• Publisher: NCSOFT
  • Release Date: Oct 31, 2005
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 35 Ratings

  • Summary: City of Villains, the sequel to "City of Heroes", provides players with a chance to play the ?bad guy? in the comic-book inspired world created by Cryptic Studios. Take on the role of super-powered villains and create your own character using thousands of power and costume options. Then battle heroes and become a true menace to society while plotting your way to world domination. Turn the tide on all the heroes and heroines and lead your crime syndicate into battle in the impressive 3D backdrop of Paragon City. [NCsoft] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 40
  2. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. 100
    This is the game we've been waiting for since the day we learned we could pull on tights, don a mask and fight crime with powers we could only dream of! Now, we get to finally let our dark side run rampant through the streets!
  2. Even though there is repetition to the missions, you’ll still look forward to jumping into your next one. Building a supervillain and carefully configuring his or her power set will keep you logging back into the game again and again.
  3. 85
    Those expecting a wildly different gameplay experience will be disappointed. Those who expect to play City of Heroes with a darker setting, evil looking characters and a meaner narrative will love it. It's good to be bad.
  4. An excellent extension of "City of Heroes" with a too-mild mean streak. [Jan 2005, p.80]

See all 40 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 21
  2. Negative: 3 out of 21
  1. Another winner from NCSoft. They've taken a brilliant game and made it better. Whilst I still prefer to be a hero, this game offers a whole new range of missions and characters. Expand
  2. JohnIV
    8
    Hooray for people who haven't played past level 6, and complain that the game is "recycled". It was an expansion. period. You know it, I know it. You weren't going to get two completely seperate games. If you think the archtypes are the same, just because they have some common powers, then you have not played them for any substantial amount of time. all of the CoV archtypes play VASTLY different from those in CoH, and if you try to play your CoV characters like CoH ones, you will FAIL. though some powersets are identical, slight changes in their orientation make a whole hell of a lot of difference in how the ATs play. Show me a Hero with Thorny Assault or Energy Aura. Show me a Hero with built in stealth and Assassin skills. Show me a Controller with a Melee/Ranged Hybrid Secondary. People who say the graphics are not updated, need to get better video cards. The ragdoll physics ALONE render that claim patently false. a word of advice for those who complain about facing the same enemies. 1. Get off Mercy Island. 2. Level up. Lemme know when heroes start fighting The Legacy Chain, Wyvern, Longbow, and the other Hero Groups that exist in the game, after the beginner island. Lemme know when CoH heroes start collecting bodies for Dr. Vahzilok. Lemme know when CoH heroes manipulate the Children of Paragon City Heroes and make them turn evil. k? Bottom line, the game is fun. If you like CoH, you've Like CoV. It's basically an expansion built on the CoH engine, and if you thought it'd be otherwise you are foolish. and play past Mercy Island before you start spouting off garbage about the game. Expand
  3. Alodarn
    7
    More, but diffrent, a solid addtion to an already sucessful game. However I just don't feel "evil" enough, kidnap missions feel more like a rescue. You always end up stealing from some group of thugs that have already commited the original theft. And apart from a bit of wanton vandalism that seems to be it so far. Expand
  4. LonnieW.
    3
    I admire the attempt of coming out with an expansiion but they fell short. Very disappointing...same powers with a few exceptions. Very laggy and very buggy code. If you don't mind jerky graphics, buggy content, and frequent disconnects then this is your game. The content gets just as old as it did in City of Heroes. Very disappointing. Expand

See all 21 User Reviews