superhero-mmo
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The Daily Grind: Are superhero MMOs doomed to be niche?
When Valiance Online launched its Kickstarter a few weeks ago, Massively's commenters posed an interesting debate over the viability of the superhero MMO market in general, not just the workability of a genre with three competing City of Heroes spin-offs. Some readers are convinced that the superhero genre is too risky and niche for MMORPGs, noting that the existing superhero MMOs have been more or less solid but small, nowhere near World of Warcraft huge. Fantasy, and to a lesser extent sci-fi, just dominates this scene. (Although we had a moment of hope when Blizzard first revealed Overwatch, it turned out to not really be much of an MMO.) And yet superheroes are killing it in movie theaters; the comic genre has transcended geek culture to become thoroughly mainstream. There should be a huge audience for such games, and superhero MMOs just plain make sense: They're an ideal setting for fun skills and powers, beating up bad guys, and dressing up in costumes. So what's the deal? Why haven't we seen a staggeringly huge superhero MMO? Are they in fact too niche after all? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Ask Massively: We don't need another hero
Welcome back to Ask Massively. This week, I'd like to address a common gripe about Massively's coverage of sunsetted games -- specifically, City of Heroes. Even before the game closed down, some commenters were expressing annoyance that we were daring to cover the closure. Now that it's gone, these same commenters are irate at the fact that we didn't seal up the coffin and pretend that the whole thing never happened. That's just not how it works.
Gamescom 2010: DC Universe Online trailer impresses
Our friends at Joystiq have the scoop on the latest trailer for DC Universe Online, the forthcoming superhero MMORPG from Sony Online Entertainment. Unlike last month's cinematic story trailer, this one is all gameplay, and it features heavy doses of action (yes, that guy did toss a helicopter on top of a skyscraper), as well as a voice-over narrative that hints at how player characters can co-exist with DC legends while carving out their own niche. DCUO launches in November for both the PC and Playstation 3 platforms, and you can sign up for beta, as well as pre-order, at the game's official website. Don't forget to fly past the cut to view the trailer.
