For me CoH was all about timing. I was a new Chief transferring from overseas arriving mid APR. So I missed Beta and the first few weeks but early May one of my Sailors was talking with this Marine about this super hero game and well, I rolled home, stopped at the CompUSA that was right by my place and there it was, sitting there. Bought it, and played until 3 AM, realizing I had to be up in two hours to roll. So I just played until the buzzer buzzed.
It was my way of decompressing from a day of Chiefly duties (translated, tedium with occasional bursts of anger action). I made friends in the game and surprised a few of my troops when I would chime in on CoH conversations. It was the only MMO I even played up to that point. When It shut down I was crushed.
Now here were are, celebrating an Anniversary in game, not in some forum talking about it in past tense but in the present live, with new stuff. Its glorious really. It makes me feel young.