Nemesis Online to follow Champions Online?

I remember many years ago when City of Heroes was announced and i’d had the chance to grill Jack Emmert about the game. One of the first things I asked him was “will users be able to play as villains?” The answer was an emphatic yes. Seeing the regularity and frequency of that question being asked, Cryptic decided that it really needed to have that Villain system in place, so instead of building it from scratch, the developers simply used the City of Heroes technology, changed it a little and pushed it out because they only had a year to do it.

With Champions Online Cryptic wants to once again offer players the chance to be a villain, but this time it won’t rush things, according to this news report.

This information comes from this G4 Jack Emmert interview, where he gives the dark side of the MMO world, Nemesis Online, some attention. Here’s an excerpt:

G4: So, if you were to make – I don’t know what the opposite of Champions Online would be –

JE: Nemesis Online.

G4: Nemesis Online! Is that something you’ve talked about?

JE: Yes, we have. Look, if Champions is successful and people want that, heck yeah. But, I think that I already have a very different idea in mind for that. I think in City of Villains, we were asked to make the game in about a year, and so we were kind of focused on “We gotta get this done.” So, we just took the template of City of Heroes and copied it. If I were to do it over again, I would create a very different type of gameplay for villain worlds.

So is the future going to be Nemesis Online after Champions Online is complete? If fans want it, yes - but the moral of this story is don’t expect as fast a turn-around as we saw with City of Villains.

Marvel Super Hero Squad details

THQ today formally announced Marvel Super Hero Squad, the first video game based on the animated series, The Super Hero Squad Show, scheduled to debut this fall on Cartoon Network. Marvel Super Hero Squad will mark the first title in THQ’s licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment, and is currently in development for Wii, DS, PS2 and PSP. The game will offer both multiplayer and single player action and adventure using some re-imagined versions of Marvel’s most popular heroes and Villains.
Set in the Marvel Universe, the Super Hero Squad is on a mission against Dr. Doom’s Lethal Legion of villains to recover the hidden Infinity Fractals; fragments of the all-powerful Infinity Sword. Each Infinity Fractal holds power and can give each character special abilities that could alter the game’s rules and playing field. The game offers 20 Marvel characters to mix and match including Captain America, Dr. Doom, Falcon, Hulk, Iron Man, Juggernaut, Ms. Marvel, Silver Surfer, Thing, Thor and Wolverine, to name a few. Players can jump into a battle arena against up to three opponents in Battle Mode, or choose to play through six campaigns based on the animated series in Adventure Mode.

For more information on the Marvel Super Hero Squad video game, visit www.marvelshsgame.com.

City of Heroes: Going Rogue Announced

NCsoft announced the development of City of Heroes Going Rogue, the first major expansion for the City of Heroes franchise since the launch of City of Villains in 2005. Going Rogue hopes to open up the worlds of Heroes and Villains to both sides for the first time using an alignment system. This will be possible by creating a new parallel universe known as Praetoria, which is governed by Tyrant, the evil incarnation of the game’s main protagonist, Statesman.

The new alignment system will encourage players to explore the shades of gray by allowing hero characters you become villains and vice versa. This means that the archetypes restricted to each region will be able to take on missions in the Rogue Isles and Paragon City. Clearly marked missions, in addition to behaviors and decisions made by the player, will move a hero’s or villain’s moral compass, which could eventually change the hero’s or villain’s alignment. Going Rogue will also introduce two primary new fictional characters representative of this alignment shift in the game’s lore: Maelstrom, a pistol-wielding hero gone rogue, and Desdemona, a demon-summoning villain who has been redeemed.

NCsoft will share more details on Going Rogue in the coming months. The biggest challenge I see is in balancing these missions to work with a whole new set of archetypes. How will the various Paragon City missions be affected by an archetype like the Mastermind? It will be interesting to see how it all works out. In the meantime, check out the FAQ ripped from the official City of Heroes page, after the break.

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Doomsday Invades DC Universe Online

 Everybody’s favorite Kryptonian creature will be a villain in DC Universe Online, Sony Online Entertainment announced today. According to DC Comics lore, Doomsday was bred to embody hate and rage - with the sole purpose of extinguishing all other life, including the citizens of Metropolis and protector Superman. Here’s more from SOE:

Born on the planet Krypton during a time when only the strongest creatures could survive, Doomsday was the result of a rapid natural selection process bred to hate all life. Doomsday’s body is covered with vicious bony spurs that can rend even Superman’s skin. His endurance makes him almost impossible to kill. He is the epitome of villainous power and strength. With the ability to regenerate after every battle, Doomsday becomes bigger and stronger; therefore no opponent of his has ever defeated him twice.

Don’t think that Doomsday is a mindless creature destroying everything in his path just because he hates all living things. He can think and reason, which makes him a valuable weapon to anyone seeking to manipulate and control his rampages of mayhem and destruction. But who could possibly want to do such a thing? That’s right: Lex Luthor is obsessed with capturing Doomsday to turn him into the ultimate minion for Luthor’s destructive plans.

The story of when Doomsday attacked Metropolis is a tragic one. During Doomsday’s rampage, an epic battle erupted on the streets of Metropolis where neither Superman nor Doomsday would back down. Superman knew Doomsday’s rage would fuel the fight driving the battle on as Superman continued to weaken, incurring severe wounds which began to drain his stamina. In the end, the two combatants attacked each other simultaneously with a fatal blow, leaving both lifeless in front of The Daily Planet Building - perfectly situated for a cover story that would shatter the world.

The first screenshot and renders can be found below: