So I’m thinking of starting a new character in DC Universe Online. My first character is at level 25 and now that I understand the power/skill trees better, I want to give it another go. I’ll probably go with a staff-wielding healer type to mix it up a bit. I’m stuck on the name though. Any suggestions? So far I’m thinking:
Yeah, I’ve always sucked at coming up with names. Ha!
I now have a full week of DC Universe Online under my belt and my character is at level 18. I’m still enjoying the game, but most of the same doubts remain from my first weekend in DCUO. A few other aspects of the game have been bugging me as well. Let’s go through the list in my rolling (not a) review of DCUO.
Voice Acting — DCUO’s voice acting is irritatingly inconsistent. There are some marvelous performance from Kevin Conroy (Batman), Mark Hamill (The Joker), and Arleen Sorkin (Harley Quinn) — voice actors with fantastic track records. Then there are disappointing performances from Dwight Schultz (The Flash) and Tracy Bush (Booster Gold). Frankly…they suck. The Flash sounds like a nob and Booster sounds like an even bigger nob.
Sure, I understand that Booster Gold hasn’t always been the best hero in the DC Universe. He’s attempted (and failed at) numerous get-rich-quick schemes and sold out his image for things like toothpaste commercials. Still, he has saved lives and the world on numerous occasions. His voice work in DCUO just makes him sound like a complete tool. I really, truly hate it.
Rescue Me! — The game’s scripted missions have been the same after 18 levels. It’s a lot of find X, beat up Y, and defeat boss Z. I’m still enjoying it, but there’s a recurring theme in these missions that’s really starting to bug me — a hero always needs rescuing. I’ve had to bail out Raven, Batwoman, Robin, Nightwing, Supergirl, Wonder Girl, and several other heroes that I can’t remember. In the comics they’re extremely capable beings. In DCUO, they can’t walk for more than 50 feet without getting kidnapped.
As a comic book fan, it’s off-putting. I’m supposed to be a new hero that’s still learning the ropes. The people I’ve saved are established characters that have pulled of marvelous feats time and time again. A scrub like me is supposed to be bailing them out?!? This would have made sense later in the game (maybe level 20?). Perhaps the writers could have used several of DC’s damsels in distress for the early portions. For example, it would have made more sense to me if The Flash needed my help saving his wife Linda Park while he was being assaulted by Gorilla Grodd.
Diversity — I spent some time doing “Wanted” missions, tackling really powerful villains that are impossible to take down alone. Teaming up with others to down Solomon Grundy and Bizarro was a real kick. The first time I did it was a complete accident. I was randomly running around Metropolis (at super speed) and saw four heroes beating on Bizarro. Naturally, I stopped to help. He was almost defeated by the time I got there, so I got a ton of experience for a minute of fighting. In my experience, you can always count on randomly passing heroes to stop and chip in.
The group missions I’ve tackled were fun too. Teaming up as a group of four, our party received various orders from Martian Manhunter. It was basically defeat X and gather item Y over and over again, but it was fun completing the task with strangers at various levels.
This week I plan on doing more PvP missions. Hopefully my character is ready for the challenge.
Still Fun? — Yeah, I’m still enjoying the game, especially when I get to team up with my friends. I’m still marking out when different heroes and villains make appearances in my adventures. I love earning and finding new gear that makes my hero even more powerful. But, I’m still not sure I want to play for more than the 30-day trial. I have an aching suspicion that the repetitive mission structure will bore me and the novelty of the cameos will wear off. Let’s see how it goes after another week!
As always, if you have any questions about my experience with DCUO, please leave a comment. If you’d like to play with me — and it would be way more fun if you did — I’m “RPad TV” on the Crisis server.
Bethesda PR has announced the dates for QuakeCon 2011. This year’s show will take place from August 4 to 7 at The Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. It still feels weird typing that Bethesda is announcing id events. Ha! Anyway, here are some details from the press release:
QuakeCon will once again host North America’s largest BYOC (Bring-Your-Own-Computer) LAN party, with thousands of gamers hooking their systems up to play on a world-class network.
QuakeCon also offers nonstop fun and entertainment for those that don’t bring their own computers. Bethesda Softworks will offer the first chance anywhere for gamers to get their hands on upcoming titles, and the world’s leading technology companies will be on hand to demonstrate their latest hardware and software in the 45,000 square foot exhibit hall. Every day of QuakeCon is packed with contests, entertainment, announcements, panel discussions, and parties!
QuakeCon is the one major gaming show that I’ve yet to attend but would really like to. Perhaps I’ll go to this year’s show…though August in Texas sounds pretty gross.
How about you? Any of you interested in QuakeCon 2011? Wouldn’t marking out during a John Carmack panel be awesome?!?
I’ll spend most of my gaming time this weekend being heroic in DC Universe Online. I’m still enjoying the game, but I’m still not sure I want to play for more than a month. I keep waiting for the game to kick it up a notch…and it hasn’t happened yet. My copy of LittleBigPlanet 2 arrived. I played the hell out of the single-player mode during “super secret project” August. I’m looking forward to giving it another whirl and playing some user-created levels.
How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?
Sure, he made a cool video about Twitter, but I was still surprised that The Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am was named Intel’s director of creative innovation (video above). I’m really not sure what he has to offer Intel, but both parties seem thrilled about the partnership. In a press release, will.i.am said:
Nearly everything I do involves processors and computers, and when I see an Intel chip I think of all the creative minds involved that help to amplify my own creativity. Teaming up with the scientists, researchers and computer programmers at Intel to collaborate and co-develop new ways to communicate, create, inform and entertain is going to be amazing.
You know what would be really amazing? It would be absolutely phenomenal and beneficial to everyone on Earth if will.i.am and Intel teamed up to eradicate auto-tune. That would be an excellent use of celebrity and technology. Get on it guys!
BioWare has revealed the unlockable content for Dragon Age II that can be snagged through its Facebook game Dragon Age Legends. Players can obtain Evra’s Might (ring), Evra’s Trophy Belt, Air of Confidence (ring), the Ivo Family Crest (necklace), and Dura’s Blue Flame (necklace). Here are the descriptions from BioWare’s Ethan Levy:
Evra’s Might
When Evra gained notoriety by defeating the Blood Sisters of Vehnstel, he was wearing his signature ring. Although the massive size of the solid gold ring attracts attention, it served a more practical purpose for Evra: he used it to punch demons in the face, sometimes felling them in a single blow.Evra’s Trophy Belt
This grisly belt is filled with monstrous teeth, chipped blades, scraps of fur, and armor fragments. Each piece is said to be a trophy collected by Evra during his many adventures.Air of Confidence
After averting a disaster at the Circle of Markham, Evra was given this ring by the First Enchanter. Though the Air of Confidence is not as eye-catching as his other famous ring, it is said that Evra always wore it, even when sleeping. The exact magical properties of the Air of Confidence are a subject of much speculation amongst minstrels.Ivo Family Crest
Evolving over the years, the crest of House Ivo has become much more ornate than Paragon Ivo’s original design. This ancient golden amulet bears the original crest. Though the engravings are simple, the stark lines are somehow deeply stirring.Dura’s Blue Flame
This weathered silver amulet has passed through many hands over the years. A deep blue sapphire almost glows in a certain light. Although time has faded its intricate engravings, the amulet has a certain majesty about it.
As I mentioned last November, social gaming is a great way to get audiences on the hook for a retail game. Dragon Age Legends will whet the appetites of longtime Dragon Age fans and possibly create some new ones. Getting unique items to use in Dragon Age II is just a sharp, sharp move. I can’t wait until Dragon Age Legends is out of beta!
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The StarCraft II mods “Aiur Chef”, “Left 2 Die”, and “Starjeweled” are available for beta testing on Battle.net now. “Aiur Chef” is a spin on Iron Chef, “Left 2 Die” is a take on Left 4 Dead, and “Starjeweled” is inspired by Bejeweled.
I totally forgot to post this yesterday! The StarCraft II mods “Aiur Chef”, “Left 2 Die”, and “Starjeweled” are available for beta testing on Battle.net now. “Aiur Chef” is a spin on Iron Chef, “Left 2 Die” is a take on Left 4 Dead, and “Starjeweled” is inspired by Bejeweled.
Check out these screens from BlizzCon 2010 if you need a refresher. If you’ve had a chance to try out these mods, please let me know what you think of them.
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Do you have an old 2.5-inch hard drive that’s just collecting dust? Why not give it a new — and super cute — life with this adorable hard drive enclosure from LightTake. It looks just like a shrunken PS3 Slim!
It’s a very cute and inexpensive hard drive case…but I prefer metal enclosures that dissipate heat better…but (again) this one is too cute! Plus, I’m not sure how much longer it’ll be available; I imagine Sony’s legal team isn’t very happy about it.
Must…control…impulse…purchases.
After years of solid use, my Logitech Wave is on its last legs. I wanted to see what keyboards you guys and dolls like. Do you have a preferred keyboard? Or do just use the one that came with your PC?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Rafael Nadal hopefully breaking his leg so he doesn’t win the Aussie Open, Verizon confirming $30 unlimited data for iPhone, or your favorite gourmet soda, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
After years of solid use, my Logitech Wave is on its last legs. I wanted to see what keyboards you guys and dolls like. Do you have a preferred keyboard? Or do just use the one that came with your PC?
Although the Wave has served me well, I miss typing on a mechanical keyboard. Most models are membrane or scissor-switch these days. I’m pretty sure that my next keyboard will be a mechanical, partially because I miss the crisp feel of those keyboards and mostly because I want to see if I can type loud enough to annoy my neighbors. Razer is supposed to send me a BlackWidow Ultimate for review and I’m hoping that it’s everything I want in a keyboard.
Now let me know about your keyboard preferences (please!).
So I finally started DC Universe Online over the weekend. It’s been an interesting experience so far. I’m glad that the game comes with a 30-day trial because I’m still not sure if it’s enjoyable enough to play it for more than that. Certainly I had fun with the game, but it has odd quirks and frustrating aspects. Here are my initial impressions — not a review! — of DCUO.
Character Creation — For my first character, I chose a hero on the Crisis server. A few of my friends are playing as villains, but I can’t bring myself to play that way. My character is a bow-wielding gadget-using super-speedster hero that’s mentored by Batman. The choices were perfect, since they allowed me to pay tribute to three of my favorite comic-book characters — Nightwing, The Flash (Wally West), and Arsenal. From a stats and characteristics perspective, creating a character in DCUO is simple and straightfoward.
I didn’t do too much in the way of customizing my hero’s physical appearance because…well, I kind of suck at it. I was able to quickly put together a character that looked acceptable through the game’s various templates. I was envious of dozens of the characters I saw online. With the customization tools, players made accurate versions of Marvel characters (saw an awesome Thor), videogame characters (loved the Ezio Auditore I encountered), and more. If you’re into creating facsimiles of your favorite characters from other worlds, DCUO appears to have powerful tools that let you do so.
Going Solo — For my first few quests, I went on solo mission. Everything I’ve encountered so far (I’m at level nine) is simple. I was repeatedly tasked with going to location X, beating up a certain amount of minion Y, and gathering a certain amount of object Z. After several minutes of hunting and gathering, I fought a boss. The gameplay template is super simple so far and would probably be a tad dull if it weren’t for all the awesome cameos. Encountering different DC Universe heroes and villains totally makes the quests. I love conversing with and taking orders from Batman, Zatanna, Martian Manhunter, etc.
What I don’t know is if it will remain interesting after several more hours. Will the mission structures get more complex? Will the cameos lose their charm? That remains to be seen. I should have a better idea after playing more of the game this week.
Forming Alliances — Playing the game with a friend is much easier and way more fun. Unfortunately, it’s also rather aimless and unorganized — at least in my experience. I tried several times with several parties to get voice chat to work. For various reasons, it just wasn’t happening. This made group questing a bit difficult. Typing on a gamepad is never fun, so my friends and I resorted to using AIM. Having to switch betwen my Dual Shock and my Google Chrome Cr-48 was a little annoying and made for a disjointed experience.
I have a call in to Sony Online Entertainment to see what the voice chat issues are. There’s a chance that my friends and I were trying to do it wrong. Still, something like this should be easy to use. The game would be much better, easier, and more fun with voice chat.
The Verdict So Far — I like the game so far, but I’m not sure it will hold my attention. I’m hoping that the quests become more complex and diverse. I’m really hoping that there’s a solution for my voice-chat woes. As it stands now, I’m not certain that I’ll play the game beyond the 30-day trial.
As always, let me know if you have any questions about DCUO. If you’re interested in playing with me, I’m “RPad TV” on Crisis. Super Buddies unite!!!
