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City of Villains
Author: Chris CainesPublished: 2nd November 2005
Character creation:
Remember, all villains look bad-ass or insane. So the first thing you want to do is basically create a villainous character that looks like Satan first thing in the morning after a heavy night out on Tequila. NCSoft have not cut you short there: the character creation system is even more extensive than the current release of CoH, with the inclusion of some deliciously sinister bad guy only costume choices. NCSoft states that they want to ensure Heroes look like Heroes and Villains look like Villains, so those of you who want to look like a massive evil Werewolf needn't worry about meeting "The Incredible Justice Wolf" in a PvP zone and stealing your thunder.There's some distinctly interesting bad guy looks available, and it's very easy to build up anything from a horrific monster, through a generally evil Regular Joe and up to a perverse looking S&M fetishist, which seems to be the de-facto standard for completely bonkers denizens of the underworld. (But let's face it; if you're going to get your arse kicked, you want it to be by a leather-clad dominatrix rather than some slavering brute called The Fistinator).
The creation process could take you hours alone and much of the fun is creating something truly unique; however, like City of Heroes, the choice of name for your character is left until the end. So if you spend ages creating 'The Purple Punisher' and you find out it's already gone, ensure you have alternatives like 'The Mauve Marauder' ready instead.
Archetypes
Whilst most super beings have differing powers, they're all forged from the same basic character types, or Archetypes. Even though many of the powers are similar to their CoH counterparts (as the new classes are clearly influenced by the original archetypes), they are presented completely differently and have some interesting spins. Here's a quick run down.The melee classes: the Brute and the Stalker are pretty much what you would expect, they fight up close and either take or evade damage.
The ranged classes: the Dominator and Corruptor spend most of their time attacking at a distance and either vapourising their enemies or causing them to beat each other senseless.
Some archetypes get an additional inherent power visible on their status bar. Fury (Brutes), Scourge (Corruptor) and Dominate (Dominator) all enhance your character's damage output the longer you remain in battle. People really don't want to make you angry.
Finally, for those of you wondering about who controls all those teams of expendable henchmen you see in films, you can play a Mastermind. Even those of you familiar with pets in MMOs will find something new and unique in the Mastermind, as you build up a collection of followers (Mercenaries, Robots, Ninjas and Zombies). These guys get progressively greater in power, flexibility and numbers as you gain levels until you truly are commanding an army of minions who do your bidding.
Bear in mind, however, that like many true Masterminds, a swift punch on your glass jaw will knock you for six if you don't pay attention.
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