Disc Releases

Overview

As with most AAA ranked MMOs, the "City Of" franchise got its start as a set of CDs released to retailers' racks in a box set. Since that initial launch, many varieties of shelf releases were seen, both for City of Heroes, and its expansions, City of Villains and Going Rogue.

Below is a listing of all known commercial releases of this game.

Commercial Releases

This list is in chronological order, based on release date.

City of Heroes Pre-Order

Main Article: Pre-Order (City of Heroes)

Released on February 6, 2004, this was a pre-order code for City of Heroes. Four different versions were obtainable from various retailers, each granting the owner a special sprint power and allowing them to participate in the three-day head start.

City of Heroes

Main Article: City of Heroes (Boxset)

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Released on April 27, 2004, this was the original commercial release of the game and start of the franchise. With it came the first version of the player's manual, a map, and a few NCsoft inserts (as well as the install CDs, which contained up to Issue 0).

City of Heroes, Collector's Edition

Main Article: Collector's Edition (City of Heroes)

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Released on November 9, 2004, this was the Collector's Edition of CoH, with a DVD updated to Issue 2. It contained not only normal activation or upgrade codes, but also several bonus items like maps and comics, as well as in-game upgrades.

City of Heroes (Europe)

Main Article: City of Heroes (Deluxe)

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Released on February 4th, 2005, details go here. Prior to this date, Europeans were confined to the North American servers.

Editor's Note: Conflicting data states CoH was commercially released in Europe in February 2006, not 2005. http://www.ncsoft.net/global/aboutus/nchistory.aspx

City of Hero

Main Article: [City of Hero]

Released as a public beta on January 18, 2006, this failed Korean version never received an official release. The two new signature characters who would have been added, Mirror Spirit and Foreshadow, were eventually folded into the American game as combat NPC and trainers in Faultline and The Hollows, respectively.

Bootleg Edition

Main Article: Bootleg Edition

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A disc in a specialized paper sleeve, this version of CoH was created to be given out at conventions, and later sold at GameStops and EBgames for $1. It was also included with the CCG Battle Box. These codes created trial accounts which did not require the application of retail codes in order for the player to begin subscribing to the game.

City of Villains Pre-Order

Main Article: Pre-Order (City of Villains)

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Released on August Xth, 2005, this package granted its purchasers access to City of Villains Beta, one of four Arachnos Helmets, and access to the three-day City of Villains head start.

City of Villains/CoV Collector's Edition

Main Articles: City of Villains (Boxset) and Collector's Edition (City of Villains)

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Released on October 31st, 2005, this edition was the initial commercial release for City of Villains. Unlike all other releases, both the standard edition and the Collector's Edition were released at the same time. The standard edition contained multiple install CDs updated to Issue 6, an updated player's manual, a CoV-based HeroClix, and a two-sided poster featuring a battle scene and a Rogue Isles map, and the DVD version contained an install DVD updated to Issue 6, several bonus items like an art book and several CoV-based HeroClix, and in-game upgrades.

Good Versus Evil

Main Article: Good Versus Evil Edition

Released on September 29, 2006, in an exclusive deal with Walmart, this package unlocked both CoH and CoV. Due to shipping errors, many Walmart stores did not get the special edition for a couple months and it was later made available from other retailers in late January, 2007. It contained the game updated to Issue 7 on DVD, several bonus items (a two-sided map and comics in PDF format), and in-game upgrades.

City of Heroes, Game Card

Main Article: Game Card

Released on August Xth, 2008, this edition was similar to a standard time card, and came with no content installation disc. It created a new account with access to both Heroes and Villains, or upgraded a current account with 30 days of gameplay. It also came with a 30-day duration rocket pack.

Mac Special Edition

Main Article: Mac Special Edition

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Released on January 7, 2009, this was a special release of the "City Of" franchise geared toward Intel Mac users. The Mac Edition was only available as an online purchase, so technically, it was not a "Disc Release," but is included here for completeness. It could be used to upgrade a game account whether or not the user is using an Intel Mac.

Architect Edition

Main Article: Architect Edition

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Released on April, 14, 2009, this was a special release to accompany Issue 14: Architect's release, though it did not arrive on shelves the same day the issue went live. It included a DVD up-to-date to Issue 14, a free code for one of the Super Boosters, and more.

Going Rogue

Main Article: Going Rogue (Boxset)

Release on August 17, 2010, this product was the first expansion for the 'City of' franchise. Primarily featuring content set in the mirror universe of Praetoria, this box featured an almost completely recreated environment to take advantage of the 'ultra mode' graphics update as well as many tweeks and upgrades.

See Also

• Merchandise
• Time Cards
• NCsoft