The tutorial section begins in Paragon City's infamous prison for super-powered criminals, the Ziggurat. It seems that Lord Recluse, the head of the supremely evil Arachnos organization, has gotten wind of a prophecy that someone in "The Zig" is the villain that will finally bring all Arachnos' plans to fruition. Unfortunately, as so often happens with these maddeningly vague mystical prophecies, he doesn't know which villain it's going to be, so he decides to break them all out. He then brings them to the Rogue Isles to compete in a Darwinian version of "Survivor" in which losing contestants get voted into a six-foot hole in the ground.
City of Villains sports five different character classes. Four of them have some correspondence with City of Heroes counterparts. The Brute, for example, is a melee character similar to a heroic Brawler who relies on fists for negotiation and believes a kick in the teeth is the best way to say "Hello." The Corrupter, on the other hand, is the villainous version of the "Blaster," a physically fragile character good at hitting opponents from range. Even here, however, there are differences. The Corrupter has more raw power than a Blaster and also possesses abilities that let him get stronger as opponents get weaker. The one class without a direct counterpart, however, is the Mastermind, a "pet" class that gets to control a horde of minions that can be buffed and used in various ways. I ended up making Marketing Weasel a Mastermind simply because the opportunity to name my three zombie pets "Target Market," "Suburban Housewife," and "Intern" was just too good to resist.
Breaking out of the prison involves making contacts among the prison's "big fish" that will help players make their way through the madness in return for a few little "favors." In one mission, I needed to shake down the prison infirmary's nurse for the key to the medicine cabinet to get another prisoner some drugs. Later I had to beat up two random passers-by -- guards or inmates, it didn't matter which. Finally, I had to rescue an Arachnos operative and plant a bomb that would take down a radar wall keeping us from flying out to the Rogue Isles. Once I did manage to get out, I found myself on Mercy Island, the entrance to the Rogue Isles, where I started making contacts with criminals operators, taking on missions for Arachnos (including one in which I had to kill an Arachnos traitor before he passed vital intel to Longbow, the paramilitary organization of superheroes operating on the Isles), and perusing the paper for opportunities to kick up a little mayhem.
It was during the process of leveling up Marketing Weasel that the difficulty of explaining just what the difference between this game and City of Villains was. A co-worker dropped by my desk and watched me go on a mission to clear out a nest of Snakes, half-human half-serpent cultists that infest the Isles. When I explained what I was doing, he said to me that fighting against a group of hideous monsters didn't seem very villainous to him -- in fact it seemed kind of heroic. How could I explain that most of the difference is in the player's head?
