Like many MMOs are trying to do nowadays, City of Heroes tries to tie the story into the gameplay. And like many MMOs it does a mixed job of it and will require some reading, which I really don't mind even if some do. The story will unfold for each hero as they receive missions from various contacts who will unfold situations as well as clues found on these missions that will explain what is happening even more. As players progress in level, the story will move along different arcs leading to boss characters and more. It's really hard to institute a continuous and deep story in a game that has so many players moving through it at the same time. I do with there were some in game cutscenes for important parts of certain missions... but maybe that's too hard as well. Overall, considering the limitations of the genre, the story arcs can be interesting and will drive players on into new areas.