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Newest Ask Cryptic for Champions Online covers the flames of fashion

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Previews, News items, Free-to-play, Champions Online

There are many components to making a great superhero game, but one of the key elements is ensuring that players can be astonishingly good-looking. So it's no surprise that the latest installment of Ask Cryptic sees several questions from Champions Online players about current, upcoming, and conceptual costume sets. That includes promises of more beast-oriented sets and a hard look at any powersets with major clipping issues (although minor clipping issues for certain poses are to be expected).

Equally interesting to players will be the promise that the staff is hard at work trying to give players more options for power emanation points, such as staves or wands for magical characters. While some of the answers given will be seen as a bit disappointing, such as the fact that tattoos and scars will not be usable outside of the chest pieces already featuring them, overall the answers promise all sorts of ways for players to look as good as possible while fighting crime.

Newest Ask Cryptic for Champions Online covers the flames of fashion originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes aims at accessorizing with the new Gunslinger Set

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, News items, Free-to-play

Do you find yourself frequently dealing in lead in City of Heroes? Then perhaps your hero could use the accoutrements to match his or her habit of solving every problem with gunplay. The Gunslinger Set is a new featured item in the market, and it brings with it the usual assortment of costume pieces for making your perfect Western-themed hero, including a fine selection of new firearms for any would-be gunslinger looking to snipe at some criminals.

The whole package is available for 400 points in the store, but if you'd rather buy items piecemeal the option remains as always. And if you've mostly been kept away from the game's subscription fee by the lack of proper gunslinging attire, you'll be happy to know that the game is also offering players a special subscription deal through the end of December, giving players extra VIP subscription time when purchasing a membership for six months or a year at a time.

City of Heroes aims at accessorizing with the new Gunslinger Set originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes unleashes the Animal Pack [Updated]

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Roleplaying

Ever feel like howling at the full moon or flying into the sun on golden wings? We don't really need to hear about your dreams -- ours are freaky enough as it is. But if you've been looking for a way to express your inner animal in City of Heroes, NCsoft has you covered.

With the upcoming Animal Pack, players on both sides of the conflict will be able to create even more superhero-beast hybrids than ever before. Not only does the pack include a number of new animal-themed options for the character creator, but the savage amongst us will enjoy creature-themed emotes and a new level 4 travel power, Beast Run.

The pack includes over 60 new heads, body patterns, manes, and tails themed after cats, birds, minotaurs and wolves. Roleplayers should like the Sniff, Hiss and Feather Fly emotes, while everyone will be able to appreciate two unique auras. One of these auras, we kid you not, is a flea aura. Get ready to start scratching!

The City of Heroes Animal Pack will go on sale on February 23rd at the NCsoft store.

[Update: We've added the Animal Pack gallery below and the video after the cut... enjoy!]

Gallery: City of Heroes Boosters

Continue reading City of Heroes unleashes the Animal Pack [Updated]

City of Heroes unleashes the Animal Pack [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes to celebrate 7th year with special anniversary bonus

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, News items, Promotions

City of Heroes is approaching its seventh year of operation, and in keeping with tradition, that means it's time to start the celebration early. This year, though, the team is offering players a little extra incentive to stay subscribed during the lead-up to the date itself. Players who maintain an active subscription from February 1st until April 18th will receive a new badge, a new emote, and a brand-new booster pack to help celebrate their service to (or against) the populace of Earth Prime and Praetoria.

Becoming available on April 28th to all players with a steady subscription, the most eye-catching reward is the new Vanguard Booster Pack, which unlocks several of the Vanguard costume pieces and features for all characters on a given account. There's also a new badge and concurrent title "The Constant," and a special chest emblem signifying the long road the game has walked. City of Heroes players can take a gander at the official announcement and start looking forward to the full anniversary celebration, which seems to be ramping up early this year.

City of Heroes to celebrate 7th year with special anniversary bonus originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NYCC 2010: The City of Heroes Issue 19 panel

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, Patches, Previews, News items

It's the end of the convention season, and City of Heroes fans on the East Coast managed to get one last treat -- another chance with the development team that had long been anchored firmly on the other side of the country. The team's panel in March at PAX East saw the revelation of several new facts about the game, including the first announcement of Kinetic Melee and Electric Control, and the panel that closes out the year at New York Comic Con contained several interesting new facts as well.

Melissa Bianco, David Nakayama, and Jesse Caceres were all in attendance, with the panel overseen by community representative Tia Parurahi. With Going Rogue having been out for nearly two months, this panel focused on the upcoming Issue 19 and what the changes mean for the game, as well as how much the development team is ramping up production to improve the game all around.

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NYCC 2010: The City of Heroes Issue 19 panel originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The community and the harsh truths

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

It's that time again. (Those of you who immediately started in with a Wheel of Morality sketch earn a gold star and are excused for the rest of the day.) With less than a month remaining according to the official timetable for Going Rogue's release, we're taking another look at the community topics of City of Heroes, one that should prove quite rewarding. Literally, even, as some of our highlighted discussions are about prestige, merit points, and what you get off of a Giant Monster's corpse when you kill it.

More than anything, if there's a theme to this round's discussions, it's a call for improvements. I've made the occasional joke about how the expansion will bring everything anyone ever wanted into the game, and there's certainly a strong thread of that running through recent discussions as well. After all, we all know there are areas where City of Heroes could be stronger, so perhaps a few side updates aren't wholly remiss? Or maybe I'm just feeling cantankerous this week. Every problem looks like a nail when all you have is a hammer, and so forth. Onward with discussion!

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The community and the harsh truths

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The community and the harsh truths originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Business models, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

Back on the first column I ever wrote about City of Heroes, many moons ago, someone made a comment that's stuck in my head. It wasn't negative, just something that stuck in my mind. They mentioned how the game had been portrayed in a somewhat poor light on the site as a whole, and used as an example that it had been used as the title image for this article about microtransactions and other payment goodies.

Go ahead and take a look at the author of that piece, and you might understand why the comment stuck in my mind.

I don't think that City of Heroes does a bad job with their microtransactions. I actually love their setup and like to point to it alongside Dungeons & Dragons Online as a prime example of how to do an item shop correctly. And I'm fairly sure I'm not the only person who feels that way, although there's doubtlessly the other side of the story that thinks they do an awful job. So strap yourselves in, because today we're going to be diving headfirst into the cash shop and my enthusiastic praise for same.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Spring Fling is on in City of Heroes

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Culture, Events, in-game, News items

It's time for heroes and villains to put aside their differences once again in the name of love. Or the name of temporary powers and costume pieces, if you're the cynical sort. City of Heroes is going to host its Spring Fling once again, running from February 9th until March 2nd, and as usual it focuses on bringing opposites together under one roof. Because at the end of the day, aren't villains and heroes really two sides of the same coin? She fights crime, he robs banks, she defends the innocent, he sets fire to orphanages?

Well, all right, but whether you like it or not the event requires differences to be set aside in order to make the most of the holiday. Both villains and heroes get their own mission arcs, but each arc requires at least one person of the opposite faction to complete the chain. In addition, the temporary buff power Dimension Drops only provides its full benefit when used upon someone of the opposite faction, further encouraging everyone to work together. The official event preview page gives plenty of details on rewards and storylines, so head on over for an overview, and start thinking about which of your mortal enemies in City of Heroes is the most palatable partner.

The Spring Fling is on in City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free costume parts galore in Champions Online

Kyle Horner — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, News items, Champions Online

Cryptic has revealed the free costume pieces in next week's Nemesis Confrontation update, which come in addition to two unlockable costume sets. Among the new free costume items are some exceptionally sweet capes, although we're sure many players will be filled with glee to see new weapons being added to the costume creator.

While these are only cosmetic costume options, they're important to players who wield specific guns or swords. It may seem like a minor issue to some, but having an outfit that makes sense -- and looks cool at the same time -- is surprisingly important to players who revel in a game like Champions Online.

You can also now put guitars on the back of your characters; something that immediately reeks of potential. We have to wonder if guitars are going to be added as visual replacements for sword based powers, enabling us to whack enemies with our musical axes. If someone at Cryptic could make that so, it would be somewhere within the vicinity of pure awesome.

Free costume parts galore in Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champions Online previews Nemesis Confrontation

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Events, in-game, Patches, Previews, News items, Champions Online

What's more dangerous than an interdimensional prison in which malevolent creatures of immense power plot the destruction of the entire Champions Online world? That same prison being taken over and used as a lair by your hero's Nemesis and the dangerous Shadow Destroyer. After hints and the surprise playtest event, the official site has unveiled a preview of the upcoming Nemesis Confrontation, which looks like an interesting jump forward in the content offered by the game.

Obviously, the Lair in question is the highlight of the update, which features combat against alien gladiators as well as a collection of powerful villains. There are other rewards to be earned as well, however -- ranging from a number of different hero enhancements to costume pieces in the vein of the enemies fought within the lair. If you can't wait to run the lair in order to get the costume pieces (perhaps you have a perfect character concept to start with), the preview promises that they will also be available in the C-Store. Champions Online isn't going to make players wait long for the event, either, as it's launching on the 24th. It should give players quite a bit to be thankful for -- when they're not battling extradimensional alien gladiators, at least.

Champions Online previews Nemesis Confrontation originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online

Kyle Horner — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Patches, News items, Champions Online

Blood Moon is out and Cryptic is ensuring everyone knows all about what's being offered in the first free content update / seasonal event in their newest State of the Game address. First and foremost is the news that Cryptic will be keeping their promise of people being able to earn things like retcons and additional characters slots simply by playing the game. You can still buy this for cold hard- er, Cryptic Points, but it's not the only path to acquiring said bonuses.

Also, remember those new costume pieces we told you about? They're real, and really free, too -- along with a handful of other new pieces that came with the update. In addition to the pieces everyone gets from patching, there are new unlocks earned by playing Blood Moon content.

Continue reading Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online

Blood Moon releases, hints of future content for Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champions store getting new costumes, character slots and more

Kyle Horner — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, News items, Champions Online

New costume pieces, additional character slots, retcons and more are all being added to the Champions Online C-Store this Tuesday. Using this exchange rate chart for Cryptic Points the price of a full retcon is $12.50, which isn't too high considering that a retcon allows a player to completely remake a character from the ground up. Costume pieces seem to cost around three dollars, which seems pretty reasonable considering that the Cyborg Beast and Epic Samurai are both rather impressive looking at that price. Lastly, buying four additional character slots costs the most at 1200 points -- which looks to be about $15 or so.

Overall, the pricing is lower than what we expected for costumes. Sure, the points system isn't ideal but generally speaking there's not a lot to be overtly upset about here.

Champions store getting new costumes, character slots and more originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: All we wanna do is eat your brains

Krystalle Voecks — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Screenshots, City of Heroes, Events, in-game, One Shots

While the zombies in various zone-wide Zombie Invasion attacks may not want to eat your eyes, there's no such guarantee from the other spooky, dead things that pop out at you while Trick-or-Treating. For those of you who haven't checked it out yet, the City of Heroes Halloween event went live last night (two days early) and the zombies are out in force! This year, not only can you get some cool temporary costumes and a temporary power (the good old "rock") you can also pick up a new costume piece, and a handful of new badges for the badge fiends in the City of Heroes crowd.

Were you just minding your own business somewhere when OMG, zombies showed up? Perhaps something in your favorite (non-CoX) game took you by surprise recently? If you've got screenshots of those moments, we'd love to see them! Just send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/server/SG and a quick description. We'll post them here for everyone to check out.

Gallery: One Shots

One Shots: All we wanna do is eat your brains originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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