This is a surprising addictive game that accomodates players of all different styles if you are interested in the world of superheroes.

You begin by defining your character.  One main component defines your origin (e.g. do you have your powers because of a mutation, or do you wield magic?), but that doesn't really affect the game.  The 2nd main component is your archetype.  There are 5 archetypes which defines the general attributes of your powers.  A blaster does lots of damage, but can't take much.  A scrapper does a lot of damage (and can take a decent amount of damage), but is limited to hand-to-hand combat (mostly).  A tanker does moderate damage, but takes enormous damage.  A defender helps others in combat (fight better or protect).  A controller both controls the enemies as well as helps others in combat.

Once you have your archetype, you pick from a good selection of powersets (from martial arts to swords to ice or fire and a whole lot of others).  Then you pick which particular powers of those powersets your character will use.  Then you get to actually design your character from a massive array of design options to individualize your character.  Having played for over 6 months now, I can report that I have never really seen 2 characters that look the same that wasn't done on purpose.

Now the good part.  The game has done a great job at allowing you to do missions as part of a group or do solo work (although some characters may not be able to do solo work very well).  They have kept the enemies restricted to zones, so when you start out, you can explore and perform many missions in that zone...and they are interesting missions right from the beginning.  You'll encounter street gangs, automated robots (clockwork), nazi-like groups, evil magicians, and undead...and this is just to start with.  As you progress, you'll encounter more variations and new groups.

Also, as you progress, you'll gain additional powers and be able to access additional powersets.  I've created over a dozen characters to try out the different archetypes and powers, and I've had fun with all of them.

You don't have to be playing constantly (i.e. sacrifice your life) to keep your character moving up.  And the vast majority of people I've encountered have been very well behaved and very helpful.  Although I haven't had a great deal of luck getting support to respond the way I would like, they do a good job keeping updates moving through the system (trick-or-treating was a blast...knock on doors and get a treat (inspiration that helps you fight) or a trick (enemy pops out of the door - something ghoulish)).

Unless you are a die-hard RPG player, I would strongly recommend City of Heroes.  You won't regret it.
This is a surprising addictive game that accomodates players of all different styles if you are interested in the world of superheroes. You begin by defining your character. One main component defines your origin (e. g. do you have your powers because of a mutation, or do you wield magic? ), but that doesn't really affect the game. The 2nd main component is your archetype. There are 5 archetypes which defines the general attributes of your powers. A blaster does lots of damage, but can't take much. A scrapper does a lot of damage (and can take a decent amount of damage), but is limited to hand-to-hand combat (mostly). A tanker does moderate damage, but takes enormous damage. A defender helps others in combat (fight better or protect). A controller both controls the enemies as well as helps others in combat. Once you have your archetype, you pick from a good selection of powersets (from martial arts to swords to ice or fire and a whole lot of others). Then you pick which particular powers of those powersets your character will use. Then you get to actually design your character from a massive array of design options to individualize your character. Having played for over 6 months now, I can report that I have never really seen 2 characters that look the same that wasn't done on purpose. Now the good part. The game has done a great job at allowing you to do missions as part of a group or do solo work (although some characters may not be able to do solo work very well). They have kept the enemies restricted to zones, so when you start out, you can explore and perform many missions in that zone... and they are interesting missions right from the beginning. You'll encounter street gangs, automated robots (clockwork), nazi-like groups, evil magicians, and undead... and this is just to start with. As you progress, you'll encounter more variations and new groups. Also, as you progress, you'll gain additional powers and be able to access additional powersets. I've created over a dozen characters to try out the different archetypes and powers, and I've had fun with all of them. You don't have to be playing constantly (i. e. sacrifice your life) to keep your character moving up. And the vast majority of people I've encountered have been very well behaved and very helpful. Although I haven't had a great deal of luck getting support to respond the way I would like, they do a good job keeping updates moving through the system (trick-or-treating was a blast... knock on doors and get a treat (inspiration that helps you fight) or a trick (enemy pops out of the door - something ghoulish)). Unless you are a die-hard RPG player, I would strongly recommend City of Heroes. You won't regret it.