Finally, an MMO that looks like it just might reach console gamers.
Saturday afternoon, Jim Lee, Mark Hamil, and other members of the DCU Online creative team, along with host, Greg Miller of IGN, grouped together for a panel to show off where the long awaited game is at on its timeline. The game was playable on the exhibit hall floor for both the PlayStation 3 and PC and was playing much smoother than versions shown at previous Comic Cons.
The panel began with Lee showing off a brand new, previously unseen, trailer of DCU Online that was done by Blur, the same group of artists that made the fully cinematic trailer for Star Wars: the Old Republic. The trailer shows the DC world in the future, with major characters being depicted slightly different than were used to, but definitely recognizable. All of your iconic favorites were on hand for a battle that ultimately resulted in the fall of the superheroes; just in time for Braniac to invade the entire planet. As a result, Lex Luthor dips through time and allows the entire planet to have superheroes. See that? They made an origin to a DC MMO that would actually explain why thousands of superheroes are instantly created. Hamil explained his excitement regarding his continued role as joker in a charismatic was that could only come out of the man who played Luke Skywalker. As a fan service, various lines and witty dialogue was delivered in his now recognizable Joker tone.
DCU Online differs from most MMOs because it shares more attributes with a hack-and-slash action/RPG. Command spamming has taken a back seat and has been replaced with a more active battle system. Grinding and other various traditional MMO attributes have been altered and streamlined in a way that makes sense for the fast-paced nature of comic books. In addition to customizing your character (which was very very very lightly touched on), you will also be able to play iconic missions where you take the role of your favorite DC characters through familiar storylines. The team intends on having constant updates to the game in order to keep it going on for years. When asked about the difference between DCU Online and City of Heroes, the team responded with “It has awesome.” Sounds good to me.
The beta is currently going on and we were lucky enough to grab a few of the beta keys that were given out. Make sure to listen to Geek Thug Radio this week because we’ll be giving a code for our listeners.
DC Universe Online will be officially released to the public on the PlayStation 3 and PC this November 2nd.
-Mr. Lingo
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