Tomorrow, 4 February 2006, marks the one-year anniversary of City of Heroes being released in Europe!

Although we’ll also be celebrating the two-year anniversary of the game’s original US release later this year in April, we thought it would be a nice touch to mark this occasion with a celebration of our own, and what better way to celebrate than with a competition?

Read on to find out what you need to do to enter, and what’s up for grabs…

Many things have changed in Paragon City over the last 12 months, and we would like to know what you been through in that time. Yes, you – not only your characters in the game.

Being a hero in Paragon City has been a part of your life since you started playing. You’ve most likely had many memorable in-game moments, but as your hero progresses, so do you and the world around you. You may have found in-game friendships that stay with you even when you’re not donning your tights. You might have been to unimaginable places in Paragon City, but maybe you’ve also been travelling around the real world (albeit without those handy travel powers).

So give us an insight into your double life, through story, through video, through the medium of dance… if you really must. The choice of the format is up to you, just make it creative and make it personal! We will present the best entries on our websites and recognise the best efforts with fantastic prizes representing the first year of City of Heroes in Europe.

The prizes

We will choose a total of three winners - one for each of the three regions (English, French, German). Each will receive the following nifty prizes:

• A full year’s free subscription to City of Heroes and/or Villains.
• A copy of City of Villains: Deluxe Edition
• A copy of Robert Weinberg’s novel Web of Arachnos which tells you more about the origin of Statesman and Lord Recluse.
• One Battlepack™ and one booster pack of AEG’s new City of Heroes card game.
• A mighty statue of Statesman

Entry deadline

Updated: Deadline extended to Tuesday, 7 March!

How to take part

Sit down, think about the time since you started playing City of Heroes and what you’ve done. Pick your favourite moments in or out of the game and think of a way to show us your experiences, then send them to us via email, either with the attached file or a link to it, to ukcompetitions@cityofheroes.com. (Please include the board name that you use in the official forums).

You can use pictures, artwork, video, sounds or music, text, or any other format or medium that you can think of. How you represent your chosen experiences is entirely up to you.

Please take notice of the following limitations, however:

• The maximum size of the attached file is 1MB. If you want to submit a bigger file, please upload it to a file-sharing service or site and send us a link to it.
• Executable files (.exe) are not allowed. You can always ask one of the community coordinators in the official forums if you are unsure about the file type you want to use.

If you haven’t been playing City of Heroes right from the start, don’t worry. All our players are welcome to enter this competition.

Terms and Conditions
In addition to the rules and guidelines above, the following terms and conditions apply to this competition:

1. If you are less than 18 years old you must read these terms and conditions with an adult.
2. This competition is open to all European residents, aged 12 years and over, except for employees of NCsoft or their immediate families or any companies or agencies directly connected with the creation and administration of these competitions.
3. NCsoft reserves the right to verify the eligibility of applicants and check their identity.
4. No payment is necessary to enter this promotion.
5. Only one entry can be submitted per game account. Multiple entries will be disqualified.
6. NCsoft’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
7. Prizes are non-transferable, non-negotiable and no cash alternatives will be offered.
8. NCsoft reserves the right to substitute a prize for another prize of equal value.
9. All entries to the competition and the copyright in them shall become the property of NCsoft, worldwide and in perpetuity, and each applicant agrees to waive any moral rights to be identified as the author of the information submitted.
10. NCsoft will not accept responsibility for loss through technical fault, incomplete, illegible or other damaged entries. Proof of entry is not automatically proof of receipt.
11. By participating, each applicant agrees to abide by and be bound by these terms and conditions without alteration.
12. NCsoft reserves the right to cancel or amend these terms and conditions without notice or compensation.