F2P Series - DC Universe Online

DC Universe Online; home to the superhero and (super)villains of yesteryear... yesteryear being January of 2011 when DCUO launched as a subscription based game. They say the first year is always the hardest and in this game's case it would seem the first 11 months were so rough it couldn't even make it to its first anniversary before succumbing to the F2P game model in November.

Well, DC Universe, you have my attention now!

I remember hearing about this game but never really looking into it because, well, let's be honest (since I'm normally not with you)... I'm just not into spandex and face paint. I'm MUCH more into swords, spells, 'n face paint. Seeing as how Bheez has a flare for the dramatic this game was right up his alley, and mine too since I signed on to do this review series. And you know what? If I have to suffer then everybody does. That's why I invited Shirley to guest review on this installment of the F2P Series!

SEE HOW WE FARED IN A WORLD ALMOST AS SCARY AS THE REAL ONE!

But first, one must be prepared. Let's go down our "Necessary to My Survival" checklist, shall we?

Well, well, well, Glynnia the Cyborborgt doesn't look half bad. And I might even have a fighting chance at... well, fighting I guess. I mean, I came prepared with a checklist and everything! /pats self on back

We will be awarding each section of this installment of the F2P Series with Handy-dandy Backpacks. One= ohgodwhydididothistomyself and Five = wheee! And to cut down on the amount of "unnecessary" pixels you will only get one picture of it, take a good long look:

[actionshotlol]

Ok, seems like everything is in order. Let's get down to business.

Customization-

Glynnia: Wow! I haven't had this much fun customizing a character since Aion. And even then this was slightly more fun since the "class" system is part of the customization. Only downfall is that some of the cool powers (such as lightning being a healing power-which would have totally worked with my RP here) require currency purchased with your hard earned dolla to unlock. Custom UIs are not supported here which is tragic because I would have loved to see some values on the HP/MP bars. Key mapping is supported, yay!

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Bheezem: While the actual skin tones, hair styles, and facial customization was lacking (no slide bars, just 4-6 things to choose from per cat.) the game delivers on the outfit customization. As it should, a super hero isnt anything without their super threads amirite? While the outfit customization isnt mind blowing, it does follow the dye system, aka armor presets with color customization options. It also allows for storing outfit "types" you have already acquired even if you arent wearing the same piece of gear. Effectively a transmogrification system except free. In terms of skill trees and ability customization, it allows you to choose a "power" which acts as your main "talent tree" You earn power points that go towards this tree, and skill points that go towards your weapon ability tree and your movement power tree. In terms of variety, you are given many options, however that doesn't necessarily mean they will all be effective, as is the situation in any MMORPG that gives you a variety of choices.

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Shirley: DCUO's focus is clearly collecting and creating unique super hero costumes and not nitpicking with slider bars for your character's facial appearance. You can fine-tune your character's powers and traits and choose from a hefty amount of loadout skills. Unfortunately, you're only allowed two characters max. Apparently there's not enough spandex to upholster my character's fat rolls with.

5/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks 

Game Play-

Glynnia: The game flow is easy to follow and what you would expect from most MMOs. I like the fact that you can move between cities (zones) to do all the quests so you don't have to miss out on any of the story lines. +10 to the completionist in me. This game makes use of the right and left click mouse abilities similar to Dragon Nest. It takes a few minutes to get used to and makes targeting somewhat of a hassle in certain scenarios, overall however, I feel that it works.

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Bheezem: Nothing groundbreaking here, however for a F2P game the gameplay is surprisingly satisfying. Whether it be that visceral crunch you hear when you smash an enemy underneath a giant ice cube, or the fact you can actually use your block ability to make a difference in PvP, the gameplay is above average for MMORPGS. Speaking from a WoW, Rift, SWTOR, player (now a rabid GW2 fan) World PvP has always been one of my favorite things in a game, and its always sad when it dies out. But the fact that there is little to no death penalty in PvP and Heroes and Villains share questing areas, practically forces you to world PvP in this game (awesome!). While the PvP is far from balanced, (im looking at you, pay to win players) it is still enjoyable. I was surprised at how much fun I was having going around and ganking lowbies on a character who's ability/weapon trees I had royally butchered (see video for ganking) The PvE is also satisfying, while none of the mobs give you that HOLY CRAP feeling when you encounter them, they still do a good job of incorporating a super hero comic's evil henchmen into the leveling process.

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Shirley: There's a tutorial at the beginning that shows you how to break out of prison; that on its own gets a 5 star rating. However, the tab-targetting in this game was the bane of my existence, as was the navigation in certain areas (WATCHTOWER). Oh, and you're not allowed to have more than 1.5k currency at a time. If you wish to collect the 645 million you've earned in estrow, you have to pay.

3/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks 

Graphics-

Glynnia: This was the most surprising aspect of this game for me. Even though, as usual, I had to play with less than stellar video settings I found the environments richly detailed but not overdone and stylistically compelling. The cities are well defined and fully explorable and I definitely took advantage of the fact!

5/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Bheezem: Plain and simple. However sometimes that is the best option, taking a bunch of super heroes and villains and put them together in a graphic's engine that brings all their abilities to life, is no small task. So DCUO went with a simple graphics engine that allowed them to do so. However simple it may be, its hard to diminish the effect of reaching the top of a sky scraper and then launching yourself off of it with super speed (FUN).

3/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Shirley: My graphic settings are always set to suck (lowest), yet I was still able to get up close and personal (make people uncomfortable) to see every rippling muscle detail through their spandex-clad characters.  Oh, and Metropolis and (especially) Gotham are very atmospheric and detailed.

5/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Creativity-

Glynnia: Besides the fact that a every player in this world is running around like the circus just rolled into town I did not find that anything offered in this game was above expectation or original. I'll add an extra backpack onto this rating though for the sheer enjoyment I got out of "people watching" while hanging around. 

3/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Bheezem: In terms of creativity this game is lacking in quality. However, this is to be expected when you're working with stories that existed before hand, and were more popular in their comic book form. The developers did a good job of integrating all the heroes and villains into the game and turning fighting crime and stealing ice cream cones from children into actual legitimate quest lines. Nothing new in terms of gameplay, functionality, or lore.

3/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Shirley: Standard MMO formula. There's nothing out of the ordinary except getting to interact with your favorite hero and/or villian and play out your fantasy as a Spandex Caped Crusader.  However, being able to choose your Mentor, Power, Weapon, and Movement is awesome. Got canned heat in my heels tonight, compliments of The Flash(er)!

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks 

Fun Factor-

Glynnia: Ok, I'll admit it, maybe I could learn to like spandex and face paint. I really did enjoy seeing the player community take full advantage of the character customization process. Unlike Bheez who just stole my creative mojo and totally copied my cyborbot with nifty hat and handy-dandy backpack. I was the original Bheez, you remember that!! I never made it to level cap (30) but it didn't seem like it would have been too difficult had I continued (which I may well do during GW2 downtime). I did notice, however, that being able to purchase special super power sets and gear turns this game into a "Pay to Win" at that point so I might just have to resign myself to being a bench warmer forever more... Live to fight another day I say!

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Bheezem: Overall the game meets and in some cases exceeds standards for a free to play, if you're looking for something to do with your spare time while you wait for something else to come out, or if you're willing to shell out the money to purchase the end game content, you'll enjoy this game. Usually I would rate the entertainment level as a 3, but there is just something entertaining about creating your own super hero and kicking the crap out of other ones.

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks

Shirley: I played 'til max level, and I have to say this is the first F2P I've encountered where a hoarder like me never has to worry about not having enough bag space. Leveling is fast and the world is extremely open and fun to explore. Sure, as a level 3 I found myself soiling my spandex when a level 30 chased me, but hey, it's always fun faceplanting into the side of a skyscraper in hopes you're not found with your pants down. 

4/5 Handy-dandy Backpacks 

And now for your viewing (dis)pleasure, a sample of what to expect when you're trying to quest on a PvP server:

Click HERE to try DC Universe Online for yourself! You most likely won't regret it, however I make no promises.

Next up on the F2P Series: Smite (beta)