Let's get a few things straight. Just because City of Villains plays like City of Heroes doesn't mean it's just one giant patch or expansion. It's not. You can purchase and play CoV as a stand alone game, but you'll need to have both games to take full advantage of all the incredibly cool new features. And no, you won't have to pay two separate monthly fees either. NCsoft decided to do something unprecedented and offer a 2-for-1 pricing structure: your $14.95 monthly fee covers the cost of being a Hero and being a Villain.

The greatest character creation system in the world returns with a slew of new "villainous" looks such as scars, rotting faces, barb wire and chain accoutrements, monstrous heads and appendages, new costumes, etc. Approximately two-thirds of the costume options are new, while another third is taken from the CoH stock. Trust us, you will not be disappointed with the vast array of vile looks. Think of it as a virtual Halloween costume shop that's open all year around!

The five Origin types found in CoV are the same as in CoH (Science, Mutation, Magic, Technology, and Natural), but the Archetypes (ATs) have changed. At first glance, the uniformed might mistake the Brute, Dominator, Stalker, Corruptor and Mastermind as direct evil correlations to those established in Paragon City. They most certainly aren't, and if you play them like that you'll fail miserably. Villains are much more focused on offense because they're actions will usually be proactive. We will be glossing over the Archetypes here, so if you'd like an in-depth look at each one, along with a great many of the newer powersets, check them out in our City of Villains hub page here.

Masterminds are the coolest new AT around because they use others to do their dirty work. Whether you use killer Robots, deadly Ninja, hardened Mercenaries, or Zombies to do your bidding - you always have an army of henchmen to summon when needed. A Mastermind's powers can enhance those henchmen, or weaken foes. You'll have a lot of control of your pets, such as personalizing their individual names, their replies to your commands and even set their stance (aggressive, defensive, passive). But being a Mastermind isn't easy since your minions require constant attention.

The Stalker is a melee-focused AT that attacks from concealment and can deal out massive amounts of damage. The heart of a Stalker's power is the ability to hide. While hidden, you are able to deal out a devastating critical hit (called an Assassin's Strike) that has the potential to kill with one shot. Hide also allows you to sneak around most enemies undetected. Stalkers are a great solo AT. While they aren't nearly as resilient as Brutes, they complement Dominators and Corrupters exceptionally well.

Dominators wield an array of devastating powers that force foes to bend to your will. You can lock down enemies, knock them unconscious, or turn them against their allies. This AT has a special inherent power called "Domination." Each time you attack, you build more of it up, and once unlocked increases your base damage by 75%. It's an effective solo class, but has no defense and no mez protection and is better suited teamed with a Corruptor or Stalker.

Corruptors are CoV's Blasters. Aside from the ranged attacks, they have a wide range of buffs to enhance the abilities of teammates, making the quite valuable to groups. Like Blasters, Corruptors have weak defenses so keeping your distance from the melee is advised unless you want a good beat down. While they lack defense, they are raw damage dealers. Corruptors have the special inherent power of Scourge. As an enemy's health drops, chances for a critical hit increases dramatically.

Brutes live to fight and have strong hand-to-hand combat powers designed to inflict massive pain and impressive defenses to take it. Protracted battles only make them mad, and like a rather husky, green-skinned (sometimes grey) goliath... the madder they get, the more damage they dish out. Their special inherent power is called Fury, and it builds as you attack and are attacked. Fury multiplies base damage potential dramatically.

So where does all this evil doing occur? The Rogue Isles is a collection of islands sitting in international waters. Through a loophole in international law, Lord Recluse swooped in and declared himself head-of-state. Over the centuries this archipelago has been home to all sorts of rabble and has a very rich history of scum and villainy. It's a perfect fit for Recluse and his own criminal organization, Arachnos, whom you're trying to impress. The Isles are comprised of new zones, enemies and missions that really make you feel wicked bad.