Released on 14/01/2011

• Big-name voices announced for DC Universe Online

  We really hope you're getting excited about DC Universe Online round about now. The latest game from EverQuest developers Sony Online Entertainment promises to be the first true console MMO, supporting the PS3 as well as the PC, and it will allow you to knock around in Gotham City and Metropolis with the likes of Batman, Superman, and the Joker.

  Speaking of the last two, the developer has just announced that Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy will be returning to their roles as the Joker and Batman respectively when the game finally hits shelves.

  Not only have the duo played the roles in the classic Batman: The Animated Series, they were kind enough to lend their voices to Rocksteady's brilliant Batman: Arkham Asylum game last year. They're not the only big names either: Adam Baldwin is Superman, Gina Torres from Firefly will be Wonder Woman and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (he's also known as James Marsters) will be stepping into Lex Luthor's expensive loafers.

  An action game as well as a deep MMORPG, DC Universe Online promises to be a smash. This one's out in November.

• Scarecrow joins the cast of DC Universe Online

  Scarecrow joins the cast of DC Universe Online

  It seems like we've been waiting for DC Universe Online forever, but Sony Online Entertainment appears to be working hard on its superhero MMO. With the likes of Batman and Superman confirmed for the fast-paced action-heavy role-playing game, the cast is now filling out with classic DC villains, too, and the latest to be announced is The Scarecrow.

  The shambling psychiatrist-turned-supervillain will be spreading deadly nerve gas around locations like Gotham City and Metropolis when the game finally launches at the start of next year. Players can choose to play as a hero or a villain, and either way they'll find themselves fighting alongside iconic characters like Lex Luthor, The Joker, and The Green Lantern.

  Sony Online Entertainment's promising a deep storyline, plenty of different areas to play through, and loads of customisation options as you take your super-powered characters from zero to hero. Unlike most MMOs, DC Universe Online is putting the emphasis on arcadey combat, with all the finishers, combos, and special moves you could hope for.

  With a launch planned for both the PC and PlayStation 3, it's easy to see why the game is taking its time. But with the likes of the Scarecrow on board, we're more excited than ever. Roll on 2011.
  

• FIFA 11 holds on to top spot in charts

  FIFA 11 has remained top of the league in terms of UK gaming sales in the first week of 2011.
  
  EA Sports' smash-hit football simulation has once again held off the competition to spend another week atop the official GfK-ChartTrack all-formats ranking, making it four weeks in total at number one since its debut.
  
  FIFA 11 has proven to be one of the UK's most consistent sellers since it achieved the biggest first-week sales figures for the franchise to date back in October 2010, as well as one of the most successful British gaming launches ever.
  
  Coming in behind the popular title was Wii music sequel Just Dance 2, which moved up to its highest chart ranking yet at number two.
  
  It meant that record-breaking shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops slipped out of the top two for the first time and had to settle for third place instead.
  
  This week will see the gaming release schedule spring back into life after the Christmas break, with DC Universe Online leading the first wave of big-name titles to hit stores in 2011.

  Published: 10/01/2011

• DC Universe Online Review

  We could be heroes

  
  

  If you thought massively-multiplayer online games were all about orks and elves and +10 swords - not that we're against that stuff in the slightest - DC Universe Online is here to prove you wrong.

  
  

  There have been other superhero MMOs released over the last few years, but Sony Online Entertainment's latest has an ace in the hole. Several aces, actually: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and a whole cast of super-friends and super-enemies.

  
  

  It's simple, really: choose to be a hero or a villain, pull on your cowl, and get ready to cause chaos or mete out justice in a huge comic book world where there are famous faces lurking around every corner. Kapow!

  DC Universe Online keeps its character creation fairly straightforward, but there are plenty of options. After choosing whether you fight on the side of good or evil, you'll select a famous mentor from the pages of DC's comics and then start decking out your hero or villain.

  
  

  Get cape, wear cape, fly!

  
  

  DC Universe Online keeps its character creation fairly straightforward, but there are plenty of options. After choosing whether you fight on the side of good or evil, you'll select a famous mentor from the pages of DC's comics and then start decking out your hero or villain.

  
  

  Besides choosing a gender, body shape and hair cut, you'll be able to decide on the likes of fighting powers and travel method - do you want to fly, flip around like an acrobat, or run really fast? - and even choose whether you want to shoot bolts of energy out of your hands, perhaps, or flatten people with an axe. Or maybe a sword. Or maybe two swords?

  
  

  After that, you're let loose in a world of epic quests and bone-jarring brawls. The game's over-arching story sees heroes and villains alike trying to fend off a Brainiac invasion that would have dire consequences for everybody on planet Earth, but for the most part you'll be taking on missions, finding loot, and fighting alongside - and against - your favourite DC heroes.

  
  

  Despite characters currently being capped at level 30, there's still plenty of action to get stuck in with, and while quests tend to get fairly grindy, they tend to string the more repetitive objectives into tight little bundles of comic book storytelling.

  
  

  A tale of two cities

  
  

  If the quest structure isn't quite as advanced as the likes of World of Warcraft, DC Universe Online certainly makes up for it when it comes to the combat. The first MMO to be equally at home on the PC and the PS3, this is a blast to power through whether you're sat behind a keyboard or clutching a DualShock.

  
  

  Brawling has a real sense of connection as you punch your way through enemy goons, and when your super-powers come into play, things can quickly become totally insane.

  
  

  Frost powers allow you to freeze your foes into cubes of ice, fire powers can see you setting entire city blocks aflame, while if you're a tempestuous sort of character you can expect to be unleashing tornados on your rivals.

  All of this chaos is set within a series of famous locations, with Batman's Gotham City and Superman's huge, sunswept Metropolis standing out as some of the most brilliant zones yet seen in an MMO.

  
  

  Streets ahead

  
  

  If you want to check out the Bat Signal or the Daily Planet offices, they're right there waiting for you, and the streets are filled with opportunities for being heroic or villainous wherever you choose to look.

  As a brand new MMO, DC Universe Online can't hope to be as fully-featured or as polished as World of Warcraft, then, but it's got all the hallmarks of a real winner. A great slice of brawling action and a brilliant piece of comic book fan-service, SOE's game is also an MMO with real potential whichever system you choose to play it on.

  
  

  If you've always wanted in on the world of online games but didn't fancy fighting off goblins, Batman and Superman are here to show you a whole different way of doing things.

  
  

  Our Rating: 8

  
  

  Heroic

  + Plenty of quests to tackle.
  + Great on PC or PS3.
  + You get to meet Batman.

  
  

  Villainous

  - Quests can get grindy.
  - Hitting level 30 isn't hard.
  - Wonder Woman's in it, and she's rubbish.

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