So Just Who’s Running This Game, Anyhow?
As regular readers will know by now, I’m an avid fan of the game City of Heroes (and Villains for that matter too.) If you’re even close to the MMO ground, you’ll probably be aware that there’s been more than a few changes there, partly in response to another game that almost came over the horizon before dipping into the darkness once more, and partly because as an ongoing mature MMO, it receives regular content updates from the mysterious creature known only as “The Devs.”
So why am I discussing an online role playing game in my comic blog? I hear you cry and it’s a very good question. Firstly of course, City of Heroes is comicbooks, writ large for the gamer. It’s classic superhero stuff, based in a mythical place called Paragon City that could be Metropolis, or Gotham or even Marvel’s version of the Big Apple. It’s superhero through and through, and it’s fantastic! If you like superhero comics and you like games, then you really should be playing it.
Last year, for the game’s 5th Anniversary, a new series of missions were launched to celebrate the occasion, a group of fascists were returning who were collectively known as “The Fifth Column.” Pseudo-Nazis in red and black with big guns, skull masks and a bad attitude. They are lead by this guy:
Reichsman: Leader of the 5th Column
He’s called Reichsman, and he’s their (not so) glorious leader. For a while it bugged me. He looked very familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Then I bought the latest City of Heroes “Booster” pack, for characters of a “Natural” origin. They got a new movement power called “Ninja Run.” Ninjas! That was it. The wheels turned slowly and the gears clicked into place, one by one. Ninjas and Nazis! That was it – the connection I needed. I ran to my shelves and dragged volumes from them, flicking through pages and YES! I’d sussed it.
Let me elucidate. Soon a new expansion for City of Heroes will be released called “Going Rogue.” Nothing to do with the palinmonster, that’s from a totally different comicbook – it allows you to take your hero or villain in game and swap sides. With that comes two new power sets; dual pistols and deomon summoning – and the demons are allegedly controlled by whips. (I say allegedly because this is all new and exciting and I don’t think anyone’s actually seen them in action yet.)
So we have the following:
Dual Pistols:
Abbey Chase: Dual Pistols
Demon Summoning (with a whip to control them.)
Sydney Savage: A Whip and a Wink is all it takes
Ninjas (with Gunz)
Agent Zero: Super Ninja (with two guns - curiously 
Big Nasty Nazi Dude.
Major Maxim
Hmmmmmmmm
Going back a while, a new power set was released.
Dual Blades.
Knives: Two, for the use of! Natalia Kassel
See where I’m going with this?
That’s right, they’re all Danger Girl; J. Scott Campbell’s & Andy Hartnell’s opus. And look who leads them: This guy, Deuce, a fine figure of a man, sporting a worthy beard.
Until recently “The Devs” was headed up by this finely whiskered gent, known to the world as Matt ‘Positron’ Miller, and to me the resemblance is immediate and striking as I’m sure you’ll agree, Peas, in a pod!
Matt "Positron" Miller
It’s a Danger Girl plot. Clearly the invisible Overlords who control “The Devs” are Campbell and Hartnell (or could it be that Campbell is merely Positron’s nom de plume?) Recently however Melissa ‘War Witch’ Bianco took over as Overlord of “The Devs.”
War Witch
Abbey Chase
Striking colour scheme huh?
And there’s already a Barracuda in City of Villains: who’d have thought Johnny was a cross-dressing switcher?
So there you have it! The game’s about to change beyond all recognition, so grab your guns, whips and blades and hold on to your hats for Danger Girl – City Heroes. Enjoy*
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February 17th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
*Disclaimer: The above post is a laugh, not to be taken seriously and can generally be considered to be bullshit. Thought I’d get that in first before anyone else did, but I hope it raises a smile. Many thanks to ComicVine, International Hero and ParagonWiki for using the linked images.