New DC Universe Online details emerge

By Ellie Gibson Published 27 June, 2008

No, you can't "be" Batman. Yes, you can fly.

Some new details have emerged of DC Universe Online, the new PC and PS3 MMO in development at Sony Online Entertainment.

In this month's Edge magazine, executive creative director Jim Lee describes DC Universe as a "kick-ass hybrid between a traditional MMO and a first-person action console game".

You'll get to create your own superhero or villain, choosing their particular powers, according to the Edge article. So you'll decide whether to attack using fire or ice, for example, and move around using acrobatics or the power of flight. Other potential abilities mentioned in the article include speed-running and teleportation.

As with a traditional MMO your character will level up as you progress, and you'll develop your powers. When the game starts you might be able to fly, but only later will you learn how to pull off specific moves and attacks in mid-air.

Although you don't get to "be" any of the famous DC characters, you do get to interact with them. That might mean you end up saving Superman from being stabbed with a shard of kryptonite by Lex Luthor. Or, if you're a villain, you could cause carnage by chucking cars around downtown Metropolis, thereby encouraging the boy in blue to turn up and fight you.

Metropolis is one of two large shared environments revealed so far, the other being Gotham City. Unlike World of Warcraft, DC Universe will be comprised of a mix of these environments and separate instances. And while there will still be instances and raids, the emphasis will be on fast-paced action rather than grinding.

There will be PvP arenas, and you'll be able to make use of your superpowers and those of others in interesting ways. For example, someone might freeze your character in a block of ice, then pick up the block and chuck it at another player. In some instances, PvP fights will end up turning into giant PvE boss battles.

In the future, it's possible we could see models, environments and costumes from the game turning up in other DC Comics properties, and there are plans for plot crossovers. "We can tie-in future DC tentpole events and translate the stories for the gaming world, and have them occur simultaneously," said Lee. "The possibilities are numerous and very exciting."

UPDATE:This article previously reported that DC Universe Online is out next year. This was an error on our part. Sony Online Entertainment has not yet given any word on when the game will be released. Sorry about that.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (10) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • brooza #1 4 years ago

    So, City Of Heroes then?

  • johnnybrn #2 4 years ago

    Yup, destined to go the way of Marvel online

  • chris_ace #3 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • groovychainsaw #4 4 years ago

    You know what would work, rather than the implausible 'city filled with 10,000 heroes' would be to have the heroes as NPCs and let people form teams of slightly underpowered henchmen. Imagine batman as a 40 person raid, working into the batcave to bring him down, maybe with the joker as an NPC leader of your 'gang'. Would at least be a bit more believable and in keeping with the license, no?

  • Olemak #5 4 years ago

    Chainsaw: yes - for raid contant that would be really good. Like - the question is the raid boss for levels 10-11, and superman is the boss for max level characters. I like that idea, and the idea of a low-powered modern fantasy. Still: CoH has sort of done that too.

    The thing is, I'm a major fan of superheroes, and played CoH for two years... well, less and less for the last of those two years, but still. I am psyched about the new Batman movies and I do pick up a comic once in a while... I should be right in the middle of thi's game's target audience, I believe.

    But still... I am feeling rather empty when told about this stuff. I am a little sceptical of Sony credentials as an MMO company, even though it does have some fine horses in it's stable - Star Wars Galaxies was hauling ass there for a while, before it all went pear shaped, and in those precious two months prior to WoW launching, EverQuest 2 was the finest MMO available to humanity.Well, of sorts. Anyway: I like Sony just fine, I'm just not a Sony Online Entertainment fanboy - I believe that particular breed of fanboi is unlikely to actually exist in reality. Just not that much to be excited about.

    I have a feeling that DC Online is going to show up to the MMO party five years too late.

  • Rirekon #6 4 years ago

    Marvel > DC

    /runs

  • groovychainsaw #7 4 years ago

    Additionally, lower-level missions could be cutting the security for some other boss, letting (errm - apokolips - i'm no DC expert) in through a shield to fight superman, maybe working up to the roof of a skyscraper to shut the shield down as a small group of henchman, then watching the fight from the rooftop as a reward ;-)

  • DanWhitehead #8 4 years ago

    The trouble with a game like this is that nobody will sign up to play as a lowly henchmen or fourth-rate Justice League reject. People play MMORPG games to live a fantasy - everyone will want to be Superman or Batman, or as close as they can get. That's why City of Heroes works. It's a created universe, so there's no default top tier that players can never live up to. Once you set a game like this in an established superhero universe, with established characters with established power levels that can't be undermined, you essentially create a glass ceiling for players. You can go so far, but the core of your fantasy is unattainable.

  • groovychainsaw #9 4 years ago

    I don't know, nobody gets to be superman in any mmorpg, really (apart from maybe archlord). You just end up as one of a number of guys with the top gear. This game won't let you play as superman either, but alongside/against would be more original? Wouldn't it be a more innovative design that you merely create the most significant moments in the world through your actions? Most of the best bits in warcraft are when you trigger something cool to happen, emergent moments from the gameplay or set-piece design. You don't have to be the most powerful person in the world to enjoy that. I@m not saying make the henchman weak, just make the heroes ridiculously powerful (which they already are!!).

  • Connobi #10 4 years ago

    Well, just seen the E3 trailer. :o)

    This could be good, if it gets off the ground. The Marvel Universe online trailer was also very good (granted there was no gameplay) & was well into the development phase but then that was not mentioned for ages & then quietly cancelled. Could this go the same way??? I hope not, but we'll have to wait & see. Its a sad fact, the MMO's get partially developed & then cancelled, despite there being a baying market for them. Marvel & Star Trek being examples of this.

    One things for sure, MS's Champions Online will have to kick major ass to compensate for the DC franchise its going up against with its no-mark heroes. Thats if THAT makes it out too!!

    Also, previous posts here & on many other sites have discussed how the game will work. If you can create your own heroes, how long will it be before you see Wolverine, Spiderman or the Hulk running around the game? & I'm pretty sure Marvel wouldn't like that. Could this be why Marvel online fell? Because they didn't know how to play it out, & they couldn't find a way of policing players for copyright reasons without pi**ing them off?
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/08 @ 02:59