Dubbed "Ultra Mode," the optional enhancements are said to deliver "a superior graphics rendering process...that will give City of Heroes a new look and feel with a heightened level of detail in lighting, reflections, shadows and water effects."

Other tweaks coming in Issue 17--"the last major update to City of Heroes before the highly anticipated Going Rogue expansion," says NCsoft--are as follows:

• New badges, new missions and new player emotes
• Epic Archetypes now available at level 20
• Improvements and additions to Mission Architect
• Enhancements to UI and game systems
• And dozens more

It was also noted that those who pre-order the upcoming $29.99 "Going Rogue" expansion will get early access to two power sets--"the Dual Pistols power set" beginning March 2, and "the Demon Summoning power set" at some point in April.

Meanwhile, a forthcoming $39.99 retail release that bundles City of Heroes, City of Villains and City of Heroes: Going Rogue will likewise offer some bonus goodies:

• Alpha- and Omega-themed auras
• Alpha and Omega themed costumed sets
• Four stance emotes
• The Shadowy Presence invisibility power

Initially developed by Cryptic Studios, City of Heroes is now entirely in the hands of publisher NCsoft, with the now Atari-owned Cryptic having recently released both a new super-powered MMO (Champions Online) and Star Trek Online.