Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern.
The DC Universe has seen its fair share of video games.
Some are classic and really good while some are considered by many to be the worst video
games ever made.
Much like movies, there are always people out there that want to take something, make
it a video game in an effort to make a profit based off its popularity outside of the video
game industry.
MMORPG’s are not immune to this practice either.
Here we have the combination of all of these forces into one entity.
This is DC Universe Online!
Before I get started, I’ll just let you know this isn’t going to cover the entire
game and every single feature.
The fact that Massive is part of the genre, not only the number of people playing out
there, but often the scope of the game too, is the reasoning behind that.
MMORPG’s often try to cater to as wide of a fan base as possible, so you’ll have PvP
and PvE mixed together, solo, small group and large raid game play all mixed into one
title.
This review will cover my first impressions, and mostly PvE solo content.
Perhaps further reviews will follow covering more content in detail.
OK then, enough talk on with the hero work!
Released in early 2011 by Sony Online Entertainment, DCUO throws you into the world of the DC Universe
to fight among the ranks of Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains.
You will create a super powered human to your liking.
There are several powers, fighting styles and weapons, and movement powers to choose
from.
Mix and match however you want and create the look of your player as well.
This is one of DCUO strongest points.
Character creation alone can take quite a while designing the type of character you
want to play.
The options are pretty much limitless.
Once you’re done and you decide whether you want to be good or bad, you begin by escaping
from one of Brainiac’s ships to play through the tutorial.
Now this is possibly the make or break point for most people playing.
DCUO is an action MMO and heavy on the action and heavy on the clicking if you’re playing
on PC.
Nope you won’t be waiting for cooldowns and spamming lightning bolts in this MMO,
you’ll be smashing, slashing, shooting, pounding or blasting baddies throughout game
play.
The game designers wanted to get away from the auto-attack, spell casting MMORPG feel
for one that kept you more engaged and moving in battle.
Overall, it works fairly well.
Auto targeting and clicking like crazy will take out most of your foes and as you progress
and become more powerful, you’ll have a bigger arsenal at your disposal.
I think my favorite part of the game is that it makes you feel like you really are in Metropolis
or Gotham City fighting with the heroes and bad guys we know and love.... or maybe hate
because you’ll be fighting some famous faces as well.
Comic book fans will definitely get a kick out of smashing faces with Superman and getting
direct orders from Batman himself.
Now it is more action based than some other popular MMO’s but it will have a lot familiar
elements as well.
Missions are your quests you’ll be completing in DCUO, with your usual objectives like defeat
X number of enemies or find X number of quest items.
The missions are pretty streamline however.
One flowing right into another via your communicator and mission journal.
Definitely an improvement over having to run back and forth between quest hub and quest
area.
And again your fights are against Grog’s forces or the Joker’s henchmen.
The immersion into the comic book world is definitely a lot of fun to play.
There is a lot to keep you busy, PvP arena, small group Alerts you can queue in and endgame
raids to strive for.
A lot of solo content too if you’re not into the whole massive side of it.
Collections, achievements, costume pieces, there are things all over the place to find.
So does DCUO compete with big name single-player titles that were released this past year,
or other MMO’s out there?
Well the answer is kind of simple... find out for yourself because as of November, DCUO
is free to play.
Yup suiting up and saving the day won’t cost you anything...
mostly.
Free to try would actually be a better way to put it.
Your free account is pretty limited with only 2 characters slot and limited inventory, chat,
storage and trade options.
Premium is only $5, unlocking a bit more content and for a monthly subscription of $14.99,
you’ll become Legendary and unlock all features and DLC packs.
It’s worth the $5 at least, in my opinion.
If you really like being super and the action style of combat, $15 may not seem that much
to you.
But try it out first, you never know, you may be Earth’s next legend!