Comic books and videogames share a special bond. For decades the two have walked hand-in- hand down Robert Frost's infamous road less traveled; both hobbies flew under the radar of mainstream society and were considered realms of wonder that only "geeks" dared enter. Oh, how times have changed! With the success of movies like X-Men, Hulk, and Spider-Man, plus the overnight emergence of videogames as a legitimate worldwide form of entertainment, what was once "geek" is now ultra "chic."

Way back in September of 2001, an unknown developer named Cryptic Studios announced to the world they were creating an online role playing game about superheroes called City of Heroes. The original release date was the summer of '02. Now, after two additional years of development, CoH is finally ready to burst onto the crime fighting scene full throttle!

Cryptic Studios is helmed by Jack Emmert, the lead designer and main visionary behind City of Heroes. Emmert is a long time comic book collector and fan, and his passion for comics is the reason CoH was delayed for two additional years. His source of inspiration for the superheroes and stories within the game come from the now-legendary early 1980's story arcs of George Perez and Marv Wolfman on the New Teen Titans, and John Byrne and Chris Clairemont on the Uncanny X-Men. Both are generally regarded within the comic industry as seminal works that redefined comic books for the modern-era. Because of this, CoH will differ from Freedom Force in that all the super folk will be derived from the modern-era as opposed to FF's Silver and Golden Age do-gooders. No capes allowed!

Every facet of City of Heroes is centered on the player having the most fun possible by avoiding all the complexities usually associated with the genre such as stats, complicated rules, crafting systems, etc. This is a straightforward action-oriented experience where the name of the game is kicking villainous butt - pure and simple. That fun includes the creation of your super dude or dudette. There are supposedly billions of combinations available, with a plethora of colors, uniforms, heads, masks, chests, arms, boots, and legs to choose from. In fact, the creation process can take upwards of two hours to complete.

Instead of the typical "class" or "profession" roles seen in most RPG's, Heroes defines them along two different categories: origins and archetypes. Origin defines where your powers come from, such as technology, mutation, or magic. Archetype defines how your powers are used. For example, a "Defender" enhances a teammate's abilities while crippling an enemy's; a "Tanker" jumps right into the middle of the action and can soak up enormous amounts of damage; and a "Blaster" sits back and dishes out the pain from a distance. In total, there are five different origins and five different archetypes to choose from. Once that's completed, just pick from the vast list of powers that match your origin and archetype (there are no stats to worry about here either), and you're ready to jump into the fray!

So, if this really is a city of heroes... where is the city?

Your superhero performs all his (or her) daring deeds of good in Paragon City - what's left of it, anyway. Paragon City is now in shambles after an alien invasion, which occurs before the start of the game. During the attack, the aliens killed off all of the city's previous superheroes, and were able to build huge walls between the sectors before they were finally defeated. A few areas have managed to rebuild, but others are filled with danger and crime.

A city without heroes is like a movie without popcorn - and that's where you come in. The virtual Paragon City is massive, totaling nearly 16 real world square miles full of skyscrapers, warehouses, pedestrians, alleys, rooftops, parks, stores, cars - you name it! Upon gaining flight ability (open to all after a certain experience level), you can explore the city from a whole new perspective. As in real life, the city goes through a normal 24-hour progression with days and nights. Get ready to rumble when darkness falls, because crime skyrockets when the lights go out!

While mission completion is the heart of this beast, it's not all there is to this multifaceted game. Social skills play a huge part in advancing your character, and can completely change the dynamics of the game itself. However, in order to get a mission, you first need to establish "Contacts," such as reporters, attorneys, policemen, etc. In other words, you need "friends in high places."

If you earn the respect of a contact, they can introduce you to other important people within the city. Superheroing is like any other job, you have to climb the ladder of success... one villain at a time! As your hero progresses through the vast array of missions and beats up on bad guys, they'll gain experience. In addition, criminals can drop "enhancements" that allow you to boost your existing powers by as much as 40%.

Speaking of the criminal element... villains can range from common street thugs to gigantic, death-dealing machines. Enemies are classified as minions, lieutenants, bosses, or monsters. Alone, you take down several minions at once, but don't try to go toe-to-toe with a lieutenant by yourself. And Bosses? Well, that takes several spandex-clad folk to defeat because they usually have powers or weapons (or both) that are as fearsome as anything Heroes have in their arsenal.
Tangle with a villain enough times and they will become your personal nemesis.

Teaming up with other players can be a significant part of the game. Fortunately, Cryptic Studios has made it as easy as flicking the switch on your own personal "Bat Signal"! Simply press a button and a call goes out to all other players with your skill level and informs them that you're looking to join a team. If you find a really great group of player/characters and want to keep it alive, form a "Supergroup." Up to 75 players can join, complete with matching costumes! While the early missions can be tackled solo, the "Supergroups" add a whole new dimension to gameplay. Instead of simple quests, your team might be assigned to a truly epic mission that, according to Cryptic, takes at least 8 players around 10 hours to accomplish!

Alas, some of you might not want to be just another soul lost amidst a colossal team. If that's the case, you can have a "sidekick." City of Heroes allows a lower-level player to team up with a more experienced hero, unlike most MMOGs. Even cooler is that the powers of the lower level player are juiced up to nearly the same level as the mentor's, so both can dish out a mighty plate o' justice to the Denizens of Disarray.

So, exactly how does one open up a can of whoop ass in CoH? Most MMOG combat can best be described as a "wait-and-see" progression, wherein you initiate an attack, then watch your characters act out those commands, so on and so forth until someone wins. That's not the case with CoH, where combat appears to move very quickly. Super powers are bound to the number keys, which makes combat a lot more fun and a lot easier to master. Unfortunately, there is no player versus player combat - everyone is a good guy fighting bad guys. This was done to avoid griefing and balance gameplay mechanics.

City of Heroes looks absolutely incredible! It promises a lot and will have to fulfill it all in order to succeed. But if it really removes the tedious mechanics of most RPGs and replaces them with fast-paced, superhero action-oriented gameplay - I'll be happier than a costumed fanboy at the world's biggest comic book convention (San Diego)! Be sure to look for me, the Invincible Gigex GamerFeeder, upon its release on April 27th!