by Erik Meyer, reporter 

Years after its initial release, D.C. Universe Online is storming the current gen consoles, once again giving players the chance to be the hero they’ve always dreamed of. If you’ve played in the past on PC/PS3 then you know generally what to expect. They’ve made some improvements to graphics and added a lair system and crafting elements. If you’ve never played DCUO before then this review is for you. First let me start buy telling you that it’s a free download, yes 100% free. You have nothing to lose by giving DCUO a shot (except countless hours of your time).

So what is D.C. Universe Online? It follows the standard MMO outline. First, pick your class (Damage, Healer, Tank, Controller). From there, you’ll fully customize your character from head to toe choosing gear, color scheme, mentor, hero or villain and power type (I’ve been known to spend an hour or two just going through different customizations for my character). You can use an existing DC character template or go completely original.

Once you’ve made your hero or villain, the game will run you through a small tutorial mission before dropping you in an open world Gotham/Metropolis. Here is where you’ll level your character doing the main storyline missions, most of them followed by very well drawn cut scenes that really bring that comic feel to the game. Once you hit level 30 (it can be a bit of a grind the first time) is where the real party begins. At level 30 you are capped and the level system switches to what is known as CR (Combat Rating). You’ll need to collect gear in solo or multiplayer instances to improve your CR. The combat system is real time and a lot of fun. Each power type feels, looks and plays quite different from the next. My only real complaint is that the number of powers one can have is kind of low (we can’t all be Superman I guess). You’re often forced to get a power you don’t want/need in order to get the one you do. Trust me though, it is this a minor complaint as this game works so well you will forget about all the unrequited powers and very quickly move on to thrashing some bad guys (or good guys!).

New additions to the D.C. Universe Online add a lot of depth and replay value. The lair system gives each player their own personalized base in which they can use to add amenities for convenience (teleporter, vendors ect.) and mods to improve innate stats. Lairs look cool, make traveling easier and actually add to your characters innate abilities. The crafting system is used to create armor mods to increase CR even once capped on gear level.  Constant updates and new content also keep the game fresh. Seasonal missions, new episodes, new powers, pvp and legends missions. There is more content in game then you’ll know what to do with; the support daybreak is giving this five year old title is astounding. Two new powers Atomic/Water and three new episodes (mission series) have been introduced since its release on the new consoles just a few months ago.

If you love DC comics and MMOS or just one of the two this could be the game for you. Minus a few flaws in the power tree selections and some server down time issues, this game is everything you’d want out of a superhero MMO.

Rating:

ComicsOnline.com gives D.C. Universe Online 4.5 batarangs out of 5.

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