SDCC’08: DC Universe Online

The articles and stories coming out of the San Diego Comic Con regarding the upcoming DC Universe Online MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) Game, haven’t been very detailed, but here’s what we know so far…

• The game will use the Unreal 3 engine for physics based games.  If you are in the path of a bus that another character has thrown, be prepared to get knocked down and suffer some damage.
• There will be accessible environments.  If you have speed based powers, you may literally be able to run up the sides of buildings.
• There are two ways to create characters in the game; the inspired method that allows for theme based concepts (everyone will be like Batman) and the free form method.  I believe City of Heroes also has highly customized characters.  I hope it is a mix of that and World of Warcraft, or else users will be spending too much time building characters than playing the game.
• The game will be simultaneously on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC systems.  Where’s the Mac guys?  This could be the big deal breaker for me.
• Raiding will most likely be in teams of 4 to 6, which is nice for those that aren’t into huge 20 man raids, although there may be a need for larger raids for the Tomb of Isis segment of the game.
  Tomb of Isis.  An instance where you go after Black Adam perhaps?  Wicked cool.
• Jim Lee’s involvement in the game is ongoing.
• Players can work through a mentor like the Batman or The Joker (called Side Kick For Real), or they can strike out on their own with the Patrol (good) or Prowl (bad) PvP interaction.
• At this time there is no clear answer to if characters or storylines from the game will appear in the comics.
• Ambush Bug appears in the game.
• Based on the distinctive, acclaimed artwork and designs of comic book legend Jim Lee.
• Iconic DC Comic settings and characters, from Gotham City to Arkham Asylum, Batman to Blue Beetle.
• Players can enter a persistent DC Universe and fight alongside their favorite heroes and villains to play their own adventure in the mythology of these legendary characters and locales.
• DCUO will be an online world that stays true to the DC Comics property and allows players to feel and act like super heroes or villains.

“This is a big step forward for DC Comics because it really expands how our fans can participate in the DC Universe,” said Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics. “Working with our colleagues at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and the talented folks at SOE, DC Universe Online is going to provide a dramatic new setting for the DC world to grow and unfold.”

Even though Blizzard is the King of the MMO Mountain, I really hope DC Universe Online is a solid enough game to make me want to play until the wee hours of the morning.   Jim Lee told IGN that the game definitely does not suck.

“This is a one-of-a kind type of game, and a lot of love has already gone into it,” added Jim Lee. “DCUO will be able to tap into DC Comics, which goes back more than 70 years, and use it in ways that comic and gaming fans have never seen before. DCUO is in many ways a reinvention of the traditional MMO; it’s a hybrid between the traditional MMO and a button-mashing, console-action game.”

The bad news?  Still no release date.

[quicktime]http://www.majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07a/dcuonline/Batman.mov[/quicktime] Double-Click Image to play.