E3 Media and Business Summit

by Lauri Hong

Finally, I come across a company that has something decent… no better than that!!! Take a company that has known the MMO world for well over a decade, and take a giant in the comics industry.  Now put them into a blender and what do you get?  DC Universe Online! Okay, honestly at first I was thinking… oh great where have I seen people in colored tights before. Hmmmm for some reason a company called NC Soft and their oh so great games City of Heroes and City of Villains come to mind. Anyways, instead of those static mobs that we always love to seek out in order to get any type of enjoyment, SOE has decided to rethink the general idea of the comic and MMO world focusing on the constant amounts of action moment to moment. Okay, before you go deciding which hero or villain you want to be, I hope you realize we can’t have thousands of Batmen or Jokers running around all at once.  Instead, you’ll be working along side with these heroes or villains to help them with the city or work on a quest. Huh, working along side with Superman, how awesome is that?  For those hard core comic fans, you’re probably thinking… BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STORYLINE?!?! Or what about the super heroes or villains?  Or how about the details of the city? Don’t worry your crazy fanboy/fangirl head of yours.  DC and SOE will be feverishly working close together to assure the game sticks true to the comics as much as possible.  And of course, with all those different stories of each character out there, your next question will be, “well how are they gonna pick and choose what story to incorporate into the game?” Jim Lee and the rest of his Wildstorm team will be assisting them with not only picking out the stories that will flow through the game but also creating a separate story for the game itself.

 Hmmm, I foresee possibilities of new characters being introduced into the comic world through this game, don’t you?  According to SOE, they have leased over 140 characters from DC Comics to help create their illustrative world. With all these characters involved, players will of course have to make a very important choice in their growing career in tights… do I join the Justice League, do I join the Legion of Doom, or…… do I make my very own guild?! Well, SOE has just scratched the surface of this game. Be sure to tune in for more at the San Diego Comic Con!