smooth, while the lighting and graphic effects are all being used in just the right amount -- not too much or too little. Lastly, we dug the short rock tune, which hopefully is a prime example of what to expect from the entire soundtrack.While this is all very wonderful, we've still yet to see straight-up gameplay look this amazing. And really, if this sort of trailer can be whipped up with the in-game engine, we're sure Champions will look great come launch day. You can find the senses-pummeling trailer after the break.
DC Universe Online flying into New York Comic-Con at full force
If you're planning on heading to the New York Comic-Con this year then be prepared to see DC Universe Online in full force. SOE is pulling out all the stops this time around, including the first-ever villain play via a new playable demo at the SOE booth on the show floor. Something else attendees won't want to miss will be the panel on Saturday, February 7th where a mysterious new creative team member will be revealed and opened to questions along with Jim Lee, Geoff Johns, SOE developers Wes Yanagi, Jens Andersen and Jared Carr.Immediately after the Saturday panel, SOE will be holding a fan event where the new villain-focused demo will be available for further play. Plus, Jim Lee and Geoff Johns will be on hand to speak about the game some more -- as if they won't have been pelted by fervent fan questions already. Still, the whole thing sounds like a ton of fun for anyone looking forward to DC Universe Online and the new superhero MMOs in general.Find full details after the cut. Did you enjoy this? We've donned our capes and tights to explore SOE's DC Universe Online in-depth. Come explore more of Metropolis and Gotham with your friends at Massively!
PvP touched on for DC Universe Online
Studio creative director Chris Cao (aka The Biggest Designer in the Building) has tossed up some initial details on PvP in SOE's upcoming DC Universe Online. It sounds like plans are being drawn up to create a varied and worthwhile system for heroes and villains to duke it out within. We're going to be getting some open world PvP, arena-based PvP and even a system allowing heroes and villains to battle over control of the world itself.Basic PvP will be over stuff like protecting cops, or trying to beat them down in the case of baddies. Arenas are going ot be instanced content where both sides struggle over things like downed alien spacecraft --- mmm, alien technology. Finally, control over the world wasn't delved into very much. All we know is that strategic points in the world play a role in who controls how much of what.Chris ends it with a few notes, stressing things like the availability of PvP servers, opt-in PvP and designated zone. He also touches on SOE wanting to make the experience more skill-based in lieu of purely stat-based. So the better fighter should usually win in DC Unvirse Online.
The 7 Deadly Sins of EVE Online
EVE Online is by design a darker game than most other MMOs, which means certain actions unthinkable in other games are allowed in EVE's setting of New Eden. It's a game that rewards cunning and brutally punishes stupidity. Players can assume many roles in New Eden, but the villains in a story are often the most interesting. In EVE, you get to be one. While there are many wrongs a pilot in New Eden can commit, these are seven of the worst. Some players specialize in one of these 'sins,' while others manage to indulge in all seven. Come explore the darker side of EVE >> %Gallery-29722%
Lead artist-ing with Champions Online's Christopher Chamberlain
Would you believe that this week's edition of Cryptic's meet the team is all about Christopher "Absinthe" Chamberlain, the lead artist in charge of characters, animation and FX for Champions Online? Yeah? Good. We were sure you'd believe, but we still had to check. It's not that Mr. Chamberlain is some kind of famous developer, he's just a very cool individual -- which also makes him an interesting interviewee. That is unless he used is crazy backwards-talking skills whenever you asked him a question. Then he'd just be a startlingly confusing interviewee.As far as his workday goes for creating characters and animations, we're once again forced to feel a little jealous. Most grown-up men don't get to play with form swords all day anymore, but Christopher does just that. Then after getting to play around for who knows how long, the man gets to sit down and decide how villains in the game will look. It doesn't stop there, but we'll let you discover what other madness this man is involved with on a daily basis.
Strong hint at Broadsword for Villains in CoX
Back Alley Brawler of City of Heroes has made a brief but encouraging comment on the official forums, hinting strongly at a new piece of Powerset Proliferation in Issue 13. Villains who had complained of not having access to the funky new Nictus Sword have been reminded that they don't have the necessary sets 'yet'. Unless this is a cruel tease, this means Villains will be getting broadsword soon - and despite Back Alley Brawler's habit of turning into a shark when he visits the Test Server, we don't think he's that mean.We already know that more Powerset Proliferation is coming in Issue 13, because Positron and Castle have told us it'll bring the villain equivalent of Empathy (which won't, of course, be called Empathy). Issue 13 is also an ideal time to give Villains the Broadsword set, as it should be bringing Shields, too. We've already learned that Shields will be a defensive powerset, usable with one-handed and unarmed sets; this opens up the possibility of Broadsword and Shield wielding Brutes, surely an obvious combination to go for. The Shield animations are now largely done, courtesy of the Roman NPCs in the Cimerora zone released with Issue 12, so we can't see any reason why they'd miss Issue 13.
Ask Cryptic gets specific
The questions for this week's Ask Cryptic come in incredibly specific flavors, making their answers all the more interesting. We get some information on how user-friendly the combat system will be for non-twitchy types, a bit of insight into how modular the new game engine will be, some talk about making sure solo players fight villains that aren't simply re-skins of old mobs and a whole lot more. Overall we'd say this is a good week to be interested in Champions Online.The last question is one that we were really happy to see answered. It asked simply, "Is eye color going to be a costume option?" The answer that Cryptic gave was more than we were expecting, however. Not only will players be able to change the pupils and whites of their character's eyes, but they'll also get to make their eyes glow any color they want. We can only hope this is something that's offered at the beginning of character creation, since glowing eyes are a priority for alien-, magical- and robot-powered superheroes.
Villain Epics mere lackeys? Not likely
When the City of Villains Devs first mentioned that the new Villain Epic Archetypes were going to be Soldiers of Arachnos, some players were apprehensive. They didn't see how a mere rank-and-file member of a villainous organization was going to be any fun to play. Arachnos is a stratified, militaristic outfit, and people make villains in order to break the rules, right? So what's the fun in being a uniformed lackey?As it turns out, the Devs have tackled this head-on in the Epic Villain AT story arc. The key point is that all player villains in CoV so far have been special, because they're Destined Ones, potentially fated to overcome all other villains in a war for ultimate supremacy.
The Real Villains: Westin Phipps
City of Villains is full of avatars of comic-book evil. They have skull motifs and spikes and scowling faces. They sport names with 'dark' in them.But the most despicable being in all the Rogue Isles is a weaselly, bespectacled little man with thinning hair plastered across his scalp; a man who is regarded as a public benefactor, a champion of charity. His very ordinariness is what makes him so dreadful, as it is much easier to recognise the evils of the real world in him than in a comic character like Lord Recluse.In our brief tour of the contacts in CoV who have the most authentically villainous content, Phipps's missions are the final stop. Some people have found them disturbing to play; the mission writer, Constellation (no longer with the CoX team) wondered if he might have gone too far. Some players have even wished for side-switching after playing Phipps's missions, and now that player generated content is on the horizon, players are proposing custom missions in which you get to beat Phipps to a pulp. So, what is it about this content that provokes such guilt and remorse?
New Champions Online preview hints at villains
The guys over at 1up.com have a great two page preview/interview covering Champions Online. The preview itself covers quite a bit, including Cryptic's time with the Marvel MMO, customization in Champions Online, combat, the Xbox 360 version and of course some hints at what we may see for villains. Overall the preview expands on a lot of these subjects, with quotes for Jack Emmert giving away a detail or two here and there.The big tease about the villains has really piqued our curiosity, as Emmert says, "But it's something we're thinking about in Champions: Is the gameplay experience the same for a hero and a villain? But that's part of our top-secret plan we're not talking about."A lot of people on the official forums have been clamoring for some kind of villain gameplay and Cryptic has previously shown they pay attention to the community. We would love to see the villain side play dramatically different from the hero side of Champions Online. The big question left to Cryptic is exactly how villains will be a different experience from heroes?
Champions Online's newest villain is Menton
A brand new villain has been revealed on the Champions Online website. His name is Menton and he's the most powerful human psionic alive. He harbors a massive contempt for humanity and considers everyone else -- even the supremely powerful Doctor Destroyer -- to be stupid in comparison. There's a lot of very good back-story to read concerning Menton at the official site. It's a real treat for anyone who enjoys some good comic book-style stories, so check it out.This is some early proof that Cryptic made a good choice going with the Champions world for their next MMO. Granted, we say early because until we get a taste of John Layman's writing of these characters we won't really know how compelling they are in-game. Still, Menton looks and sounds pretty cool so far and that's a strong start.
Massively Event Coverage: The NCsoft Europe Heroic Weekend
This column comes to us from our new blogger, Adrian Bott, reporting in from the field. Adrian is joining our team as a City of Heroes and City of Villains fanboy aficionado extraordinaire, so keep an eye out for even more in-depth CoX coverage here at Massively! "I cannot believe how polished this event is," confided visiting City of Heroes developer Melissa 'War Witch' Bianco, during a lull in the frenzy. Nor could we. NCsoft Europe knows how to throw a party.As we crossed from the gloomy streets of central Birmingham into the blazing techno-sanctuary of Omega Sektor, the professionalism and sheer hard graft of the NCsoft team gleamed from every splash-panel surface. Amid the sounds of hordes of happy Super Group members meeting up in the flesh for the first time, video screens showing looped footage of NCsoft games, and the wibbles and whoops of more than four hundred individual PCs, we struggled through to the admin desk. The organizers and their blue-shirted 'sidekicks', buoyed up by who knows what inhuman energy source (they had already been doing this for two days and showed no signs of flagging) gave us the rundown. There were PvP events, task force challenges, 'death races' and sundry other in-game activities. And huge, padded, Gladiator style superhero suits for real-life PvP. Seriously.
A look at some unsung DS villains
Modojo's Ryan Morgan took a trip into the underworld of DS games, finding the meanest of the mean villains and delivering stern warnings about them. These aren't the everyday spiny, cloaked, "NOOOOOOO"-bellowing villains we know, the kind that telegraph their evilness to the world, but some more insidious cads who, while they look innocuous enough, will strike and attempt to force you to feed their twisted, evil obsessions. The biggest offender? The color blue, who Nintendo seems to have collaborated with to render Brain Age players hoarse or even mute from repeated attempts at the Stroop test. Bluuuuuuuuuuuue!
