After years of watching PC gamers enjoy World of Warcraft, console fans will finally receive a quality MMO. Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online will hit both the PC and the PlayStation 3, allowing players to team up with popular superheroes and villains to save the day or destroy it.
Like most massively multiplayer online games, SOE's allows you to create your own character. After outfitting online personas with spandex, capes and other cool things, you'll select from a wide range of super powers. For example, if you choose a ring (ala Green Lantern) then your character's powers will emanate from it. Furthermore, you'll further specialize in various abilities, transforming your lump of clay into a sword-wielding acrobatic martial artist with enough strength to pick up trucks and hurl them at enemies.
During your travels, you'll explore persistent worlds teeming with activity. Civilians go about their business and random crimes occur. In fact, you can abandon all the missions and beat up low-level thugs to pass the time. Not only is it rewarding, but you'll also gain valuable experience that'll boost your character's attributes.
If you do select a mission, you'll fight alongside DC's most popular superheroes. SOE demoed a mission where they, as heroes, teamed up with Superman to battle Doomsday. That's but one scenario you'll face, and you'll eventually thwart Lex Luthor's evil schemes and switch over to other universes to fight such famous bad guys as The Joker.
Combat is fast paced and intense, as everyone busts our their super powers, resulting in giant fists pummeling the ground, x-ray vision cutting through objects and various explosions rocking the playfield. Keep in mind that characters (including your own) cannot die but instead get knocked out for various amounts of time (eight or more seconds). To speed along the process, you can call on your still conscious buddies to come along and wake you up.
Much of the fun playing DC Universe Online comes from exploring the enormous cities (SOE has officially announced both Metropolis and Gotham) and causing destruction. Not only can you smack bad guys into the dirt with your fists, but you can also encase them in bubbles/freeze your enemies and then propel them hundreds of feet into the air. And if you'd rather take in the sights, you can always take flight or speed along the water, depending on your character's assigned skills.
All of this would fall apart with a poorly designed interface, but both the PC and PS3 control schemes were a joy to use. PC users can immediately jump into the action using WASD controls, and PlayStation 3 fans will feel right at home using the DualShock 3, where they'll use the left stick to maneuver their character, the right to adjust the camera and the face buttons to fly, jump and punch. Press and hold the L2 or R2 buttons, and the face buttons (triangle, circle, square and X) become the gateway to your hero/villain's super powers. Just keep in mind that each power needs recharging after use; you can't run into a fight expecting to use the same one in rapid succession.
Aside from some camera issues, DC Universe Online is one of the year's most promising video games. Comic book fans will immediately fall in love with its wide range of costumes, art style and assorted DC characters, while both console and PC users will enjoy what appears to be a well-designed and enjoyable MMO that'll stand apart from the cookie cutter Lord of the Rings-inspired fantasy games. Now all we need to do is use our super powers to uncover the release date.
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