City Of Heroes Fifth Update Goes Live

Wednesday 31 August 2005/... City of Heroes^TM fans can take action immediately, as NCsoft^TM Europe announces that the latest extensive update has gone live. Issue #5: Forest of Dread is available at no extra cost for existing subscribers to download right now.

Issue #5 features a thrilling new Zone for heroes to explore - the mystical Croatoa, which is populated by monstrous new villains such as the giant Fir Bolg and the legendary Tuatha de Dannan. A new epic Task Force is also available in Croatoa for heroes to complete.

Two exciting new power sets are also being debuted with Issue #5: Archery and Sonics, available to Defenders, Blasters and Controllers. New Zone Events will test heroes to the limit, asking them to stop arson attacks and break up an out-of-control superpowered rave. All this, as well as new mission customizations and brand new badges, ensures City of Heroes will be more enticing than ever with Issue #5.

"Play testing on the internal servers has been going well and we're happy to say that Issue #5 is now ready for City of Heroes players all over Europe," says Stephen Reid, Content and Community Manager, NCsoft Europe. "We've got tons of exciting new content for our players, which should keep them busy until the debut of City of Villains."

More information on City of Heroes and the forthcoming update can be found at the official European web site:

http://eu.cityofheroes.com/

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About Cryptic Studios:

Cryptic Studios, Inc., located in San Jose, California, was established in July of 2000 and is an independent developer of massively multiplayer online games for the PC and next generation consoles. Its first game, City of Heroes, launched in April 2004. The game takes place in a virtual world where thousands of people play simultaneously, take on the role of super-powered heroes, fight villains and help create a dynamic story in a visually-stunning, 3-D graphical world.

About NCsoft Europe:

NCsoft Europe (NC-E) is headquartered in Brighton, England and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online games. NCsoft has already successfully established itself in North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand. NC-E began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. NC-E launched Lineage^® II in November 2004, City of HeroesTM on 4th February 2005 and Guild Wars^® on 28th April 2005. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://www.plaync.com.

NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes and City of Villains are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation and Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.