Massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) tend to fall into one of two categories: science fiction or fantasy. Science fiction has a few representatives, mainly Anarchy Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Eve Online. There’s a glut of fantasy games, including EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, Asheron’s Call and many others. And there’s no relief in sight, with dozens of similarly themed MMORPGs on the horizon. However, Cryptic Studios has thrown this trend out the window with their online role-playing game City of Heroes. Instead of avatars like dwarves and elves, players can play as testosterone-rich male and female humans; instead of just swords and sorcery, players are given superpowers, and, well, sometimes swords; and instead of rolling countryside rife with ancient ruins and dungeons, players get a massive city bristling with automobiles and skyscrapers; and, instead of bashing gnolls and kobolds, players get to bash huge mobs of people and mutants. There is even a bit of a plot, but mainly the plot comes through in the free monthly comics sent to subscribers and the various missions against different gangs and villains.