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. WildFire15
    Oct 4, 2012
    10
    with a powerful character creator and a wealth of well written (if slightly repetitive) content, City of Heroes truly is a hidden gem of the MMO Genre.
  2. Fira
    Jun 20, 2012
    10
    Big thumbs up to one of the best MMOs nobody every played.

    This game includes a lot of features you wish you saw more in games, such as dynamic and settable difficulty, dynamic missions, a crapton of PvE and PvP arena and zones, time traveling pve missions, custom missions designing, heavily upgradable guild bases & associated raids and artifact control, real-time permanent order based    Big thumbs up to one of the best MMOs nobody every played.

    This game includes a lot of features you wish you saw more in games, such as dynamic and settable difficulty, dynamic missions, a crapton of PvE and PvP arena and zones, time traveling pve missions, custom missions designing, heavily upgradable guild bases & associated raids and artifact control, real-time permanent order based auctions... also.. well, you get it.
    All this in a well made superheroes city environment, neat in-depth costumes customizations, a load of different superpowers, and generally somewhat good music!

    No really. This game is great. The only very big problem is that there's so few people playing it that three quarters of the features are unused, such as pvp arenas, and often the pvp zones... Hopefully you can still find people for some heroic coop action.    … Expand
  3. 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.
  4. zodiac6573
    Oct 1, 2010
    10
    The greatest and most addictive game ever. If you've ever wanted to be part of a hero comic book, if you've ever wanted to fight for truth and justice, or if you've always wanted to be part of a team that is unique and yet the same, then City of Heroes is for you. And if it isn't buy it anyway and give it a try.
  5. Chris
    May 8, 2004
    0
    You pay for the game, then on top of that pay $15 a month to be online.
  6. SteveL.
    Jul 3, 2004
    4
    It's pretty fun for a few weeks, but after that it becomes quickly repetitive. There are no long term goals aside from a new level. For me, no ph4t l00t = boring. The game lacks a sense of ownership or purpose that other games give me. Killing more bad guys for the sake of killing bad guys is not entertaining. I'm not going to renew once my first month is over.
  7. Kyle
    May 13, 2004
    3
    It's sad to see how popular the whole "super hero" fad has been recently, including tv dramas, over produced films, and now videogames. all of which are mediocre and just feed the national addiction for more heroes and villans. do yourself a favor and wait for world of warcraft, and other great titles appearing this year. dont waste dedicated hours to this lackluster, been there doneIt's sad to see how popular the whole "super hero" fad has been recently, including tv dramas, over produced films, and now videogames. all of which are mediocre and just feed the national addiction for more heroes and villans. do yourself a favor and wait for world of warcraft, and other great titles appearing this year. dont waste dedicated hours to this lackluster, been there done that, value title.… Expand
  8. garndass
    Jun 2, 2011
    1
    So far this game sucks... although i'm sure itll be worth the wait... it has taken me six hours to get it started.
    first the installation... it crashes every 10 mins, i had to pray to keep it going the whole way through.
    then i had to update the updater (:P) and that took about 4 hours in itsself. after all of that i'm relieved and click the 'play' button, and a popup appears telling me to    So far this game sucks... although i'm sure itll be worth the wait... it has taken me six hours to get it started.
    first the installation... it crashes every 10 mins, i had to pray to keep it going the whole way through.
    then i had to update the updater (:P) and that took about 4 hours in itsself. after all of that i'm relieved and click the 'play' button, and a popup appears telling me to update my drivers or the game wont play... so now one day of my month of free gameplay is wasted!    … Expand
  9. scottd
    Jan 1, 2010
    7
    unlimited custamisation and brillaint powers dont make up for horribly unbalnaced solo experience
  10. JamesB.
    May 10, 2004
    10
    This is game is one of the best games out there at this point. This game gets a 10 and nothing below.
  11. GrahamJ.
    Jun 13, 2004
    10
    Man this game is so awesome i played it at a friends house and now i'm gonna go buy a new comp so i can buy it and play too!!!
  12. DavidC.
    Sep 8, 2004
    9
    A game not perfected yet but inching closer all the time thanks to a dedicated and intelligent design team willing to admit when they make mistakes.
  13. HarrisC.
    May 7, 2004
    10
    Right out of the gate let me just say if you rated this game lower then 8 stop what you are doing and open up solitaire in the desktop, this is more your speed. For those of you looking for a new game, look no further. If you have broadband this is the most original, engrossing, and entertaining game out there. I know I have played almost all of the good ones. The only downside to the Right out of the gate let me just say if you rated this game lower then 8 stop what you are doing and open up solitaire in the desktop, this is more your speed. For those of you looking for a new game, look no further. If you have broadband this is the most original, engrossing, and entertaining game out there. I know I have played almost all of the good ones. The only downside to the game is the is that if you have a job, friends, family or significant other you need to put them on notice of the help you will need after impending canceling sessions to fight you newfound addiction. They need to put a worming on the side of the box in bold letters about this. Seriously this game can be all things to all people due to the fact that there are so many ways to play this game and so many side options. If you are not having fun start over and try something different I promise there is something in there for you. … Expand
  14. J.D.
    May 9, 2004
    8
    Chris -- that is not a review of City of Heroes; your input is a useless reaffirmation of the fee schedule for *ANY* MMORPG. You would have to try very hard to avoid the notice on the outside of the box in order to feign outrage about subscription fees. Good job. Pros: -Great character customization -Immersive world of NPCs -Graphics fit perfectly with theme Cons: -Lack of variety in Chris -- that is not a review of City of Heroes; your input is a useless reaffirmation of the fee schedule for *ANY* MMORPG. You would have to try very hard to avoid the notice on the outside of the box in order to feign outrage about subscription fees. Good job. Pros: -Great character customization -Immersive world of NPCs -Graphics fit perfectly with theme Cons: -Lack of variety in missions and enemies -Not enough content for subscription-based entertainment -High-level/End-game lacks motivator.… Expand
  15. BradC.
    Jun 2, 2004
    10
    This game absolutely rocks!
  16. LeonF.
    Mar 13, 2004
    10
    This is the game for 2004 because you can build your own character with their own super powers and even fly!! you can do missions and be on a team!!. If your want to find out more about this game go to www.cityofheroes.com, You wont be sorry.
  17. DrewC.
    Apr 20, 2004
    9
    This is one of the Best MMORPG's that I have ever played. The game is almost worth your 50 bucks just creating a character. But not only do you get to vreate a character, you get to control him (or her) and put his powers to use!
  18. [Anonymous]
    Apr 30, 2004
    10
    This game will own you. It is great to be doing cool stuff right away. Definitely no killing rats for the first week of playing.
  19. Lou
    May 10, 2004
    10
    Well worth the monthly fee..and more fun than any other online game i've played...you're sure to enjoy it!
  20. 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
  21. XZealot
    May 6, 2004
    10
    Having played superhero games in the past this one is definantly the cream of the crop. Easy gameplay, great animations, and a non-inventory based economy. I have to hold myself back from playing it all day long. It is so easy just to get lost in the game, but I have "real-world" obligations that keep me from putting in 4 hour blocks. I generally play about 30 minutes to 1 hour a day and Having played superhero games in the past this one is definantly the cream of the crop. Easy gameplay, great animations, and a non-inventory based economy. I have to hold myself back from playing it all day long. It is so easy just to get lost in the game, but I have "real-world" obligations that keep me from putting in 4 hour blocks. I generally play about 30 minutes to 1 hour a day and it is great! I can pick up where I left off, and if I become frustrated with a mission then I go get one from another contact. I do that one and then come back and complete the one that frustrated me. I LOVE IT!… Expand
  22. KingSlayer
    May 6, 2004
    9
    George S. and Cory S. have A.D.D. I have played this game since late beta, and I am into my first month of play. Graphics can't be beat. Sound is good. Customazation is GREAT. Game play is very good. Single play is poor. IMO Group play is great. I was a necro in EQ, I loved to solo. I can't stand to solo in this game. When you were a warrior in EQ, just stand there and George S. and Cory S. have A.D.D. I have played this game since late beta, and I am into my first month of play. Graphics can't be beat. Sound is good. Customazation is GREAT. Game play is very good. Single play is poor. IMO Group play is great. I was a necro in EQ, I loved to solo. I can't stand to solo in this game. When you were a warrior in EQ, just stand there and auto-fight... booooring. In CoH, you actually have to earn your exp. You actually have the opprotunity to SUCK at the game. This is great IMO. The super powers are hinkey in that you have to choose powers and alternate powers. If you stick your enhancement slots in the wrong place, it will impact your character for a while. Flight! Wooo! Who never wanted to fly? or Teleport, or run like the wind. Travel powers in this game are great. I will be playing this game for at least a year. I'm looking for more content to arrive. City of Villans, should be cool. and a nice addition to the game. … Expand
  23. SteveG.
    May 8, 2004
    10
    Crazy cool and polished graphics...not too much lag and the character creation is a killer.....top game of the year....even if its still arepeat og thugs kicking.....
  24. ChrisD.
    Jun 14, 2004
    9
    I have been playing this game for about a week now and this is the most fun I have had with a game for a very long time. There are a few down sides to this game. There no good story line to the mission. I you are into that sort of thing that might be a problem. The missions can also be a bit vague about where you need to go. Overall I have to give this game a nine because it really just I have been playing this game for about a week now and this is the most fun I have had with a game for a very long time. There are a few down sides to this game. There no good story line to the mission. I you are into that sort of thing that might be a problem. The missions can also be a bit vague about where you need to go. Overall I have to give this game a nine because it really just designed to play with other people or alone and have fun. If that's what you want from a game then I recommend getting this one.… Expand
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. MiikkaK.
    Feb 16, 2005
    10
    An excellent game that really makes you feel like a superhero!
  28. ArtB.
    Mar 10, 2005
    10
    This is a great MMO for a casual player like me. I can login, play a mission, and log off, all within 30 minutes There is no big penalty for dying leveling up hasn't been tedious at all, and its really easy to fight guys when you want to and avoid them otherwise. All in all, its the perfect MMO for a casual gamer like me.
  29. AdyB.
    Apr 15, 2005
    8
    Have very much enjoyed playing COH - but I do wonder whether I am going to get rather bored with it fairly soon: there isn't much by way of variety - the core gameplay is simple monster-bashing. But standing round dressed in a crazy costume, chatting to people and larking about (there are some funny preset actions you can do, yoga, dancing, waving etc) is fun - until the novelty Have very much enjoyed playing COH - but I do wonder whether I am going to get rather bored with it fairly soon: there isn't much by way of variety - the core gameplay is simple monster-bashing. But standing round dressed in a crazy costume, chatting to people and larking about (there are some funny preset actions you can do, yoga, dancing, waving etc) is fun - until the novelty wears off! But I reckon I've got my money's worth so far, so I'll give it an 8.… Expand
  30. Peter
    Jul 16, 2007
    10
    Adding variety to a fantasy dominated genre, with a nice atmosphere and relaxed gameplay, this game continues to entertain me even though the gameplay may feature little less than combat and the engine may be old and wonky. Relatively frequent updates of content over the years add new stuff to explore over time.
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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

All reviews »
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 »