NCsoft announced the latest expansion of City of Heroes, Issue 8: To Protect and Serve is now available.

NCsoft¡¯s City of Heroes expansion continues game¡¯s growth with new mission styles

Issue 8: ¡®To Protect and Serve¡¯ puts heroes on alert with new Safeguard Missions, adds rewards for veteran heroes and villains

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 29, 2006 ¡ª NCsoft® and Cryptic Studios™ today released the eighth free expansion to City of Heroes®, adding new mission styles, new story content and a veteran rewards program to one of the most successful comic-book themed PC games ever.

Issue 8: ¡°To Protect and Serve¡± delivers a host of new features starting out with a wide-variety of veteran rewards for players who have had a City of Heroes or City of Villains® account for three months or more. The rewards are given in increments of three months of active play, and include special powers, base items, badges and costume pieces such as wings. The veteran rewards program is retroactive by player account and rewards will be applicable to all characters within each respective account.

Building on the tradition of super-powered crime fighting, Issue 8 is introducing Safeguard Missions where heroes will be given a limited time to halt major crimes being committed by super-powered villains and their henchmen. Using the new police band contacts, heroes will be alerted to attacks on Paragon City™ business, resulting in high-intensity action as players battle to prevent heists and city destruction from occurring. These missions are similar to the City of Villains Mayhem Missions introduced in Issue 7, but with an even more frantic reactive tone to the action.

Issue 8 also features a revitalized Faultline neighborhood that has been transformed from a trial zone into a city zone. As a trial zone, Faultline was in ruins and overrun with zombies and evil sorcerers, but as the area is restored to order agents of Arachnos are attempting to infiltrate the area.

¡°Issue 8 continues to build on a great game, giving players new adventures, areas to explore and rewards for their loyalty,¡± said Matt Miller, Cryptic Studio¡¯s lead designer for City of Heroes and City of Villains. ¡°The action of the new Safeguard Missions is amazing and gives players a way to really feel heroic, which is one of the keys to why City of Heroes has been so successful.¡±

City of Heroes and City of Villains are available at retailers in North America and Europe as well as at the NCsoft online store at www.plaync.com. Both games include the first month of online game play, and after the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US?14.99. Customers who purchase City of Heroes and City of Villains can play both games for the single subscription price of US?14.99.

For more information on City of Villains go to: www.cityofvillains.com, and for more information on City of Heroes go to: www.cityofheroes.com.