In amongst my studies, I have been downloading DC Universe Online. I heard on The Instance that it had gone free to play. Naturally... I decided to check it out. I dont promise a well written or article with any real aim other than to waffle on about what I have done and my thoughts on the game ;)
After installing, I hit the character creation process... I felt brave and selected PVP server, then Villain. Why? I dont know, I always play the good guys and I thought it would be an interesting twist. Plus, I got to choose The Joker as my mentor, and the entertainment value of such a thing just could not be ignored! Superman? Bores me. Batman? Bores me. Huntress? Who the hell are you?
Catwoman? Yes plx. The Joker? Yes plx. Lex Luthor ... o.O ... ok, sure whatever.
Next up I chose my starter abilities, I took the ability to fly which seemed a no-brainer, and "magic damage" because if I remember correctly it had properties of being a healer and I thought it would be nice to be able to heal or be a group healer if such content is in this game, which it seems it is.
I then chose my costume... yeah... Its all very customisable, but I chose something simple... a two tone stripey green and red spandex suit. Go team camp! On a big plus - all the armour bits you collect in the game customise to match your colour scheme - so no fugly armour parts or clown suits (unless you wish to make it so) like in WOW.
I have never really been big into the DC comics, so it comes as a nice touch that despite my lack of knowledge, the game fills you in on the characters back stories. This is evident in your first "warehouse" where at the end of it you learn a little bit about who The Huntress is.
Storywise, it is amusing me and keeps me coming back for more.
Gameplay is rather unusual compared to other online games I know. For a start, the game is also available to console players which results in some interesting mechanics. I have noticed that you dont need to be a great aim to hit your targets, and that you can "lock" onto a specific target so that you are attacking it regardless of what you are doing on screen. This is quite handy if you think you will be confused by the environment. A downside to this is the way the "combo-moves" work. When you gain skillpoints you spend them in various talent trees for your abilities (or to learn new abilities) and as you gain new abilities they are activated with different combo-buttons. In the case of the PC where I am playing it, a left mouse button tap is a melee strike, a right mouse button tap is a ranged hand-blast. Holding the right mouse button unleashes a charged bolt. Holding it down twice supposedly fires a meteor, but I dont know if that works. Holding the right mouse button and tapping the left twice is supposed to boot a fireball at the enemy... so far I have not seen any of these combo moves do anything different, but I will persevere.
I am level 7, and have maybe accumulated 3-4 hours in game, flying about, doing missions, giggling at the dialogue and taking part (albheit mainly as cannon fodder) in some of the pitched PVP battles that break out.
It appears there is only 30 levels in the game, but I dont think this is a bad thing, it means a band of lowbies like myself can wither down a level 30 and kill them despite their toughness or ability to one-shot half of us.
At this point in time I would rate the game as follows:
Story: 7/10 (The plot is odd, or maybe completely irrelevant - Im not sure, but thats not a good thing is it! - but mission plot and the story info you gain from them is well implemented.)
Graphics: 7/10 (I play at max everything. Graphics look good, not awesome, and there are some niggles, but its pleasant to look at.)
Gameplay: 7/10 (good but not perfect. Again, some niggles in how things work, but it seems a solid concept.)
Entertainment Value: 8/10 - Im in the early game, and despite getting ganked, Im enjoying exploring something new again.
Overall 7/10 - I might enjoy the game if/once I have time to get into it more, and perhaps partake in group activities. I know a bunch of friends that play this game so it seems to be fairly popular. Overall - if you have not tried it, it is free to play so give it a blast! You might be pleasantly surprised. If not - at least you just enjoyed a few hours of your very own action hero movie :p
-V
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