I'd like to share my idea for a city, that keeps in line with the Phoenix name. Keeping in mind that the US already has a city named Phoenix.
I'll try and keep this as short as possible. This was originally a comic I was helping to create and write for Image that was put on hold indefinitely.
The premise is that in Phoenix, Arizona, a terrorist threat occurred and a nuclear bomb was planted. The city was quickly evacuating while heroes from around the area and neighboring states and cities flocked to help locate the hidden bomb. A group of young heroes found it in someone's house. They attempted to defuse it, rather than calling for official help. The bomb went off and the majority of Phoenix was destroyed.
In this "universe" there are two main heroes, like your Statesman and Manticore, Superman and Batman, Captain American and Iron Man. They are the Cowl and Sentry. (although Sentry was going to be changed as there area several Sentry heroes we found out in several different comic verses).
Sentry is a scientist who in an emergancy downloaded his brain's information into a computerized prototype. So he is pretty much a robot with a mind inside.
The Cowl is Batman and Iron Man combined, to give you a quick idea. After the destruction, Cowl revealed his secret identity as the CEO/owner of this big corporation (I don't have my story bible in front of me so I down' remember the name. So for this story I'll just call it Cowl Industries.)
I can go into more detail int their relationship and how they are connected but I'll save that for another post.
Cowl with his company rebuilt Phoenix into a New York, Paragon, Millennium, type city. The heart of New Phoenix was right at the center of the where the blast once was, only dozens of meters above. The city is a tech paradise. There are cameras at every intersection. Terminals all over the city where people can access superhero and normal authorities, ask for help, directions, etc, etc.
Cowl also helped push Superhero registration through. Each state has their own versions and whatnot but the story focuses on the city.
All seems great, Cowl even runs for mayor or senator or whatever and is unanimously voted in.
This would be the "origin" story that you are first introduced to upon creation of your character but there is more to it that would be mid level or end game content. I'll explain this now.
What you find out is that these young heroes who found the bomb, actually attempted to contact proper authorities but signals were blocked. The hero known as Sentry showed up on the scene. Without speaking, he killed the groups tech guy, "The Nerd". A fight between these heroes continued until the bomb went off.
You find out that Cowl Industries, not only rebuilt the city, but technically has ownership of all land, buildings and whatever else is within the city. They bought the land, they built it all but facts like these are rather hidden.
In the end, you find that Cowl has a rather dark plan. His view is that humans throughout history always vote or lose their own freedom. He believes that eventually, someone will succeed in taking over the US or the world. So his plans are to slowly take over. He has plans to use Sentry's tech to extend his own life and be the "ruler" of the US (and possibly eventually the world) forever. This way he can be a "soft tyranny" and not let any genocidal dictators take over.
He planted the bomb. He reprogram and suppressed the Sentry's mind and is controlling him and other puppet Sentry bodies. The entire city was build to be a giant robotic brain. Where the current Sentry would exist throughout the entire city. Eventually replaced by Cowl's own brain. All city's would become this, allowing full control of everything.
This would all be found at by the end as you and other heroes take on the Sentry and free his real personality, and then take on the Cowl, who eventually dies but comes back as a robot like the Sentry as a full on baddy.
The game would have two classes as well. Vigilante and Registered hero. Registered heroes work with the authorties, and some even work on a police force, earning a pay check and whatnot. The other would be a vigilante, unregistered and first start of in the shadows more, fighting in the sewers and in poorer areas. The vigs would be able to (near the beginning) gain forged documents and whatnot to appear registered.
Certain game content, story and whatnot, is only accessible if your leader is one or the other. Vigs, even with forged stuff wouldn't be able to do the higher up political stuff, body guarding Cowl or something. While Regs (registered heroes) wouldn't meet with a resistance that doesn't like the registration acts and are worried about things Cowl and our government is doing.
By the end though it doesn't matter as you reveal the real baddy and the city is set free.
So at first everything is hunky doory. You have your stereotypes of a city being rebuilt, you have some of your main heroes. You have a hero like Cowl being removed and a hero role that is left absent, for the "player's" hero to fill.
There would be major downtown zones like Atlas and Steel Canyon. A warehouse district like KR. Even an "old Phoenix" area where you can have your faultline, boomtown, type places. Maybe not as destroyed as boomtown though.
What do ya think?
