(Still) holding out for a hero
Format: PS3 (version played), PC Dev: Sony Online Entertainment Pub: Sony Online Entertainment Out: 14/01/11 Players: 1+ online
DC Universe is the long awaited MMORPG from Sony Online Entertainment, released simultaneously on PC and, unusually for the genre, the PS3.
Attempting to fit a whole canonical universe into a video game, must be daunting. Especially one with such a dedicated fan base. Satisfying an audience well known for being scrupulous and pedantic can’t be an easy task. Nobody playing DCUO with any prior knowledge of the DC Comics will be fully sated.
The opening sequence is a stunning piece of cinematic CGI. It’s like a fan-made piece of cinema (albeit a very talented one) with all the well known characters being introduced and very quickly wiped out. Iconic powers are being used at their most impressive and references rush past faster than the Flash doing a 100m sprint.
In a post-apocalyptic vision of the future it appears only the superheroes and villains are left battling for supremacy. We see Superman’s violent final defeat at the hands of his nemesis, the mortal but maniacal Lex Luthor. With no heroes left to fight on the side of good, Lex soon realises his mistake as the sky fills with Brainiac’s fleet of spacecraft, ready to absorb and then destroy the planet. Lex Luthor escapes to the past taking with him the technology to turn normal humans into superfied meta-humans. That’s where you come in.
First things first. Choosing your character is detailed but in comparison to DCUO’s rivals, not detailed enough. With three body types to choose from: big, not so big, or weedy sidekick, and a huge range of truly, truly terribly designed costumes, the game doesn’t start off allowing a real sense of ownership over your avatar. The lack of any more in-depth tools to alter the body presets is baffling.
Heroes are given the choice of three mentors: Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman. Villains are offered Lex Luthor, The Joker or Circe. There are several power types to select and one of three movement modes to choose from: flight, super speed, or acrobatics. I went for a flying hero with telekinetic powers, mentored by Batman. His name is Watson and he looks like a seedy steam-punk Burt Reynolds meets Blade Runner.
You start as a nobody in the super-community, an accidental hero or villain suddenly given a basic set of powers that aren’t fully manifested then thrust into the battle between good, evil, and that murky space in between. It’s time to earn your wings (or your cape, if you choose to wear one).
The first five levels are a basic introduction to your basic powers, button-bashing against basic enemies and flying around a basic world. It’s a strange, only slightly enjoyable introduction to an MMO. Luckily, levelling up happens quickly and you’re soon unlocking new powers and being allocated better quests. Oracle, a hero’s main point of contact within the Justice League is constantly updating your task list while Batman, who comes across as an unsupportive father figure, dishes out the faintest of praise for grinding your way through a task. It’s more than enough for now, but at level 40 I’ll be expecting a hug and a ride in the Batmobile from the grumpy cave-dweller.
Shallow relief comes at level nine with the burden of limited powers finally lifting. Gaining the power of faster flight doesn’t sound like much to get excited about, but it really helps. Sadly, the quests pass by with little variation. Each involves a similar set of requirements: defeat X henchman, collect X items, break X objects. The payoff comes when you reach the Supervillain masterminding the nefarious plan which you are attempting to thwart. This is where the most thought and effort has been spent and amazingly, it gets interesting.
The ‘boss’ interactions are well made and make exciting use of each supervillain’s own iconic power. The comic style cinematics unlocked after their defeat are stunning and lovingly made. Fighting Bane in a lighthouse while he’s souped up on Venom and causing the walls to fall down felt like an experience deserving of a DC Universe title.
After crawling closer to the higher levels, it’s clear the small pleasures make DCUO worth the grind. Discovering the Bat-Signal, The Daily Planet, and Crime Alley made the DC fan in me genuinely excited. I felt a sense of achievement and recognition before the Trophy icon popped up to tell me what I’d found was important to this world. Around the cities of Gotham and Metropolis there is an abundance of landmarks and reference points taken from the comics with simple exploration quests to help you find your way around.
This is great for fans, but without prior knowledge of the DC Universe, I can’t see there being enough to create the instinctual desire to explore that is so important when immersing in a thriving virtual world. This separates DCUO from other games that do it so successfully like the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series; worlds where the depth of imagination far exceeds that shown here. Even in Fallout: New Vegas where the majority of the map is desert wasteland, there are secrets to find and surprises around every sand dune.
While playing DCUO I feel the time passing and I forget quests almost as soon as they finish – understandable when they all bleed into one. That’s not what I want from a game. I want a lasting experience, not durationally but emotionally. I want to be in a vibrant, interesting world. I want my money’s worth and for the subscription fee that is demanded (£9.99 per month), DCUO needs to be more valuable. Perhaps that will come in time, with updates, improved social tools, a larger community of players and a wider variety of, well, everything else.
For a game about justice, be it the pursuit or perversion of, it does none for the DC Universe and has disappointed a lifelong fan. This is currently a world where the bad outnumbers the good.
Lee Nicholls
[Ed. Our reviewer’s verdicts are based on over a month of the initial DC Universe Online experience on PS3, and should be considered views of an evolving title.]
Tags: comics, dc comics, dc universe, fantasy, mmo, online, sci-fi, sony, sony online entertainment
Wow! I just love this game. It is my favorite game…. Thanks for this post….