DC Universe Online

If you're a fan of action, MMOs, or comic books, and if you're looking to commit a lot of time to a single game, DC Universe Online will not disappoint you.

Unfortunately, it doesn't feel like there's enough to do to maintain any long-term interest.

At the very least it's worth playing through to the level cap just to fight alongside the most recognizable characters in comics. [April 2011, p.82]

As good a reason to subscribe as we've seen in an MMORPG. [Issue#202, p.84]

DC Universe Online sales were good and well deserved. The work on the PvP side of the game is interesting, and gives it a hardcore flavor that is both nice and unexpected for a first PS3 MMO. More comfortable on the PC, DCUO has the content it needs for the casual gamer, the group of friends, or the large guild with the PGM attitude. Now, SOE only has to correct some shortcomings and give us more clues about future content! Sure it's only just come out, but, go go, back to work!

You feel like a superhero playing alongside your favorite characters in an open MMO world thick with action but with a frustrating user interface. The fun combat and beautiful scenery more than make up for any shortcomings.

SOE has created a huge amount of combinations for characters, and at the current time, with the rapid levelling you could have three or four characters and your main at 30 with a huge variety of powers and weapons at your disposal.

Accessible for console gamers and vital for the comic fan. If you're prepared to pay subs, get it. [Mar 2011, p.79]

DCUO, as first console-MMORPG, can be considered a good start; it's basically a Hack'n'slash, with an interesting history and RPG elements, but some missions are repetitive and there are a lot of graphic bugs. However, the monthly major updates promised by Sony On Line justify the subscription, especially for DC Fans.

It's difficult to describe everything that exists in an MMO without writing an essay but I hope what I've written here has helped you make up your mind whether or not to play DCUO. One thing that will be the deciding factor is the game does have a subscription based fee of around £10 a month which you must pay in order to play any aspect of the game, so just be warned before purchasing.

DC Universe Online is a very easy and fun MMO that can be played by both experienced and new RPG players. The graphics are far from perfect but this will not bother you because of the great gameplay.

From the perspective of a comic fan, DC Universe Online is a pretty stellar win. It's big and grand and isn't afraid to make players feel like they're the star of an epic comic story. From a gamer's perspective, though, it still needs some work on the technical to be truly great and playing on the PS3 has its own set of limitations.

The potential in DC Universe Online is immense, and while the basics are okay, the polishing however has gone bad. There's only little life in this CPU city, and leveling is done just way too fast.

DC Universe Online is certainly brimming with potential, but until Sony irons out some of the kinks, the various bugs and server issues prevent it from being the triple-A console MMO experience we've been craving all this time.

Solid and captivating for old MMO hands. For new comers, not so much. [Mar 2011, p.90]

Even with all of its faults, which there are more than a few, it's hard not to recommend DC Universe Online to just about any comic book fan or those looking to experience something so rarely seen on a console. If SOE goes above and beyond to fix the current complaints and entice gamers to return once they've completed the initial plot, they could definitely see some long term success.

DC Universe Online is the first MMO on the PlayStation 3 and it's a nice one. Sony Online Entertainment has made a game full with different challenges, possibilities and of course quests. DC Universe Online is a great MMO to start with!

For now, DC Universe is a little rough around the edges and hopefully the developers will release additional areas in the upcoming months but for now, my experience was a little less than satisfying.

The fighting component, however, is where the game hits a stumbling block. More depth to the combat could have really made this a winner, as you really only have a dozen or so regular attacks and "specials" (and that's when you level cap out at 30) combined, so it can get old after a while. SOE may be hard pressed to sustain interest. [April 2011, p.76]

It'll be interesting to see how it develops and grows. [Spring 2011, p.103]

DC Universe Online is a bold, ambitious and challenging attempt to bring a subscription based MMO experience to the PlayStation 3.

DC Universe Online is a contrasting experience: on the DC Universe side it provides a good service, but in the genre that is inserted, tends to become meager in content.

DC Universe Online is a good game, one that can appeal to both MMO and comic fans. On Consoles there's nothing better, and if you plan on playing it on a Ps3 it's well worth the monthly fee. Not so much on PC's though, where there's a lot of strong competitors, and Sony's title is a bit too repetitive and bugged to come out on top. Still, it's the best superhero themed MMO on the market and it has a lot of potential. If you love comics give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Fans of DC comics should really try this game, as it's specially designed for them.

There's a shortage of content and the character creation options are rather limited. On the other hand, the combat system is very well done, and the game takes great care in recreating the universe. If you have no interest in super heroes or DC Comics, you can probably skip it, but if you want to pound justice into some crooks and villains, it's definitely worth giving a shot. For while DC Universe Online may fall a bit short in some areas, it still offers plenty of entertainment.

DCUO is far from a bad game; there are indeed times when it shines fantastically with the potential for greatness, but its many faults, most minor but some quite large, ensure that it never reaches those heights.

Great atmosphere and an addictive character creator, but the quests are a bit too repetitive.

Comic fans will get the most out of DC Universe Online, and it is a fun, if shallow MMO. However, once the level cap is reached, there is little reason to continue, making it a game you probably won't be spending a lot of time with.

Yet DC Universe Online tips its hand early on; in all too short a time, it stops offering any real surprises, remaining approachable but never wading too far from the shallow end of the pool.

An action-packed MMO, with some important flaws that must be corrected if Sony wants to appeal a vast audience. Controls can become an issue if you play it on PC and quests are a bit too much on the grinding side, but the combat system and the customization options are fun. With some improvements this game could find its own place in the MMO jungle.

Superb when everything comes together, hugely frustrating when it doesn't. [Issue#107, p.96]

DC Comics fans, take the plunge if you must, but realize that you will be paying money for a not-quite-finished product that will only partially satisfy your spandex-wearing, world-saving fantasies.

So will I be renewing my subscription this month? Probably not. But my month in Metropolis and Gotham was an extremely enjoyable one.

As much as I wanted to get into DCUO there was nothing about it that made want to continue to throw down the monthly fees after the initial 30 day trial. There is some obvious potential in this game but at the time of this review there is not enough here to warrant the price of entry.

As it stands, DCUO is just a casual masterwork that any comic book fan should take for a spin, and we fear the $14.99 monthly subscription fee will be the kryptonite that brings this hopeful giant to its knees.

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.

I realize that what I liked most where the DC characters and comic book cut scenes at the end of missions. But $15 a month is a lot to pay for only one or two of those -- and if the developer tried to make five or more for content updates every month, I don't know how the company could keep up the pace.

But especially on the PS3, the menus and various engine bugs really make it tough to justify the initial purchase (with one free month of gameplay), much less the eventual monthly fee.

While it may be the best implementation of a console MMO to date, PS3 owners should still ask for more.

When it comes down to it, cheaper, more sustainable fun can be had from donning a pair of tights and rugby tackling an elderly family member while they attempt to serve the Christmas turkey.

The action-MMO set in a painstakingly recreated DC Comics world requires superhuman patience to even install, with assets verification, patch downloads, and the like taking a full day, depending on your Internet connection.

Unless you fancy yourself a hardcore DC comics fan, you'll find little to hold your interest in DCUO in its current state after the first several hours of gameplay.

DCUO never really takes off. It suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, and the structure of the quests looks more suitable for a single-player RPG rather than an MMO.

The game's combat feels limp, the quest design is immediately monotonous, and the whole package manages to make being a superhero or villain feel like the most mundane thing in the world. Considering the game's "everyone's a hero/villain" plot, I suppose that makes perfect sense.