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 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)
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)
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 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 trainers in Faultline and The Hollows, respectively.
Bootleg Edition
- Main Article: Bootleg Edition
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)
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)
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 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
Released on January 7, 2009, this is a special release of the "City Of" franchise geared toward Intel Mac users. The Mac Edition is only available as an online purchase, so technically, it is not a "Disc Release". It is included here for completeness. 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.
Going Rogue
- Main Article: Going Rogue (Boxset)
Planned release in July 2010, this product is the first expansion for the 'City of' franchise. Primarily featuring content set in the mirror universe of Praetoria, this box features an almost completely recreated environment to take advantage of the 'ultra mode' graphic's update as well as many tweeks and upgrades to the 6 year old engine that the franchise runs on.