role-playing

This is perhaps one of the most 'FUN' game out there. I have been playing it non-stop for 2 months now every night for 2-3 hours and I still dont want to stop. Its a very addictive game. If you love comic book super-heroes and ever wanted to be one this is the game for you. Its as real as it gets. The graphics are excellent, the character creation is super and the mission are very entertaining. Its not a deep-rooted MORPG that people play like its their virtual life. Its a game to have fun with..just go out, be a one man army provide justice to the volience ridden city like only a super hero can and than logout and lead your actual life. I dont want to be spending hours running around shooting bunnies or crafting things for weeks to do anything meaningful(which is the forte of most MORPG out there). I just want a simple game that keeps my character progression and let me have pure fun. The game monthly fees is justified with the ever-changing new content NYC is delivering like 'Through the looking glass update' they just did. Nothing is for free, you watch a movie with your girlfriend you will end up spending twice of what you will pay for this game in a month. So its ok...I am willing to shell out $14 bucks if i can some good fun and relaxation after a hectic day at work.
Highly recomended coming from a real person. Totally worth the money and time

As a veteran of a number of MMRPGs (including Everquest, Dark Ages of Camelot, Star Wars Galaxies, PLanetside)I have mostly good things to say about City of Heroes. I'm a little shocked by some of the 1 star ratings on here and I am wondering exactly what some of those folks expected. For those of you who don't know, City of Heroes is a Massively Multiplayer Roleplaying Game- its a pay to play subscription based service which puts you into the shows of a superhero in a world full of other players who are also playing superheroes. Basically, you create a hero based on origin and archtetype (a fancy word for "class") in a very similar vein to many other MMRPG. Since others have gone over what the game is, I'll give you a lists of good/bad.

The Good

Incredibly deep character creation system
No Loot (and no fighting over loot)
Great looking powers
Option to create up to 8 heroes on each server
No PVP
Very well done cityscapes with plenty of stuff to jump on/off of

Generally friendly playerbase
Mission based system provides relief from "camp X spawn" games
Practically bug free release
Almost no lag. The game is actually playable on dialup.
Excellent developer interaction and feedback (ie game gets fixed quick)
Option for solo play (depends on your archtetype)

The Bad

Leveling curve gets much steeper past lvl 15. To reach lvl 40 (maxing out your levels), you'll need 8.5 million exp. pts
Some problems with disconnects
No capes
No option for PVP
Questionable high end game (once you're done with leveling, whats left).

I played CoH for about a month and half in beta and steadily since release. Its a game where you can log on and do a mission in an hour or spend an afternoon playing with a group of heroes. When it comes right down to it, its still a MMRPG with superhero trappings but playing COH is probably the most fun I've had doing an MMRPG since the early days of EQ.

First off, I would like to say that I love superheroes. Ever since I was a kid I loved them, and the prospect of this character creation system was just an amazing chance at being a character that I cherished. I bought this game BECAUSE of the character creation system, and it did not let down. I have been playing for 2 and a half months and only now has the novelty worn off.

This game, simply put, is a combat game that just happens to feature multiplayer. It really isn't a role-playing game. You don't manage stats, there is no inventory, and your appearance only changes if you pay for it, and it has no effect on your skills. This, of course, is why the game shines. Most people don't want to devote hours and hours and hours trying to make their elf level up, and they surely don't want to be stuck fighting rats and snakes, and the occasional crocodile (that's right, I was a troll in EQ :D). This game is quick paced, addictive, and overall fun. That is until the killing gets old. It's basically either kill badguys on the streets, or go through a total of 5 types of mission maps, over and over again. I swear, it's fun for a long time, but it gets old. And with no PvP for such a long time, I don't really care anymore. I just want a more detailed game. I, myself, am switching over to Galaxies, but I do recommend this game, if only for the 30 day trial.