COX: The Marine

Dossier Record #: 03126482

Name: Adrian James Shepard
Aliases: Marine, Soldier, "Rank"
Current Alias: Marine

Affiliations: USMC, Rangers
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Base of Operations: Paragon City

Alignment: Good
Identity: Public
Occupation: Librarian, Soldier, Government Operative
Education: High School, Newcastle High School

Origins: Natural Human
Universe: Primal Earth
Place of Birth: Newcastle, Wyoming, United States of America

From one warzone to another. Adrian scans the horizon looking for crimes to fight.

BACKGROUND

Adrian grew up in a big family and is 3rd child of his four other siblings. Jason & Marcel his two older brothers. Rourke his younger brother & Emily his youngest sister. His parents & grandparents before him were all farmers and the family lived together in a farming community.

Unlike his two older brothers, Adrian wanted to go outside the community and see the world. By the time he graduated from High School, he realized he will not be able to fulfill his dreams unless he goes to university. Which is not possible given his meagre finances. His parents saw little need to do so as they were content with being farmers.

When the US Marine Corps came by town for a recruitment drive. Adrian was amongst the first to enlist in return for a scholarship. After his training, Adrian was deployed to numerous areas of conflict.

His commanding officers eventually took notice of him and sent him for rangers training earning his tab. He was subsequently reassigned to a special forces unit which saw the fiercest combat in various warzones.

Adrian fulfilled his goals of seeing the world although not in the manner or way he had expected. The unit he was in had a 100% mission success rate until the last mission. Found drifting in the arctic ocean on an ice floe by a eco-activist. The Sea Shepards eventually radioed for help and handed the severely wounded Adrian over to U.S Naval forces in the vicinity.

The rest of his unit was never found and Adrian was unable to recall any events related to this mission. Following this event, Adrian was pulled out from his unit and given leave from active service. Investigation was still underway even after his recuperation.

Unable to return to active service anytime soon. Adrian decided to further his studies in Paragon City. There he learnt of the perils that faced the City and decided to volunteer for crime fighting action in his spare time.


POWERS

None. An ordinary human being with no special powers or abilities. Military conditioning and training has given Adrian a much tougher and stronger physique than most human beings. Although capable of performing extraodinary at times, he is aware of his limitations. He constantly keeps himself in tiptop shape to ensure that he will be at his best when the situation demands it.


ABILITIES

Marksmanship. Adrian's tough and rigorous training coupled with his superb hand eye coordination means that he can hit a target fairly accurately even after making great movements.

Leaps & bounds. He was a gold medalist in hurdle jumping back in High School and never stopped training. His ability to jump over great heights has impressed his military instructors. Who knows his ability may have even exceed the best olympic jumper but Adrian is in no hurry to find out.


EQUIPMENT

XF-32B - OICW
The latest Objective Individual Combat Weapon. Adrian once rescued a scientist from a top secret mission and he has allowed Adrian access to this prototype.
An extremely versatile weapon, its capable of single shots, controlled burst, full auto & an alternative firing mode allows for sniper fire. It also incorporates a pump action shotgun as well as a grenade launcher.

UT-X21 Targetting Drone
This drone will follow the user autonomously. It scans its surroundings, calculate wind speed velocity, bullet trajectories, ricochet angles and various other factors that may affect the accuracy of the human. The data it process is then remotely sent to the XF-32B - OICW that helps minimize human error and calibrate the shot fired in nano seconds.

COX: The Commander

Dossier Record #: 03126298

Name: Alan Hackett
Aliases: The Commander, Sergeant Major, LT
Current Alias: LT

Affiliations: Imperial Defense Force, Invekto Technology
Rank: Lieutenant (Last held rank)
Base of Operations: Praetoria

Alignment: Neutral
Identity: Public
Occupation: Soldier, Praetoria Powers Division, Sales Manager
Education: Bach. Political Science, Graduate of Technology: Standford University

Origin: Natural Human
Universe: Praetoria Earth
Place of Birth: Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Lt. Alan with his men securing a Syndicate chopper

BACKGROUND

A veteran of the Hamidon Wars. Alan had just graduated from university & planned a future with his fiancee. However all these came to an end when the war broke out. Alan saw with his own eyes how the Devouring Earth took the lives of his friends & family.

Although filled with grief, Alan was not one to give up on life so easily & enlisted with the British Army. Hoping to do his part for humanity. The war brutal and the army was losing both ground & men to the Devouring Earth. By the time Alan heard of Marcus Cole's victory over Hamidon. Most of his COs were already killed. Leaving Alan the only one left in command of his unit and the survivors that they picked up.

Wasting no time, Alan rounded up everyone and made their way towards Praetoria. The journey was dangerous and the group would have been annihilated if it were not for Alan's leadership.
When Cole proclaimed himself Emperor, he promoted Alan to the rank of Captain within the Imperial Defense Forces in recognition of his abilities & contribution. During this time, Alan battled against the Devouring Earth in an effort to retake the world from the monsters.

A decade later, he retired from active service and resumed a civilian life. Years have past, but Alan has never found anyone to replace his beloved. To fill the void within him, Alan then took up community work. Reaching out to youth, he steered them away from a life crime & gave them a purpose.

The orphans were taught how to fend for themselves and how they could contribute positively to society. As many of the orphans lost their families during the war. Most of them looked up to Alan as though he was their father. Even those that didn't held great respect for what Alan has done for them.

The peace however did not last long as elements threatening the peace & stability of Praetoria is on the rise. Attacks had been made on public amentities & fire fights were spilling into the streets.

Swearing to uphold the peace at any cost, Alan came out of retirement & took on the mantle known as High Command. This time he wasn't alone. The orphans he once helped are now young men, ready to do their part for Praetoria.

POWERS

Charismatic. Possessing non of the exceptional super powers of telepathy or mind control. Alan simply oozes with confidence & leadership. People are drawn to him, paying rapt attention when he speaks and follows his lead when he commands.

ABILITIES

Experience. Having Charisma is not enough. Alan went through the school of hardknocks and gained combat experience in a live fire environment instead of a boot camp. It is precisely this why the boys are willing to follow his lead into battle. Trusting his experience to bring them home in one piece and victorious.

Powerful & Eloquent Orator. Alan knows exactly what to say and how to say it in any situation. His voice is clear & articulated. Resonating with either command or empathy when he needs to. Such is his persuasiveness that he is able to convince someone to purchase something that they don't need and even find a use for it.

Technical Specialist. While he is no expert Alan brushes up his knowledge on the latest technology. He keeps himself updated and constantly tinkers with various technological hardware. As such he is able to operate some of the latest military hardware with ease.


EQUIPMENT

M18 AR / M205-B GL
Alan carries the modified M18 assault rifle outfitted with a M205-B mini grenade launcher. Its a far more advanced model than the M16 but outdated by current day Praetoria. Alan continues using it out of nolstagia. The weapon has been carefully maintain and also retrofitted with new technology to ensure it does not become entirely obselete.

Norika Razor X12-5 Radio
A special walkie-talkie designed and built by Alan himself. It has encrypted channels for him to communicate with his boys. He named it after his fiancee who died early in the Hamidon Wars.

Inovek-Halifax Wrist ComputerA small device strapped to his wrist. Alan uses this to operate the more complex hardware available in his arsenal. Amongst these are:

Zirata Triage Beacon - Which saturates surrounding area with nanobots & pulses with electromagnetic waves that heals wounds and acts as a pain dampener.

Horzenkov Acid Turret - Deploys a stationary turret that uses advanced IFF that cannot be hacked. The turret will automatically fire at any hostile targets that gets too close.

Halifax-Sugumi Repulsor Drone - This small robot tracks the users movement and follows closely behind while generating a force field that protects friendlies within its dome.

COX: The White Knight

Dossier Record #: 03126563

Name: Carleox Belmont
Aliases: The White Knight, Meat Shield
Current Alias: Meat Shield

Affiliations: None
Base of Operations: Praetoria Earth

Alignment: Good
Identity: Public
Occupation: None, Loafer
Education: Not Applicable

Origins: Natural Human
Universe: Praetoria Earth
Place of Birth: Unknown

Carleox searches the riverbank for any clues of his origins

BACKGROUND

Carleox was found severely wounded & unconcious on the river bank by a physician named Dr Chandra while she was out taking a stroll. Despite trying his best to recall his past, Carleox was unable to recall anything other than his name. To prevent Carleox from moving too much in his wounded condition, Dr Chandra assured Carleox that his memories may return after his recovery.

Months have past & Carleox's injuries are now fully healed yet his memories did not return. Dr Chandra could sense Carleox's agitation and no knowing what to do. She suggested Carleox to seek the help of the authorities. If someone had any answers it might well be one of those superheroes who dabbled in science or magic. Carleox followed her advice, bading her farewell and sought our the Power Division, hoping that they would know what to do with him.

And thus began Carleox's journey in Praetoria!



POWERS

Exceptional Physique. Carleox is strong, healthy and possess an incredible endurance that surpasses most normal human beings even those who had went through military training. Yet Dr Chandra is not able to find any source of genetic alteration of mutation. She surmises that Carleox must have gone through an extremely rigorous training regime in his past which he cannot recall.


ABILITIES

Armed Combatant. Carleox is trained in armed combat specializing with bludgeoning weapons. Its not known where he receives his training from but he is wields these weapons with great ease and strength.

Shield Expert. Carleox can swiftly deflect most attacks from most angles whether it is a melee or a ranged attack.


EQUIPMENT

Platemail.
Carleox still wears the armor he was wearing with exception of the helmet. Which was the only piece missing when Dr Chandra first discovered Carleox along the river bank. He goes to great length to maintain it.

Trusty Knight Shield
A shield of remarkable worksmanship, although not made of exceptional material it is nonetheless well crafted enough to withstand modern day projectiles.
Flanged Mace
A well crafted mace built for balance. Carleox swings this weapon with ease and fluidity.

OMG It works!!! O_o

Look at the bar! Its moving!

On a random evening, out of boredom. I fired up the Sims 3 Launcher and clicked the "download" button on the EA store. To my astonishment, I was actually able to download from the store! I was determined to write off EA for what they have done to Sims 3 as evidenced here and various others... Well, you had to be when a product that you purchased doesn't work as intended.

I couldn't figure out exactly what could have 'solved' this. There were no announcements on the official forums whatsoever either. My ISP, O/S & modem has remained the same so I can only conclude that the change must have taken effect from EA's side of things.

This was rather a pleasant surprise given that the Sims 3 Store has been borked for so long. Many customers outside US and even some in US has been having this problem. Not knowing how long this trend will last, I slipped into a download frenzy. I spent 2 hours scouring through the store looking for all the stuff that I've been missing out on.

I surprised even myself by actually buying Sims Point for the first time. With all the newly downloaded & installed content. I was mollified but that doesn't mean EA is off the hook yet. I'll still be watching them and be more careful with purchasing another EA product.

COX: The Kungfu Kid

Dossier Record #: 03126541

Name: John Keegan Tsui
Aliases: The Kungfu kid, Kickboxer93, The Busybody
Current Alias: The Busybody

Affiliations: None
Base of Operations: Paragon City

Alignment: Good
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Paper boy (Current) Store Assistant, Cashier, Waiter, Storeman, Manual Labourer
Education: High School

Origins: Natural Human
Universe: Primal Earth
Place of Birth: Agincourt, Toronto, Canada

Inspired by comic book kungfu heroes. John based his costume on Kato.

BACKGROUND
John is an Eurasian of mixed heritage. His father is an immigrant from Hongkong & his mother is a Canadian nurse. Both his parents were killed in a plane crash accident when he was 8 years old. John was then sent to live with his Uncle Hark in Paragon City which is located in a rough neighbourhood. The thugs in the neighbourhood ran a tight extortion racket.

Trouble started brewing after another rival gang moved into the neighbourhood and started collecting "protection" fees from the vendors. Uncle Hark had earlier paid protection money and refused to pay again when the rival gang came visiting. Uncle Hark and the gang came to blows but fortunately other vendors intervene and chased of the gang members.

Of course, the gangsters were not content to let this slide. At night while everyone was asleep, they came and set fire to the entire row of shophouses. Although most have escaped, Uncle Hark did not. He had perished after sacrificing himself to save John and his own son Peter.

With the shop gone. Both Peter & John had to take up jobs to make ends meet. Their struggles were made more difficult as the two gangs declared war on each other. There were times when both gangs fought violently in public, raiding each others turf. The aftermath was often bloody and resulted in alot of propety damage. There was nothing the local PPD could do to contain both the gangs. They just didn't have the manpower nor resources to tackle the problem.

Eventually it took the special divisions & entire metropolitan PPD to crack down the two gangs. The once rough neighbourhood was made safer again... but it was too late. John's cousin, Peter was caught in a cross-fire between the two gangs and was killed.

This left an inedible mark on John. He swore that he will do whatever it takes to put the criminals in their place & make the street a safer place. John applied for the PPD but was turned down as he was too young and psychologically unfit for the PPD. His anger & desire for vengeance was too strong and the assessors deemed that he was not yet a suitable candidate.

With Peter gone, John eventually dropped out of high school and started doing odd jobs. A couple of years later. The various other gangs started making forays into the neighbourhood.
John knew that the PPD had their hands full & often had to seek clearance before they could do anything. John has been preparing and is ready to take them on his own terms. This time it will be different.


POWERS

Non. John is an ordinary human with no special abilities. He & Peter has always been obssessed about martial arts and dreams about becoming champions. His collection of comics is a testament to his fanatical devotion. It was only until Uncle Hark's death, Peter & John began to seriously train themselves up. After Peter death, his training only intensified and John only took on manual labour to toughen himself.


ABILITIES

Expert Combatant. John is an expert marital artist who specializes in hand-to-hand combat. His skill is mostly self-taught. From observing others in pratice or handling the school bullies and thugs in the neighbourhood.

High Willpower. John believes in more than just techniques and that physique is also an important aspect. He trains regularly to stay in his best form & constantly pushes himself to the limit to become better. As a result, he is more resilient than the average human.

Maths Expert. Although he left High School halfway and is now back to continue his studies on a part-time basis. He is an expert in mathematical problems. This could be result of Uncle Harks intense abascus training.

Handy. Having done several odd jobs. John can be handy to have around. From helping with cements work to plumbing to electrical sockets. John can help you out in a fix, his work is not professional by any means but it gets the job done. Though it would not hold up to the same standard as that of an expert in their chosen profession.


EQUIPMENT

John dons his trusty leather cap which is a memento from Peter & also his leather jacket which he bought with his first pay cheque. When fighting crime, he puts on his mask to remain incognito and also salvaged metal shoulder pads to protect himself.

CITY OF HEROES

For a 7 year old MMORPG it certainly has its charms and it has to be one of the most unconventional one that I know of. Most traditional MMORPG will have you run the rat's race of endlessly chasing after gear.
While City of Heroes or COX in short.. is not any different. Influence is the mode of currency that players use to purchase recipes, salvages & enhancements. Most of these items augment the stats of your heroes/villians or add an new costume choice. It does however move away from the heavy emphasis of gear/equipment that are the model of progression in most MMORPGs...

Infact, MMORPGs like WoW is all about gear. Not only that the game allows a max level character to group with a relative noob without penalizing them too much. Making this game even friendlier to casual gamers.

As a gamer who has been into MMOs since the days of UO back in the 1998. I am tired of the rat's race and games with similar model of progression can hardly hold my attention anymore. I guess, we have come a long way and grown as a gamer.

For matured MMORPG gamers like myself, COX indeed refreshing despite that I played it before 7 years ago. Even with the new CO or Champions Online that was released not too long ago. I find myself drawn to COX, the costume options are robust and I had fond memories of even though I never reached the end-game.

I suppose its bit like, coming back to finish off where I last left off. And to sweetened the deal, the latest stand-alone expansion COX: Going Rogue was available at $14.99 USD. Which was 50% discount from what it used to cost... and roughly a month subscription of WoW.

Not so bad I suppose, for a 7 year anniversary special.