Whether you enjoy a good mmorpg or are looking to test your digital villainy, you should look no further than CoV
City of Villains is, of course, all about the Villains. The theme is pretty well played, as the characters, missions, and story all involve dastardly deeds and power struggles among the varying factions all wanting the title of "baddest ass". Everything feels new and fresh, and makes the experience very different from City of Heroes.
The character creation process is still as unique and in depth as ever, and remains the best of any game I've played to date. Size, gender, face, chest, legs, glasses, hats, the list goes on and on, and guarantees that no two people will ever look alike unless that is the intention.
The new classes are as follows; Brutes, Corruptors, Masterminds, Dominators, and Stalkers. Brutes are the strong men of the group, building up a rage bar that adds to the damage as they deal and take hits. Corruptors are the long-range damage and buff/debuff/healer group. Dominators control groups of people through their special powers. Stalkers are basically Rogues, turning invisible and dealing amazing amounts of damage. The Masterminds use minions to do their fighting for them, wrapping up the Villains repertoire.
Once you're character has been created, you go through a short tutorial against the backdrop of a prison break, and then you're out in the world, doing villainous deeds for whomever you please.
The missions in City of Villains do a decent job of making you feel evil, with the robbing of banks, kidnapping some poor guy, stealing items that you want, or beating up other people you don't particularly like. While they aren't particularly varied, and the tile sets are disturbingly similar, the missions are fun, quick, and don't take 3 hours with a full group of people to do. In fact, that’s one of the biggest draws of City of Villains; you can solo 90 percent of the missions you get. No waiting for somebody to join you, no frustration when somebody has to go eat, just progress.
Another anticipated addition to the Cities gameplay is Player versus Player environments. These are generally standard run of the mill killing sprees, but with a twist; heroes and villains can perform missions in the areas to increase the damage or defense bonuses or penalties for themselves and against their foes. This adds a back and forth element that draws people in for hours, and is exciting to play with a team.
The game, to be blunt, is a system hog, and many people are going to have trouble running it. The more powerful engine used by City of Villains adds incredible bloom effects and character models, and should you have the capability, these are amazing to look at as you fly high above the landscape.
The bleeps and bloops are pretty standard, and are forgettable for the most part.
This game adds a great deal of content for both the City of Heroes fan as well as the Newcomer Villain wanting to try out his hand at dastardly deeds. No matter your category, whether you enjoy a good mmorpg or are looking to test your digital villainy, you should look no further than City of Villains.