City of Heroes

 PC
  • Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Apr 27, 2004
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 118 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 94 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 118
  3. Negative: 11 out of 118
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  1. AnonymousMC
    Apr 27, 2004
    6
    hey, i'm like half the people here and haven't even played the game. but who needs to to write a review? what a waste of my time that would be! since i've been a real superhero ever since i was hit by beta rays, i'll use my psychic powers and predict that this game is a 5.
  2. scottd
    Jan 1, 2010
    7
    unlimited custamisation and brillaint powers dont make up for horribly unbalnaced solo experience
  3. Joesausagehead
    May 5, 2004
    7
    This is a great game and it runs smoothly on a 1ghz pc with 512mb of ram and an ati 9200! Ok, my pc is crap but this game isn't. character creation is a blast, if you've read this far you already know that so im gonna let that go. Graphics wise the comic book flare really stands its ground once you get out in to the city and see heros on every corner launching fireballs and This is a great game and it runs smoothly on a 1ghz pc with 512mb of ram and an ati 9200! Ok, my pc is crap but this game isn't. character creation is a blast, if you've read this far you already know that so im gonna let that go. Graphics wise the comic book flare really stands its ground once you get out in to the city and see heros on every corner launching fireballs and sending badguys flying across the pavment. the controls work great and are easliy costumizible. the only reason i didn't give this game a higher score for one reason and thats combat is tedios at best. press '1' press '2' press'3' rinse repeat 'f1' ect... in one of the early missions i was tasked to clear a warehouse of bad guys it took about an hour and had easliy 50+ bad guys after all this i had only collected about 30% of the xp required to level.. and this is only level 3! I can't imagine what the end game levels would be like. over all its definatly a cool game for anyone whos ever dreamed about being a super-hero or writing their own comics. but be prepared for a lot of level grinding.… Expand
  4. JustinJ.
    Jul 5, 2004
    5
    I told myself i wasn't going to rate the game after a month or so playing it.. cause i would of given it in the high 8's.. granted it was a lot of fun at the beginning (character creation, super powers and saving the world) but after awhile i started to lose interest in the game.. it lacks substances and the addictive qualities i found at the beginning are not so addictiveI told myself i wasn't going to rate the game after a month or so playing it.. cause i would of given it in the high 8's.. granted it was a lot of fun at the beginning (character creation, super powers and saving the world) but after awhile i started to lose interest in the game.. it lacks substances and the addictive qualities i found at the beginning are not so addictive anymore.. somehow killing the same baddies over and over and over and over and over just doesn't seem to cut it with me.… Expand
  5. DaveyDJ
    Aug 4, 2004
    7
    I'd agree with most of the reveiws here. On the one hand, it does rock. Playing a superhero. Get character creation system. Very gratifying pulling out a huge stone mallet and mashing a Mob over the head with it! It's also a great distraction from Star Wars Galaxies, which is broken beyond belief at the moment. However, I've only been playing 2 weeks, and I can begin to see I'd agree with most of the reveiws here. On the one hand, it does rock. Playing a superhero. Get character creation system. Very gratifying pulling out a huge stone mallet and mashing a Mob over the head with it! It's also a great distraction from Star Wars Galaxies, which is broken beyond belief at the moment. However, I've only been playing 2 weeks, and I can begin to see that, once I've played through all the types, there might not be a lot else to do... It is a little light on variation of content. However, it is easy to pick up and put down, so good if your short on time. Feels more like a game, that a life sucking force like most MMORPGS do! On the whole, fun and well worth a look, but if they don't add more varied content, you probably will have moved onto something else in a few months.… Expand
  6. CoryS.
    Apr 19, 2004
    6
    This game, at least the beta, is not all its cracked up to be... unless you were a fan of Everquest. Its a BIG level trademill... you go out, you fight with a boring system, and you get a level. Then you go out, and do the same thing again. The idea is great, the flying is fun, but the game itself gets boring REALLY quick. Another thing... there is no PVP, so whats the point of even This game, at least the beta, is not all its cracked up to be... unless you were a fan of Everquest. Its a BIG level trademill... you go out, you fight with a boring system, and you get a level. Then you go out, and do the same thing again. The idea is great, the flying is fun, but the game itself gets boring REALLY quick. Another thing... there is no PVP, so whats the point of even making a character in this game? I might buy it if they add PVP in an expansion, but until then I wouldn't recommend it.… Expand
  7. JoeyK.
    Aug 15, 2005
    7
    Combat is fun, and quite unique. For example, there is no autoattack, and every ability costs endurance (=Mana). Endurance is a big problem for players though. It's fixed at 100, and people never have enough. But it's still fun. Missions are cool and have a nice feel, the villains are diverse and entertaining, especially within missions. Then there's Task Forces, in which Combat is fun, and quite unique. For example, there is no autoattack, and every ability costs endurance (=Mana). Endurance is a big problem for players though. It's fixed at 100, and people never have enough. But it's still fun. Missions are cool and have a nice feel, the villains are diverse and entertaining, especially within missions. Then there's Task Forces, in which you sit down for hours and get tons of XP. Task Forces are one of the biggest "Pro:"s of this game. Story Arcs are like personaly, soloable task forces. The classes are well defined, but not entirely balanced. The system and setting is unique, making it a good, fun escape for any casual player, or any any MMO player a little tired of fantasy and complexity. The system isn't the best, but it is unique, and that makes the game fun. What eventually made me lose interest was the lack of depth. There's only combat. Whether you're hunting or doing missions, or solo or teamed, whehter your DPS or support, it all makes the game fun, but there's nothign else besides combat. No equipment, no real loot, no crafting, no side professions. This doesn't make the combat any less fun or effective, but for people like me, it makes the game go stale after about a month. I played it for a month, and it got old. 6 months later, I tried again, and played for about another month, before it got old again. It's fun and addictiing, but it's not a significantly long lasting experience. If you're a casual gamer, especially if you like super heroes, play it until you're bored. If you're a player of other MMO's play this for a month, have a blast, then return to your other games with a newfound respect and refreshed enjoyment of it. One more thing, leveling is pretty hard. There are 50 levels, and by the time you're nearing thirty it already gets slow. I hear the last ten are a real pain. I only got to 28 myself, on my highest level character. And it's not even possible to get the penultimate skill in your primary power set unti level 32. Ouch.… Expand
  8. SvenS.
    Jun 28, 2004
    5
    Ok for a while but not likely to hold my attention for more than a month or two. It lacks the addictive qualities I've found in other MMORPGs. I think it's just too simple for my tastes. I want more than just a very pretty level treadmill.

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Best PC Game of 2004
15
#15 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
87
#87 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 58 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 55 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 58
  3. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. IC-Games
    84
    Anyone new to the genre can certainly make this a choice without expecting to get in too deep and losing their way, while seasoned MMORPGers can have a blast playing out their superhero dreams.
    Read full review
  2. Computer Games Online RO
    85
    The overall quality of the game cannot be denied, and if you're a comic book fan, or like MMORPG's, or both, you owe it to yourself to see what City of Heroes is all about.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    85
    An original superhero MMORPG that has excellent character creation and a well-designed world. Gameplay is quite combat-intensive and the game lacks sufficient content to stay interesting for longer periods of time. [Feb. 05]
See all critic reviews »