City of Heroes is a true departure from the MMORPG market, which is primarily filled with medieval fantasy-based titles. The game enables players to realize their comic book dreams. Heroes protect the fine citizens of Paragon City in a colorful 3-D world where the victims of crimes not only thank players for their help, but they even compliment players on their costumes!
The innovative character creation system in City of Heroes ensures that everyone can be the hero they've always dreamed of. Since the game provides literally billions of costume and power combinations, it is almost impossible to create a hero that isn?t unique. The system is simple for users, but provides many layers of customization. First, players choose from a set of five Origins: Mutant, Science, Technology, Natural, and Magic. Once players know how their super-powered hero got his or her powers, they decide upon an Archetype: Blaster, Controller, Defender, Tanker, and Scrapper. This determines the type of powers the players can select. Then players design their heroes? looks by choosing from body sizes and styles, skin color and hair, upper and lower body appearance, icons, masks, hats and headdresses?even tails and antennae!
Players then take their truly original hero out into the streets of Paragon City. Heroes start their careers by foiling petty crimes like purse snatching, but as heroes gain more experience, they learn new powers to battle evil. The heroes meet the city's personages who help the hero to stop evil plots by one of the villain groups in the game. Each epic adventure reveals the background of Paragon City and uncovers the mysteries of its villains.
"City of Heroes is a ground-breaking title," says Cryptic Studios CEO Michael Lewis. "Not only does it give the MMORPG community an exciting and fun alternative to sword and sorcery games, it has mass appeal because virtually everyone at one point or another has wanted to be a super-powered hero."
The game is easy to learn and sports state of the art 3-D graphics. Depending upon the hero's powers, a player may soar through the city?s skyline, leap tall buildings, or run at super-speed. If a player has seen it in the pages of a comic book, he'll be able to live it out in City of Heroes.
City of Heroes also links with a monthly comic book, which is sent to subscribers free of charge. Rick Dakan and Blue King Studios publish the comic book of the same name. Rick Dakan is one of the original visionaries behind City of Heroes and wrote much of the game?s fictional backstory. The comic also includes fan fiction, fan art, interviews with the developers and tips on playing City of Heroes.
City of Heroes is now available at most major North American computer game retail outlets at a suggested retail price of US$49.99, which includes the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US$14.95. Sixty-day game time cards will also be available at many North American retailers for a suggested retail price of US$29.99. The game is rated Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Also available for purchase is Prima Games' Official Strategy Guide for City of Heroes. The guide book provides hundreds of tips, strategies, maps and stats for players. It is available at most North American computer game retail outlets at a suggested retail price of $19.99.
For more information about City of Heroes, visit http://www.cityofheroes.com
Lineage II, which takes place in the medieval fantasy world of Aden, offers a dynamic 3-D setting drawn in exquisite detail. Players explore and quest through beautifully rendered 3-D environments crafted with a modified version of the Unreal engine. Backgrounds and characters have a nearly perfect, life-like appearance, giving Lineage II a look and feel that separates it from its predecessor and all other MMORPGs.
At its core, Lineage II focuses on combat and player vs. player battles. Create your character from five races, most in either fighter or mystic classes: Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Orc and Dwarf. Then go one-on-one against other players or become a member of a clan to take on entire armies of opposing players. And it?s easy doing battle while using Lineage II's simple, point-and-click interface. Play the bad guy too long and you may find yourself feeling the consequences of Lineage II's brilliantly designed Karma system.
"Lineage II puts players right into the thick of combat," says Lineage II North American producer Aaron Rigby. "With the modified Unreal engine, you?ll see, hear and feel the full emotion of the conflict, from battle cries to the sound of clashing swords, to fire breathing dragons, to arrows whistling through the air - it's an experience that?s unmatched in the world of MMORPGs."
Those new to gaming will enjoy Lineage II's easily learned interface and well-engineered combat system. Lineage II also offers an easy-to-follow tutorial. Within a couple of minutes, novices will know all basic controls, including fighting and character movement. In Lineage II, there is always something to do to entertain players, regardless of their level or play style preferences.
But Lineage II is more than just fighting and collecting loot. The game?s robust political, economic and social systems come together to allow for power shifts, alliances and power delegations. Your ability to manage them all and lead in-game players could set you up to be the king - or the queen - and rule the world!
As if the beautifully rendered, realistic 3-D world wasn?t enough, the game also has an exhilarating orchestral soundtrack from award-winning film and theatrical composer, Bill Brown and the Seattle Symphony.
Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle is now available at most major North American computer game retail outlets at a suggested retail price of US$49.99, which includes the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US$14.95. Sixty-day game time cards will also be available at many North American retailers for a suggested retail price of US$29.99. The game is rated Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Also available for purchase is Prima Games' Official Strategy Guide for Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle. The guide book will provide hundreds of tips and strategies, maps and stats for Lineage II players. It is available at most North American computer game retail outlets at a suggested retail price of $19.99.
More information about Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle can be found at http://www.lineage2.com/.