City of Heroes

The European version of City of Heroes has its own separate official web board. Another such film, The Care Bears' Big Wish Movie, was released on October 18, 2005 [1] [2] [3]. The official web board is moderated to remove extreme antisocial behavior, discussion of client modification (such as map patches, skin modifications, or disabling certain sounds) prohibited by the EULA, and discussion of moderator decisions. As part of this comeback, the Bears' straight-to-DVD CGI debut, Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot, was released on October 5, 2004 to less than critical acclaim. Reportedly only about 10% of the game's player base actually participates in these boards. The new toys offer features such as light-up bellies when pressed. However, there is also a very vocal faction of disgruntled gamers that produce flamewars and complaints which can cause would-be participants to stay away. As of 2005, Care Bears are being marketed once more.

Some find the presence of the developers, and their willingness to interact with and answer questions from players, to be laudable—especially in comparison to other MMORPGs, which tend not to have this type of developer availability. The Care Bears television series ran from 1985 to 1988; three animated feature film spinoffs, The Care Bears Movie (1985), The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986), and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987) followed. The value of this forum to the average player is a matter of debate. A spin-off collection of toys, the Care Bear Cousins, feature stuffed monkeys, lions, and other such animals in the same style as the teddy bears. Currently, the primary forum moderator is CuppaJo. Each Care Bear comes in a different colour and with a specialized insignia on its belly: for example, "Bedtime Bear" is pastel blue and sports a sleepy-looking anthropomorphised crescent moon, and "Cheer Bear" is pink with a rainbow insignia. There are forums devoted to announcements, general issues, player guides, questions, suggestions, each archetype, each of the eleven game servers, City of Villains, and other topics. Over 40 million units were sold between 1983 and 1987.

This web board is run by Cryptic and NCSoft themselves, and frequented by various developers and customer service representatives (referred to by site regulars as "red names" because their usernames are highlighted in red on their forum posts) as well as players. In 1983, Kenner took the characters and made the first in a line of very successful teddy bears based on the Care Bears. The official Internet forum for City of Heroes is the web board found at boards.cityofheroes.com. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. Some prominent ones include:. The Care Bears are a set of characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. Many on-line communities exist for the discussion of City of Heroes. The name "Care Bears" is only a Trademark(™); the actual copyright is from an entity titled "Those Characters from Cleveland".

It should be noted that Time-Warner, owner of DC Comics see the CoH franchise as something which could promote the sales of its comics and doesn't consider the game to be a threat of any kind. In 2005, "Care Bears" placed 7th among AOL's top ten searches for toys [7]. Also, it's believed that Marvel's reputation of being trigger-happy with lawsuits worked against them. It is generally a derogatory term in this instance. Although details of the settlement are scarce, it's believed that Marvel's case was floundering because when they launched the suit, the examples of copyrighted characters being replicated by the games character creator cited by Marvel were found to have been made by Marvel's own employees, this led the judge to dismiss these specific examples and ordered that Marvel can never use similar evidence again. In MMORPG games the term carebear normally refers to a player that does not like Player vs Player (PvP) conflict in the game. [3]. However, during the cartoon series, both the Care Bears and the Care Bear Cousins both use the "Care Bear Stare.".

Others have pointed out that the EULA also includes a clause which gives ownership of created characters to Cryptic. As soon as the mistake was discovered, the two bears returned into their appropriate hues, and later on a children's story was written explaining why. Some have noted that Cryptic already includes in its end-user license agreement (EULA) language forbidding the creation of copyrighted characters and has been known to delete or rename such characters. When the franchise was introduced in the 1980s, a mistake was made causing Bedtime Bear (blue) and Wish Bear (aqua) to swap colours. The suit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction to force the companies to stop making use of its characters. little bears) and cariño (a type of love that is not romantic). In November 2004, Marvel Comics filed a lawsuit against City of Heroes developer Cryptic Studios and publisher NCSoft alleging that the game not only allows, but actively promotes, the creation of characters whose copyrights and trademarks are owned by Marvel, and that Cryptic has intentionally failed to police these infringing characters. In Latin America, the Care Bears are referred to as "Los Ositos Cariñositos" from Ositos (lit.

Other supplements (Paragon City source book, Monitor's Support Pack, Super-powered Operative's Dossier, etc.) will follow. However, French-speaking Quebec knows them as Les Calinours, or "Hug bears". It will be based on Eden Studio's Unisystem rules and the core book will be called Registration Manual. In French-speaking countries, the Care Bears are referred to as Bisounours, roughly translating as kiss bears, from bisou (kiss) and nounours (teddy bear). In another press release, Eden Studios, makers of RPGs based on Army of Darkness and Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchises, have been tapped to produce a tabletop role-playing game for City of Heroes. Thai: ?????????????. A recent 16 March 2005 press release announced Alderac Entertainment Group, maker of several collectible card games including Legend of the Five Rings, has been chosen to release a City of Heroes CCG. Swedish: Krambjörnarna.

Artist George Pérez provides the covers for the first three novels. Spanish: Osos Amorosos (Spain), Los Ositos Cariñositos (Latin America). A third novel, The Rikti War, written by Shane Hensley, is due out in August 2006 and will cover the epic transdimensional war between Earth and the Rikti homeworld. Serbo-Croatian: Mede medenjaci, Mece Dobrici. A second novel, The Freedom Phalanx, written by Robin Laws, is due for release in May 2006 and will detail the reformation of the hero team the Freedom Phalanx in the 1980s. Portuguese: Ursinhos Carinhosos. The novel chronicles the backstories of The Statesman and Lord Recluse, the central iconic characters in the City of Heroes and City of Villains franchises. Polish: Troskliwe Misie.

The first City of Heroes novel, The Web of Arachnos, by Robert Weinberg, was published by CDS Books (an imprint of the Perseus Publishing Group) in October 2005. Japanese: ?????. Some have criticized Cryptic for doing this, but many more feel that this is fair considering you never paid for the comic itself in the first place. Italian: Gli Orsetti del Cuore. For a small additional fee, you can still get the actual comics sent to your door. Icelandic: Kærleiksbirnirnir. It's belived Cryptic did this not only to compensate for the lack of additional monthly fees for playing both CoH and CoV, but also to solve the problem of comic books getting lost in the mail. Hebrew: דובוני אכפת לי (Doobonei eechpattli).

As of City of Villains launch, the free comic book deal switched from being an actual comic book being mailed to you to being able to access all existing CoH comic books on the company's website. Greek: ΤΑ ΑΡΚΟΥΔΑΚΙA. This was followed up by Dan Jurgens, who wrote the next three-issue arc named Bloodlines. German: Die Glücksbärchis. Mark Waid wrote the first three issues of the new Top Cow comic.Starting with issue four, Troy Hickman (who received Eisner Award nominations for Best Short Story and Best Anthology for his Common Grounds comic from Top Cow Productions) wrote a three-issue story arc entitled Smoke and Mirrors. French: Les Bisounours. Unlike the previous volume, this series will follow the adventures of the city's most illustrious supergroup, the Freedom Phalanx led by The Statesman. Finnish: Halinallet.

Beginning with the May 2005 issue, the comic book is published by Top Cow Productions, written by noted comic book writer Mark Waid, and illustrated by newcomer David Nakayama. Dutch: Troetelbeertjes. It followed the story of the heroes Apex, War Witch, and Horus, who were virtually unmentioned in the game until Issue #5, where War Witch is a trainer in Croatoa. Czech: Starostliví medvídci. It was written by one of the game's designers, Rick Dakan, art was by Brandon McKinney and coloring was by Moose Bauman. Care Bears Holiday Hugs. The comic's first volume ran 12 issues from May 2004 to April 2005. Journey to Joke-a-lot Soundtrack.

At times, this rear section has also included comic strips by Scott Kurtz of the PvP webcomic and Tim Buckley of the Ctrl Alt Del webcomic. Meet the Care Bears. The comic follows the adventures of fictional Paragon City heroes and ties into the game's plot development at times, as well as featuring a section devoted to fan art, fan fiction, and other miscellany in the back. The Care Bears Christmas. North American subscribers to the game receive the City of Heroes monthly comic book in the mail; it is also available in some comic book stores. Adventures in Care-a-lot. As of March 2005 City of Heroes has around 150,000 subscribers worldwide (according to MMMGchart.com [2]). The Care Bears Care For You.

Once purchased, the player inputs a code from the card and their account is updated to allow as many months of play as the card is good for. Introducing the Care Bears. In addition to paying subscription fees via credit card, another option is pre-paid cards that are available at video game retailers. Love-A-Lot Bear's name is inspired by that of Sir Lancelot. coh.ogaming.com has an article on why MMORPGs have recurring fees [1]. Similar to the Round Table used by Arthur and his knights, the Care Bear Family sits around a heart-shaped table. Portions of the subscription costs go to supporting a full-time "live" team, which develops additional content for the game; other portions support the significant server maintenance and bandwidth costs. The name Care-a-lot is a play on King Arthur's legendary Camelot castle.

As in other MMORPGs, players must pay the publisher (NCSoft) a monthly fee to continue playing City of Heroes. A carebear appears in the popular flash animation & song Ultimate Showdown by Neil Cicierega. To be fair to newer players though, characters on canceled accounts may lose their names to players making new characters, however the character itself is left untouched and should the player return, if their name was taken they are allowed to give the character a new name, if the name was not taken they can still use it. Eventually, the Gigglepies turn out to be made of cow manure, so the Yugopotamians just eat them (manure is a delicacy on their planet). Also, the game is praised because your characters are NEVER deleted even if you leave the game for an extended period of time, unlike most MMORPGs where you character is fair game for deletion after a period of time (usually 3 months after you cancel your account). Cosmo and Wanda submit to the cuteness of the Gigglepies, and Timmy is later informed of their tactic for taking over planets: by winning over vast races with their cuteness, having them submit, and then destroying the planet. The communication level between players and developers is such that a player can actually private message Statesman, get their suggestion/question/complaint read, and possibly even responded to. Timmy, Cosmo and Wanda find that Yugopotamia, whose citizens are frightened to death of anything cute and nice, is being overrun by the Gigglepies.

The development team will admit mistakes and also implement player suggestions. Timmy and his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda go to Yugopotamia, when their alien friend Mark informs them of an alien race that is overcoming his own. It also is often praised for having a development team that actually communicates with it's playerbase. The Fairly OddParents: The episode entitled, So Totally Spaced Out guest starred a spoof of the Care Bears, in the form of the alien Gigglepies. The launch of City of Heroes was widely reported as one of the most successful MMO launches in the history of the industry. She screams "Sunshine Bear, wait!" and after looking at Meg, and looking at a speeding truck, and comparing the two, the bear throws itself in front of the oncoming truck. GameSpy went on to say that City of Heroes has the most flexible character creator to date of any MMORPG and has consistently given the update issues high marks. Every animal gets across the street except for the Care Bear.

PC Gamer, Game Informer, GameSpy and several other industry magazines critically acclaimed City of Heroes for its foray into the superhero genre and gave the game top or near top scores across the board. She looks out the window and sees the stuffed animals running from the house. Computer Gaming World hailed the game saying "City of Heroes blows a superpowered gust of fresh air into an increasingly stale sword-and-sorcery MMO world" in August of 2004. She walks to her closet, and when she returns, they are gone. As such, many fans of CoH feel that only Cryptic will be able to keep up a proper Superhero MMORPG whereas SOE and Microsoft will not. Meg is sitting in her room talking to her stuffed animals. Entertainment, they have been criticized as not doing anything to help the already-troubled game, they are letting it get stagnant). Family Guy: The episode which aired on Sunday, January 8th 2006 mentions a Care Bear.

SOE has a repuatation for poorly handling licensed MMO's, such as Star Wars Galaxies (which has undergone several system revamps that have caused thousands of frustrated customers to leave each time) and Matrix Online (which SOE actually bought from Warner Bros. He asks if one of them is a "Care Bear" and the bear replies (after bandishing a lead pipe) that he's an "Intensive Care Bear". There is also a DC Comics MMORPG that is being produced by Sony Online Entertainment. The Simpsons: In an episode where Homer becomes afraid of anything relating to bears after being attacked by one, he hallucinates that the bear logos on commercial commodies come to life to hurt him. Finally, the fact that the game will only be for XBox 360 is a heavy factor against it as it not only depends on a player to own the console, but also possibly be subscribed to XBox live Gold (Silver membership is free with ownership of the console and may very well be all that's required by Microsoft) and also have to pay an additional fee (which Marvel's development group would be collecting). ER: In a recent episode, King Funshine is struck by lightning while being held by Jerry Markovic (Abraham Benrubi) [6]. However, it should be noted that currently the only alternatives that are in production are a Microsoft XBox 360-exclusive Marvel online game that may play more like a regular ORPG like Diablo, it should also be known that Microsoft has a shady history when it comes to MMORPG's, they've been held responsible for the death of Asheron's Call 2 and they have announced promising MMORPG's only to end up canceling them such as Mythica and True Fantasy Live Online. The O.C.: In Season 1, Episode 24 ("The Proposal"), Merissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) has a Share Bear.

The lead developer stated that it wasn't mentioned before because he didn't want to release the info because they hadn’t worked out the exact system and didn't want to release false information. Rugrats: The Dummi Bears spoof heavily on the Care Bear franchise, especially with their Sing a Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Song theme. They stated that ED had been in the works since March 2005, and that all changes to the game had been made with it in mind. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: On one of the early episodes, a young girl tells Will Smith that her father only supports Care Bear music to prevent her from listening to inappropriate songs. Eventually the developers posted the information on the CoH forums. Blade: Trinity (2004): Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds)claims that his group the Night Stalkers originally wanted to use Care Bears as its name, but claims it was already taken. The changes were originally posted on the City of Villains beta forums, however some testers who were angered by the changes attempted to leak the information on to the City of Heroes forums despite their Non-Disclosure Agreements. The Hot Chick (2002): Rob Schneider's friend has a Cheer Bear on her keyring, seen during the scene at the race track early in the film.

This is causing an even larger outcry than those on the changes in Issue 5. Snow Day (2000): One of the characters (played by Emmanuelle Chriqui) is nicknamed "Claire-bear" by her boyfriend. A more recent criticism is against a change in the game's mechanics, called Enhancement Diversification (ED). (Alyson Court appeared in that sequel as well as this independent gem.). Other players have also noted that the game does not incorporate the experience suggested in the in-game text written for mission descriptions and historical plaques, or the fictional world's history found on the game's website. South of Wawa (1991): Footage from the Care Bears' Wonderland adventure are shown. Some players say the game lacks an immersive feel and doesn't express fully the superhero comic book genre on which the game is based. Checking Out (1989) (unconfirmed): As Jeff Daniels steps outside in desert conditions towards the film's end, one of the onlookers whom his character encounters is holding a Swift Heart Rabbit doll in his hands.

Other criticisms are more subjective. Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987): During a party scene in the film, a Wish Bear raft can be seen inside a swimming pool. Other powers are so useful that they are considered essential for every character, such as Hasten, which allows powers to be reactivated more quickly after each use, and Stamina, which increases a character's endurance regeneration rate. Nelvana episodes - No Heart, Beastly and Shrieky (see TV series article). Some sets have powers that are rarely taken and are dismissed as useless. DiC-produced episodes - Professor Coldheart, Frostbite. As in all MMORPGs, there are calls to weaken, or nerf, these apparently overpowered sets. Fourth movie - Rat King.

Some players have criticized the game for being improperly balanced, with some power sets far outshining others. Third movie - The Wizard and Dim & Dumb. City of Villains was released as both an expansion to City of Heroes and as a standalone game, a concept which has been dubbed "Expanshalone". Second movie - Dark Heart. The developer continually expands City of Heroes with free downloadable patches/updates. First movie - Nicholas and the Evil Spirit. This was revealed to the players by Lead Developer Jack "Emmert" Statesman very early on in the City of Heroes beta test period. The Birds are usually seen in the Forest of Feelings with the Care Bear Cousins and watch over them.

Paragon City is a fictitious city located in Rhode Island. The Star and Heart Buddies look out for the Bears whenever they are on missions in caring. Badges have become, for some players, a greatly needed push for more to do in the game than just fight. He only appeared in some of the franchise's early publications and on the DiC-produced TV episodes. As the game has expanded more badges have been added, as well as special "event" badges, the first was for Holloween of 2004, but more such events happen a couple times a year. The Cloud Keeper is the portly gentleman who maintains Care-a-lot. When a hero has collected specific groups of badges, he is granted an "Accolade"—a badge that includes additional special powers for the hero, such as a maximum health or endurance boost, or an attack. Paradise Valley is home to Perfect and Polite Panda (see above for profile).

Plaques do not have to be read in any particular order. The Hall of Hearts, located inside Care-a-lot, is the Care Bears family's meeting place. Heroes can obtain certain badges by visiting and reading each plaque in a set, which are often scattered across two or more zones within the city. The Forest of Feelings is where the Care Bear Cousins live. Each plaque relates some historical fact about Paragon City's, its heroes', or the world's back story, and they are grouped into sets based on their subject matter. Thus protected, the Bears protect caring on Earth. Also added were a number of historical plaques, placed throughout Paragon City. High up in the clouds, it floats above all air traffic, and, with a nice comfy cloud floating above it, stays away from all satellite photographs too.

Thus, if a player finds the name of a badge to be well-suited to his character, or finds some in-game accomplishment especially significant, he can choose to title his character accordingly with that badge. Care-a-lot is the special place where the Care Bears live, and the softest, coziest place anyone can imagine. These badges may be viewed by other players in the player information dialogue, and may also be worn to add the name of the badge as a title under a hero's publicly-displayed name. The Kingdom of Caring is made up of Care-a-lot and the Forest of Feelings (see descriptions below). These badges are obtained by visiting particular areas, achieving a certain security level, completing certain missions or sets of missions, defeating a quantity of specific types of foe, or special in-game achievements like taking a certain amount of damage or earning a certain amount of Influence. Her symbol is an ice cream cone, showing her wholehearted devotion to helping others live life to the fullest. In order to give the game more content, Cryptic introduced a system of collectible badges in its second content update to the game. A real sweetheart, she gets along well with everyone she meets, though she has a tendency to overeat but takes things in moderation.

Influence can be spent to buy enhancements and inspirations, change the costume and adjust the difficulty level of missions. Treat Heart Pig- Featured on some of the later TV episodes, Treat Heart Pig knows how to turn any occasion into a holiday. Especially after a hero defeats a group of villains threatening a civilian on the streets of Paragon City, that civilian will run up to the hero and thank him by giving additional influence. It is interesting to note that the gender of this character changed between movies and television series, examples of which can be seen in the Wonderland movie and The Great Race episode. For completing missions and defeating opponents heroes not only gain experience points, but also receive influence points. His tummy symbol is a red heart with white wings. Influence is the currency within City of Heroes. Sometimes his cockiness and overconfidence get him into trouble, but his quick thinking gets him out of it.

Special "gift" inspirations with a random ability (including temporary immunity from experience debt) have also been available upon occasion. Swift Heart Rabbit was the fastest of the Care Bear Cousins, reportedly running up to 90 mph to "help others". There is also one special inspiration, called ambrosia, used only for the Eden Trial. Her symbol is a curved pink star with a red heart inside. The more powerful versions are less common. Proud Heart Cat - A regular in the animated movies and series, Proud Heart Cat is the "purr-fectionist" of the Care Bears family, and reminds us to do our best in everything we do. In each of these types there are three specific inspirations, which help the affected area by 25%, 33%, and 50% (with rez, this refers to the amount of hp they have upon resurrecting). A heart with a party horn is his symbol.

There is also a type that gives resistance and frees the hero who uses it from most status effects, usually referred to by the name of the weakest version, break free, and a type that resurrects a fallen hero, usually just called a rez or awaken. Playful Heart Monkey - Also appearing in the animated franchise, Playful Heart Monkey is the most mischievous Cousin anyone can meet--for him, the whole world is a playground. The types are generally referred to by the color they are represented by in the interface: blue (endurance), green (health), red (damage), yellow (accuracy), purple (defense) and the newest, orange (damage resistance). He himself was a later addition to the family. There are usually 8 types of inspirations. In A New Generation, he took care of the other baby Bears and Cousins; his partner was True Heart Bear. Characters gain the ability to hold more inspirations as they gain in level. Noble Heart Horse is the founder of the Care Bear Cousins, and was an overseer of the Forest of Feelings and the Kingdom of Caring in the second movie, but on the TV series, he was not much of a regular.

They can also be traded between player characters and bought from non-player characters. The reason behind his tummy symbol, a heart-shaped medal, is because of his warm personality combined with his faithfulness and his namesake. Inspirations can be used quickly and it is common to store some for more difficult battles. Loyal Heart Dog is a very proper and formal-mannered pup, honest and loyal and true beyond compare. Inspirations are quick powerups that many enemies drop randomly. His symbol is a pink heart-stamped weight. An enhancement can only be combined twice with lower leveled enhancement, after that it can only be combined with a higher leveled enhancement. Lotsa Heart Elephant - Featured in the movies and TV series, Lotsa Heart Elephant is the strongest of the Cousins in physical ability and perseverance, despite having a very weak mind.

The combination will result in a single enhancement one level higher than the highest leveled enhancement used. A red-heart pillow is her symbol. Two enhancements with the same level can always be combined without failing. Gentle Heart Lamb - Featured in the first and second movies, Gentle Heart Lamb is the most softhearted of the Cousins, gentle and shy as her name suggests. Also the further apart the levels of the two enhancements are, the greater is the chance that the combination fails, thus losing the lower leveled enhancement. His symbol is a stocking cap resting on the left side of a red heart. To combine two enhancements they must have the same origin type and affected stat and one must be slotted. Cozy Heart Penguin - A star of the first movie, Cozy Heart Penguin is the sweetest and warmest of the Cousins, and the one most suited to winter conditions.

All enhancements have the following characteristics:. His symbol is a yellow heart-shaped light bulb. Once an enhancement is put in, it can only be replaced by a different enhancement, or combined with another enhancement. Bright Heart Raccoon - The smart aleck of the Cousins, Bright Heart Raccoon is a walking supercomputer who can solve problems thinking logically, and helps his friends on their toughest dilemmas. Each slot can hold exactly one enhancement. Brave Heart's tummy symbol is a red heart with a crown hanging on the right side. Every power comes with one slot, and can have up to six slots attached to it. Brave Heart Lion is the (un)official leader of the Care Bear Cousins, and one of the original ten when these cousins were introduced in the Care Bears franchise--Swift Heart Rabbit, Lotsa Heart Elephant, Loyal Heart Dog and Proud Heart Cat to name a few.

At certain levels a character is given new enhancement slots to attach to a power. Multicoloured. Special enhancements can also can be earned by completing missions, trials and task forces. Tummy symbol is a painters pallet with hearts of paint. Usually, heroes earn random enhancements and inspirations by defeating enemies, but they can also be bought at stores. Work of the Heart Bear Coming out new in 2006. Enhancements and inspirations fill the roles of equipment and items in City Of Heroes, with enhancements being permanent and inspirations being temporary. Her symbol--a shooting star with a rainbow tail--reminds us to believe in our dreams.

And finally the player chooses a name and can optionally write a background story to add some flavor to the character. Wish Bear's job is help, simply enough, everyone's wishes come true, even though not all of them work the way they should. Next the actual avatar with its costume is created. True Heart Bear - The mother of the Care Bears and the Cousins, True Heart Bear, who first appeared in the second movie, is everything one would expect the first Bear to be: warm and perky, fun and friendly and extra-lovable and loving! Her symbol, a multi-coloured star radiating from a central heart, shows all the beautiful ways that caring shines out from a loving heart. First the player selects an origin, an archetype and a primary and secondary power set. He is bright blue and his symbol is a shooting star with a rainbow tail. Creating a character consists of several steps. Thanks-A-Lot Bear - One of the least known Care Bears, Thanks-A-Lot Bear's only known appearance is in the toy line as a plush, a glowing plush, and a small plush partnered with Funshine Bear.

Players can also form teams with other players to go on missions and fight villains together. He wears the perfect symbol for his job on his tummy--a red heart with a narrow pink border. Heroes can then enter 'Supergroup Mode' and change the colors and emblem of their normal avatar to those of their supergroup. A loving and lovable brown bear who knows a lot about helping others share their feelings, Tenderheart helps spread love and make it grow by helping people show they care. Supergroups pick a name, a motto, an emblem and two colors. Tenderheart Bear - The leader of the Care Bears, and one of the original ten characters introduced in the franchise (the others were Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Love-A-Lot Bear and Wish Bear). Players can form supergroups (similar to other MMORPGs' guilds) reminiscent of classic comic book groups such as the X-Men or Justice League of America. Now she has a heart holding a star.

Teamwork is a large part of City of Heroes. A smiling apple was her symbol back then. Several specially-designated Task Forces reward players with an opportunity to "respecify" their characters by choosing a different complement of superpowers or reassigning enhancements. Her only appearance in the early franchise was in a 1987 cough medicine colouring book. Upon completion, both Task Forces and Trials usually (but not always) provide all participants with a badge as well as a reward—either a Single-Origin or a special enhancement. Take Care Bear - The least-known of all the Bears, Take Care Bear helps her friends live in the best of health. Trials are similar to Task Forces but are usually shorter and more challenging; some share the team restrictions of a Task Force but others are taken as individual missions, though teams are still practically required. He was featured in the British franchise as an exclusive plush.

In the case somebody is involuntarily disconnected, then he will return to the Task Force when connected. His symbol represents his job: a jack-in-the box with a star popping out. If a Task Force member voluntarily leaves the team while the Task Force is in progress, he is unable to rejoin it. Surprise Bear - A rare find in the 80s franchise, there is no one who loves good surprises so much like Surprise Bear. Once a Task Force has been started additional players will not be able to join the team. His tummy symbol is a bright red apple. Task Forces always require a team, and consist of a series of linked missions that must be run to completion by that same team before its members may take on any additional missions. Smart Heart Bear - Added to the toy line in 2004, this Bear teaches kids that school is fun and so is learning.

For players who can devote a block of several hours to the game, two other types of missions with deeper storylines are available—the Task Force and the Trial. Purple in colour. Once a story arc is completed, the hero is rewarded with experience points, enhancements and for some story arcs, a badge. Tummy symbol is a sun in heart. Sometimes, these story arcs affect the player hero directly as well. Shine Bright Bear New in 2006. These are a series of missions which form a larger story, often giving the player new insights into the history and mythos of Paragon City. In the 1980s franchise, Share Bear's symbol was a heart-sprinkled sundae with two straws; in 2004 it was changed to two lollipops (on the grounds that sharing milkshakes can spread germs, according to present-day distributors Play Along Toys).

Amid the missions, story arcs will emerge. She shows that, through her symbol (see below), sharing is a treat that comes from the heart. Since the release of the Issue 3 content update 'A Council of War', the player is now able to set the difficulty of the missions by visiting a special NPC, the Hero Corps Field Analyst. Share Bear, also a later addition, helps others to learn about sharing the things they have. The difficulty level and number of the villains is adjusted according to the strength and number of the heroes grouped together. Secret's tummy symbol is a red heart-shaped padlock. Heroes can venture into mission maps together if they form a team and choose a particular mission as the team's objective. He can only tell secrets to his partner, Friend Bear (as the first movie strongly shows).

It is usually possible to tell, by reading its description, whether a mission is timed before accepting it. Secret Bear, a later addition to the Care Bears family, acts as a mime to the other members. Some missions may be completed at the hero's leisure, but others will have a set time limit which begins counting down as soon as the mission is accepted from the contact. Sea Friend Bear - Another British exclusive in the '80s between Tonka and the World Wildlife Fund, Sea Friend Bear makes sure that the world's oceans and seas are safe from harm. Upon completion, heroes will be rewarded with an XP bonus, influence and occasionally a badge. He is white, and his tummy symbol is a heart adorned with the pattern of the United States flag. As heroes venture further into the mission zone, they usually have to confront a Boss villain, rescue hostages, or find a particular clue. Proud Heart Bear A rare bear, he appeared only as a toy in the '80s franchise.

When heroes reach approximately level 20, they begin to receive outdoor instanced missions set in fenced-off areas as well. Blue in color. Missions, the City of Heroes equivalent of the quests typically found in other MMORPGs are given by non-playable characters (referred to as "contacts") and consist of either a "hunt" mission, where heroes are given the task of arresting a certain number of villains from one of the villain groups, or a private "instanced" mission map created solely for the player's team which is inhabited by a particular gang. Tummy symbol is a bouncing ball with heart in it and a rainbow bounce trail. For instance, Circle of Thorns (a magic using villain group) members can always be found in the hazard zone of Perez Park. Play-a-Lot Bear New in 2006. Certain gangs are more likely to appear in different zones. Image appears courtesy of The Care Bear Zone. .

Groups of villains, all from the same gang and usually all with similar security levels, roam around areas of Paragon City. They only appeared in one Care Bears episode, The Long Lost Care Bears. Perfect and Polite Panda from the Nelvana Care Bears cartoon episode "The Long Lost Care Bears". There are a variety of different villain organisations and gangs in City of Heroes, each with unique attributes. Perfect & Polite Panda - Looking after Paradise up above the skies of Care-a-lot, Perfect & Polite Panda always spoke in rhyme, finishing each other's sentences and complimenting one another's feelings. The Power Pools contain the aforementioned travel powers, as well as other generic, non-class specific powers such as Grant Invisibility, Provoke, Recall Friend, and Boxing. She can be seen dancing with her crush, Tenderheart Bear, at the beginning of the first movie. While each archetype (listed below) has its own unique set of powers and abilities, all players have access to the powers from the ten Power Pools at level six. Though a true believer in the power of love, she is not afraid to help it along.

As heroes grow in level and accumulate more powers, they gain the ability to choose one of four traveling powers: teleportation, super speed, super jumping, and flight, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Love-A-Lot Bear - With two intertwined hearts as her tummy symbol, Love-a-Lot Bear spreads the message of her namesake and makes it grow wherever she goes. Heroes initially move around the zones by slowly jogging, sprinting or if they bought the deluxe edition of the game, sliding by using the Prestige Power Slide power. Her symbol--a laughing star at giving others the giggles--shows what she really is. Players can also travel to hazard or trial zones and the city's sewer system, which teem with large groups of enemies. Laugh-A-Lot Bear - Also a new addition in 2004, Laugh-A-Lot Bear turns her worst mistakes into the best jokes. In player terms, this means to go to a different area you have to either use the monorail operated by the Paragon Transit Authority or the roads that are guarded by the Police. Her tummy symbol is a heart with beams of light radiating out of it.

In story terms, the walls are used to prevent large scale attacks upon the city and to prevent high level enemies from entering low level areas. Hopeful Heart Bear was a new addition to the toy line in 2005. Paragon City, the city in which the game takes place, is divided into different zones by giant energy walls known as "War Walls". Blue in colour. Enhancements are power-ups which players can socket onto powers to improve them permanently. Tummy symbol is 2 music notes and hearts. As a hero's security level increases by doing missions and defeating foes, they gain benefits such as more health, more powers, more slots for holding temporary power-ups called Inspirations, and more enhancement slots for powers. Heartsong Bear new toy coming in 2006.

Low level heroes always have trouble successfully damaging high level villains. She is also one of the mascots of the Sigma Sigma Sigma college sorority in real life. A hero's chance to hit an enemy is determined by the difference between his level and the enemy's threat level. In 2004, it was changed into a multi-coloured flower. Players may choose to skip this tutorial if they like and head straight to one of two starting areas (Atlas Park and Galaxy City). In the second movie (1986), Harmony's symbol was three joint-together hearts (the US version); in the British toys, it was three music notes. It is here they learn about the level system and how to determine which enemies to attack. Her symbol (see below) shows that harmony can be achieved when different people come together for the good of all.

They start their adventure in a tutorial zone that teaches them how to play the game. Harmony Bear, a peace-lover, helps others overcome differences and get along. Players begin by using the game's extensive character creation system to select an archetype and Power Sets, design a unique costume, and write a back story for their hero. Grumpy is a fan favourite. . Grumpy Bear, whose symbol is a grey rain cloud with falling hearts, tells us that it is okay to be grumpy sometimes, but that we should always remember to be caring, even when we are upset and that it is silly when we take our grumpiness too far. Heroes must fight members of various gangs and organizations and complete quests given to them by NPCs in order to accumulate experience points (or "XP") and increase their security level. As a later addition to the toy line, Grams Bear was featured, along with her grandchildren, in the first movie and on some of the Nelvana TV episodes.

In the game, players create superhero player characters who can team up with others to fight various villains in Paragon City and its surrounding areas. A rose stands out as her symbol. Six gratis major updates for City of Heroes have released since its launch, with more on the way for both City of Heroes and City of Villains. A seasoned "veteran," an excellent storyteller, and a valued mentor for the family, she knows just about all there is about being a Bear, and is ready to lend a hand or a patient ear to help anyone in need. On October 31, 2005 the game's first sequel, City of Villains, was launched, allowing users to play as supervillains. Grams Bear - The grandmother of all the Care Bears family, 'Grams Bear' looks after the Kingdom of Caring's two youngest members, Hugs and Tugs (see above). The game was launched in North America on April 28, 2004 and in France, Germany, and the UK (by NCSoft Europe) on 4 February 2005 with Scandinavia, Italy, Spain, and Benelux to follow. What can say better about his mission than (of course) a four-leaf clover on his tummy?.

City of Heroes (CoH) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing computer game based on the superhero comic book genre, developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSoft. Good Luck Bear helps spread his namesake to those he encounters. 6 months for £44.99 (£7.49 per month). In the 2004 toy line and the direct-to-DVD feature, Journey to Joke-a-lot, Funshine was a male bear. 3 months for £23.99 (£7.99 per month). Being happy is what she is all about. 1 month for £8.99. Funshine Bear - A regular in the toy line's animated fare for years, Funshine Bear, Care-a-lot's class clown, has a smiling sun as her tummy symbol--and even a smile on her face.

6 month for €64.99 (€10.83 per month). Two smiling flowers show up on her tummy symbol. 3 months for €34.99 (€11.66 per month). Friend Bear, one of the original ten Bears, is the ideal friend for everyone she meets. 1 month for €12.99. Forest Friend Bear - A joint exclusive between Tonka and the World Wildlife Fund for the '80s British and Australian franchise, Forest Friend Bear's job is to help keep forested areas safe. 12 months for $143.40 ($11.95 per month). She has been revamped in 2004 by Play Along Toys, her tummy symbol is a heart shaped planet Saturn with stars around it.

6 months for $77.70 ($12.95 per month). Her tummy symbol, two heart-shaped balloons, shows that, with imagination, there is a rainbow of happiness that we can create. 3 months for $41.85 ($13.95 per month). She is constantly getting into funny little scrapes because her mind is somewhere else. 1 month for $14.99. Day Dream Bear - Made exclusively for the British version of the franchise in the 1980s, Day Dream Bear shows that daydreams are fun and help inspire people to do things, but also shows how to pay attention. IGN, Best of E3 2002 - Runner Up - Best MMOG. However, he is the only one in the Kingdom of Caring who cannot fly a kite!.

Game Critics Awards, Nominee - Best Online Multiplayer - E3 2002. His symbol--a colourful kite--reminds everyone that the sky's the limit when you do your best. Game Revolution, Best of E3 2003 - Best Online Game. Do-Your-Best Bear - A recent addition to the toy line (2004), Do-Your-Best Bear helps people be the best they can. Game Critics Awards, Best Online Multiplayer - E3 2003. A rainbow stands out as her symbol. GameSpy, Editor’s Choice - May 28, 2004. Cheer Bear - One of the original ten, Cheer Bear's job (see picture below) is to make people feel their happiest.

Gamespy, Game of the Month - May 2004. He appeared in some of the Nelvana episodes and made a cameo appearance in the beginning of the third movie, Adventure in Wonderland. Gamespot, Game of the Month - May 2004. A yellow trophy with a heart is his symbol. IGN, Editor’s Choice - May 28, 2004. Champ Bear - The Kingdom of Caring's sports guru, Champ Bear encourages the message of playtime--he is especially good at games he has never played before. Warcry, Best Expansion - City of Villains - E3 2004. His symbol is a cupcake with one candle on it.

Actiontrip, Editor’s Choice - June 3, 2004. Birthday Bear knows how to celebrate his namesake all the time. The Adrenaline Vault, Seal of Excellence - June 15, 2004. Her tummy symbol is a star and heart connected by a rainbow. Loadedinc, Hot Property Award - June 30, 2004. Best Friend Bear - Added to the line in 2004, this Bear helps by showing that you can always find someone to be your friend. Game Informer, PC Game of the Month - July 2004 Issue. His tummy symbol (see above) says everything best about his job.

Computer Gaming World, Editor's Choice - August 2004. Bedtime Bear - The sleepiest Bear of them all, Bedtime Bear makes sure that people get a good night's sleep all over the world. Computer Games Magazine, Editor’s Choice - August 2004 Issue. Bashful Heart Bear - The shyest of the Care Bears, added to the toy line in 2004, her tummy symbol is a heart hiding behind a cloud with a rainbow. Games Magazine, Game of the Year 2004. His tummy symbol, a smiling Star Buddy inside a diaper, reflects his bright and happy personality. Wargamer, Award for Excellence - October 14, 2004. Baby Tugs' aspiration is to become a Care Bear himself and join the other Bears on missions in caring.

Billboard 2004 Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards, Multiplayer Game of the Year - November 5, 2004. The two siblings, looked after by their grandmother, Grams Bear (see below), are the youngest members of the Care Bears family. Billboard 2004 Digital Entertainment Conference & Awards, PC or Console Game of the Year - November 5, 2004. Baby Tugs Bear (often called Tugs), whose sister is Baby Hugs Bear, is a rough and tumble little boy cub who always gets into mischief. GameSpy.com, PC Games of the Year - December 24, 2004. A Star Buddy inside a pink box—her tummy symbol—shows her personality. Spike TV, MMORPG Game of the Year - December 15, 2004. Sweet, curious and loving, she can never go anywhere without being hugged by anyone.

Computer Gaming World, MMORPG Game of the Year - February 2005. Baby Hugs Bear (often called Hugs), along with her brother, Baby Tugs Bear, with whom she often gets into mischief, is the youngest member of the Care Bears family. Hamidon enhancements are only level 50. Orange in colour. For example, a level 6 character can use enhancements level 3 through 9. Tummy symbol is a flower with heart petals. The difference of the level of the enhancement and the character must be within 3. Amigo Bear New in 2006.

Level is a number on the enhancement that determines what security level a character can be to use it. Her shooting-star tummy symbol reminds America to lift up their red, white and blue by caring for those around them, and making their country--and the world--a better place. Hamidon, Crystal Titan, and Hydra enhancements can be used by any origin and give a 33% boost in two or three different categories (for example, it might do both damage and accuracy). America Cares Bear - A brand-new addition to the famous toy line (2004), America Cares Bear is the Kingdom of Caring's most patriotic member, a happy and energetic bear who believes that America's greatest strength is in caring. Single Origin enhancements can be used by only one origin and give about a 33% boost. Dual Origin enhancements can be used by only two origins and give about a 16.5% boost.

Training enhancements can be used by any origin and give about an 8.3% boost. Origin type determinates which origins can use a specific enhancement and how large its boost is: