The bad guys tend to work together. You aren't able to pull them one at a time and pick them off, forcing you to deal with joint attacks from large numbers of enemies. It fits in nicely with the superhero theme, because, as we all know, common criminals are no match for a superhero one-on-one.
Missions
Tasks assigned to you as a master crime fighter include such things as "arresting" a certain number of thugs, or retrieving sensitive information from a nearby hideout. Indoor missions are instanced for your group and often involve clearing the place out and confronting a boss gangster. There are also lengthier missions that require large groups of players to complete.
If you die and there is nobody around to revive you, you respawn at the nearest hospital. As of the latest patch, you will incur no experience penalty until level 10.
Most of this is pretty standard stuff for RPGs these days, but there are several things about missions in CoH that are worth mentioning. They are scaled to the size and level of the group, and there is a commendable variety of them. Finding something to do in a short play session is never difficult, which is important to people that don't have huge chunks of time to run instances.
The group finding mechanism in CoH is something almost every MMOG could learn something from. Players can set a "looking for group" flag which contains information about the missions or areas they want to do, and even has space for comments. The player search function reveals this information to other players, making it a breeze to get a suitable group together. It couldn't be simpler or more effective, and it's remarkable that so few games have a system like this.
Since its release, Cryptic has done a great job of adding new content to CoH regularly at no extra charge to players.
Hero Versus Hero
Player vs. Player (PvP) arenas were added to the game in issue 4. PvP makes a certain amount of sense for a superhero game, and, as I mentioned above, they intend to expand on this with the upcoming release of City of Villians. Unfortunately, the PvP arenas in City of Heroes aren't getting much use at the moment. From what I gather, this is mostly due to balance issues. Perhaps because there was no need to worry about PvP balance when the game was released, the problems have now proven to be serious enough to warrant some rather sweeping changes to existing powers, which are in the works.
Keeping It Simple
While there is a form of currency in CoH called "influence," and you can use it to purchase enhancements and inspirations, these are really the only items in the game. There is no crafting, no resources, and subsequently, no need for an auction. You don't even have to loot defeated foes, as all rewards are distributed automatically. Since there are no items to equip, your inventory consists of a handful of enhancement and inspiration slots.
Players can trade influence, enhancements, and inspirations if they want to, but there is rarely any need to do so. Furthermore, inventory space is very limited, so you may find yourself deleting things just to make room.
The lack of any economic component is a relief to some and a disappointment for others. It does essentially reduce the game to combat, with the only occasional break coming when you need to take a moment to train or manage your enhancements. The drawback to this is that it can get very repetitive, especially considering that most MMORPGs are repetitive enough even with crafting and trade skills.
The option to craft and exchange a wide variety of equipment doesn't necessarily make a game good, but I certainly miss it when it's not there, if only because it offers some diversion from hammering on the enemy. Those who enjoy crafting and amassing a forture through trade would be well advised to pass on this one.
Bottom Line
CoH has captured the key elements of a good MMORPG and made them wonderfully accessible to anyone with a little imagination and a hankering play a superhero. Those who are looking for an online game they can pursue at a casual pace should definitely give it a go. The scope of CoH is limited. If you prefer worlds with depth and engaging alternatives to combat, this probably isn't the game for you.
