“DC Universe Online”: The Best Superhero Game You’ve Never Played
Despite its age, DC Universe Online still holds its own against the other giants within its genre, such as World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, and Guild Wars 2. The game was seemingly beyond its time for what it was trying to accomplish. At that time, Superhero games weren’t as common, especially ones that included Superman. Superman is one of those heroes that most developers won’t touch with a ten-foot pole for some reason. However, with the release of DC Universe Online, the game brought Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Martian Man Hunter, among many others into the gaming space in such a fantastic way that any comic book fan would love to indulge in the vast world of DC Universe Online.
DC Universe Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set within the iconic world of the DC Universe. DC Universe Online was released in 2011 by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s studio Daybreak Games. It originally started as a buy-to-play game, $49.99 for PC, and $59.99 for PS3, but it did not garner the population of players that it had wanted, so it went free to play with an optional subscription model for $14.99. The game allows the player to create a hero or villain, and pick a mentor to follow alongside that also has their story missions. There are six mentors, but they all counteract one another. Three for the heroes’ side, and three for the villains’ side. The heroes’ mentors include Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. The villain’s mentors include Lex Luthor, Joker, and Circe.
The Combat System Was Beyond Its Time
Until DC Universe Online came out, there was nothing that had come out remotely close to the vision of DC Universe Online, except for maybe one. That game was City of Heroes/City of Villains. CoH/CoV was a game that was loved by many; it was an original IP, which means it didn’t have a license as big as DC Comics. It was released in 2004 by Cryptic Studios and published by NCSoft. The fan-loved game shut its doors on November 30, 2012. City of Heroes was very much like a World of Warcraft-inspired title as it featured a target system called tab target. DC Universe Online, however, was much different. There were actual combos (different ways the player would click the mouse or controller), which meant different moves would come out. There was a strategy in what the player did. Almost like a traditional fighting game in that way. It was so unique for its time, and still has these mechanics present in-game today.
Live Out Your Wildest Superhero Dreams
Despite having several Batman games released throughout the last decade, with many more to come in the form of Gotham Knights slated for release in the coming months, there haven’t been many superhero games released other than those, especially ones that include Superman. DC Universe Online is one such game that allows the player to make a custom hero and create their very own Superman if the need arises.
The world needs new superhero games, especially ones that include the famous man in tights. With all of the DC Comics games being announced as of late, hopefully it will spark interest in the concept of having a fully fleshed-out Superman game. Until then, however, we have DC Universe Online which does the comics more than justice and needs to be played by any fan of any of the properties that it includes. Whether that be Superman, Batman, or Joker. The world needs men in tights, and the gaming space is ripe for them. Gotham Knights is slated for release on October 21, 2022, and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is slated for release in 2023.
