I loved this part in the comments:
Personally my biggest preference is with Heroes and Villains, not because of any politics, but because of the themes and gameplay it's going to have. Which is EXACTLY how I wish everyone would "pick their game", whether that's one of them or both, the same way you'd pick a game at the store or on Steam.
Now as for competition between the two games? HECK YEAH I hope there's competition between the two games. I'm sorry, but that's how great entertainment works, just ask Marvel and DC, or Fox and Disney, or go back in time and ask Paragon Studios/CoH and Cryptic/CO. I hope these two games both try to out-do each other, because they'll both be better for it and their fans will be better off.
Now, at the same time, there's healthy competition and there's unhealthy competition. Marvel and DC have collaborated for crossovers. Fox and Disney are thinking about collaborating so that their Marvel movies can share the same cinematic universe. However, one place where we haven't seen healthy competition is video game publishers, especially MMORPG publishers. Over the last two years we've discovered (if you've been reading the news) that shills aren't myths, that people are actually hired to go into other games forums and spread misinformation and negative comments. Of course, what we've ended up with is a kind of mutually assured loss where everyone makes everyone look bad. This isn't what the fans want. It's also just dumb, and proves what dinosaurs big publishers are. And we know what happened to the dinosaurs.
If you think you can do better than NCSoft, prove it. Find ways to compete which each other, find ways to help each other (and this niche market) thrive.
Yup.
Competition is good.
I mean look at the super hero MMO choices now. Not much competition, and thus less attention to details when building the games and not striving to be great or to make it a world wide known game. No one is really pushing that envelope right now. It's like it's side projects. Now look at when a fantasy game is developed. The bad ones drop off fast. Competition is fierce, if not a bit stale from lack of innovation right now, but the standards are higher. I dont even like fantasy much but I noticed the ones that make it usually have good looks, good environment, and depth of stories and plenty to do. Super hero MMOs, the stories are ok, not much content over all in compare, but I do see great potential, yet no superhero game is the flagship or being treated like flagship. It's like in the stable all the fantasy games come first, get the attention, get the funds even when losing money, and updates. Super hero games get something if something happens to be left over if anything. It's a side project. All it will take is for one company, or independent studio, or person to make the super hero game their crown jewel and watch it go far.
There are many super hero mmo players out there and many are just waiting for a decent game where someone gives a crap about it while delivering the good stuff. COX could of been that flasgship for a small studio but unfortunately it was low priority to the powers that be when it came down to it. How did WoW get big? It wasnt over night. They made it their flasgship took a risk and won. How do these other games get millions of players even when they are cookie cutter? The company treats the game like it means something and people go. But then you have potentially good games like CO, while probably wont close but it definately wotn grow because it's in a proverbial maintance mode already. If in three years they put NW in maintance mode, someone is probably going to get fired as it's viewed as unacceptable for a fantasy game. But it's ok for a super hero mmo.
We need a company or studio or who ever to change that. All they have to do is build one great one and keep it, let people know that THIS is the game to play, and watch the the corporations try to jump on the band wagon faster than a drunkard can down a bottle of grey goose. Even outside super hero mmos, look at the other game sites and read the complaints. Many is about lack of customization, lack of teaming, lack of community. COX had that, but those players did not know it existed and or didnt want anything to do with NCSoft. Now if one come along with those features, vast amount of stuff to do, difficulty level for as many player's style as you can, aka easy mode for those that may not be 23 hours a day fueld by mountain dew gamers, and something super hard for those 23 hours a day fueld by mountain dew players and of course difficulty in between. Add that with customization, having something for the team to do while being welcoming people who may not be social bugs (meaning try not to make soloing meh speed but make teaming a super fast way to level.
A little teaming bonus is good, it's incentive but COX got carried away.), and try not to team gate stuff. If someone think they can solo the toughest baddest task force in the game, let them. Of course a message letting people know that grabbing a friend or two is highly suggested but shouldnt be mandatory at all. Especially in a super hero game. Imagine in a Batman movie if Batman had to call up 7 super heroes everytime he wanted to take on the joker? Makes for a dull movie and makes Batman look like a weak super hero especially if he have to wait around for 30 minutes before most show up, and wait another 15 minutes waiting for that last one to get there because "it requires 8."
And last note-I think the Nemesis system was brilliant concept in CO. But if someone put some polish and a little finish on it...
