MMO in Tights: Will DC Universe change console gaming?

Eurogamer: "Sony Online Entertainment has been working on DC Universe Online for a long time, and this week it's finally ready for public consumption. So why should you care? Well, it's a superhero MMO based on the official DC licence, for a start.

More intriguingly, DC Universe is the first proper MMO for consoles. It has been built from scratch by a Sony-affiliated company for PS3 and PC. There's no porting, no adapting, no converting. It's native. Could this be a watershed moment for the MMO genre?"

[N311V]

No I don't think so. I don't see this being very successful unfortunately.

[Lannient]

@Scottis The game is packed beleive it or not...

[N311V]

Oh I believe it, personally I got bored with the beta which why I think it might struggle to keep subscriptions. The opening cut scene sets up a great story, just awesome, when you get into the game it's dull though. Missions are given out with very little incentive, batman says go bash him or superman says go smash this and that's it.

[Jinxstar]

Successful or not I am LOVING it. Sooooooo much better then the beta. No freezing. Little slow down.... Fantastic game.

[ironmonkey]

your opinion thats fine. to me i think its gonna be very successful cause i love it. any dc fan out there is gonna get it. there are some crazy fanatics out there who go for these marvel and dc stuff.

[ceedubya9]

The game seems to be an initial success already. People seem to be buying it. The true test will be how the game fares with subscriptions.

[Darkfiber]

Probably not. I don't think it'll really change anything.

[Belasco]

Its the monthly fee thats holding me back, at least make it reasonable.

[Si-Fly]

£10 a month is pretty reasonable already unless you're relying on pocket money still.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

@Belasco...totally agree. Especially when you are asked to pay $60 up front. If it was say $40 and $5 a month it would probably be a game changer...but $15 a month...oh hell no.

[256bit]

then you should never be allowed to talk about WOW or dont even bother playing it, if a montly fee bothers you that much.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

@256bit... LOL..Umm...I don't play WOW for that very reason... I played Everquest back in the day and quit for that very reason.

I will talk about whatever dang game I please though. If I am turned off by the price...I can complain all I want.

@despair, nobody said we were beeing tricked into paying the fee... And you are mistaken if you think you are not "forced" to pay the monthly fee if you wish to play beyond the first 30 days. Clearly you dont mind shelling out $15 a month for one game continuously. I personally like to play many games and therefore dont see the value in a game like this. Its a personal choice I get that. With regards to the article I feel this game will not be a game changer for consoles given the pricing structure. Just my two cents.

[Jinxstar]

I am getting very tired of people saying ‘I wont buy anything I have to pay for’ with the pay to play MMO model. Especially people who own a 360 and play on XBL.

1. When you own an MMO you get a large number of things when it is pay to play besides simple server maintenance. You get many free updates with new quests, areas, raids, zones, options and more.

2. When you play an MMO and you really get into it you hardly have time for many other games. It just sounds dumb when people say “Oh I’ll pay 65$ for a game like Bayonetta or Enslaved with only about 10-15 hours of gameplay but I wont pay 90 or 120$ for a few months worth of entertainment”. It’s almost like you’d rather pay 65$ for a weekend of gaming every weekend as opposed to 120$ for 9-10 times that much at the very least…

If MMO’s are not your thing thats fine but as an avid MMO player I can say that the MMO space is very crowded and most F2P MMO’s blow. Heck even many of the paid ones ain’t all that hot. It’s like people wont even take a chance on something that in the end could save you a TON of money because of a principal…

If you don't want to play because "The graphics are not great" or "I hate the controls" or for any other reason then the money thats fine. The money is money well spent for me. I will probably be buying fewer games this year because of DC universe and that is actually a GOOD thing in my eyes. I will only be buying the very BEST games and not wasting money on other junk.

A friend of mine said it best

"people who dont play MMOs say “i wont pay for a mmo monthly”

MMOs that P2play you get

EVERYONE HAS A EVEN PLAYING FIELD
GREAT SERVERS
SERVER MAINTENANCE
UPDATES!

now if you pay micro transactions, you end up either, paying more buying everything in micro transactions, or you get left behind because you dont want too, or cant afford to spend all the money on everything for micro transactions. "

If however you just don't like MMO's then you can't be helped.

[starcb26]

I don't have enough time to enjoy this game right now, so i'll probably end up getting it in the summer.

[despair]

I don't get it, months ago they announced the fee, and its in line with most p2p MMOs(which are better than micro-transactions) and yet people are still complaining.

If you want to look at it like a normal game then you get 30 days free with the purchase of the game, in that 30 days you can, and probably with multiple characters, reach end game content getting more out of it than the average game, including story and cutscenes like a normal game. You can then let your subscription lapse and not pay a dime again, leave it dormant until you feel to pick it up again for new content(by paying the $15.00) or continue your subscription and keep playing the game.

Why must people act like they are being tricked or forced into paying the $15.00, its an MMO always was from the minute they announced it, if they keep the promise of monthly content and considering the world is active and evolving, plus they have to maintain servers, pay employees and make the new content, $15.00 is not bad. Don't moan and groan about it, its just like any other game, you like it or you don't.

[Spitfire_Riggz]

I wish I had enough money to play it...

[ironmonkey]

never know, maybe they might drop it lower. i think profit is first.

[MarioWarfare]

I hope other people enjoy it but I am not interested in paying a subscription fee even though the game looks cool

[Miiikeyyy]

the monthly fee put me off it, i got the Beta and loved it

[jukins]

if this game was a tad bit smoother and more console gamers actually knew how to cooperate communicate and generally play the game i would definetly get this game even with the glitches that existed in beta. maybe down the road the ps3 version may get a reduced subscription fee or even go free to play with some microtransaction action

[Dno]

the game is is sold out in a lot of places the servers and jam packed.. .. there will not only be Final fantasy MMOs on consoles after this title is successful.

And for the last time DC is NOT the first mmo on consoles its actually not even the second. Final fantasy 11 was 3-4 years ago on LAST GEN systems and Phantasy star was on the freaking dreamcast before it.

[despair]

the big thing is that this game appeals to the non MMO crowd, some of the not so hardcore MMO people and DC comics fans, that a big audience, plus the game is fun like hell. The initial success is great, the problem is how many will stick around each month with the $15.00 fee, longevity of DCUO and any other p2p MMO is in its subscription base, if no one continues to pay then it will die.

I for one hope that does not happen as I plan to play it for a very very long time.

[SuicideShaun]

I agree intirely, i play ps3 xbox and pc. Actually a lot of pc, but most people think that pc players are "WoW nerds" but I have never played wow or any mmo. And when the ps3 beta came out I loved it. I'm a sucker for most rpgs, so its not that much different. But it's still a good game for people who aren't into elves and magic and all of the stuff that typical mmorpgs are.

[Deacon]

15 dollars a month for new content, monthly updates, constant support, and almost infinite re-playability is not a lot of money. Name one game that gives you all of that post release for free. I would love it if games offered monthly updates to some games, like Uncharted or RDR. I'd pay for those too if they offered the same benefits.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

@Deacon... all that post release content you mentioned is not free! You pay $15 a month for it. Just clarifying the point. Not trying to say if it is or is not worth the money.

[Deacon]

I never said it was free. I was saying name me one game that gives you all of that post release stuff for free. Sorry if you misunderstood what I was saying.

[ironmonkey]

i agree the freedom this game give and with no limitations. pvp/go wherever the hell you want, make a guild kill people for fun,15$ a month, why not

[GuruStarr78]

I think so.....I've been playing it on PS3 and it runs great!

With this, I hope Bioware pays notice and gives us The Old Republic on consoles.....it would sell like crazy..

[Belasco]

Holy lord I would be all over that.

[Belasco]

I played COH for awhile, but dropped it because I don't play 40 hours per week, therefore its not worth the $15 per month. And just because I can afford something doesnt mean that I must have it, its called being frugal and not stupid with my money.

[P_Bomb]

This game is awesome and has earned a future subscription from me during the 30 day free trial. I have NO problem paying for one MMO in my entire collection. It's worth it just for the unique experience.

And yeah, the servers have a LOT of players! Very pleasantly surprised. No problem finding people doing the same missions as me or events like Area 51 which I did twice yesterday.

I don't think anything will change overnight. DCU took as long as GT5 to make, and not every studio is gonna have 5 years and $50 million to gamble with. I'm just enjoying it for what it is and it's cool to still be surprised by something that had less hype than even some iPhone games, lol.