PS3/PC; �29.99 (first month's play included, additional costs of �9.99 a month); cert 3+; Sony
When it comes to Massively Multiplayer Online games, the PC is king. Whether it's World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online or a host of free to play browser MMOs, the PC is the platform of choice.
For a start, keyboards and mice are easier than joypads when navigating often complex interfaces and communicating with others. Culturally too MMOs ? all queued up attacks and deferred gratification ? often put off console gamers who are used to fast action and instant hits.
DC Universe Online is looking to change that. Available on PS3 as well as PC, the game is a faster paced, more instantly rewarding MMO. Creating your character is where the fun begins. Players can change everything, from the cut of their cloak to the symbol on their lycra suit. Compared to most MMOs, the level of customisation is high and the game recognises the vanity of online gamers ? namely, how you look is sometimes more important than what you can do. The next choice is more permanent ? will you be a hero or a villain? The former get Batman, Superman and other goodies on their side; the latter get Joker and co.
It's not until the action starts that the real differences are felt, the most obvious being the pace of the action. Your hero pounds, punches and fires in real time here, exactly in the way they would if you were playing an offline single player game. Button-bashing ? surprisingly effective in the early stages ? is as mindlessly entertaining as ever but it isn't long before enemies can overwhelm.
While the action may be more hardhitting than the MMO norm, the quests are worryingly familiar. Kill 20 of this or interact with 10 of that are the fundamentals of far too many quests. Some excellent voice acting helps keep the immersion up, but all too often the quests are fairly mindless. More strategy is required for the four player sections, but the in-depth tactics required by the likes of WoW will not be needed here. That isn't necessarily a bad thing in the short-term. As far as pick up and play goes, DC Universe Online is one of the best.
Initially, The atmosphere is incredible. Entering the dark and rainy streets of Gotham and seeing fellow players whizzing around is jaw-dropping. Metropolis too feels like a playground waiting to be discovered. If your character can fly, then taking to the skies is the best way to take all the landmarks in. But sadly, the illusion doesn't last.
While your imagination suggests a teeming city full of players and opportunity, the reality tends to be a rather lifeless environment. Players tend to congregate in certain areas, leaving the city to the criminals and police you have come to help or hinder. Where the likes of World of Warcraft engender a real sense of a living breathing world, the space here feels rather under-developed. Things will certainly improve though, and the game certainly makes you feel ? and look ? like a hero.
Technical issues ? while improved ? still hurt the game. Voice communication, for example, is very hit and miss. The interface is fiddly and slow. Changing from quests to, say, inventory on the menu bar takes two or three seconds a time.
Despite the issues,there is lot to admire here. The action is accessible and rewarding from the off and flying round Metropolis and Gotham will take a long time to lose its appeal. The game will need more variety in quests and better community tools to keep subscribers paying, but DC Universe Online is off to a solid start.
? Game reviewed on PS3
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2011/feb/02/dc-universe-online-game-review
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