After 24 hours Time Raider is level 19. Issue 0 levelling is relatively slow, with a lot of running back and forth from zone to zone, and hunt missions in Hazard Zones and elsewhere. The 62 defeats I racked up (frequently in those Hazard Zones) will have certainly slowed my levelling speed as well.
Time Manipulation/Dual Pistols takes a while to come into its own, and it wasn't until I got Bullet Rain that I felt my DPS was even slightly up to par, but it's a fun combination and ammo switching adds a good deal of versatility.
I've enjoyed it. If anything I enjoy City of Heroes more now than I did when it was live.
The best thing about the return, aside from the simple fact of being able to play the game again, is the realisation that it wasn't simply nostalgia that kept it alive in my memory all this time – the game really is that good.
It's aged very well. It's still unrivalled in its character creation, and the clean, sharp graphics still hold up. As I said when talking about Perez Park the game is not at its best when rendering natural environments, but the majority of the game takes place in urban cityscapes and those are great, with each zone of Paragon City being instantly recognisable and distinct from the others. Zones I've spent considerable time in – like Atlas Park, Kings Row and Steel Canyon – I can now navigate around without much need to refer to the in-game map.
Where City of Heroes really shines though is in the combat. In most MMOs the mobs become rather samey, and it's seldom necessary to change up your tactics from one fight to the next. Not so here – every enemy group is distinct, both visually and in the way they fight.
Of course this is a 2004 game, and in places it does show. The character models aren't up to modern standards but they're not bad either. It helps that the animations are first rate and, combined with the sound and visual effects, really deliver that superpowered feeling.
I'll be back to City of Heroes very soon. To this particular character? Probably not, at least not right away. There's so many other characters waiting to be played. So many combinations of archetype and powerset to be enjoyed. I'm not especially worried that the plug will be pulled on the Homecoming servers, but even if they are Pandora's Box has been opened and it can't be shut again.
City of Heroes is back.
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