DC Universe Online Diary 3 and Other Stuff

So, after nigh a month of traipsing through Gotham and Metropolis and getting up to level 28 on my main hero, I have realized what DCUO really reminds me of.

There is an elseworlds, Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid and Alex Ross which details a world full of metahumans. It is violent and horrifying for normal humans who cower on the ground below as the "champions" of humanity do battle in the sky. DCUO is a world filled with thousands of metas of immense power fighting in the streets. People flee in terror. The vast majority of cities or overrun with violence and crime. Superheroes and Villains fight constantly.

In short, it is a brutal world. Gangsters and hostile aliens lay waste to cities. Demons from hell rise with the mass of new evil sorcerers. In short, it is a world in dire need of heroes where there is little to no normalcy to counteract the fact that the cities are essentially war zones. I just feel bad for all of the people who are just trying to go to work when the Sinestro corps decides to level city hall or something.

And other stuff

My personal sleeper hit of 2010-11 is Knight and Squire. The new book comes out on Wednesday and I am pumped.

Also, I keep coming back to Nightrunner, the Batman of Paris. I want more of him. I think the cultural context is amazing and that the character design is absolutely flawless. If I could pick one character at DC to write right now, it would be him.

DCUO Diary 2 and other things

I've gotten up to level 23 with my main, and the game is still very fun. Yes, there are still issues with the game, but at the same time the action-based combat and story based missions make it far superior to other more traditional MMOs. The best part of the game is feeling like you are actually in the DC Universe. You are constantly working with famous heroes or villains to accomplish something and take down your enemies. So far I've fought the Joker, Bane, and Sinestro among a legion of others.

So far for me the best thing has been fighting with the Green Lantern Corps against the Sinestro Corps. It's a PvP area swarming with lanterns including Arkillo and Kilowog. For someone who loves the GLC as much as I do it's great to fight alongside them and take down Sinestro with John Stewart alongside me. You actually feel like a hero. I guess that's the point.

I wanted to also note something that happened this week that I'm not happy about. I love Captain Marvel. I love the innocence and ideas he represents. Yes, he may be a "big red cheese" but he's also a representation of the magic of the golden age. This week, DC released the 1st issue of Power of Shazam and I was very disappointed in it. It was heroic age violence and angst and not the magical Marvel that I love. I'm looking to read Billy Batson and the Power of Shazam because I've heard it's more like that.

Once final thing that I wanted to hit on- Mark Millar needs to release things. I know he's busy being awesome but to be a big shot comics writer you need to actually release something. I just want my Kick-Ass.

DC Universe Online Diary: Entry 1

As a kid (and adult) who grew up hoping (and still hopes) that I would somehow receive awesome superpowers and be able to fight crime on the gritty streets of Winston-Salem. Naturally, when DC Universe Online was released I felt an overwhelming urge to try it out. Finally, at the urging of my wonderful girlfriend, I gave in and downloaded it.

For those who haven't seen any of the trailers or cinematics, go watch them. They are actually pretty impressive/intense. It's all very heroic age with intense battles and the violence. But, because these are characters we as readers already care about, we feel involved in wanting to help them.

Anyway, characters start aboard Brainiac's ship and you fight your way out. Heroes are guided by Oracle, and villains by Calculator. At the end of the level, Superman or Lex Luthor come in and helps you out. After, you teleport into the hub of your mentor and enter the world.

After, you are transported to the area of your mentor, who gives you quests and assignments. The voice acting is very good, and while a lot of the quest kind of get the same, a decent variety of enemies and encounters, a plethora of lore, an amazing travel system, and above all that I am taking orders from BATMAN means that game is actually really quite enjoyable.

So far I have two characters. One is Changeling, a gadget-wielding, acrobatic martial artist with Batman as a mentor. With him I've been bounding around Gotham, and taken down Scarecrow and Bane with the aid of Batwoman and Nightwing. My other is Dr Infernus, a tuxedo-wearing fire villain under Circe. I've fought Dr. Fate and run all over Metropolis' Chinatown. It adds a lot to the game, when you're fighting or recruited by a character you know. It makes you feel like a cog in a big machine, and actually accomplishing something instead of the standard MMORPG quest of "bring my 9 hyena livers". You're taking weapons from science police and most missions are large chains that end in a climactic fight. It's pretty awesome.

PvP (player versus player) is very fun as well, with massive battles erupting in the middle of cities. It sucks to get ambushed at random by higher level characters, but it adds to the feel of being part of the world.

I have a few complaints, one is that the interface is still a bit messed up and needs a retool. Different hotkeys help a lot. The cities are also pretty stagnant. There isn't a lot of traffic or people walking, despite the cities having populations in the millions. The graphics aren't anything to write home about, but the the environments are sprawling and truly enjoyable to run or climb all over.

It's really fun, in short. I'll keep posting as to how it goes.