Is "City of Heroes" worth it?
I got the massively multiplayer online role-playing game some time ago as a gift. For years, I've preferred face-to-face, pen-and-paper, pizza-and-dice games over computer games, but as a Game Master, it's good to be open to new sources of ideas and to understand where many of my younger players are coming from.
I like the character creation process and the graphical interface of "City of Heroes," even if I don't have the hours and hours to spend improving in level. It's a bit simulationist and reductionist (in terms of deputizing metahuman vigilantes and sending them into gang-infested urban areas) and a bit hack-and-slash for my taste. If you have the time to meet and interact with other online players rather than just Non-Player Characters, there is potential for teamwork (or rivalry, given the recent release of "City of Villains").
However, as someone who still reads comic books and graphic novels and as a past and present G.M. for DC Heroes, Marvel Superheroes, GURPS Supers/Powers, and D20 Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Ed., the idea of logging on with a few friends, slipping into a costumed avatar, and kicking some butt for a few hours is hard to resist.