Massively multiplayer games have advanced past the days of creating a single online character to beat up a bunch of goblins for a handful of measly copper coins, only to have your character die and lose everything. Don't take our word for it; take a look at one of last year's most highly evolved massively multiplayer games, City of Heroes. With that game, developer Cryptic Studios and publisher NCSoft were able to release an online game that let you create your very own superhero persona and embark on an online crusade against evildoers, without having to deal with drudgeries common to this sort of online game, like sitting in one place (or "camping") to wait for certain key enemies or items to appear. And the development team is now putting the finishing touches to what is essentially a sequel--a new stand-alone game called City of Villains, which will let you create, you guessed it, your very own supervillain character. We recently had a chance to take another up-close look at the game and some of its new features.

　　City of Villains will let you become a comic book supervillain, complete with supervillain headquarters and supervillain battles.

　　One of the most intriguing aspects is its base-building gameplay. Essentially, a "supergroup" (a group of player characters that belong to an in-game organization, much like a "guild" in other online games) can consolidate its funds and purchase an in-game headquarters building. At launch, you'll be able to build bases that are only one story tall, though Cryptic may consider adding multistory bases at a later time. Fortunately, those who purchase and install City of Villains in addition to their City of Heroes account will also be able to build supergroup bases for their virtuous do-gooders in Paragon City.

　　Though groups will start with smaller bases early on, they'll be able to expand their base with larger and larger plots as they gain more prestige. These plots can be subdivided into different rooms, such as entry halls and control rooms, which can be furnished with any number of pricey fixture, from decorative stuff like office chairs and stone pillars, to more-practical stuff like electronic force fields and turret guns.

　　You'll actually need these defensive additions to safeguard your group's captured power crystals, which you can be add to you base after you seize control of them. Captured crystals grant powerful bonuses to all players in a specific group, like the ability to deal increased damage in battle, or to receive bonus experience points after defeating enemies or completing adventures. We're told that Cryptic plans to include several different types of crystals, including generic crystals that provide minor bonuses, as well as a few types of extremely powerful, unique crystals that will likely end up changing hands among the most powerful hero and villain groups on each of the game's servers. This is because groups of both villains and heroes can stage raids on each other's bases to attempt to steal away the power crystals. Considering how powerful some of the rarest crystals will be, most groups probably won't give them up without a fight (or at least, without buying a chaingun turret or two).

　　The new game will let you combine appearance options to create a tattooed werewolf with a peg leg, along with thousands of other outrageous combinations.

　　We also had a chance to take an updated look at the character-creation menu, which has been expanded upon hugely since we last looked at the game. Players of the original City of Heroes found creating new characters to be a very engaging, even addictive, experience just because there were so many appearance options. From what we could tell, City of Villains should offer at least as much in terms of character customization, and although many appearance options (such as armored helmets, robes, and masks) will be carried over from the first game, the new game will also offer a wide array of properly sinister-looking options. As we've mentioned previously, you'll be able to customize your villain with barbed wire, chains, or skull-shaped shoulder pads, though the new appearance options, which will be available at launch, will include a wider array of full-body tattoos, new "monstrous" body parts, and even a full set of pirate-themed accoutrements (eye patches, hooks for hands, peg legs, and all).

　　Considering that City of Villains will offer these all-new features, as well as the kind of addictive character development that City of Heroes featured (in which you're always working toward expanding your character's superpower skill set), it seems pretty clear that City of Villains will have a lot to offer veterans and new players alike. This is especially true considering NCSoft's recent announcement that City of Heroes players who maintain an active game account will be able to pay a unified monthly subscription fee of $14.99 to play both games on a regular basis. If there are any City of Heroes players who wish to hold off on trying out the new game, they'll still be able to participate in "hero-versus-villain" player-versus-player battles online. City of Villains is scheduled for release on Halloween, October 31, just in time for you to get your costume ready.