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 have been seen, both for City of Heroes, and its expansion, City of Villains.

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 Month Xth, 200X, this was a pre-order code for City of Heroes. Four different versions where 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)

File:COH Box.jpg

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)

File:CoH Collectors Box.jpg

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)

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

City of Hero

Main Article: City of Hero

Released on March Xth, 2005, this was the failed Korean version of City of Heroes.

Bootleg Edition

Main Article: Bootleg Edition

File:CoH Bootleg Edition 01.jpg

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. 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)

File:CoV pre-order.jpg

Released on Month 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)

File:CoV Box.jpg

File:CoV Collectors Box.jpg

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, other contents, and the DVD version contained an install DVD updated to Issue 6, several bonus items like an art book and 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 unlocks both CoH and CoV. Due to shipping errors, many Walmarts did not get the special edition for a couple months and it was later made available from other retailers in late January, 2007. It contains the game updated to Issue 7 on DVD, several bonus items like 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 is similar to a standard time card, and comes with no disc to install content with. It creates a new account with access to both Heroes and Villains, or upgrades a current account with 30 days of gameplay. It comes with a 30-day duration rocket pack.

Mac Special Edition

Main Article: Mac Special Edition

File:MacSpecEd.png

Released on January 7, 2009, this is a special release of the "City Of" franchise geared toward Intel Mac users. Plans for a box release have been set for 2009. Until then, the codes for this version can only be purchased online. It can be used to upgrade a game account whether or not the user is using an Intel Mac.

Architect Edition

Main Article: Architect Edition

Released on April, 14, 2009, this is 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 includes a DVD up-to-date to Issue 14, a free code for one of the Super Boosters, and more.

See Also

• Merchandise
• Time Cards
• NCsoft