City of Heroes/City of Villains

Wednesday 21st May/Brighton, UK… NCsoft® Europe, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced the release of City of Heroes® “Issue 12: Midnight Hour.” The newest free expansion for current subscribers, Issue 12 brings to life a special covert group from the game’s lore, highly-anticipated Villain Epic Archetypes, more powerset options and character slots for players, plus a whole new Greek- and Roman-inspired zone to explore!

City of Heroes Issue 12, developed and published by NCsoft, brings the Midnight Squad out of the lore and into the game. The Midnight Squad is the clandestine organization of mystics, scholars and mages who hold a secret that could bring the alien group, the Rikti, to its knees. Players are encouraged to help the Midnight Squad uncover the secret that could help save Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles from further alien assaults.

Part of this secret will be revealed in a new zone called Cimerora, which uses the Ouroboros time travel system introduced in Issue 11. This zone, inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, is only accessible by working with the Midnight Squad. Once the player has access, both villains and heroes must face deadly creatures and defeat an unexpected threat. As a reward for their accomplishments in Cimerora, players can unlock special Greek- and Roman-inspired armor and costumes.

Another key feature in Issue 12 is Villain Epic Archetypes. Now, villains who reach level 50 unlock two brand new epic archetypes; Wolf Spiders and Blood Widows. Wolf Spiders can specialize into Bane Spiders or Crab Spiders, and Blood Widows can develop into Night Widows or Fortunatas. Each specialty enjoys a unique set of wickedly powerful attacks.

Issue 12 also introduces Powerset Proliferation ( http://eu.cityofheroes.com/game-guide/feature-updates/powerset_proliferation_powersets_revealed), which vastly increases the variety of villain and hero characters that players can create. Some powersets, previously only available to hero archetypes, are now available to designated villain archetypes, and vice versa. To help accommodate all of these new character options, the development team has opened additional character slots. All current subscribers receive two new character slots for use on the server of their choice. Other slots may be acquired as a part of the Veteran Rewards ( http://eu.cityofheroes.com/game-guide/veteran-rewards/) program, or for purchase. Details can be found on the City of Heroes web site ( http://eu.cityofheroes.com/news/article/3165/).

“With the introduction of Villain Epic Archetypes, new costume options and Powerset Proliferation in Issue 12, we knew players would want to be able to create new characters,” said Matt Miller, lead designer. “Expanding the number of character slots in this way ensures that our players can use all these new features. We think it’s a great solution that adds value to the service.”

To join the adventures of the most successful comic-book themed game on the market, players can purchase the City of Heroes “Good Versus Evil Edition” game pack at retailers across Europe or through digital download via http://eu.plaync.com/eu/store/, which includes complete City of Heroes and City of Villains® games, as well as a set of exclusive bonus items. Customers receive the first month of play free and both games can be played for the single monthly subscription price of £8.99 / €12.99.

For more information about City of Heroes, go to http://www.eu.cityofheroes.com/.

ENDS

About NCsoft Europe

NCsoft Europe (NCE) is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom and is wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online games. NCsoft operates publishing offices within North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand and has development studios in Seattle, Austin, California (North America) and Seoul (Korea). NCE recently announced the formation of the first European development studio, based within the UK.

NCE began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles and continues to support its franchises, which include Lineage II (November 2004), City of Heroes (4th February 2005), Guild Wars (28th April 2005), City of Villains (31st October 2005), Guild Wars Factions (28th April 2006), Guild Wars Nightfall (27th October 2006), Guild Wars: Eye of the North™ (31st August 2007) and Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa (2nd November 2007). More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com.

NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Tabula Rasa, PlayNC, Lineage, The Kamael, The Chaotic Throne, Hellbound, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, City of Heroes and City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.