Toddsm66, i think we're in the same boat. i played swg from launch and promptly quit out of frustration and a little boredom --- i went to WoW. after levelling to 60, i got bored and quit. WoW really is a great game, but i felt like i needed more of a sci-fi mmo. So i'm currently in my first month of Matrix Online. very buggy missions and i've met quite a few rude people so i doubt i'll keep the subscription after the 30 days. I hear Eve Online is offering a 14day trial also, so i might try that or the city of heroes trial. I kinda miss swg, but after visiting sony's swg boards, i'm reminded of all the bugs and come to my senses.

I downloaded the free trial for City of Heroes last night and got to play around with it a bit. Really cool game, great concept.

I was a bit disappointed that at level five the game was already forcing me to group, however. I'd heard this game was more soloable than that.

You can get around that by not taking the missions in hazard zones. When I get the mission to talk to the policeman in The Hollows, I go talk to him but don't accept his mission. I then go back to my regular contacts in Atlas Park/Galaxy City/Kings Row.

I personally think level 5 is way too early to be venturing into hazard zones.

Now that I finally have a computer and internet at home, I've been considering playing WoW or something like that, but I'm afraid I'll turn into a shut in or something. I know I'd have a great time playing it and so on, but I'm worried I'd miss out on too much of real life.

I am about to pick up Guild Wars, I will also try CoH, but I hate the thought of paying a monthly fee again.

Thanks for the tips, shizawn. I went back to one of my old contacts and got some King's Row missions. Much more my speed!

I find it very odd that the game would put my in the The Hollows at level 5. I'm just a poor n00b, going where my contacts tell me too. I had no idea that I'd be mobbed by thugs twice my level. But my ignorance was helpful, I suppose. I got through a few missions in there before I was level 6.

It's a cool game, but I feel guilty letting thugs mug some lady because they are grey to me.

SWG just keeps getting worse and worse with each new publish. They are basically taking the game in a path where everybody has to be a Jedi - which isnt something I ever really cared to do.

I have to say, I'm really enjoying CoH right now. I created 8 different characters to play around with some of the templates just to see what I like - and I like them all.

Yeah, the amount of different builds you can do is just insane (and refreshing).

I do wish you earned your costume as you went, however. So, you'd look more "ragtag" at lower levels and could gradually get spiffier stuff as you went. Would make for a satifying "carrot on a stick."

I just enjoy leveling up on each character just to see what new powers I can do...

With SWG, you pretty much start out with a weapon - like rifles...then as you progress and gain skill boxes - you can...shoot that rifle better.

Each new level in CoH gives you something new and different to play around with. I'm anxious to get up to lvl 14 now so I can try all the travel modes.

I have a friend who wants to try, and (I think) I've looked through everything for the free trial code. Is it on a separate sheet, in the manual, or somewhere else?

No idea, since I bought the game at launch (when the free trial was only being included as part of the "Collector's Edition).

When did you buy the game? If you bought it early, you won't have a free trial included.

Bogus!

Thanks, I'll stop tearing my room apart looking for it.

Only new copies of WoW, boxes that have the gold "Game of the Year!" label on it includes the 10 day trial now.

WoW is a great game, but suffers from the fact that it doesn't have an endgame, like Everquest (now) does. The chief draw to an MMORPG for me is the class system. In that regard, I really like Everquest's and am beginning to appreciate Everquest 2's archetype system (though we really could do without this many paladins). WoW's system is good as well. EQ2 and WoW to me seem very similar. Guild Wars has its merits but seems like an MMORPG Lite. CoH I've not tried yet - but might give it a shot for a free trial.