DC Universe Online Previews

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Written by BuckGB on December 22nd, 2010

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Unimaginative players can even forgo making their own costumes and create a knockoff character that's closely modeled on figures like Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman for heroes or Lex Luthor, the Joker or Circe for villains. These six iconic figures also serve as faction leaders of sorts for all players, and selecting one or the other will affect your character's general storyline and starting city. Since we played as a dual-wielding, fire blasting, coquettish acrobat aligned with the sultry sorceress Circe, many of our quests dealt with harnessing magic.

Gadget powers mimic that of a character like Batman where the majority of his specialty is having top of the line toys to kill enemies. Gadgets allow you to tie up enemies, create turrets and have explosives. The turrets are big, as they act as a stationary companion so you can agro mobs of enemies and bring them back to your turret. The turret is the same level as your character and will stay on the playing field as long as it is not destroyed or you un-summon it.

The gameplay is a strange hybrid between both systems, making it difficult to determine which machine they were focusing on building the game for. The computer (WASD) movement layout is in effect, as well as your stardard issue numbered hotkey bar at the bottom of the screen that has become standard fare for PC MMORPGs, but once you start getting your special powers and abilities, they feel like they were specifically designed for a console brawler (weird, I know). If you're specialized in rifles (I have a thing for the Punisher), instead of just pushing a hotkey for your new power attack, you actually have to execute a movement toward, then a movement away from your target, then push triangle to attack. While this type of combo move isn't too bizarre on the console controller, it feels weird doing this same move on a PC mouse. The whole time I was fighting through Scarecrow's waking nightmare segment outside of the tutorial section in Gotham City, I couldn't help but think the controls were designed specifically for ease of use on a controller.

Quests are given from various comic characters you encounter, and the game sports promising voice acting that will likely be fleshed out even more before release. The quest log is generally easy to follow, with a waypoint indicating where you should be going for your active quest on your minimap and on-screen indication of your objectives, rather typical MMO fare. The combat is fast-paced and arcade style, and it's pretty satisfying. I was able to wade into large groups of opponents and usually come out on the winning end, though it's entirely possible to take on too much even for your superpowers. In that case, you get (knocked out) and can either be revived by a nearby player or respawn at a pre-designated location.

First, you get to create a character and choose your alignment. I chose villain for previously described reasons. Then you choose your mentor. Mentors pretty much decide where you start and what missions you take. I took The Joker, naturally. Then you begin to choose powers. You pick your super powers first, which are kind of limited to be honest. Your typical fire, ice, plants, and mind control type stuff. I chose fire. Then you can choose a skill, which is pretty much either weapon or fighting style. I chose a sledge hammer, which for some reason seemed cool in a really sadistic way. You also get to pick a travel power. The choice is between flight, acrobatics, and super speed. I chose flight.

The game is tailored to the console players, and SOE confirms that the PS3 is their primary target. Since the game only has one build that works both on the PS3 and PC, there are several design choices that are clearly influenced by the players who will be using controllers as opposed to keyboards. (We want to get the console players who are jumping in here who may be a little gun shy when they hear about an MMO. it's almost like training. It's teaching them what the best parts of an MMO are but still keeping that fast paced action,) explains Daubert. To that end, you won't find any tradeskills or crafting in the game. In addition, you can only have 6 active powers on your action bar at once. This is probably due to the controller having limited buttons and is something I disliked about Guild Wars, but you can try to build your skills around it a little bit in order to avoid having too many active skills that aren't being used.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was the fact that the NPCs are voiced. Instead of having to read though a wall of text describing a quest, the NPC quest giver will tell you what you have to do as well as make an entry in your journal containing the audio. This feature is great. One thing I hated about other MMOs was that I had to read a ton of text to really get into the story. This isn't how DCUO works, and I love it. Also, Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman in the cartoons and Batman: Arkham Asylum) voices Batman. I am filled with Bat-fanboy glee.

The city is huge and filled with parks and skyscrapers. The city is reminiscent of GTA4 or inFamous, where various cars are drving around this sprawling metropolis and you can go anywhere you want. I can walk around like a mortal or I can take the easy route and fly. I decide to fly. If I got it, I might as well flaunt it. After flying at a low level just out of reach of traffic, I decide to go vertical. Straight up the side of a mammoth skyscraper. I decide to stand at the top where i can get a better view of the city. The city is huge. It's not as detailed as GTA4, but then again this is only a beta. While perched atop this highrise I notice in the distance several buildings look like they are on fire. And, it looks like projectiles are being launched in the air in all different directions. This can't be good. There may be civilians in danger over there. I leap off the building and head in the direction of the chaos. I fly low through several trees lining a community park.

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