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Suicide Squad game in production, says DC's Geoff Johns
During a DC Universe panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns revealed plans for a game adaptation of the .... less than well-known Suicide Squad. According to Comics Alliance, Johns revealed as much during a panel on the ever-expanding DC Universe, only saying that the game would be "hardcore violent." Comics Alliance believes it could be released alongside the film of the same name, currently in-production. Unfortunately, Johns didn't give any further details, or even an idea of when we might hear more about it. Given that DC Comics HQ isn't too far from our offices, though, we might assemble a Suicide Squad of our own and head over to find out more. We've already said too much!
Hal Jordan, Green Lantern, DC Universe Online screenshots
"In brightest days, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"If you're a comic book fan, then chances are you've heard this at one time or another. If you're a Green Lantern fan, then what's more likely is you say it at every opportunity you get. But let's face it, life doesn't really offer many favorable circumstances for reciting the Lantern's Oath. That's why we're hoping against hope that SOE goes all out and allows players to join the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps, which is essentially an intergalactic police force, in DC Universe Online.Considering Geoff Johns, who is currently finishing up his amazing Green Lantern comic run, helped pen the game's storyline, we expect nothing less than amazing things when dawning our green (or otherwise?) ring once DC Universe Online is out. Check out the rest of the bevy of new Hal Jordan screenshots in our gallery.%Gallery-50201%
Alpha and beta status updates on DC Universe Online
There hasn't been a lot of new information flying about on DC Universe Online, which is probably just a sign that the SOE team over at Austin, TX are keeping their collective noses to the grinder and pushing for beta sometime in the coming months.Actually, according to a Gamasutra interview with Wes Yanagi that very much seems to be the case, although he doesn't out and say as much. It sounds like cross-platform and controller/UI iteration are probably giving SOE the most grief. We take it as a good sign that they're not rushing it, though, as it shows their seriousness at making this 'massively multiplayer action game' work.As for alpha and beta? According to Wes, "We're still pre-alpha. We're really close to hitting our alpha goals, so hopefully in the next several months, we'll start talking about it." Seems like the game is still a ways off into the future. So long as SOE doesn't release near a World of Warcraft expansion, we think they'll do just fine.
DC Universe Online creators talk about S.T.A.R. Labs and game storylines
Comic-Con International is underway in San Diego, and we're already hearing some news about the superhero MMO genre. The latest info about DC Universe Online comes from a Wired article by Frank Rose which focuses on S.T.A.R. Labs, the futuristic glass and steel location familiar to anyone who grew up reading DC comic books or watched the Superman animated TV series. S.T.A.R. Labs, short for Scientific and Technical Advanced Research Laboratories, will be a hub of storyline activity in the MMO. It's fitting, as this is a place where great scientific advances are made, but also a place where things can go horribly wrong. This means it's perfect neutral ground to be incorporated into DC Universe Online, and the location will tie in with the respective storylines of the game's heroes and villains.
Comics legend Marv Wolfman on his involvement with DC Universe Online
MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo caught up with DC Universe Online writer Marv Wolfman last week, to discuss what he's bringing to the table on SOE's upcoming super-hero MMO. (Despite Totilo's good-natured ribbing, the comics-industry veteran is certain his writing on DCUO will be able to top his resurrection of Optimus Prime in the original Transformers animated series, which some of our readers may remember.)Details about the game's storyline are scarce, as Wolfman hasn't begun working with the developers yet. As of last week, he was delving into the storyline written by Geoff Johns in preparation for turning that story into the missions (and capers) that players will run in DCUO. Wolfman hopes to create a sense that each mission or battle isn't a stand-alone event, and rather has some integration into a much larger story. Another challenge Wolfman is tasked with is striking a balance between keeping fans of DC comics titles happy, while keeping the game accessible to those who aren't necessarily well-versed in DC comic book canon. Check out the MTV Multiplayer piece on Marv Wolfman and his role in fleshing out DC Universe Online. Did you enjoy this? We've donned our capes and tights to explore SOE's DC Universe Online in-depth. Come explore more of Metropolis and Gotham with your friends at Massively!
Comic book legend Marv Wolfman joins DC Universe Online writing team
When you think of notable people in the comic book industry being involved with DC Universe Online, the first names that jump out -- probably in this order -- are Jim Lee and Geoff Johns. But another comic book legend has joined the DCUO team: prolific writer Marv Wolfman. Wolfman's career in comics spans decades, in fact he broke into the industry at DC Comics in 1968. Since that time he's been involved with numerous comics (and characters) that have made it into mainstream entertainment, such as Blade and Teen Titans. According to our sister site Big Download, "Wolfman's job will be to expand and add onto the storylines and plots that have been created for the game by fellow comic book writer Geoff Johns." Did you enjoy this? We've donned our capes and tights to explore SOE's DC Universe Online in-depth. Come explore more of Metropolis and Gotham with your friends at Massively!
DC Universe Online flying into New York Comic-Con at full force
If you're planning on heading to the New York Comic-Con this year then be prepared to see DC Universe Online in full force. SOE is pulling out all the stops this time around, including the first-ever villain play via a new playable demo at the SOE booth on the show floor. Something else attendees won't want to miss will be the panel on Saturday, February 7th where a mysterious new creative team member will be revealed and opened to questions along with Jim Lee, Geoff Johns, SOE developers Wes Yanagi, Jens Andersen and Jared Carr.Immediately after the Saturday panel, SOE will be holding a fan event where the new villain-focused demo will be available for further play. Plus, Jim Lee and Geoff Johns will be on hand to speak about the game some more -- as if they won't have been pelted by fervent fan questions already. Still, the whole thing sounds like a ton of fun for anyone looking forward to DC Universe Online and the new superhero MMOs in general.Find full details after the cut. Did you enjoy this? We've donned our capes and tights to explore SOE's DC Universe Online in-depth. Come explore more of Metropolis and Gotham with your friends at Massively!
Jim Lee on how he came to work on DC Universe Online
Comic book fans and gamers looking forward to DC Universe Online are likely familiar with the work of Jim Lee. What some comic fans may be less familiar with is Lee's interest in videogames, even before he got involved with DCUO as Executive Creative Director. Indeed, Jim Lee's twin passions in life are comics and videogames, he said in an interview with 1UP's Billy Berghammer. Lee discusses how he came to work on a project that brought those passions together -- DC Universe Online -- and what he's doing to breathe life into the game. The interview ranges from Lee's first steps into the comic book industry to creating the best-selling comic book in history, and beyond. Lee also brings up some of the goals he and the DC Universe Online team have in terms of storytelling, including the introduction of tertiary characters from the DC universe that haven't ever been featured in videogames before. (Ambush Bug and The Metal Men, we're looking at you.) "Introducing this to a crowd of gamers that never has seen these characters before is really exciting. Putting them in context and creating storylines with these characters is really the fun part of working on this game, and we're in the meat of it," Lee says.
DC Universe probably coming early 2010/late 2009, says comics writer
Stephen Totilo managed to get a few questions in edgewise for us gamer-types when MTV newsie Jennifer Vineyard recently spoke with comics writer Geoff Johns. Johns, as we've previously discussed, is one of the writers on-staff working to develop DC Universe Online. Vineyard spoke with Johns about the concept of 'secret identities', and his comments hint at some unique gameplay options ... without giving away too many details. "I like the idea that your secret identity is really outside the computer. You're a normal guy, and then when you log on to the game, you become the superhero." They also discussed the parallels between server sharding in an MMO and the 52 different versions of the DC Universe that the comics creator supports. Most intriguing was his up-front information on the game's launch window. According to Johns, the developers are aiming to release the game in "early 2010, it could be late 2009." Read on into the brief interview for the goods.
Geoff Johns to pen DC Universe Online story
Comic book fans will be glad to hear this. Geoff Johns, the renowned writer behind popular DC Comics such as Green Lantern, Action Comics and Justice Society of America, has been brought on to write the back story of the upcoming PS3/PC MMO action game, DC Universe Online. It'll certainly take a lot of creative effort to pen a story that weaves together the various characters of the DC universe. Incorporating heroes and villains from Batman to Martian Manhunter while while explaining the sudden influx of new heroes (players). Hopefully, Geoff is up to the challenge."Taking comic books into the online space presents an exciting and unique opportunity for me as a writer," said Johns. "I'm looking forward to creating a thrilling story that explains why the DC Universe has suddenly been populated with millions of new heroes and villains in a way that will engage players."For an interview with Geoff, check out IGN.[Thanks, Jesse S.!]
Geoff Johns revealed as writer for DC Universe Online
How do you make DC Universe Online with Jim Lee in charge of the art direction even more exciting for comic fans? You bring Geoff Johns on as writer for the game's backstory. Geoff is the man responsible for one of the best runs on The Flash, his envisioning of Green Lantern: Rebirth and the highly engaging cooperative effort that was 52. Basically, if you're a fan of DC comics and haven't bothered with them for a while, you should really check his stuff out.According to the Newsarama interview with Geoff, he's only responsible for writing the general state of the world, its characters and the whole story behind why all these new superheroes (that'd be us) are suddenly cropping up everywhere. Beyond that, nothing has been confirmed, although he did say it'd be possible to come back to write more stuff. In that regard, Geoff also says the game will be set more or less within the current DCU at the time of launch. Players can expect to see story arcs both new and old -- or something like them -- to eventually show their faces. If DC comics fans were only a little excited before this is a reason to start smiling, or maybe even do a fist-pump. Go ahead, we won't look.[Thanks, Haggs]
