The Holidays where a wonderful time, at least for me, filled with a lot of those good things holidays are supposed to be about. I also managed enough time to polish off running all the Holiday Event missions I needed to get all the little treasures and badges for my main bunch of characters.
What more can a girl ask for?
Tomorrow is New Years Eve, and thus will begin a whole new year of experiences with the City of.. franchise. Because we can’t predict, at least with any clarity, what the Developers have planned for the game, why don’t we take a look at the things they brought us in 2006?
January – The Collectible Card Game was release. And, of course, right on the 30th they announced Issue 7: Destiny Manifest. Kind of a promising start to a year, no?
February – Well, there was the Pocket-D reopening which, actually, did a good job of renewing interest in the poor, lost dance space, and made it a useful and used feature of the game. Then, of course, came the Valentines day event, and the popular, and fairly in demand, ability for Heroes and Villains to team up – even if it is only for a short while. There was also a Meet & Greet with the staff, though I must admit that was one I had little choice but to miss.
March – Not much happened in March except for a few small changes, like to billing, which generally had little effect on the player base.
April – The most important thing was the 2nd anniversary of City of Heroes. Happy Birthday City!
May – Issue 7 hits the Test Server after much anticipation.
June – Issue 7 finally goes Live! Also the first ever double experience weekend. No one can say if they will ever do it again, but it was a treat the players enjoyed.
August – CuppaJo’s going away party, letting the fans of the popular forum moderator say goodbye.
September – The release of the Good vs Evil edition, combining City of Heroes and Villains into one package for purchase. Also the first Announcement of the Veteran Rewards.
October – Halloween! Everyone loves Halloween, and what better way to show this then by taking your favorite costumed Hero or Villain trick or treating in City of..
November – The very beginning of November they passed out badges for the first year anniversary of City of Villains, though technically the game was available to start on October 30th. Also Issue 8 goes live, with the Veteran Rewards, the new Faultline and all the other goodness that was I8 – perhaps not as grand as I7, but a well rounded, and over all fairly stable release. Sometimes, at least as far as I’m concerned, we need those Issues that aren’t huge, game changing ones. You might want a roast like I7, but you should fill in the gaps with those side dishes, like I8.
December – The new Winter Event, which brought out all the Santa’s and Elves and Mrs Clauses, and saw Heroes and Villains alike Skiing down the slopes in Pocket-D’s new Lodge and teaming up with each other to go pull Baby New Year out of the grasp of the evil Snaptooth and save Time for Old Father Time. Okay, so the plot isn’t something to write home about, but the map was great, filled with ice and, at least for me, occasionally caused it’s own headaches as the melee combatants had to adjust themselves to skidding about when doing battle on it. Then there was the gift opening, which gave everyone a chance to stock up on those little green wrapped, utterly random and unknown present inspirations, not to mention the chance to get other prizes – like snowballs or yet another gift to give away. Ah yes, and that was one of the better features, was the chance to give gifts to your mates and pals with the one use present power. Who doesn’t want to give a present to their friends?
Other then the fact that Issue 7 took much longer then was anticipated, Cryptic did a good job of keeping things going. Sure, there were quiet months, but those are good for just playing the game without all the foo-fra that the events and releases can cause the players. The promises that Cryptic has made in regards to Issue 9 are something to look forward to, with the invention system, and the possibility of selectable flying poses! Hey, not everything has to be about the latest power changes, right? While there may have, and where, some issues over the course of the year, I think that we tend to loose sight of the good things in lue of the bad ones. So why not make a good start to your year in Paragon City/The Rogue Isles and thing of all the things about the game you really, truly love? Everything that keeps you coming back day after day?
From me to you, I hope you had some Happy Holidays and will have a wonderful New Year! Here’s to as much goodness in the year to come, with less of the bad, and we’ll see you in Paragon! Cheers! -@Mialiah
