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DCUO's Jens Anderson unveils the Meta origin story
So you want to be Superman? That is an extremely lofty goal for you. There is no way you can... Wait, what's that? According to the Creative Director of DC Universe Online, Jens Andersen, it is possible for you to follow in Superman's footsteps. If you choose the Meta-Human storyline in DCUO, you will follow either the Man of Steel or -- if you are the villainous type -- Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. The team at Sony Online Entertainment just released a video on its facebook page outlining just what it takes to don Supe's heroic cowl. However, if you are in a more nefarious mood, Massively has a special treat for you. Wednesday, Contributing Editor Krystalle Voecks joined me for a run-through of the first instance in the Meta-Human villain line. In SOE's official video, Andersen mentions assisting Parasite. Well, we can show you exactly what that looks like with this video. Take a peek after the cut for both the Meta origin story and the Livestream video. Or you can pop over to DCUO's official facebook page for more information.
Massively takes on the heroes of DC Universe Online
Holy non-disclosure agreement, Batman! Yes, Robin, you are right. We can now talk about DC Universe Online. Sony Online Entertainment, Warner Bros., and (of course) DC Comics have collaborated to make one of the first physics-based action MMORPGs. Now with the NDA lifted, we can finally give our impressions of this ground-breaking online game. A few of Massively's staff members have beta-tested DCUO for about a month now. We have been biting our tongues for just about as long as we could. We have seen the highs and lows of this game. Making an MMO with proven mechanics is hard enough, but when a developer delves into unexplored territory, there are always huge risks. As with any game in still in production, not everything will be perfect. I will keep this in mind as we step into this DC Universe. Prepare to be amazed by the exhilarating graphics, excited by the high-octane mechanics, confounded by surprising glitches, and flabbergasted by the astonishing voice work. Step past the cut for the whole story and the screenshots I took as I was playing through the first six levels of DC Universe Online! %Gallery-109487%
DC Universe reveals Tomorrow District, today
If you are looking for the district that is the epitome of Metropolis, look no further than the Tomorrow District. This apex of technology guides all scientific advancements for the entirety DC Universe Online. Every gizmo you can imagine -- and not imagine -- is found here. Ever heard of a thermal-nuclear toothbrush? Yeah, neither have we, but the scientist in STAR Labs invented it. And STAR Labs is just one of the many gargantuan buildings your hero will find in this district of the future. If it's gameplay opportunities you seek, the Tomorrow District is is designed specifically for your high-level character. Even though Jenet Kylburn works for the good guys, sometimes she cannot maintain control of everything STAR Labs produces. As Game Director Chris Cao said in regard to the STAR Labs scientists, "Sometimes their optimism exceeds their wisdom," and they have to call on the heroes to come save the day. However, because of the heaping amount of new technology in the area, the Tomorrow District attracts its share of villains looking to get their grubby paws on these advanced inventions. After the break, Chris Cao provides a travelogue of the ups and downs of this exciting zone.
Turn your MacBook into the Justice League
We've written about MacBook decals in the past, but I couldn't resist showing this one to you guys and gals (especially the comic book fans out there). Stuff Off Decals is selling a Justice League sticker for MacBooks. The sticker is designed in the Justice League animated series fashion and features (from left to right) Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, The Flash, and Hawkgirl. Superman's "S" symbol lights up when you overlay the sticker on your MacBook's lid. The sticker is made of high quality vinyl and leaves no residue should you decide to remove it. At US$18, it's a little pricey, but for DC comic book lovers, this is a must have! Thanks to TUAW reader John for the tip! UPDATE: The creator of this decal (who had no idea I was going to write about it) just sent me an email. He is offering all TUAW readers 15% off the JLA decal as a thank you to TUAW readers for making his Iron Man decal a best seller after appearing on this site. Just enter "TUAW" on check out (will only work with Google checkout at this time, darn Paypal!) to get your 15% off! Sweet!
Become a DCUO beta tester, see the end of the world
DC Universe fans can officially stop crying in their beer. No, the delayed launch date hasn't been rescinded, but today does mark the official start of the pre-order beta period. Budding superheroes who have ponied up for the SOE title will need to submit an image of their receipt via the official pre-order webpage to get the process rolling. Don't delay either, as submissions must be received prior to November 15th in order to receive your beta key. In addition to the privilege of previewing and testing the game, bug-hunters will get to participate in the end-of-beta event showcased in last summer's Blur Studios trailer (an apocalyptic throw-down featuring Batman, Superman, the Joker, Lex Luthor, and others). Check out SOE's new pre-order beta page for more details. [Update: Note that this offer only applies to North American players. Visit DCUO Source for the official word from SOE.]
DC Universe Online turns the spotlight on Lex Luthor
Through all of Superman's adventures, there's one adversary that epitomizes everything he's not: Lex Luthor. A brilliant man with no special powers, Luthor has nothing but contempt for others, seeking control and power even at the same time that he seeks the destruction of Superman. It's a known fact that Luthor will be featured in DC Universe Online, after appearing in the cinematic trailer as both antagonist and ally -- but now we get to see the man himself in his now-familiar power armor. Marv Wolfman, writer for DC Universe Online, has plenty of history with writing Luthor, as he was behind the character's shift from being a mad scientist to the cold and calculating businessman he is today. And any veteran of DC comic continuity knows that Luthor might not ever come out on top... but he always makes for a worthy adversary. Take a gander at the gallery for a good look at an iconic character in the game -- a sometimes-ally, a dangerous adversary, and one of the motivating factors behind the game's overarching plot. %Gallery-103879%
DC Universe previewed, Andersen talks character customization
With the launch of DC Universe Online just around the corner, we're starting to see a bit more information revealed about Sony Online Entertainment's superhero extravaganza. Gamespot reports on its lengthy hands-on at SOE's Austin development studio; highlights include a quest chain in the city of Metropolis as well as observations on the game's RPG and gear mechanics. Fan website DCUO Source also contributes some interesting info in the form of a collation of comments from the game's Facebook site. Ordinarily, reader comments regarding teaser videos aren't anything to write home about, but the fact that SOE's Jens Andersen chimed in to answer questions provides some interesting reading. One exchange that seems particularly noteworthy is Andersen's response to a fan concerned with the lack of information on DCUO's character customization options. "Character creation will be ongoing throughout the game with our appearance collection system and real items with stats forming a great fusion between form and function," Andersen says. "This means less choices upfront but more meaningful ones as you go through the game. It's a far cry from starting in rags and a loin cloth like in fantasy MMO's but it also isn't a fluff fest of everything which takes away the impact of getting cool stuff in games you can show off to your friends," he writes.
Exclusive Interview: DCUO's Game Director Chris Cao
What gamer hasn't wanted to be a superhero at one time or another? Superheroes and comic books have been a part of gaming culture as long as computers. Of course, everyone has wanted to be Superman soaring through the skies of Metropolis, or Batman scaring the pants off the criminal underworld of Gotham City. Sony Online Entertainment has teamed up with Warner Bros. and DC Comics to bring this world -- nay, this universe -- to life. On November 2nd, DC Universe Online will blast its way to game store shelves everywhere. DCUO gives fans of comic books, action video games, and MMOs a reason to come together and celebrate this incredible amalgam of genres. Create your own superhero! Thrill to the art of Jim Lee! Soak up the voice-acting of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy! On top of that, if you preorder this deliciously intense action RPG, you will have exclusive rights to a token that will allow you to join a 2v2 PvP arena as the caped crusader himself, using his abilities, gadgets, and fighting style. Plus you'll get all the other preorder bonuses like confetti bombs and batarangs. Massively snagged an exclusive interview with DCUO Game Director Chris Cao about this groundbreaking game. Up, up, and away! (OK, that was cheesy. Just hit "read more" to read our lengthy interview after the break!)
SDCC 2010: Part two of our DCUO panel report
Today we have more from the question-and-answer portion of the DC Universe Online panel at the San Diego Comic-Con last week. (Part one of the panel was posted earlier this week.) Panelists included Creative Director Jens Andersen, Game Director Chris Cao, legendary comic book writer Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee, and the voice of the Joker, Mark Hamill. Will there be a mechanic for switching from hero to villain or vice versa? No. You make the choice of hero or villain at character creation, and it can't be changed after that. This is so it is clear to other players in PvP who is on what team. Will current storylines in the DC comic universe affect the MMO? The game will launch "pristine"; that is, the DC Universe in the game will be the popular, well-known one. Wonder Woman will be in her classic costume; Bruce Wayne will be Batman; etc. From there, storylines from the comics may start altering the MMO universe, but at least from the get-go, the game will start with a clean slate. DCUO will be getting its own bi-weekly comic as well.
SDCC 2010: Up, up and away at the DCUO panel
Are you pumped for DC Universe Online after watching the recent "Who Do You Trust?" trailer or our own interview with John Smedley? We can hardly blame you -- it's tough being a superhero waiting in the wings. While we count down the days until its November 2nd launch, there's a lot more DCUO goodness to be had. Massively was on hand at the DCUO panel at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, where Jens Andersen, Chris Cao, Marv Wolfman, Jim Lee and Mark Hamill (who is reprising his voice work as the Joker) were on hand to answer questions about DC's upcoming title. Hit the jump for the full skinny on time travel, heroes, villains and Bat-shark repellent.
SDCC 2010: You can play as iconic characters: Massively's interview with DC Universe Online
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/DC_Universe_Online_You_can_play_as_iconic_DC_characters'; Last week we had a chat with Sony Online Entertainment's President John Smedley about preorders and beta for DC Universe Online. We talked quite a bit about the ability to play as Batman via a preorder bonus, and one of the questions we asked was "Will there be more opportunities in the future to play as familiar DC Universe villains or heroes?" John replied that they were thinking about it, but it sounds like the DCUO team has been doing a lot more than just thinking about it. We caught up with DCUO Studio Art Director Mike Daubert at Comic-Con this weekend, and he had some pretty exciting news for us. Follow along after the jump to see what he had to say!
SOE and Blur release DCUO story trailer
Sony Online Entertainment has just released a lengthy story trailer for its forthcoming DC Universe Online superhero MMORPG. Debuting early Saturday morning on GameTrailers, the massive video clocks in at over six minutes in length and features nearly all of the DC Comics notables, including Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Wonder Woman, the Joker, and others. The hyper-violent cinematic is the latest creation of Blur Studio, also known for its Star Wars: The Old Republic teaser work. The cinematic sets up DCUO's overarching story, in which the heroes team up with Lex Luthor to stop Brainiac and his latest threat to humanity. You can view the trailer, appropriately named "Who Do You Trust," after the cut or at GameTrailers.
DC Universe Online promises "all-star voice cast"
Just a few days after the preorder bonuses were released and beta signups began for DC Universe Online, Sony Online Entertainment unveiled the central lineup of voice actors for the game. Some of the names are familiar and unsurprising, but still nice to have confirmed. Mark Hamill will be voicing The Joker once again, and Kevin Conroy returns as Batman. SOE highlighted the two returning actors with a short video on the DCUO site entitled "The Voices of the Game." Fans of Joss Whedon's work were interested to see several familiar names in the list: Gina Torres as Wonder Woman, James Marsters as Lex Luthor, and Adam Baldwin as the voice of Superman. Michelle Forbes rounds out the cast list list as the voice of Circe. John Blakely, SOE's Vice President of Development, says "We're excited that not only will Mark and Kevin bring their talent back to the DC Universe as part of DC Universe Online, but we've hit the jackpot with a full cast that are veterans of movies, TV shows and games that our fans are crazy about."
DC Comics joins PlayStation Network Digital Comics service
A major new player has been added to PSP's digital comics reader. DC Comics will begin distributing its comics via the PlayStation Store starting today, with an initial selection of over 80 comics priced from $0.99 to $2.99. Some of the offerings include: Batman: Hush, Green Lantern: Rebirth, God of War, Resistance, and Superman/Batman. A free 10-page preview of Superman #700 (pictured) will be available to download, as well. In addition, Sony has updated the Digital Comics app to version 2.01, which adds a number of new features, such as the ability to delete comics directly from the app, and the ability to read right-to-left for Japanese manga titles. To download the update, go to the Digital Comics app from the XMB, hit triangle, and select "Version information."
SOE confirms subscription model for DCUO
Fans of Sony Online Entertainment's highly-anticipated DC Universe Online title can chew on an additional piece of news to go along with all the goodies revealed at E3 last week. Several websites have run unconfirmed reports on the game's pricing model, so we went straight to the source to get the skinny. "The revenue model will be subscription based, with a monthly fee of $14.99 per month. The PC version will carry a suggested retail price of $49.99 and the PS3 version will carry a suggested retail price of $59.99," said an SOE public relations spokesperson. Rumor has it that the superhero title will also feature some sort of microtransaction model to go along with the traditional subscription fee, but when asked about it directly, SOE responded "we have not confirmed microtransactions at this point." Stay tuned to Massively for more details as they become available.
E3 2010: DC Universe Online takes it up a notch
We've seen SOE's superhero MMO DC Universe Online. We saw it two years ago at the San Diego Comic Con where its physics-based badassery allowed us to pick up cars, lampposts and anything else we could get our costumed hands on, and use them to knock our foes across three city blocks. Two years later we expected to see something substantially new and excited and we were not disappointed. Creative Director Jens Anderson took us through a walkthrough of the latest build of the game and we saw boss fights, PvP gameplay and endgame armor sets themed to declare your allegiance to the most popular superheroes in the game. Read on for the latest details!%Gallery-95513%
DCUO video shows off new combat
Sony Online Entertainment's Jens Andersen, Creative Director on the studio's forthcoming DC Universe Online title, is featured in a new video over at GameTrailers. The four and a half minute clip, a preview of next week's E3 2010 coverage, highlights a bevy of features for the new superhero title, and also shows off the improved combat animations and mechanics. "We took this great combat model from action games, because it pays off in the superhero experience, and we put it together with all the great online features that MMORPGs have, with the community, the progression, and being able to feel that sense of accomplishment that you have as you're leveling up your character," Andersen enthuses. The video showcases the physicality of DCUO's combat, as well as quite a few cameos from superheroes (and villains) that call the storied 70-year old franchise home. Check it out over at GameTrailers or after the jump.
DCUO concept art hints at subscription plan?
Our friends over at DCUOSource have unearthed an interesting tidbit regarding the forthcoming DC Universe Online MMORPG. Sony Online Entertainment's superhero extravaganza has been shrouded in secrecy for awhile now, and speculation has run rampant about what's percolating in the depths of their batcave. Fans have questions about everything from game mechanics to subscription models, and some interesting images of a possible DCUO web site re-design may shed some light on the latter. Apparently a web designer has included images of a new DCUO web site in his online portfolio, and as DCUOSource's Vicious points out, one of them contains verbiage relating to a 14-day trial. Could SOE opt for a traditional subscription model for those of us looking to fight alongside the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight? Check out the images as well as the resulting discussion thread. [Thanks Vicious!]
DC Universe Online takes us to Bizarro World
Sony Online Entertainment revealed a brand new addition to DC Universe Online Friday: Bizarro. Even if you're not already familiar with the character, you can pretty much assume that anything with a name like that is going to be probably evil and definitely awesome. So who is this guy? DCUO provides a brief backstory for anyone living in a cave, and for the sake of moving on and getting to the good part, we'll go with that: "In hopes of having a Superman of his very own, Lex Luthor called upon his top scientist Dr. Teng to scan and replicate the hero's genetic structure. Due to complications in the construction of the carbon copy, their results gave birth to a monstrous menace, Bizarro." Bizarro's the polar opposite of Superman. Where Superman has heat vision and freeze breath, Bizarro has freeze vision and flame breath. Best of all (or worst of all, depending on your outlook) Kryptonite gives Bizarro strength. Following this train of logic, it seems like Bizarro would also be really slow, but that's no fun. %Gallery-76480%
NBA 2K10 selects Kobe, NBA Live 10 settles for Howard
Dwight Howard probably wasn't much consoled by his image on the recently revealed NBA Live 10 box cover after losing the NBA Finals to the Lakers on Sunday, but the honor must have meant a little something (if not just more pocket change) to the Magic's superman -- until now. Kobe Bryant, winner and MVP of the NBA Finals, has been selected as the boastful NBA 2K10 cover athlete, cementing another dominant victory over Howard. 2K Sports' b-ball franchise has long been superior to EA Sports' annual effort, after all. We're thinking Howard should demand a trade. Source - 2K Sports Congratulates Four-Time NBA Champion Kobe BryantSource - Dwight Howard Named Cover Athlete of EA Sports NBA Live 10
