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Gamers from across the globe cast aside their mild-mannered personas and assume superheroic alter-egos, to protect Paragon City from a host of strange and extraordinary villains. City of Heroes is a second-generation persistent-world RPG that revolves around the community and conflict of a comic book metropolis that is recovering from a recent alien attack. Players design their own characters, choosing a name, appearance, costume and colors, super power type, and even a secret origin, then take the roles of their custom superheroes to join thousands of other like-minded avatars in a fight for truth and justice online. With such an abundance of extraordinarily able guardians, one might expect the City of Heroes to be the safest, best protected place on the planet. Not all who achieve great power choose to use it for the betterment of humanity, however, and even those with good intentions sometimes find themselves at crossed purposes. Moreover, secretive organizations of influential individuals abound, each one scheming to grab more power by any means available. Particulars of the recent history of Paragon City also help ensure that its heroes will never be at a loss for desperate situations requiring their super-powered attention. Founded in 1823, Paragon City grew to become the largest metropolis in the United States and the world's most popular hometown for super-powered heroes. It was here that the first organized team of superheroes originated, and here that artificially enhanced soldiers were first trained to fight in World War II. Paragon City was among the first to deputize its supernatural champions, in the early '50s, and its streets were protected by these heroes for the next half-century. Yet in spite of this support -- or perhaps because of it -- Paragon City was also the hardest hit when extra-dimensional aliens, known as the Rikti, invaded in 2002. Though the threat was contained, the once-bustling metropolis was fractured into a patchwork of human- and alien-controlled areas. Once a stronghold of exceptional abilities and American ideals, Paragon City now needs its heroes more than ever before. In addition to the unknown numbers of Rikti that may still hide among the abandoned buildings and underground stations, many new threats have arisen in the ensuing chaos. So here the adventure begins, for fledgling vigilantes and up-and-coming criminologists. Whether busting punks on the street or investigating the intrigue of endless factional conflict, true defenders of justice will be in their element as they enter this City of Heroes.