I've always been a "have to see it for myself" kind of person. So I loaded up DCUO last week, and started in on character creation. I've also found that you can't really judge these games until you get to the "premium" level, which is to say, you've dropped more than $5 on the game, and thus unlocked most of the commonly-used options. So I picked up the Green Lantern DLC, and built on that.
The character I built is basically a kind of homage to the Animated series. A kind of what-if, exploring what you'd get if the Star Sapphires built their own version of Aya, the AI nav computer which developed personality, and eventually wound up in a rocky relationship with the Red Lantern, Razor. I went in, knowing that a lot of people and reviewers have panned it over the last few years, and that it's got a more console-y feel than other games.
My impressions so far are that it isn't that bad. They've made some good choices for the VA's. They clearly drive this offering. Adam Baldwin as Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman... Those two have pretty much clinched their respective characters for the last while, and using them has really driven the feel that the player is in an extended Justice League episode. I haven't heard enough of the Wonder Woman VA in the past to know if it's the same woman, but I suspect it is. She plays the character well, although I did sometimes feel like she talks like she's got a steel rod shoved up her backside. She needs to loosen up a little.
I just recently finished a Titans storyline, involving the summoning of Trigon. They didn't used any of the Teen Titans VA's from the cartoon, which would have sold it for me, but that aside, the characterization was pretty good. Although the latest rendition of Starfire is somewhat more adult, they don't have her parading around in the thong and a smile she was wearing for a while in the past.
On a character creation note, I recall somewhere that the options for defining character looks were limited, and while they weren't as massive as CoX, they weren't bad, either. The three-color setup is a tad annoying, but it also prevents garish color nightmares I've seen. It also prevents unfortunately the kind of character I saw once upon a time in CoX named "Cuppycake Gumdrop." An inspired rainbow-colored sprite who flew in a dazzle of rainbow light. I don't know how many creative substances her creator had taken before making the character, but it was truly a work of art. I'm not sure if DCUO would allow a creation that inspired.
I'm still in the mid-teens, so nowhere near level cap. I like the power selections, which although cater to the console control scheme, are fluid enough with a mouse that I can chain attacks fairly effectively. The Lantern powers are varied, and allow me to tailor a character with Lantern powers as I like, without feeling like I'm being railroaded into specific power choices. The ability to pick up "iconic" abilities and tack on abilities used by heroes across the DC spectrum to my build is nice. It lets me add a few abilities not commonly found in the standard build. I picked up a GL-based shield early on using Iconic powers. When I level up enough to get the shield through the GL powers list, I'll respec and drop that in favor of something else.
That's something else I liked, actually. Respeccing is fairly cheap, game-wise. So far, anyway. I have no idea if the costs can eventually rise to the point where a premium player couldn't actually cover the cost without paying a subscription fee. I'll have to discover that along the way. But in-game currency is common enough if I spend wisely that I can always make enough to cover my needs.
So far, I'm actually moderately impressed with what I see. I may pony up for the Lair option, and see what a personal fortress looks like when tricked out. I like the fact that these lairs offer special bonuses to people who invest in building them up. Everything from stat boosts to the ability to call in an orbital strike. Plus henchmen on command, and the ability to summon a sidekick. I'm probably going to enjoy exploring that one.
So, all that said, is there anyone else here who also plays in that game? I wouldn't mind seeing what teaming looks like in-game, if there's others.
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Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.
The character I built is basically a kind of homage to the Animated series. A kind of what-if, exploring what you'd get if the Star Sapphires built their own version of Aya, the AI nav computer which developed personality, and eventually wound up in a rocky relationship with the Red Lantern, Razor. I went in, knowing that a lot of people and reviewers have panned it over the last few years, and that it's got a more console-y feel than other games.
My impressions so far are that it isn't that bad. They've made some good choices for the VA's. They clearly drive this offering. Adam Baldwin as Superman, Kevin Conroy as Batman... Those two have pretty much clinched their respective characters for the last while, and using them has really driven the feel that the player is in an extended Justice League episode. I haven't heard enough of the Wonder Woman VA in the past to know if it's the same woman, but I suspect it is. She plays the character well, although I did sometimes feel like she talks like she's got a steel rod shoved up her backside. She needs to loosen up a little.
I just recently finished a Titans storyline, involving the summoning of Trigon. They didn't used any of the Teen Titans VA's from the cartoon, which would have sold it for me, but that aside, the characterization was pretty good. Although the latest rendition of Starfire is somewhat more adult, they don't have her parading around in the thong and a smile she was wearing for a while in the past.
On a character creation note, I recall somewhere that the options for defining character looks were limited, and while they weren't as massive as CoX, they weren't bad, either. The three-color setup is a tad annoying, but it also prevents garish color nightmares I've seen. It also prevents unfortunately the kind of character I saw once upon a time in CoX named "Cuppycake Gumdrop." An inspired rainbow-colored sprite who flew in a dazzle of rainbow light. I don't know how many creative substances her creator had taken before making the character, but it was truly a work of art. I'm not sure if DCUO would allow a creation that inspired.
I'm still in the mid-teens, so nowhere near level cap. I like the power selections, which although cater to the console control scheme, are fluid enough with a mouse that I can chain attacks fairly effectively. The Lantern powers are varied, and allow me to tailor a character with Lantern powers as I like, without feeling like I'm being railroaded into specific power choices. The ability to pick up "iconic" abilities and tack on abilities used by heroes across the DC spectrum to my build is nice. It lets me add a few abilities not commonly found in the standard build. I picked up a GL-based shield early on using Iconic powers. When I level up enough to get the shield through the GL powers list, I'll respec and drop that in favor of something else.
That's something else I liked, actually. Respeccing is fairly cheap, game-wise. So far, anyway. I have no idea if the costs can eventually rise to the point where a premium player couldn't actually cover the cost without paying a subscription fee. I'll have to discover that along the way. But in-game currency is common enough if I spend wisely that I can always make enough to cover my needs.
So far, I'm actually moderately impressed with what I see. I may pony up for the Lair option, and see what a personal fortress looks like when tricked out. I like the fact that these lairs offer special bonuses to people who invest in building them up. Everything from stat boosts to the ability to call in an orbital strike. Plus henchmen on command, and the ability to summon a sidekick. I'm probably going to enjoy exploring that one.
So, all that said, is there anyone else here who also plays in that game? I wouldn't mind seeing what teaming looks like in-game, if there's others.
---
Those who fear the darkness have never seen what the light can do.