Games Radar recognizes with this article that City of Heroes is "one of the five truest superhero experiences" in gaming. The others are: Ultimate Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse and The Punisher.

But Games Radar recognize that "All the other games represented here are based on existing comic heroes (and Marvel ones, at that) - but only City of Heroes lets you make your own".