I like video games. I remember saving up for my 8-bit Nintendo for months. I mapped out Hyrule just like you. And I still know the Konami code. Okay, I REALLY like video games, but who doesn’t? GTA 4 is fun. Wii Mario Cart is fun at parties. And, Rock band, hello? Still, there are levels or nerddom that even an alpha nerd like me won’t sink to, and I draw the line at MMOs.
If you don’t know what an MMO is… um, go watch G4 for like fifteen minutes and you’ll figure it out.
Right now there are several 90th level orcs, or whatever, from WOW who are attempting vile incantations against me, but for me, MMOs just require a lot of time for very little payoff. WOW is great…
WOW. WORLD OF WARCRAFT… seriously? SOUTH PARK’s best episode centers around the game. Do you even have cable TV?
As I was saying, WOW IS great if you like all those orcs, and fairies, and … fairies. But, honestly, my nerdiness has always lent itself to capes and utility belts. I know what you’re thinking. “Dude! Play CITY OF HEROES!” COH is great… if you wanna play in land of made-up superheroes.
Yes, all superheroes are technically made up. I get that. But these are not superheroes from a comic I recognize, like SUPERMAN or BATMAN, or even AQUAMAN.
Look, if I can’t play alongside heroes I grew up reading about and watching on TV or in movies… I kinda don’t care. Who the hell is Arachnos? Not a villain I’m familiar with. Plus, let’s be honest here. I use my PC for work; game consoles are for play.
I had heard about Sony Online’s massive DC Universe Online project a while back. I’d even checked out the trailer from E3. I like the design… it is Jim Lee after all.
Jim Lee! One of the most influential comic book artists of all time? I swear to god, go get educated before you finish this article, and do NOT interrupt again.
Anyway, the design of the game looked stellar. And these are hero’s that I recognize… but MMO man. Big nerds, man. Waaaaay bigger than me. We’re talking Trek nerd sized nerds. I guess you could say that I was a little sheepish…
At Comic Con this past week, Sony Online was running the first public demo of DCU Online. They were clear on the fact that the game is still in the pre alpha testing phase, and that all they want is feedback. Still it was almost enough to give me a nerdgasm!
The set up is simple. You exist in the DCU alongside iconic heroes and villains like Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman and Green Lantern… the list is long. In DCUO, you basically create your own character and then choose to help out the heroes or the villains. There are several options for power sets including: fire, ice, electricity, flight, and super speed. You can also posses different skill sets like archery. All the characters are customizable, as you’d expect, with an almost infinite number of combinations.
In the demo that I played, Lex Luthor and Brainiac have infected the citizens of Metropolis with a nanovirus. Superman and GL need your help to save the citizenry. You fight alongside as they tackle Bizzarro, Brainiac, and Luthor. The graphics looked even better than in the E3 trailer I’d seen online, and the game play was easy to pick up. I played as both a speedster archer and as a flying behemoth—that’s right, Size is definitely a customizable option. In a word the game is awesome!
The game will launch on both the PS3 and on PC. I played the PS3 version, while Nico chose PC. Both of us seemed to agree that “awesome” was a fair description. There’s still no word on whether PC gamers will be able to play online together… remember the game is still pre-alpha… but from what I saw, and the number of missions they’re suggesting will exist – Arkham Escape, Gotham City Patrol, Metropolis Attacked, Star City Attacked…. The freaking list seems endless.
Now DCUO IS still in the early stages of development. While they are still Alpha testing you can learn about Beta testing by visiting the DCUO myspace site. Check it out. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. I know I’m asking Frosty to get a review copy from Sony. Dammit! I can’t even pretend to not be psyched about the launch of the newest, best looking MMO to hit the market, ever: DC UNIVERSE ONLINE. And just when I’d started dating…
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